A Christmas Lesson

This is my Christmas lesson story. It isn't over with by any means. Perhaps I have done something mean to someone in my life, I don't know who or what it was, but they say what goes around comes around.

My car stopped cranking up several weeks ago. I asked Dykes Mechanics in Opelika, Alabama to tow it and asked them to fix it. The mechanics there told me that the problem was that I needed a new distributor for the car. It would have to be ordered from James and Snell, the dealer for the car. I had not taken my car to a dealer because of a previous time when my car sat at the dealer for four weeks and was never touched. At that time, Dykes Mechanics did fix the car and I was happy with that. After that, some of you may remember, that for a while I had a little animated car and a little commercial about them on my site. They were aware that I had recommended them and that I had given them a free commercial on the internet.

When I learned that the distributor was going to cost $645, I had to stop and evaluate the situation. My car is a 1987 Dodge Colt Vista wagon with a Mitsubishi (sp?) engine. I talked to people, I rented a car - I live out in the country and work in the city. I finally decided that I could not buy a new car at this time, so I told the people at Dykes Mechanics (I was talking to someone named David) that I wanted them to give the information on the part to James and Snell parts department.

I was told that this would be done, and the part ordered. On the day the part was supposed to arrive, I went to my credit union and borrowed the money, I was ready to go and pay for it. I couldn't borrow all of it, so I was going to use the money that I had in the bank to go with it. It was all that I had, except for $20. I called James and Snell and learned that they had repeatedly tried to find out the details on the part so they could order it. So it wasn't in. I was very upset and called Dykes and told them what had been said. Of course, they said it was a lie, and after that the part was removed from my car, and taken over to James and Snell parts department, so that they could be sure that they were ordering the right thing. The part finally was ordered.

When it came in, I went to James and Snell motors parts department and paid for the part. They gave me the old part and the new one. I could not believe that such a small part could cost $645. I took it myself to Dykes Mechanics. I called them back later that day to see if it had been fixed, and they said, they needed time. I had been told that it would not take long to put this part on. So immediately, I knew that something was wrong. The next day, when I called about it, I was told that the part that had been ordered was not the problem. They had put it on the car, but it still was doing the same thing.

I called James and Snell and told them what had happened, and asked if I could bring the part back and get my money back. They said that because the part had been put on my car, even for a minute, it was non-refundable. I tried and tried to get them to take the part back and refund my money.

Then I talked to Dykes Mechanics, who mis-diagnosed the problem. The person I talked to said that James and Snell should give me my money back. The problem was not theirs.

I talked to the Consumer Protection Agency and several other people, who said that the dealer was not liable, but that the mechanics shop was.

Still being very upset, I asked my nephew (Adam Price's father) to call them and try to see if they wouldn't do something for me. This infuriated Benny Dykes, the owner of Dyke's Mechanics, and he talked very ugly to my nephew.

I waited a little while and then I called. Benny Dykes informed me that I could get my @#$% g.d. car off his @#$% lot, and he washed his hands of the whole affair, and he didn't care if I had tried to help him, that I should stop calling, crying on his shoulder, because he didn't care! Said he was a mean S.O.B., and he was through with me and my car.

I called my auto insurance agent and he recommended that I see a lawyer and that I get my car off that lot as soon as possible. He was afraid (I was too) that they could harm my car further.

My car now is at another place, my insurance agent arranged for someone to pick it up. I now wait to see what they believe is wrong.

In the meantime, I had no money for Christmas, but I gave the children books, they seemed to love them.

The lesson is that I am to pray for the people who have treated me badly, and not try to get my money back. I'm not going to ever see that money again. The lesson is that I have not trusted God enough, that I have tried too hard to run my life without asking for guidance. So now I say to God, "I'm trusting in You. Please guide my steps in the right direction. Whatever You think is best, just let me be able to see clearly, and stop making wrong decisions."

Cia

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