Waiting for a tow...

(As opposed to "Waiting for Gadot")

Forgive me for being a bit snarky, but...

I've got tons of things to do today before I take a two-week hiatus... From blogging... From work.

Yes, I'm taking some "down time."

And I thought this would be, then, the most opportune time for BMW/Mini to take #339 back and get her "faulty battery module #42" fixed.

But, I didn't want BMW of Manhattan to be out a loaner BWM for a WHOLE two weeks -- especially since I didn't really need a car during the next two weeks.

And, I also didn't want to go through the hassle of driving two of my cars (ok, the Mini and my sis' Prius.... Or my CR-V) into Manhattan.

So, taking a page out of my sister's book ("You know, you're paying all that money per month... BMW should be doing something to make being a 'Pioneer' worth the experience...") I asked BMW if they could just dispatch a flat bed?

It took some doing, but Aleks at BMW said, (essentially) "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem... It'll be covered under the 24/7 Roadside Assistance that BMW set up for you guys."

Hmmm... Even though there's nothing operationally wrong with 339?? I mean, I've been able to drive her and all. (Although I have noticed over the past few days that I've been getting less than 100-mile driving range readouts... Even though I've been driving "lightly" -- i.e. no faster than 60-MPH -- and giving her a full charge every night... and the "range-to-empty" meter starts the day off at "108" or "109"....)

Anyway... We "arranged" last week for a flatbed to come to my house today, Thursday 17 September.

I checked and reconfirmed with Aleks at BMW yesterday via e-mail.

We were all set.

'Round about 9 or 10 A.M., I get a call from BMW Roadside assistance.

"Hi, we're just calling to see if the tow has arrived..."

"Uh.. No..."

"Oh... Well... the tow company said they'd be there in about 15 minutes... Please feel free to call me if they don't show..."

11:30 comes and goes... I call back the BMW Roadside tech who called me initially... Got his voice mail. Left a message. "Tow's a no show. Gonna call the tow company directly (Thanks for giving it to me before!)"

Call the tow company. They answer (without even identifying themselves)... "Oh yeah.. I got a guy in near-by Elmont, NY... He should be there in like 15 minutes...."

Noon... 1 PM...

Call the tow company.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Oh sorry... My guy got a little hung up.... (Tow "humor???") "

"So?? How much longer do I have to wait??"

"Oh well, I can say an hour, but I don't know.. I don't want you calling me in an hour if he's not there. So, let's say an hour-and-a-half? And you don't have to be there, you know... Just leave the keys in a mailbox or something... You're at a house, right??"

Needless to say... it's 3:30 and they're STILL NOT here.

"Hello, BMW?" [STILL voicemail!] "I'm really... and I mean REALLY 'disappointed' with the tow service you guys are using..."

Five minutes later, the guy who first called my at 10-something...

"We're soooo sooo soooo sorry that you're still waiting... TO be sure, we will not be using this company anyore. And we'll get another company on it right away... BUT, we're also going to leave this order with the current company open... Sooo... SOMEBODY's going to get your Mini for us..."

Oooookkkkkaaaayyy...

Five minutes later, another call.. This time from another BMM roadside rep...

"Sir, we have a new tow company responding..." She gives me the details... 70-minutes.. 4:30 PM... Latest... And "Again, we are soo, sooo, sooo sorry to leave out in the lurch like that... Usually these things work much, much, much more smoothly... and unfortunately, this is one of the rare times that something slipped up."

::sigh::

Needless to say...

It's 3:45 PM... And I'm still waiting for a tow. :-(