It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times..., Part 3

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

My body still shook from the shock for I had yet to get warm. I half-heartedly tried to start my car, in an effort to turn on the heater and blast it in my face. I knew it wouldn't start, but I certainly wished it had. I had texted my kids about the accident and each had tried to reach me, to no avail. When the other driver left and I was able to complete the conversation with my insurance company, I had a minute to collect myself and call my daughter. She could hear in my voice that I was not alright. She insisted on coming to get me and I relented, because really I needed her to, I needed to have someone I cared about there with me. She showed up not too long after our conversation ended and following a two-hour wait, the tow truck and driver arrived and convinced me to let him take my car to the body shop instead of to my home.

The words, "Are you a DUMB ASS?" continued to scream in my head...

Every discussion with my insurance company has been incredibly helpful and brought me peace almost instantaneously. It was the best of times..., I could not believe the professionalism and helpfulness that encompassed each conversation. I know, it sounds impossible but as a friend called it, "the return of customer service" has truly arrived. Since the accident four days ago, I have been called at least three times each day by the insurance, twice each day by the body shop and once each day by the car rental company. That's 24 calls, asking me if I was ok, informing me of the process and where we were in it, and letting me know of my car's, as well as, the other car's prognosis.

I am pleasantly shocked by the care my insurance has taken. I have never had such an experience. What has been such a dreadful time, on one hand, has turned into one of the finest, on the other. I have never been treated so poorly and within minutes been treated so well. It was the best of times. The accident changed many things for me - almost instantly. I cannot fathom yelling at another person during such a critical time. It was devastating for me, and it, along with the accident itself, rocked my core, leading me into shock. I have had numerous follow-up waves since the accident occurred.

I am now a HUGE fan of Geico insurance. The customer service has been supreme, the absolute best. That may be due to the severe contrast with the other driver. No matter, I like being taken care of; I am appreciative that I have not had to chase down representatives or anyone/thing else. I have been led through this whole process with extreme care. And thank goodness, I am happy to concede that I need care during the recovery process.

The best of times, wisdom, belief, light and hope have reigned. And I have everything before me.

by rayannethorn

It was the Best of Times, Part 1

It was the Worst of Times, Part 2

It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times, Part 3

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dave Opton on November 3, 2010 at 1:45pm

Let's hear it for real customer service or as Tom Friedman said in The Lexus and the Olive Tree"...the personal touch can never be commoditized."

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Permalink Reply by Rick on November 3, 2010 at 2:06pm

Hey Rayanne

Sorry to hear about your bad day, I would never pick on someone that is feeling down or promote bad behavior as mentioned in your post but you need to give a little more empathy to the guy whose car you hit. It is not just a car but a brand new Bentley. It could have been this guy’s life dream to own one and you just hit it. A car is never the same after it has been in an accident; the repairs will be recorded on Carfax which could cause the value to decline a great deal, even if it’s fixed to perfection. Most people that purchase a car of this type would consider it “their baby”; you might as well have just castrated him right on the spot. He has probably been drunk since the accident and certainly has done his share of crying over it.

Maybe I am just too big of a can fan as I have lived most of my life in the greater Detroit area, here cars are king and they are weaved into very fabric of our lives. It my sound strange but a lot of us guys get attached to our cars, motorcycles, boats etc…it hurts when things happen to them especially when it is not your fault.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on November 3, 2010 at 5:52pm

Regardless of how important this car is to this guy - his reaction was completely over the top.

I bet his life is filled with many people who fear him and few (if any) that love him. Maybe his kids - if he has any - but I'd suspect they just pretend to love him to make sure they get something when this nasty SOB kicks it.

We all have things precious to us. His reaction was nothing less than disgusting. Sounds like an old bastard that needs a good punch in the face if you ask me.

Regardless of whether this was his dream car or not, debasing the person who accidentally hit him is unacceptable. Thoroughly uncalled for.

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Permalink Reply by Rick on November 4, 2010 at 10:23am

Hi Rayanne

I wasn’t trying to pour salt on your wounds and I hope that I did not cause you any extra grief, please forgive me if I did so. Just trying to provide some insight as how maybe the old guy was thinking, trying to make some sense out of the whole mess.

Things have a funny way of coming back around to us or Karma you might say. I am sure that he will get what coming to him at some point in the future.

Best of luck with your car!

Rick