I've just had one of the most frustrating phone conversations ever! I don't think I've ever had do deal with someone who's so disinclined to help me. God he sounded so disgruntled and annoyed at me that it almost made me give up what I was asking him to do in the first place! Why work at a place where you have to help people everyday when you don't want to help them??
First a little background information leading up to my conversation with him.
I'll be working in CA this summer. And unlike San Francisco or some other metropolis, you pretty much can't get around without a car. So I've been trying my hardest these days to work out the car situation. And it's not as simple as you think. What complicates the matter is that my compnay will be granting me 4 days of car rental. That is, I can get it reimbursed. (There is 4 days/nights of hotel stay to go along with that for my initial adjustment there.) And for the rest of the time, if I want to rent a car, I'd have to use the lump sum that they give me.
So I'm thinking, car rental is expensive, especially when you're under 25. Why not just use up the 4 days and then rent a car on my own terms for the rest of the time (instead of renting it on my own terms the whole time)? (I'm not going to use up the hotel because 1) I'll have a place to stay when I get there and 2) I hate moving so frequently.)
So that's exactly what I've decided to do: Arrive at the airport, have a taxi drive me to where I'll be staying (which should be within 5 miles from where I'm working), sleep there a night, and then go to the rental place the next day to pick up the car (I'm thinking of asking the people I'll be living with to drive me, or I can call a taxi), drive it for 4 days, then give it back to the rental place, then rent a car on my own and drive it for the rest of the summer. I would have the taxi drive me straight to the car rental place so that I can pick up my car right away, but they'll be closed by the time I get there that day.
The only thing is, right now on my itinerary, they have me pick up the car at the airport. I've only been to California once, I've never driven in California, I've only been at the San Francisco Airport once, I don't know how the roads work, plus highways at airports are known to screw people over, and even if I look up directions on how to get to the place I'll be staying, I'll probably just end up lost somewhere along the way, with no one to turn to.
So I called back the relocation company asking them if they can have me pick up the car at a location that's close to where I'll be working. (No this isn't the bad part). "Sure thing" they said.
Ten minutes later, I get an email saying that my itinerary has changed and that now, instead of having to pick it up at the airport, I'll be picking it up in Santa Rosa, 98.6 miles (2 hours) north of Santa Clara!!! Even from San Francisco, it takes 1 hour to get there!!!! (pictorially: santa clara -> san francisco -> santa rosa) Why did they make it this way???? I have no clue.
Nothing is more annoying than thinking that someone understood you, but they really didn't. (Well, for all I know, they could have understood me, but still made a mistake for some reason.) So I decide to call them back (not the relocation people, but the people from the company who talks to the relocation people and finalizes things).
Apparently the person who normally handles these things is not there, and sick of waiting, I decided to "Press 1" and try someone else.
Here's how the conversation went:
Him: Hi, how may I help you today?
Me: Hi this is H calling. I'll be interning this summer and would like to change the details of my car rental.
Him: Ok. What do you want to change?
Me: Well currently, I'd have to pick it up from Santa Rosa and I was wondering if I can pick it up at some place near the company.
Him: Well we can have you pick it up at San Francisco airport, would you like that?
Me: Um, actually that's how it was in the first place but I was thinking of taking a taxi to where I'd be staying and then picking the car up from there.
Him: Well you know the taxi is probably going to cost from $50-$60.
Me: Yes I know.
Him: Well...ok. We can have you pick it up at the San Jose Airport.
Me: Is there a location that's closer to where the company is?
Him: Huh? I'm still trying to understand what it is that you want here.
Me: I want to take a taxi from the airport to Santa Clara, where I'll be staying and pick up the car somewhere close to there.
Him: You know the taxi is going to cost around $60.
Me: YES! I know! (Then I added the following sentence so he can stop bothering me about the whole taxi situation:) The relocation company is going to reimburse me for that.
Him: Ok. Well we can have you arrive at San Jose instead of San Francisco.
Me: Uh...I thought the flight itinerary can't be changed once it's confirmed.
Him (frustrated): I'm still having trouble understanding what you want.
Me: Ok you know what? Just reserve the car for me in the San Francisco Airport.
Him: Well we do have a place that's just by the company. Would you want that?
Me: Oh ok sure.
Him: Ok I'll put you down for that. Is Sunday at 1pm good?
Me: Yes that's fine.
Him: And you'll return it on the 31st at the same time to the airport?
Me: No, I'll return it to the place that's close to the company.
Him (puzzled): ...Ok.
Me: Will I get an email confirmation about this?
Him: Yes you will.
Me: Thanks for your help. Bye.
Him: Have a nice day. Bye.
Obviously I can't remember the conversation verbatim, but this is pretty accurate. In fact, it was more frustrating and more stressful when it actually happened.
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