"I Want To Go Home!"

Last month, I received a recall notice in the mail for my car.  It sounded minor, so I wasn't overly concerned about taking care of it.  I called the dealership and arranged to drop off my car Friday morning before work. They would then give me a shuttle ride to work and pick me up once my car was ready.

After dealing with the service department, I was told to sit in the waiting area, and a shuttle driver would be there to get me shortly.  A few minutes later, one of my co-workers called my cell phone.  The girls at work knew I'd been planning to hit the dealership and then grab a shuttle to the office, but she wanted to make sure I was fine and didn't need a ride.  I thanked her but declined, since the shuttle driver would be there soon.

Pretty soon, a gentleman approached the waiting area and asked, "Did somebody need a shuttle?"  I said yes and stood up, informing him that I needed to get to work.  I thought we were going to leave right then, but an elderly man who was also sitting in the waiting area suddenly announced, "I want to go home!"

The shuttle driver asked him if his vehicle was in for a repair or oil change.  He replied that he his was in for the recall.  The driver explained that the gentleman would need to speak with his service adviser to determine how long the repair would be, as a shuttle might not be necessary.

An elderly woman who had been sitting with us chimed in, "I want to go home too!  Will you come back to my home and pick me up then?"

The shuttle driver, seeming a little flustered, politely responded, "Well, that is my job."  He once again explained how shuttle service had to be coordinated with a customer's service adviser.  "Okay, let's check!"  She got up from her seat, and we walked into the service area.

While the two people spoke with their respective service advisers, a customer next to them declared, "I want to go home too!"  A service adviser stated that he had a customer who needed a shuttle home, and then another person chimed in with (you guessed it), "I want to go home!"

I've utilized the shuttle service for this dealership several times, and I have never had this happen.  I was a bit frustrated because I was needing to get to work and getting held up by all of these people who just wanted to go home.  It was pretty funny though, having all of these people announce one after the other that they wanted to go home.  This seemed like such a novel idea to all of them.  I don't think most of them were aware that shuttle service was an option at the dealership.

With such a group forming, a second shuttle driver was summoned.  I ended up in the shuttle with the two elderly people who had been in the waiting area with me.  My destination was the closest to the dealership, so mine was the first stop.

I feel like I should send a letter of apology to the dealership for causing the daily fuel cost for their shuttle service to skyrocket.