Saturday, April 10, 2010

Picking Poor People's Pockets

I so want to relate the backstory, but I'll restrain myself slightly and start with the current one.

The metal panel that acts as a container/or guard that keeps the flesh from being scrubbed and burnt off the tender part of my thighs is cracked from its thin connector
on one of my arm rests.

Now when my tires were replaced and they rubbed against the armrest/guards I thought to enable my suddenly incredibly difficult mobility by just flipping the arm rest back or removing it. But since i can't feel, it wasn't till the end of a day of this that i felt dampness by the side of my leg and saw bloody tire tracks branded on my right thigh.

When i had asked the tech how much it would cost to replace the part, he told me
$200, not including labor.

After going to the dentist and having to struggle to put the whole assemblage back together, I determined that i was ready to go hungry a bit-- it's warmer, so i can eat less-- to buy this part.

Turns out it's $70 --- multiples less than $200.

Lest you think maybe he thought it required the whole arm rest or some such---
replacing the whole arm rest is $135.

Now back story -- i said the tires rubbed when he put them on, that it felt tight.
When i called the base because it hurt me to wheel around, they were going to
charge me mulitiples of what it cost for him to put the tires on -- I think the estimate was over a 100, just to assess/ determine a solution...

Now i know them as liars and thieves and pray that i need no repairs and if i do, i can effect them myself or find another supplier. (i did find another supplier
in the next city, but they never bothered to return my calls and i've just built up muscle and shred space on the new tires so that i can wheel a bit more freely)

I am awash in relief and hurt and anger.
I would have done this six months ago. It is wearying that every SINGLE thing I am told must be examined, investigated, can't be trusted..... like my finger (another story about avoiding unnecessary surgery).