Windshield Chip Repair Experience

Recently, I was filling up at my local ARCO gas station on 16th and W Streets in downtown Sacramento when I saw those pesky windshield chip repair guys doing work on some poor innocent victim's windshield. I wondered just how much she was being taken for a ride, so I walked over to the two gentlemen performing the work and asked them exactly how they can repair cracks right on the spot.

One gentleman in a yellow jacket, we'll call him Mr. K from University Auto Glass, explained to me how they inject the resin into the chip or crack, and then ultraviolet light finishes it off to form the permanent seal so it cannot spread any further. I asked how much it cost for the repair, and he quickly responded: $40 for up to three chips/cracks. He was then quick to ask if I had any chips or cracks (I did) and then we were swiftly off to begin his sales pitch.

After reviewing my windshield and my insurance card, he determined that my deductible was high enough that it didn't make sense to file a claim with my insurance company to get it repaired/replaced--I could buy two or three windshields for the price of my deductible. And so, given the choice of a $40 repair (warrantied for as long as I own the vehicle) or the chance of it spreading and forcing me to replace the windshield--not only for safety's sake but to comply with California law--I decided that he got me. I was in.

The process

He takes a razor to the pit/crack to get as much loose junk out of the tiny crevice as he can. Once that's done, he attaches some kind of apparatus to the window via suction cup. This apparatus delivers the resin to the damaged area, which the technician then hardens with an ultraviolet light. He scrapes off the extra resin with his razor, making it level with the glass, then shows me how there are no black marks (those are air gaps) which cause cracks to spread. The whole thing took perhaps 15 minutes start to finish. Pretty painless. Of course, as any good sales guy would, he professed that this was one of the best repairs he's ever seen and he was sure pretty proud of his work. I had no idea, looked like there was a lot less of a crack, to be sure, but I was expecting it to be completely invisible. What remained was a tiny dot, which is largely absent from my vision as I drive down the road.

So in that short time, his partner had helped the lady whose car had sparked my interest, they had helped me, and were scouting every car in the gas station for potential customers, which of course they found with ease.

Why I did it

Costs and benefits, for one. $40 repair vs $100+ windshield. The repair is guaranteed for as long as I own the vehicle. In fact, they stand behind their guarantee such that if I ever need a windshield replacement, they'll credit me the $40 if I buy my replacement windshield from them. But more so, I did it because of Mr. K, who was extremely up-front, transparent and forthcoming about the product/company... and because it just made sense to prevent the crack from spreading. They've really got you right where they want you--a captive audience that has to wait for gas to finish pumping, and trying to solve a problem that may become a bigger problem unless you--wait for it--act now.

The conversation

While talking with Mr. K about his job and other random stuff, I learned the following:

• They use a Square device to process credit card payments right on the spot. (I've had my own Square for quite some time, and it was really cool to see it being used to run a business. Seeing this more and more.)
• The product is $40, and $25 of that $40 goes to him as commission. In places like the Bay Area, where people have more disposable income, he remarked  that the same job would cost drivers anywhere from $80 to $120. Not sure if his commission increases in kind, but I'm sure it does to some extent.
• Speaking of cost, the gas station I was at charges the auto glass company $1,500 per month for exclusive rights to that corner, according to Mr. K. Wow! By my calculations, when you minus out commissions these two guys would have to do 100 windshields per month just to pay the rent. That's a lot of windshields! They did at least three in the short span of time I was there at the station, so I suppose it's entirely possible... hence their hustle to find dinged-up windows. That, by the way, equates to about a $2,500/mo gross income for Mr. K, or about $30,000 per year. After taxes, that's about $1,750/mo or $21,000/year. Not bad for fixing windows.
• To maintain that corner, the sales/install guys must hustle but also remember who the gas station's repeat customers are, and not to piss people off--especially those who say they do not want the service, because "you get any complaints, and you're gone."

Summary

After it was all said and done, I zipped my card with him, the Square processed it on his iPhone (not company-issued, unfortunately), an emailed receipt hit my inbox 5 minutes later, and I wished him good luck on the rest of what was as very chilly night. With a go-get-em grin, he remarked, "There's no luck in sales!" as he put a hop in his step toward his next customer. I took a few notes for this blog post, then drove toward the gas station's exit. As I departed, he waved at me and I waved at him, as if we were friends, as he stood there signing papers with his next customer of the night.

Business is good, apparently, but only if you're good at sales. And this guy was, from start to finish. The conversation was good during the repair, and he noticed me drive out and gave me a friendly wave on the way out.

So next time, I think I won't look at these hustlers the same way I used to--like car salesman waiting for their next mark. They're solving a problem that could lead to a larger one, it's convenient, and the value is right. (Except if you live in locales where the disposable income is higher... yikes!) In Sacramento, he's on the corner of 16th & W hustling every day... so go check him out if you're in the area and want to get that pesky crack fixed up so it doesn't spread and become a bigger problem than just an eyesore.

Conversations with a TV Character

I was lost in the interwebs today, which I often am, and stumbled upon this twitter account, @drlisacuddy. Name: Lisa Cuddy, MD. Location: Princeton, NJ.

"Wow," I thought. I haven't seen a doctor look like this much of a cover girl in... well, ever. "Something's not right about her twitter background though," I thought. It must have been the way she sat in that modern white thatched chair with her ankle twisted just right, aligning her high-heeled shoe with the floor with that hooker kind of pose. Or perhaps it was that casual half-smile with those "Hey, big fella" cougar eyes. Or, it could have been that low-cut top combined with the pencil skirt that stopped above the knee. After putting it all together, it was clear to me that this person was a fake.

But her username has "dr" in it, she has MD in her name, and she's in Princeton. Seems possible... but that background... oh that background!

Well, I should have read her complete twitter Bio first, especially that last part: Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Mother to Rachel. (Character property of FOX and David Shore etc).

Turns out, this girl's from a TV show on FOX called House. I was unwittingly duped.

See, I don't watch much TV. Hell, I don't even own one. But this goes to show how mainstream twitter has become and versatile the communication platform really is. For some people, twitter's all about "whatchya doin?" while for others, it's all about promoting their new book. Others use it for news delivery. And yet, here we have a fictional character with her own REAL twitter account, making the show she's a part of more immersive.

In other words, people are having conversations with TV characters. Like... what? Mind = blown.

So, I tweeted about it:


And then, about an hour and a half later, I got an unexpected response from "her":


Crazy, right? But interesting. I don't watch the show, but if I did, I'd probably follow the characters if I was really into it. Why not? It's almost like you're a part of the crew who has the inside track on what's going through a character's mind--what's going to happen next. What an immersive experience that could be, if done right.

So, kudos to the FOX team for using Twitter in a creative way.

I tagged this post as [human interactions], but now I'm not so sure. ;)

Go make someone's day today

It's Friday and for some reason I'm in a particularly good mood this morning. So, I decided to respond to what many people might view as a boring but necessary corporate reminder about filling our our time sheets. Apparently, that email made her day, which in turn made mine.

All personally identifiable/confidential information has been changed, except my name.

________________________________________
From: Doe, Jane
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 10:30 AM
To: Paul, Michael
Subject: RE: Approvals and the holiday weekend

Thank you so much for the note. I really appreciate it, it made my day!!

________________________________________
From: Paul, Michael
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 9:51 AM
To: Doe, Jane
Subject: RE: Approvals and the holiday weekend

Jane,

Please never feel like you are a broken record when you’re sending out important information like this about how to set up a delegate. There are always new people coming on board who don’t yet know how to do this, and there are always those of us who might want to add another one and haven’t done it in a long time. Not speaking for myself; just standing up for others.

Also, I find a lot of value in these reminders. There have been several times where I have left work on Friday without submitting my time sheet and my project’s designee always sends me a text message reminding me of my blunder. I thank her for that, just as I thank you for this. :)

Keep up the great work, and I hope you have a great weekend too.

Mike
________________________________________
From: Doe, Jane
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 9:11 AM
To: All Members
Subject: Approvals and the holiday weekend

Hello everyone. As we look forward to a long weekend; I wanted to remind you to submit your timesheets today if possible, since the approval deadlines will not change and Monday, May 25th is a holiday. I am sure you all have this down by now, but here is a reminder on how to set up a delegate in PSA if necessary.

[Instructions]

I know you are all working really hard these days; and I hope you are able to enjoy a relaxing and fun-filled holiday weekend.

~Jane

Jane Doe | HR Director
Our Great Company | p.213.867.5309| c. 213.867.5309| f. 213.867.5309
123 Green St, Suite 1| Greensville, CA 90210

Having fun with the help center reps

Today I had a "Live Chat" online with my bank about an auto loan with a loan agent who was all but unreachable. Slightly frustrated that my issue was diverted to a cross-sell for a product I essentially already use, I decided to take a different, to the conversation.

I would also like to point out that, while I understand why scripts are necessary, I really hate them being read to me--especially via text chat. It feels like I'm talking to a robot.

Personally identifiable information (other than my name, since you already know what it is) has been changed.


Duration (actual chatting time) 00:14:11
Operator Gertrude

Chat Transcript
info: Please wait for a representative to respond.
info: Hello. My name is Gertrude. Have you financed a vehicle with Rich Uncle Pennybags in the past 18 months? In the event your vehicle was stolen or totaled in an accident, have you considered how you would pay off your loan and/or come up with a down payment on a replacement vehicle? Rich Uncle Pennybags has a low cost solution that will assist you in these situations. Would you like to hear about it?
info: Your confirmation number for this chat is 123ZOINKSLIKEHEYSCOOB4
Gertrude: Hello Michael, how may I assist you today?
Michael Paul: Hi Gertrude, I just recently got approved for an auto loan and want to know if I can just walk in to a Rich Uncle Pennybags branch to finish the paperwork, or if I still have to deal with "KT", the person assigned to my loan, over the phone.
Michael Paul: KT seems to be unavailable whenever I call.
Gertrude: I will be happy to assist you with this today. In the meantime, have there been any changes to your mailing address, telephone number, or e-mail address?
Michael Paul: no
Gertrude: Thank you for your patience. You will not be able to walk into a branch and sign paper work. Once you and K.T. are able to talk he can set up an appointment with you to visit a branch. While I have you online, I may have a way for you to monitor your account easier. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Michael Paul: sure, go ahead.
Gertrude: How often do you use Rich Uncle Pennybags' online banking?
Michael Paul: every day
Gertrude: Great! Based on the fact that you use Rich Uncle Pennybags' online banking often I would recommend Finance Works. We are proud to offer Finance Works, a free personal money management tool. This great software is offered by Intuit, the same company that offers Quicken. Rich Uncle Pennybags is the second financial institution in the nation to offer this valuable money management tool. Finance Works will save you time because you can track, organize, and itemize all of your expenses. You can integrate your other Rich Uncle Pennybags accounts, as well as accounts you hold with other financial institutions. With this convenience, you can manage your expenses in one online banking session!
Gertrude: Would you like me to walk you through setting up Finance Works?
Michael Paul: No thanks, I already use Quicken connected to Rich Uncle Pennybags, but i might look into it in the future
Gertrude: Great! Is there anything else I can assist you with today Michael?
Michael Paul: Yeah, I'd like to assign my loan to someone else, because I'm having no luck with K.T. The guy seems impossible to reach unless you have the secret Bat Phone number.
Michael Paul: :-)
Gertrude: I have his direct phone number, would you like me to provide you with this number?
Michael Paul: No, because I have that direct phone number, too.
Michael Paul: ...unless you have the direct number to his Bat Phone ;)
Gertrude: I will be happy to see if I can get another loan officer to contact you.
Michael Paul: That would be outstanding, I really appreciate it.
Gertrude: May I get your best contact number?
Michael Paul: cell phone: 269-867-5309
Gertrude: Great! I will try to have someone contact you soon. Is there anything else I can assist you with today Michael?
Michael Paul: No, you've been great Gertrude! Thanks so much for having someone else contact me.
Gertrude: Thank you for choosing Rich Uncle Pennybags. If you need any assistance, please contact us at (800) 867-5309, or Live Chat at www.RichUnclePennybags.com! We appreciate your business! Have a wonderful day!
Michael Paul: You too :-)

R.I.P. Randy Pausch (1960-2008)

In late 2007 I stumbled upon a news article about a dying professor giving his "last lecture"... kind of ironic, right? Well, that "last lecture" caught fire, garnering millions of views across the internet. What he was there to discuss was how to fulfill your childhood dreams, and the lessons he had learned on his life's journey. If you haven't seen it, here it is. (1 hour, 16 minutes. Grab a snack.) If you have already seen it, it's worth watching again.



Well, Randy died yesterday (Thursday, July 24, 2008) and news of his death is making tidal waves across the internet. In fact, Pausch has had such a phenomenal impact on people that news of his death takes up 50% of the search terms on today's Google Trends, in addition to trending very high on Summize (now search.twitter.com).

So, this is my little piece of gratitude to him: Thanks, Randy, for living a great life and living just long enough to talk about it. You're an inspiration for generations to come.

My Maui Jim Sunglass Repair Experience

If you own a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses, you may or may not be aware that they have a pretty kick-ass repair policy. What was your experience like? Tell the world about yours in the comments below.

My repair experience has been a positive one. So far, I've broken them three four times and only had to pay serious money for repairs once. The first two times, I must have still been under warranty and there were literally no questions asked; I just sent them in along with $8.95 shipping (as of 5/3/2013 it's now $10.00, but who cares), and they sent them back to me ASAP. The first time they repaired the broken piece, and the second time they replaced the entire glasses for free--bridge, temples, lenses... everything. AND they gave me a new case for them. All free of charge.

The third time, however, I received a call from Maui Jim and was informed that I was no longer under warranty since I bought them back in 2003. The bridge was bent beyond repair, so that would need replacement. $49.50. My lenses had pits and scratches in them and I could either do nothing, or they'd give me new lenses for half price. The temples were bent, too, but I learned those are always replaced free of charge -- "it's just something we do for the customer" to foster good relations, the service rep said. I think it's a great policy.

All together, it cost $79.50 to rebuild them into a brand new pair of $250 glasses.

Here's what I know about how they operate:

1. If you break them and you're under warranty, send them in. My experience was that they repaired everything with no questions asked.
2. If you're out of warranty, the bridge will cost you $49.50 as of this writing (9/17/07). Lenses sound like they are $60, as I was given half off and paid $30 for them.
3. Temples are always replaced free of charge if they are damaged
   
4. If you send them to Maui Jim without a case (i.e., you lost or damaged yours) it's possible they might send them back to you in a brand new case. UPDATE 4/18/13: I've later come to find out that not always is this the case. (No pun intended!)
5. Fast turnaround time. Sent them out on 9/7/07, got a call from Repair Dept on 9/17/07 (10 days later) indicating my glasses were received, repair work would be done right away, and glasses shipped out tomorrow 9/18/07, taking about 3-5 business days to arrive. Total repair/transit time: about 2 weeks.
6. Maui Jim Repair Department Caller ID was 309-691-3700.
7. Much cheaper than paying retail of $249 for a new pair
8. Repairing Prescription Sunglasses: Rx lenses that are damaged or need replacement should be returned to their place of purchase. Rx lenses cannot be replaced or remade through Maui Jim directly. However, if your prescription sunglass frame needs repair, you can visit their Repair Department's web page and, follow the instructions, and clearly mark "RX REPAIR" on the outside of the container.

EDIT 07/08/08: If purchased at Sunglass Hut, they offer a kick-ass additional "warranty," if you will. For the first six months, if you absolutely destroy your sunglasses beyond repair (run them over with your car, drop them down a garbage disposal, etc.), they'll give you a significant discount on a replacement pair, so long as you bring in the fragments of whatever's left of the old pair.

EDIT 05/28/09: Here's a link to their repair department.

UPDATE: 4/18/13: Damn! Broke them again! This time the temple snapped while I was taking them off (with both hands)... it seems that my particular style is prone to this kind of thing--you see, over time the temples develop small stress fractures and, as one might expect, they get worse the more you put the glasses on and take them off. Sent them in for repair again, so we'll see what the experience is *this* time! Hopefully they're just as good as I claimed back in 2007 when I wrote this post.

UPDATE 5/3/13: Got them back (no thanks to the Post Office ... technically they arrived on 4/27 but the Post Office held the package instead of re-delivering after they missed be because the package required a signature confirmation. Once again, Maui Jim is furthering my love for this company. My lenses had seen better days and while it was my temple that snapped, I joked around in my letter to them and asked if they had any spare lenses just lying around they were looking to get rid of, I'd love to be the one they donate them to. They did! And so, they continue to earn repeat business and referrals and free advertising from me as a Maui Jim advocate/evangelist. I'm so happy that Maui Jim hasn't lost sight of how to deliver WOW.

North Natomas Drivers Suck: Volume 1

We've all seen them: those pesky drivers who refuse to stop at the limit line. Or the antsy driver who's so eager to gun it after waiting so extremely long at a red light (about 3 minutes) that he creeps halfway into the intersection before realizing his light still isn't going to change. Then, much to his chagrin, he throws it into reverse--only to be caught with his hands on his stick as the light turns green.

These types of drivers are everywhere. Of this, there is no equivocation. But is it me, or do they seem particularly fond of a newly-developed neighborhood called North Natomas?

Quick Geographical Background: North Natomas (pronounced nuh-TOW-mus) is a neighborhood in the northern city limits of Sacramento, California that used to be farmland but is rapidly being developed by wide-eyed home builders and developers. Flanked with new homes, it appears that the sprouting community is also riddled with new drivers, too, as nobody here seems to understand what a limit line is, and how it differs from its double-sided cousin, the crosswalk.

Case in point: I recently got back from a kite festival in Berkeley, California, and was really excited to fly a kite. In fact, even though I believe I'll be getting one for my birthday later this month, I decided to make one out of printer paper and go fly it on this breezy day just for fun. As I departed my apartment on foot headed toward the park across the street, I did everything a good pedestrian should do: I pressed the crosswalk button, waited for the signal to light up, and made sure nobody was still driving on my side of the road. Then along comes Little Red Truckinghood.

Now, Little Red clearly had her mind in other places, which is understandable--we've all had a moment when we catch ourselves daydreaming behind the wheel. However, what set Red apart from others is that not only was her mind in another place, so were her eyes--pointed down toward the steering wheel, as if she were playing with her cell phone or reading a fine book. Once she noticed the light was RED (as in "not green nor yellow"), she slowly applied pressure to the brakes and eventually, she stopped--right at the very edge of the crosswalk I was walking on. As Figure 1 to the right illustrates, Little Red did indeed block the *entire crosswalk*.

As I walked toward Red, she shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the obligatory "sorry" through her tightly rolled-up window. Kite in hand, I evoked a blank stare at her and shook my head as I passed. Then, to my astonishment, I raised my eyebrow and one-eyed another car (this time a 2-door silver coupe) who just barely managed to brake enough to avoid the same blunder. And if you'll notice, not one damned car had the wherewithal to stop behind the limit line, even though a pedestrian was crossing the street. (For reference, since it's a little hard to see with the ass-hat drivers covering them: the first solid white line is the limit line; the 2nd and 3rd white lines are the boundaries of the crosswalk.)

Zero for three, North Natomas, not bad--just an average day in cow town where the drivers appear to be as virgin as the homes.