'Cause it's time to lighten up the atmosphere...

We're not really sure how it started, but Sandy and I have been in 'discussions' revolving getting a new place.

For those of you that have been frequenting this blog, you know that we pretty much love the current abode we're living in--we've had lotsa fun with the renos and gardening and just hanging out at our place of residence.

We've always kept our options open, however. Quite recently, we stumbled across a house for sale just around the block. There was an open house last Sunday and we really liked the joint the second we had a walk-thru.

The house is on the same valley that our townhouse currently overlooks, so we'll have the same view--and therefore the same opportunity to take care of all of God's wonderful furry and feathered critters (really, you have no idea how important that is--it is a deal-breaking item!).

So the 'should we/shouldn't we' debate starts. Weighing all the pros 'n cons of staying where we are for a few more years vs buying now.

It's rather exciting, actually, and no matter what the outcome--to buy the house or stay where we are--it's been a very learning experience.

When I bought the townhouse we currently live in, the decision was pretty much done the second I walked thru the front door and saw the view from the back yard--yeah, I paid thousands of dollars for a view--there are worse decision-making rationales out there.

When we walked thru this house located around the block, it impressed, but it didn't give us that 'done-deal' feeling. Maybe that's the way it is when you already own a place--a place that you've invested time and effort.

Whatever happens, I've known for the past (almost) 3 years that it doesn't matter about the walls around me or the roof over my head. Rather, for me--wherever Sandy is is where my home (and heart) is.

(and the world says, 'Awwwwwwww......')

'Cause, truly, we're getting a little tired of it...

(and maybe that's what they really are hoping for--that we just get sick of it and we'll just stop...)

Anyway, Sandy dug up the number to the 'Complaints Dept.' at Mister Transmission's head office.

(1-800-373-8432 if you're so interested)

And I called and spoke with a wonderfully trained customer service representative--a guy named Dave (wonderful name, doncha think?).

He, again like Chris at the shop in Stoney Creek, seemed sincere in his apologies for our inconvenience regarding the entire 'loose bolt' ordeal.

He, like everyone else we spoke to at the transmission shop, alluded that the bolts were not torqued down properly and had 'worked themselves loose'.

I hate to disuade anyone of their particular notions, but the car was making rattling noises the day we brought it home. Since I drive 'older' vehicles myself, rattling is part of the ride. Sandy, however, noticed it immediately.

Big washers that were rattling on big bolts kinda tells me that these bolts weren't even threaded--yet alone tightened down.

So let's get beyond the 'it was mechanically sound when it left the shop' idea, can we?

Anyway, Dave seemed sincere, but the bottom line--from the Mister Transmission parent company mind you--is that the only offer on the table is the actual warranty we already received with the transmisison work. Dave, and therefore the parent company, cannot and will not offer anything else. What Chris offered us originally--extended stuff and all that--isn't something Dave would or could offer.

It was a pleasant conversation we had. I explained to Dave that we were concerned (in our minds understandably so) with taking our car back to Mister Transmission. He stated that if we were uncomfortable with that shop, then we could take 'future work' to another shop in the area.

So this is where it gets even better.

Greg (remember him? The Rude, abrasive, yelling guy who thought it was ridiculous and ludicrous for even thinking of asking for something above the warranty offered and we were stupid for even considering such a notion when we were only slightly inconvenienced so we get nothing!! guy) owns the shops in our area.

So here's a hypothetical built on the previous one--

So your appendix operation is over and you then realize that the 'stitching up' process wasn't done properly--the doctor is most apologetic and offers 'future service' for free.

You aren't comfortable with going under his knife again, no matter how highly he's thought of elsewhere or how sincere he is in his apologies. So you talk to the owner of the medical building about the situation.

The owner basically tells you you're an idiot--that it was your fault that you needed the appendix operation in the first place, that the stitching was done properly in the first place but had 'shaken loose' over a week of use, and that it is absolutely ludicrous to be asking for *anything* at all. He yells at you, belittles you, doesn't listen to or scoffs at any of your concerns and basically tells you to take a flying leap--"You get nothing!!"

K, would you go back to that medical facility at all?

Not us.

I tried to explain that idea to Dave. He seemed, again, sincere in his apologies for the 'rude behaviour' I received from Greg, but that doesn't change the facts of the matter--we will only receive what has already been issued--the standard Mister Transmission warranty.

Which means that if anything happens to our transmisison within whatever amount of time is on our warranty, we have to take it back to Mister Transmission to get it looked at should we want it fixed 'under warranty'.

And if we don't feel like driving far outside our living area--causing... what's that word I'm looking for?... Inconvenience--we'll have to get it fixed at one of Greg's shops.

We're really not appreciating this idea...

Anyway, we've escalated this as much as possible with people who work for Mister Transmission. We're now looking into other options.

We shall see what transpires.

Rather poor customer service on Mister Transmission's part...

I'm not prone to violent outbursts or being rude to people on the phone.

Ever.

So it was as much a surprise to me when I contacted the owner of a bunch of Mister Transmission shops and was confronted with a very rude and belligerent person on the phone.

You may recall (for we've been posting about it here for the last few weeks) that we recently had transmission work done at Mister Transmission. The transmission itself--flawless. Putting our car back together properly after the work was done?? Not so much.

So with that in mind, we talked to the manager of the shop--Chris. He was very apologetic and sincere, and offered us extended warranties and/or free 'future service' at his shop.

That was a very nice offer. We understand that 'life happens' and sometimes things get overlooked. We hold no bitterness or ill-will towards Chris or the mechanics at his shop. However, at this point, Sandy and I have pretty big reservations in taking our vehicles to Chris's shop. Therefore, extended warranties and other services from his shop aren't going to do it for us.

So the discussion went from there. Sandy and I stated that the transmission is working properly, and therefore we have no issue with the parts charged to us. The labour, however, wasn't done properly--by Chris's own admission.

Since the labour charge was around 900 dollars, that's where the discussion should start. A refund to us should be somewhere between 900 dollars and 0 dollars. That's the way I figured it.

Chris stated that he'd talk to his boss to see what could be done. When Chris got back to us and stated that his boss said only what has been offered--the extended warranties and such--is all we can expect, then, for us, that was unacceptable.

However, Chris did what he could do (and he was thoroughly professional throughout this ordeal) and he again offered us his sincere apologies.

So we decided to call the boss--Greg--to see what he could do for us.

I was polite and courteous--the first phone call, Greg mentioned that he was in the middle of something and asked me to call back in 3 minutes.

Knowing that 3 minutes to complete something sometimes leads to 10-15, I called around 20 minutes later.

And I was barraged with an angry, belittling, scathing tirade that can be summarized as follows--

"You dare demand 900 dollars for 2 bolts and 1 wire that shook themselves loose??? That's ludicrous!!!"

Well, (and remember that I'm full-on 'polite mode' now), we weren't *demanding* anything. As I stated to Chris numerous times--the 900 dollars was the starting point of the negotiations--what would make all parties comfortable when we 'walk away from the table' was what I was interested in--and, again, stated so numerous times. Secondly--and somewhat more important--see what he did there? he implied--and even outright stated at other points of the conversation--that when the car left his shop, the bolts and wires were 'secure' and had somehow 'worked themselves loose'--so really, where's the wrongdoing on his part?

However, there was no getting Greg off the fixation of the 900 dollars. "I've been doing this for 17 years and in that time no one ever had the balls to ask me for that kinda money!!"

I tried to get Greg to calm down and discuss this like a true customer-service person in his position might want to. I mentioned to him repeatedly that we weren't demanding 900 dollars. I asked him what he would be comfortable in giving to rectify this matter.

And the reply?

"You get nothing!! I've never been so insulted in all my life!! The extended warranties that Chris offered are cancelled!!" etc.

He also went on to say that if we were so unhappy with the work done, that we could bring the car back in, his guys could put the faulty parts back into the transmission, and he'd make sure that we were charged the labour costs to do this.

Brilliant.

But his ideas didn't end there--"Do you want me to ask my guys to give back their paycheques for the time they worked on your car so you can have your 900 dollars back??"

And it didn't end there--"How about we figure out how much time it would have taken to put those bolts on your car properly out of the entire time it took to fix your transmission? You like that idea?? I can figure it out and give you that!"

There were more than a few points in the conversation where I didn't want to listen to the abuse and was tempted to hang up, but I tried to bring the conversation to a reasonable level. Greg was having none of that, however.

Repeatedly he stated that we would 'get nothing' from him. And since, obviously, that was his final offer, I told him that it was pretty much unacceptable.

Near the end of our conversation, he let me know that he was going into a bad cell zone, and didn't want me to think he was rude if the phone suddenly disconnected.

Why during the course of the above conversation would I think he's rude?

So here's a note for customer service people everywhere. Not once doubting the sincerity of Chris during this whole matter, I was almost to the point where I was willing to accept the extended warranties and future service because, in my mind, Chris would make sure such 'loose bolt incidents' wouldn't happen.

Listening to Greg's tirade on the phone (I really wish I recorded it), however, has taken that off the table. As if the 'inconvenience' (as Greg repeatedly called it) of loose engine mounts weren't enough (what, with the fact that we couldn't drive it for the weekend after the work was done and then having to take it to my mechanic to tighten bolts and check over), to then be insulted and scorned because we wanted to discuss a settlement?

I won't even begin to talk about 'what may have happened', which Greg conveniently dismissed at every opportunity. "Nothing did happen!" No one can say for sure what would have happened if any of these loose bolts had actually fallen off the car. We should all be extremely grateful that we'll never know.

Anyway, time to escalate this, once again, up the chain.

And again, we'll keep you posted.

To see if some people are paying attention...

You need your appendix out. It's a relatively simple operation in the 21st century so you're not that worried about it.

However, you do choose a doctor with a pretty good rep--either people you know trust him and/or you've only heard good things about him.

So you go under the knife, get the appendix removed and everythings honkey dory.

Except a week later, due to some pain, doctors find out that not all of the stitching was done properly when you were sewed back up after your appendix was removed.

Not life threatening, to be sure, but disconcerting to say the least.

So after getting the stiches fixed, your life goes on.

When you mention this to the doctor that performed the appendectomy, he is understandably apologetic and seems sincere in his apologies. He then offers 'future medical procedures' free--or a discount--to make up for this transgression on his part.

Here's my problem--even if this doctor is the same doctor who was highly recommended by others, I would personally have a difficult time in trusting him for any procedure done on me.

Absolutely and unequivocably I'd forgive and not hold any sense of ill will or malice towards the doctor--things happen and life, as people always say, goes on.

That said, forgiveness does not equal trusting again. And when life and/or limb are placed in jeopardy--especially where my family is concerned--trust once lost is not regained.

So offering 'free or discounted' service for future dealings--not so much with the working as far as I'm concerned.

Hope that was clear enough.

A few things come to mind...

See, it wasn't just the car. Last winter when Sandy and I were doing the basement reno, we noted that the wiring was truly sub-standard and didn't meet building code requirements (even for when the house was built).

With corroded wiring and melted electrical sockets, we were left wondering what person in their right mind would actually do this type of installation?

For me, my answer was a person who just doesn't care about the safety and well-being of others.

There's no other way of interpreting that--aluminum wiring with copper rated electrical hardware--even 30 years ago (when our home was built) was a definite 'Do Not Do On Fear Of Homes Burning Down!!!'

Yet it was done.

Throughout the house.

And after calling the condo corporation, the government agencies, the original builders--could I find anyone who would even acknowledge the issue? Yet alone take responsibility for it??

Nope.

So this brings up the car.

Now we have the owner of the transmission shop who was very apologetic and seemed sincere in his stating that the loose bolts shouldn't have happened.

For me, I'm to the point in my life where I'm really and truly sick and tired of the 'it shouldn't have happened!!'

I hear it at work alot--'Well, that shouldn't have happened!' when some guru who supposedly knows computer systems inside and out comes to do something to make our work easier and better and all of a sudden something goes wrong.

Sure it shouldn't have happened.

But here's the problem that I have--when we use 'shouldn't have' it's like we're trying to 'wish the problem away'. Like the petulant 5 year old with his eyes closed and his fingers crossed--'Please don't let the lamp be busted when I count to three and open my eyes!!' after he was playing baseball in the living room...

Well that shouldn't have happened...

But it did.

So what do we do now.

And I guess that's where I find myself alot lately--work, car, whatever. People telling me that things weren't suppose to go that way or be like that. It's to the point where I really don't care--I'm not resigned 'to fate' that things'll always 'go bad'.

What I do do (oooh, Dave said 'do do')--where I put my efforts--is try and get a plan together to get us from where we are right now--y'know, the point where we shouldn't be (but someone supposedly smarter than us invariably got us here anyway), to where we want to be, and I work on that plan until we get there.

So right now, the point where we are is we're more than mildly concerned about the workmanship done to our car by the mechanics at Mister Transmission. From the not connected wire we discovered the day we got the car back to the loose bolts that we got my mechanic to fix, we're displeased with the workmanship. We still have a lack of confidence in the car instilled by these situations. Compounded with this is the class action lawsuit by former patrons of Mister Transmission regarding overcharging on their bills.

Where we want to be is for us to have some sense of trust restored. Trust in the functioning of our car, trust that we weren't 'screwed' by Mister Transmission both financially and mechanically.

How we set about getting this remains to be seen.

Had the car been put together properly in the first place, we wouldn't be where we are right now. It isn't a good place to be. And we're only here because someone, somewhere cut a corner--deliberately or thoughtlessly--it really doesn't matter.

We're here, and we intend to fix it.

Yeah, it's about a car...

Sandy was coming back from the airport on August 3rd. She was picking up friends that were staying with us for the week.

When she got off the highway at Woodward avenue, she felt the car 'kick'.

The kicking occurred anytime the car went from a stand still (say, at a red light) to a moderate speed.

On approaching Canadian Tire on Nash, Sandy decided that it'd be best if she just parked the car there and had me pick up everyon in the Honda.

So we took the 2001 Pontiac Sunfire to Canadian Tire. When there, I asked the shop to give the car a thorough diagnostic, paying particular attention to the transmission.

The next day, on paying CT 90 dollars and 6 cents, they stated that they ran a thorough diagnostic, and took the car for a test drive, yet found absolutely nothing wrong with it--no codes in the computer signifying trouble and no 'kicking' from the transmission.

So with our fears assuaged, we took the car to Niagara Falls.

On returning home from the falls, the transmission kicked again at the very first light I stopped at.

Well then!

So off to Mister Transmission--I mean, I believed it was a transmission problem so a transmission expert would be good.

They diagnosed the car and stated that first the 'puter chip responsible for shifting had to be replaced--it was reading intermittently.

So we did authorized that. However, when that was done, the Mister Transmission guys stated that they found metal filings in the transmission fluid and we should have the entire transmission looked at.

So we authorized that as well.

Turns out, according to Mister Transmission, that there were a few busted parts in our transmission. To rebuild it--getting all the good parts in there and getting the thing back together--around 2 thousand dollars!

2 Grand!!

Wel, I call my mechanic (whom I trust implicitly 'cause he's been my mechanic for as long as I've been driving) and he says that, by the sounds of the symptoms, the transmission probably was bad and that he wouldnt' be able to do any better.

So we authorized Mister Transmission to fix the transmission.

Which they did.

And we got the car back on Friday.

Saturday morning (whilst I was roofing a house), Sandy went to go somewhere, but when she started the car, all the lights on the dash came on!

She calls me and I hypothesized that the Mister Transmission guys didn't connect a wire to a sensor properly--all the lights on the dash don't come on all at once.

Sure enough, when Sandy took the car back to Mister Transmission, a faulty connection was found, then fixed and we were on our way again--wasn't a pleasant weekend worried about the car but sometimes these things can't be helped.

However (and here's where things really get not-so-good!), Sandy noticed that every time she went over a bump on the road, or hit a pothole, something would shake in the front end somewhere.

I took it for a spin and didn't think much of it.

So we drove to Toronto a few times, to the Saug to visit mom, to various other places, and along hte way, we noticed that the rattling was still there every time we hit a bump.

Well, today it started getting worse. We went to the store and back and I was getting quite concerned--things like this shouldn't be getting louder.

So when we got home, the blocks went behind the back tires, the parking brake went on and I took off the front passenger wheel (cause that's where we thought the noides were coming from).

The second I had the tire off, I saw threads from a bolt and two washers just kinda floating along that bolt.

Well that can't be right.

I'm not an automechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know a few things about bolts and nuts and washers--if you can push or pull a bolt and it moves--chances are it's not really tightened properly.

Turns out that this bolt--which (again, i'm no Joe Mechanic) looked as if it was suppose to hold the bottom wheel bracket to the frame--wasn't even threaded thru the nut--the bolt was just kinda sitting there and I was able to pull it right off.

Now I would hope that cars these days have a safety feature that, say, if one bolt fell off a wheel holding thingy (again--no mechanics here) that the whole tire wouldn't go flying off the car if one was, say, going down the Queen Elizabeth at 100 kilometers an hour.

That said, this bolt wasn't secured to anything and, by the grace of whatever deity you believe in, had not fallen right off the car for the week we were driving the car.

So I got my socket set out and I securely tightened the bolt.

After getting the tire back on, Sandy and I decide to take the car for another test drive. Very first bump, still the same rattle.

So the bolt I tightened had nothign to do with the rattling.

So again, in my non-mechanic mind, I'm thinking that whomever didn't tighten up this bolt probably didn't tighten up a few other things that may (or may not) be kinda critical to keeping the front passenger tire on the actual car!!

So, just a few hours ago, we took the car to my mechanic. Hopefully he'll have a chance to get it up on the hoist tomorrow morning.

And you know what I'm going to do when I get his bill for giving our car the once-over to actually assuage our fears regarding the safety of our automobile?

I'm driving right to Mister Transmission and ask what we paid 2500 dollars for? And then I'm going to the CT and asking about the 90 bucks.

Because in all seriousness--it's a thankful situation that Sandy and I are here and able to write this blog right now after realizing that a bolt that holds the front tire to the car could actually be pulled out by my hand tonight.

And I'm more than slightly miffed about the entire situation.

Again--Toronto/Mississauga more than a few times, and just running around town. And I found one bolt not even connected--we don't know what my mechanic will find tomorrow (but I'm sure I'll blog about it).

Look people--I know that in this fast 'n crazy life , sometimes things get missed. Sometimes things are overlooked and sometimes we just have a slip of the memory for putting things back together.

Understood--lord knows that in my life I've forgotten to do things that people were expecting me to do.

Not once, however, in the course of my life, have I ever jeopardized anyone elses life!

Ever!

There is no excuse. Seriously, even if that particular bolt wouldn't cause our front passenger wheel to fall off, a 5/8 6 inch bolt flying out from our car at 100 kph wouldn't do anyone near any good at all.

Anyway, I'm just getting more and more miffed thinking about it so I'll stop now.

We'll keep you posted.

'cause y'know, sometimes it's deserved...

When Sandy and I got married, two of our close friends went in together and gave us a scroll saw. (I'm on about the scroll saw a little too much lately, but this is due to the fact that we're actually using it now )

This Mastercraft 16 inch variable speed scroll saw is a fantastic gift for hobbyists. Unfortunately, with the 'settling in and getting organized' process that occurs after any wedding, there wasn't much time to use this saw.

Of course, now that San and I are 'old married couple', there's more time to putter in the shop (pics to come on that one). So we've started to use the scroll saw.

There was one little downside--right out of the box there was a busted part. A relatively insignificant piece, to be sure, but broken nonetheless.

See, the designers of this scroll saw put in a nice little feature--a 'bellows'-type device that would create air flow across the cutting surface, thus (presumably), keep the sawdust from obscuring your view of what you want to cut.

The top of this bellows was busted--the hose connection had snapped right off.

This wasn't realized by me until long after the wedding was over, and I really wasn't worried about it too much--as I cut, I just give a little blow to keep the dust off (I've become my own bellows-I'm a 'Bellow Fellow!' )

Anyway, 11 months after the wedding, I was in a particularly jaunty mood and so it was no surprise that I gave the 'service and support' number (written on the user manual that came with the saw) a call.

(This 'user manual', btw, consisted of around 10 pages of warnings and safety concerns, and 2 pages of operating instructions, but that's neither here nor there)

So I call up the number for Mastercraft tools. I explained that our MasterCraft 16 inch variable speed scroll saw had a busted part. Since the user manual had an itemized listing of every part used in the scroll saw, I was able to give the representative the actual part number.

The rep. asked for my address and that the piece would be sent to us.

Wow!

Seriously, that was it.

"Um, I have this busted part--#57 Bellows Cap--on my scroll saw and was wondering..."

"What's your address?... It's on its way."

Done.

I also asked for a replacement hose 'cause--of course--since the bellows cap was busted on ours, I threw out the hose along with the busted cap (seeing as how the hose couldn't connect to anything anyway).

Yep--the rep sent us one of those as well.

We received the parts yesterday and I had 'em on the saw last night--works spectacularly well (and I'm not getting winded from 'bellowing').

So to Mastercraft and Canadian Tire--fantastic job on this one! This kind of service adds to the list of reasons why I've always loved shopping at CT.

Keep it up!

Black-Capped Chickadee

One of our favourite birds, basically due to the song--'chick-a-dee-dee-dee-deeeee'

Whenever Sandy and I are sitting on the back deck, we hear the chickadee call all the time. Once in a while, one'll come to the feeder thus giving us the opportunity to get a nice pic.

A silhouette

Posing for the picture

Looking a little worse for wear...

More information on this bird is at WhatBird.WildBird.Com--Black-Capped Chickadee

See all Black-Capped Chickadee pics here--Black-Capped Chickadee

Happy 100th birthday!

On August 1st, 1907, Lord Robert Baden Powell took a bunch of kids on a camping trip. This camping trip was the starting point of what is now known as Boy Scouts.

My direct involvement with the Boy Scouts of Canada ended around 2 decades ago (for personal reasons), but I have, and will always appreciate the organization--for how it helped form my friends and I during our 'formative' years, as well as for what it continues to do to this day for our youth.

Two of the proudest moments in my life dealt directly with my family's involvement in Boy Scouts. The first, which happened around 30 years ago (and I never told him this so don't go telling him now!) was when my brother received the Chief Scout award. Our leader, Scouter Bill Puddicombe, was not prone to give out badges and honourifics on a whim--one really had to deserve the merits bestowed. So it was through my brothers dilligence and extraordinary effort that he received this honour. (for myself, was never really into badges and really didn't come away from my scouting tenure with many, but that's another story).

It was only a few months ago when Sandy and I went to Cambridge to witness my mom receiving the Silver Acorn award. This is the second highest award one can receive in the Boy Scout organization in Canada and it's given to people who have committed time and energy--years and/or decades of service above and beyond. That's my mom. And mom being mom, she really didn't want the award--she's not into pomp and circumstance, fame and glory--and is just involved for the love of being involved. But we were there and were so happy for her.

So happy birthday, Boy Scouts! 100 years young and still going. What the world owes you is immeasurable and what you've done is beyond compare.

As for me, I'll always promise to do my best--to do my duty to God, Queen and Country for as long as I live.

And I'll try to always Be Prepared.