I had a crap day yesterday, partly due to my own lack of organisation and leaving everything to the last minute, but also do to the lack of service many companies seem ok with.

Problem 1 – David’s car was broken into on Saturday outside the children’s home. So we call FNB to cancel his cards. The agent very kindly says “Cards will take 2-7 working days” – now this is a problem – we leave for Cape Town in 4 working days. So we try and see if she can make a plan to make sure we get the cards by Thursday – her reply over and over “As I said your cards will take 2-7 working days” – so we heard “We, as FNB, do not care that you need the credit card to hire the car, we have an SLA and will not try and help you”. I have asked Mr Jacobs on twitter to help but he has never successfully been able to assist me – so we shall collect the cards in Worcester next week. THANKS FNB for trying to help!

Which led to Problem 2 – The car hire – they work on credit cards. I don’t have a credit card and David’s is on it’s way to Worcester in 2-7 days. So I call Europcars call centre and they suggest I call the branch we are picking up from. Paula, the manager of the CT Airport branch, was super helpful and they will use my business cheque card. Thank you Paula and the people I spoke to at Europcar.

Problem 3 – My parents photobook which I did through the Picasso programme and QPhoto. I submit and pay online for the book but notice the cover is blank despite it showing on my programme. So I go into QPhoto Woodlands who can’t help me at all because photo books are dealt with at Prolab in Waterkloof. Fine I go there and ask the dude to please check for me – nope he can’t, I must go home and save the downloaded version onto a memory stick and he will then help me. FINE. I go back the next day and chick transfers it onto a CD for me and tells me to collect on 8/12. On 8/12 I get a call from Jason who says…..wait for it…..”Your cover is blank” but it can be fixed he just wants to check there isn’t a duplication and a book already printed (?) he will call me back later that day. No call came so I popped into Woodlands where I asked it to be delivered and hoped it was there. It wasn’t. So back to Prolab – this time 3 kids in tow. 40 minutes later we discover there is no cover (really? no cover?). So Gerry can see I am about to start throwing things so steps in and promises me the book will be ready by Thursday despite me suggesting he check first what needs to be done. Anyway turns out the book isn’t printed yet and Jason says I can come collect late Thursday or Saturday. At this point Kiara is counting LOUDLY “8756 minutes 8757 minutes 8758 minutes” and I can hear Jack shouting at Cameron in the car (which had windows open and was right outside the shop). Gerry looks kinda panicked now because he didn’t realise the book hadn’t been printed at all. But assures me I will have it by Thursday! Today I return to sort the cover issue out. Verdict is still out on whether they get a thumbs up or down.

Problem 4 – We need to be able to connect to the net while in CT. So off I head to MTN on Wed to get one. Complete the forms etc and they promise a call in 48 hours. So yesterday I popped in (Its next to QPhoto) and asked if they had an answer since its now been 96 hours roughly. Yes it’s been approved but they are waiting for activation – they will call me. Which they do to tell me to please call the call centre (because the MTN store and the MTN call centre are 2 seperate things) and ask them to increase my credit limit (?) – when I ask why she keeps saying “so I can activate your sim” – ok fine – what must I raise it to I ask – R350 she says *sigh* So I call and the call agent says “WHY must you do this” – the more I say “Because YOUR colleague at the store said I must” – the more he said “But it makes no sense we have never done this” – anyway eventually under great duress he raises it for me. Still waiting for sim activation – tomorrow will be 7 days!

Problem 5 – Kiara has a sore tooth, they are on their fathers medical aid and word on the street is it’s a crap medical aid because NOT ONE DENTIST in Pretoria accepts it. I have to pay cash and then claim. When they hear the word ONE CARE they go “OH NO we don’t take that – you are a private patient”. I phoned +- 10 dentists. I did also call the medical aid whose reply to both my calls was “You can go to ANY dentist”. Now paying cash would not normally be such an issue but with JUST the consultation being between R250 – R500 and Christmas being 3 weeks away well it is an issue. So I tell David that we are shopping at the Crazy Store this year and he says “keep trying” – so I call one last doctor and VOILA they will take the medical aid. BUT the conversation that ensued was nothing short of epic.I say “Our med aid is Nedbank OneCare – do you accept” – reception says “ONE DAY med aid?” – Me “No – ONE CARE” – Her “Ok hold on” and yells to someone “Aanvaar ons ONE DAY MEDICAL AID” – SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I try spell De Klerk – she goes BE – I go NO D for DOG – she says oh B soos in bee!

So by the time I got home yesterday afternoon I was rather disillusioned with the world.

If you did manage to read all of that rambling then THANK YOU!