I HAVE EXPERIENCE YOU CROTCHETY OL...

[friendofjimmyk]

...BIDDY!!!

My first call of the evening was a tire change on a 2000 Lexus.

I get on location - there's already someone trying to help the lady change her tire. Usually, that's not too big an issue, however, if it was one of those "not a big issue" times, I would not be posting this.

A little explanation - this particular Lexus had a locking lug nut. For those not saavy - a locking lug nut is one lug nut on each tire that requires a special thingy to remove. The lug, rather than looking like a normal lug nut, is rounded with a special top with a flowery pattern. A special piece with matching flowery pattern goes into the nut top and into the wrench and viola - it "opens" that nut for removal.

I pull up...

ME: Tow truck chic extrodinare
SOB: Sucky old biddy

SOB: YOU'RE going to fix my tire!
ME: Uh, yes ma'am.

Well, this young man had that piece on the wrench, the wrench was on the lug when I got there. He left.

I grabbed the wrench and pulled - it slipped. Tried to re-align it again, it slipped, again - it slipped - etc etc ad infinity. Every time I got one side of the pattern to line up - the other side slipped off. There was no pressure I was applying because I couldn't - I couldn't get the wrench to stay in place to try to apply pressure. I looked at the piece and saw that the flowery pattern had gotten rounded out - there was no way it was going to fit and loosen that lug...


(conversation as best I can remember)
ME: Ma'am, I apologize, but it looks as if this has been rounded out. Stripped sort of...it's not going to turn your lug to get it off.
SOB: Well, he HAD it turned, he was able to get the lug nut off.
ME: Ma'am that lug nut is securely fastened in place, it has not moved.
SOB: I SAW HIM MOVING THE WRENCH!!! IT IS OFF!!!
ME: (Thinking to myself - he probably did move the wrench and stripped your piece) Well, it's not going to work.
SOB: How do I know YOU didn't do it?
ME: Well, you can't. (that's the truth, she can't prove who did it and I can't prove I didn't do it. all I can tell her is how it was when I found it - she doesn't have to believe me)
SOB: Well, what are YOU going to do about it now, Lady?!
ME: I can tow it.
SOB: Well, where?
ME: Wherever you want.
SOB: I can't believe this! Why didn't they send someone out here with more experience.

Now, here's where I got uncool. Most of the time, I am pretty good at handling people. But, there are those days that if I am off already in the slightest way, shit like this gets under my skin quick. This is the second time I've heard the lack of experience crap from a fucking customer.

I ignored her and went about my business hooking her car up. I've towed Lexus' before...quite a few. Same model.

SOB: STOP!!! YOU'RE SCRATCHING MY CAR!!!!
ME: Ma'am, your car will be okay, it's not scratching it. (the chains rest - not drag or scrape - against the underside of the front bumper - no issue - WHO THE FUCK LOOKS THERE ANYWAY!!!)
SOB: NO! STOP - YOU'RE WRECKING MY CAR!
ME: (oh, I can show you wrecking it!) Okay, then I won't tow the car! (at this point I was snapping back at her)
SOB: Well, what are YOU going to do?
ME: Get you another truck and I'm leaving.
SOB: I can't believe this, why didn't they send someone with experience out here!
ME: Ma'am there was nothing I could do with that tire. It has to go to the shop. Someone with experience won't be able to get it either.

She stopped listening to me, I stopped arguing, I unhooked her car.

Meantime, another passerby stops. I can hear her telling him that I have no idea what I am doing. He gets out of his car and asks her for the piece. He tries, and tries and tries...SAME FUCKING THING - he tells her that when they put her regular tires on from snow season tires at the shop, they used an impact wrench and that was wrong. He said that only the shop will be able to help her.

SHE FUCKING BELIEVED HIM

SOB: oh.


ME: (siliently) AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[myswtghst]

If I had no idea what I was doing, and no experience, why would this be my job? Seriously? Why do people assume we aren't trained before we're sent out into the world to do our jobs? Silly OB.

[RammsteinGirl]

Oh my goodness.. what an old bitch! She didn't think you knew what you were doing simply because you were a woman.

A WOMAN that knows how to work on and tow cars?! What! Women can't be trusted with anything besides baking pies and scrubbing toilets, y'know?

Friendofjimmyk, I don't know how you manage not to strangle your customers on a daily basis!

[rerant]

"They should have sent someone with more experience!"
"If you're so sure I don't know how to do my job then you must be capable of doing it better than me.
Have a nice day."
And that's where I'd take my exit.

[Soulstealer]

Women can't be trusted with anything besides baking pies and scrubbing toilets, y'know?

You don't want to see my attempts at baking and I hate cleaning the bathroom.
How about I patch up the window and fix whatever it is you broke instead?

[protege]

Ugh. What a bitch.

If you really want to have fun...having an alloy wheel 'fuse' itself onto a steel brake drum is always fun. Several years ago, some idiot put a nail in my Tercel's tire sidewall. Didn't notice it until I got the car home, jacked it up, and attempted to pull the wheel off. It would *not* come off! After much pulling and cursing, I was like Only solution was to use a hammer to 'shock' the wheel free. Turns out that the heat from the rear brake drum (which was oversized...the previous owner had fitted larger Corolla rear brakes for some reason) had caused the wheel to 'fuse' itself onto the drum. At least there was a way around it--smear some copper grease on the hub before putting the wheel back on.

[Boozy]

So much for the sisterhood.

I guess sexism is every bit as rampant among women as it is men. Possibly worse.

[Kiwi]

If it makes you feel any better, my mothers still trusts a males word over mine.... I can explain something correctly until Im blue in the face...and she wont believe me.

my brother or my boyfriend, god father, stranger on the street says it and she takes their word for it.... because of course, how could a girl know about changing a tire or painting a fence.

[XCashier]

I guess sexism is every bit as rampant among women as it is men. Possibly worse.

It is worse. As I've said before, the only thing worse than a male chauvinist man is a male chauvinist woman! Yes, it's sad, but there are still a lot of women out there who honestly think you need a Y chromosome to fix a car / program a computer / assemble a bookshelf / etc.

[AriRashkae]

My best friend's mother is worse. To this day, she still thinks it was my husband who changed the battery in my friend's car ('cuz, we couldn't do it since we're, you know, girls!). And she drove for 6 months with a flapping-around-and-almost-scratching-the-glass windshield wiper because she was waiting for her brother to come change it, so she wouldn't have to pay to have some guy replace it at the shop.

We finally "borrowed" the car and did it for her. And no, my husband wasn't involved, except to laugh hysterically that we had to go to such lengths.

[BookstoreEscapee]

And she drove for 6 months with a flapping-around-and-almost-scratching-the-glass windshield wiper because she was waiting for her brother to come change it, so she wouldn't have to pay to have some guy replace it at the shop.

Did her brother know she was waiting for him to come change it? I don't let the dealer change my wiper blades. I just go to the Napa store and tell them what kind of car I have and they sell me blades a lot cheaper. They just snap right onto the wiper...not hard...(OK, my dad actually did it but I would have!) The guy at the store actually offered to come out and help me do it... I choose to believe it was because I'm cute and not merely cuz I'm a helpless girl...

[justZu]

he tells her that when they put her regular tires on from snow season tires at the shop, they used an impact wrench and that was wrong. He said that only the shop will be able to help her.

SHE FUCKING BELIEVED HIM

Well, of course. Back when she was a young woman, and Abraham Lincoln was President, women did not do such things. Why, the very idea! A woman trying to do manly things - do tell! Shocking!(waves fan furiously, politely swoons)

Hopefully this outdated mindset will fade away eventually. It makes me crazy.

[friendofjimmyk]

Friendofjimmyk, I don't know how you manage not to strangle your customers on a daily basis!

For the most part, my customers are really cool. I am some what of a novelty - a chic in a tow truck. Most of the time, people are surprised to see me - I'm not a big person - especially compared to a huge flat bed tow truck - I get the "you're so tiny" comment a lot.

I get, "Wow! I didn't expect you" followed by a description of what they thought would show up... a

(some adjectives used)
dirty
old
toothless
greasy
fat
bald
smelly

man.

Then there are the few occasions where women dance and sing. Yes. Dance and sing. Today, a woman sang, "She's every woman" while I changed her friends tire - a flat tire - on a Lexus - same flippin side as the old biddies - came off without a hitch - why? BECAUSE THE LOCKING NUT WASN'T FUCKED UP!

So, for the most part, my customers are great. It's just those few bad apples and then the ones that go for the throat with the "no experience" crap.

[friendofjimmyk]

Ugh. What a bitch.
Only solution was to use a hammer to 'shock' the wheel free..

I've had to do this on several occasions. If the tire hasn't been removed in some time, especially after the winter months - they get stuck on there. Hammer them from the back side on the rim and they pop right off.

The other day I pulled up on a tire change = a MAN could not remove the lug nuts. I pulled out the hammer, tapped each one of the nuts and they broke free in one tug. He was impressed and a bit embarrased!

[friendofjimmyk]

Well, of course. Back when she was a young woman, and Abraham Lincoln was President, women did not do such things. Why, the very idea! A woman trying to do manly things - do tell! Shocking!(waves fan furiously, politely swoons)

Hopefully this outdated mindset will fade away eventually. It makes me crazy.

Plus, I think when she was my age they were still on horse back!