A Fortuitous Malfunction

I bought a used car from a reputable dealer. Within the first week, it started having trouble getting started and once died at a red light. It had a dealer’s warranty for thirty days and it had the remainder of the manufacturer’s warranty, so not a big deal. Right?

Within a couple of days, the service area stopped answering their phones. I left message after message. After another two days, I called sales, and when I was called back, the sales manager said that service told him they couldn’t replicate the error. I finally just showed up after a week and demanded to speak with someone. The service manager met with me and said sales had misunderstood; in actuality, they couldn’t replicate the error on command, and therefore, they were having great difficulty diagnosing the problem. Should just be a couple more days, though.

No call back. I was calling a couple of times a day, but the phones were still going to voicemail every single time. This car wasn’t just a new car to me. I didn’t have a car, and now I could commute which would allow me to get a better job with more pay. But I couldn’t look for a new job until I got my car back.

I just walked in a second time, a week after my first visit. I went off on the service manager. As part of chewing him out, I mentioned that the lack of a car meant I couldn’t find a new job.

He agreed that yes, this had been a very long time. He agreed to arrange a rental car at no cost to me. Then, he said:

Manager: “You are looking for a job? What type of job are you looking for? I notice that you are paraphrasing to make sure you understand what I am saying and asking solid follow-up questions. I might have a position for you.”

Wait, I yell at him and he then tells me he has a job opening?

Ultimately, I didn’t work for the service department, but I was hired by the sales department. I was called for an interview, and at the interview, I was told I had the job; I simply needed to apply for it. This was by far the strangest way I have ever landed a new job.