My New Best Friend Ben

I have a new best friend named Ben. We have only met twice and he does not know that we are BFFs, but that is okay.  Ben works at The Dealership where I took my car the other day.  I took my car in on Saturday for an oil change and was told I have a major transmission leak. Who knew? Not me apparently. Ben gave me a rental car and promised me that mine would be fixed on Monday. Thank God for warranties.  When I told B this he said, "yeah, right it will be ready on Monday."  I told him Ben was different and I believed him.

You see, we have a history with The Dealership and with Frank, my last service advisor or whatever they call themselves.  When I first leased this vehicle, it came with free satellite radio for 6 months.  Within 3 months the damn thing had stopped working. After calling the satellite radio company and performing crazy circus contortions like:

Press the On button and hold for 3 seconds

Next open the driver's door and shut really quickly

Then press Satellite

Open the driver's door again but keep open for 2 minutes

(you get the point), the satellite radio people told me it was my receiver and to take it back from whence it came.  So I ended up at The Dealership with Frank.  After giving me a rental and taking two days to look at my car, Frank told me it was indeed my receiver. However, they were out of those and they were on backorder.  Off I went.

THREE MONTHS later I finally got a receiver and only because B got involved.  I would regularly call Frank and check on the receiver only to be told the same thing - on back order. Frank also gave me the number to the car manufacturer customer service which I utilized to complain about the lack of movement to no avail.  Frank promised me that my satellite radio service would be extended so I would not miss out on my free service.

B finally got involved right after we got back from our honeymoon. He called Frank because he had HAD ENOUGH.  There was a lot of

yelling

and cursing

and logic such as

 "How is it possible that there is a satellite radio receiver shortage in this country? What are they putting in the new cars?" and

"Why don't you go take one of the satellite radios in one of the billion cars on your lot and install it in our #^@&#^@* car and then wait for a backordered one for the unsold car. This is RIDICULOUS!"

So Frank assured B that we would have a radio within a week. We had it the next day. THE NEXT DAY. Now I was livid.  And, actually so was B.  He took to that customer service call center like a dog to a bone, or in our case, the cats to some catnip.  It went a little something like this:

"How absolutely sexist can your company, The Dealership and Frank be? My wife has been calling every couple of days about this problem.  But the minute I, a man, calls, the radio is somehow miraculously found THE NEXT DAY.  Are we supposed to sit here and believe that is true?  Either Frank lied to us all along and there was a radio, or you and Frank decided to kick it in to high gear now that a man was involved.  I thought we were past those days, but apparently not."

There was more said, but you get the picture.  As a result of B's calls, the following occurred:

I got an apologetic phone call from Frank

I got an apologetic phone call from Frank's supervisor

I got an apologetic phone call from the car manufacturer customer service

I got 6 more months free satellite radio

They paid one of my monthly car payments

B rocks me world! Even he was impressed with all that was done after his call which, of course, just confirmed his theory that yelling gets things done.

Now, when I see Frank at The Dealership, he just averts his eyes.  Which brings me back full circle. You can see why B did not think the car would be ready.  However, he totally underestimated my BFF Ben. The car was ready by noon on Monday.  I went to pick it up and overheard the following exchange between Ben, Frank and unknown third service guy:

Ben:  Guys, I am going to leave some CDs in my upper left drawer for Ms. Smith when she comes in tomorrow. If I am not here, that is where they are, okay?

Unknown: Yep

Frank: [silence]

Ben: FRANK? Did you hear what I said?

Frank: Yes.

Ben: What did I say Frank? [totally said in a long drawn out tone you would use for a 2 year old]

Frank: It's in your upper left drawer.

Ben: What is in my upper left drawer Frank?

Frank: Ms. Smith

Ben: NO FRANK, Ms. Smith is not in my upper left drawer.  What is in there? [now I am cracking up]

Frank: Ms. Smith?

Ben: CDS FRANK, there are CDS in my upper left drawer.

Frank was schooled by Ben.  And that is why he is my new BFF.  B laughed when I told him this story.  I told B that if Ben had been on the satellite radio problem we would have had it in a week.

B - slayer of Frank, The Dealership and car manufacturers in one fell swoop

Ben - slayer and schooler of Frank

I love the men in my life!