So I go to the dealership to get an oil change, and after about an hour, a woman comes to the waiting room and says, “Robert?” I acknowledged her and she walks over to me. “Looks like you need new brakes. It would still pass inspection, but it’s really close,” she said.
Ugh. I only have like 12,000 miles on the car, so I’m a bit baffled. “How much?” I asked. “Around $200, plus the oil change,” she replied.
I told her to go ahead, frustrated because I really do not have $250+ to spare this week. Plus, I got this car so I could avoid paying hundreds of dollars in repair bills… at least for a couple of years, anyway….
About ten minutes later, an announcement over the p-a system. “Mr. Monek to the service desk please!” Boy, that was fast, I thought…. and then I thought, maybe they found another problem.
So I walk downstairs to the service desk, fearing a four figure disaster and wondering if I have enough space on my credit card to handle a thousand dollar bill, and then the woman gives me a curious look.
“You’re Mr. Monek?” she asked nervously.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Oh no,” she said in such a way to make my heart to sink. Could it be even worse than I imagined? Maybe the engine needs to be replaced?
“What’s wrong?” I anxiously asked.
“You’re the wrong Robert!” she said. I gave her a puzzled look. “I sold the brakes to the wrong guy,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with your brakes. Your car is ready.”
Relief came over me like a wave washing away garbage on the beach.
“But if you’d like to pay for the other guy’s brakes,” chimed in another worker.
“Hey, in the spirit of Christmas, why not?” I responded with a smile.
