(no subject)
Jan. 21st, 2009 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hathycolAfter wailing and whinging about how AWFUL life was and how TERRIBLE it was to be broke and OH WOE IS ME I have remembered that it is crass to talk about money. And that I am a little teary pretty much all the time at the moment due to my body going a bit mad on new hormones. This is probably also a little crass in a public post.
Things that are not crass to talk about, though, is the man at the garage kindly asking if I was okay, and then saying that as I was paying so much I could get the back brakes cleaned for free. Then he told me about my tyre, and said although they were passable for the MOT, did I know I had no spare tyre, and the front one was nearly out, which is why they know I have no spare; they were going to change it for me, for free. "Are you driving when you go away?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried. (I had mentioned I was going away.)
"No..." I said cautiously.
"Oh, that's okay then!" He then told me what scrapyard to go to in order to get a new cheap tyre, and told me they'd put it on for about a tenner, next month, after I got paid.
I have always - always - known that the best deal with mechanics is to sound as though you know what you're talking about, and if you get confused or upset at them (I did this once, and learnt the hard way) they'll just charge you more. And today, I have been proved absolutely wrong, and it turns out there is a lot of good in people, even when - let's be honest - now is not a good time to work in any aspect of the car industry. I still think I'm being ripped off for the rest of the repairs, but he didn't have to give me the advice about the tyres, or sort out my back brakes, or check that I was okay. So I'm just feeling very grateful right now, even if my bank balance feels a lot lighter.
Also things to make you happy - has anyone seen the comparethemeerkat.com adverts, a mock advert for a car insurance company? Well, comparethemeerkat.com does in fact exist, and you can in fact compare meerkets by size and hobbies. Believe it or not, there are a lot of meerkat combinations. And an FAQ. Just... wow.
Things that are not crass to talk about, though, is the man at the garage kindly asking if I was okay, and then saying that as I was paying so much I could get the back brakes cleaned for free. Then he told me about my tyre, and said although they were passable for the MOT, did I know I had no spare tyre, and the front one was nearly out, which is why they know I have no spare; they were going to change it for me, for free. "Are you driving when you go away?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried. (I had mentioned I was going away.)
"No..." I said cautiously.
"Oh, that's okay then!" He then told me what scrapyard to go to in order to get a new cheap tyre, and told me they'd put it on for about a tenner, next month, after I got paid.
I have always - always - known that the best deal with mechanics is to sound as though you know what you're talking about, and if you get confused or upset at them (I did this once, and learnt the hard way) they'll just charge you more. And today, I have been proved absolutely wrong, and it turns out there is a lot of good in people, even when - let's be honest - now is not a good time to work in any aspect of the car industry. I still think I'm being ripped off for the rest of the repairs, but he didn't have to give me the advice about the tyres, or sort out my back brakes, or check that I was okay. So I'm just feeling very grateful right now, even if my bank balance feels a lot lighter.
Also things to make you happy - has anyone seen the comparethemeerkat.com adverts, a mock advert for a car insurance company? Well, comparethemeerkat.com does in fact exist, and you can in fact compare meerkets by size and hobbies. Believe it or not, there are a lot of meerkat combinations. And an FAQ. Just... wow.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 01:05 pm (UTC)Mostly I am just staring at this icon and smiling happily to myself, though.
And I will watch out for Compare the Meerkat.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 08:23 pm (UTC)(My mum says I'm a bit weird about asking for money; apparently when I was little I would refuse expensive things and stuff like that, and I never really asked for stuff. Unlike my sister, so possibly it's in sharp relief? I don't know. So I sort of feel bad wailing about needing cash to pay MOT, because, well, student with a car? I dunno. I can never really explain this to people.)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 08:25 pm (UTC)