Mexico "Way"

My stupid blurbs about anything and everything.....in addition to the ups and downs of living in Cancun, Mexico.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Shoe Jerks

I've had a pair of shoes sitting in my closet for the last 5 months. The rubber end of the heel came off and I need new ball pads or whatever you call em put on. They have been sitting in my closet for one reason and one reason only. Because I can't bare to go to that horribly awful shoe repair place in Mercado 28. Sure sometimes they fix things and they do a great job. But the lack of organization and unprofessional manner in which they treat people is so horrid that I'd rather leave the shoes in my closet.

That was until my good friend offered to take them for me since she had to go there anyway. She also kinda knows them or they know her by face, and I figured if she did it, she'd get them back in a timely manner.

So she brought them and told me it would be 100 pesos, that she paid and that they'd be ready the next day. I ask if they gave her some sort of receipt and of course they didn't.

So lovely friend goes the next day. Shoes are not ready and not only that, they apparently did not mark down that she paid. But not to worry, supposedly the chicken scratch on the bottom of one of the shoes with my name on it is enough.

Since I haven't really gone myself at this point, I'm not AS upset. Although I'm thinking, boy my friend is so freakin nice! Thank god I have nice friends!

So the nice friend goes the next day, after the day they said they'd be ready. And low and behold.....NOT F'N ready! SURFUCKINRPRISE!

Ok so nice friend is nice but now she's going out of town. So it's my turn to step up to the plate and deal with my own freakin shoes. I mean this small favor wasn't meant to extend like this but thats the way shit works here right? Anyways, they MUST be ready by the 3rd day because seriously. How incompetent can these people be? (Remember I didn't take my shoes in for a REASON!)

So I pull into a parking spot. And I go to get my "sun shades" so that my stearing wheel isn't too hot to hold. You'd think the "cardboard boy" or whatever his name is would see what I'm doing and not put that nasty cardboard on my shitmobile.....but no. He puts it on anyways (cuz this makes sense with my sun shades). "Quadruple protection and all!" Anyhow, I politely roll down the window and say, thank you but it's not necessary, as you can see, I have my own "gear". Then when I go to get out.....he's holding onto my door handle and fighting with me to shut my own door. Um??? Maybe I am overly sensitive about this, but I feel rather threatened when some strange dude puts garbage cardboard on my windshield and now he's opening my door and trying to shut it and not letting me lock my own car. I had to tell him I could do it, and that it was my car and I was capable of dealing with it myself. I said it in my normal bitch tone (friends know this tone like the back of their hand) so I thought he would "get it". But you know, of course when I came back to my car, there was still garbage cardboard on it. I mean really. I get you want a tip, but I not only told you I didn't need the shit, but I also told you to stop touching my car, and ANNOYING me is not helping you earn shit. Erg. Anyways. :) La la la. Serenity now.

So then. I go to the shoe place. And to my delight.....as per usual, the place is a freakin mess. Shoes all over the place...shoe polish all over the place....and of course no one at the desk. There are two people waiting, 3 workers in the shop shootin the shit, and one of them has no shirt on and is gracing us with his pleasant beer belly gut. I look at the two people waiting and they aren't saying anything. Just sitting there waiting. I figure I'd do the same thing before I finally lose my mind (altho I did lose it already in the parking lot) and ask, "is there anyone here that will serve me?!". The dude says, "She's over there looking for my shoes.". I take a look and there is a woman on the floor pulling out all sorts of shoes and chucking them in a pile. She does this for the next 5 minutes while she ignores us. I am so glad that everyone's shoes are treated with such care!

She finally gives up because she can't find them, forgets the man exists.....and comes over and the lady beside me starts talking to her. They are talking for a bit and then the lady behind the counter pulls a giant bag down from the top shelf and proceeds to take out every single shoe and throw it into a new pile. She found the lady's shoes that was waiting but then got all sorts of busy ignoring me. So I walked in and was a rude bitch back and said, "Hey you, you stupid bitch. WTF is up with my shoes?".

I really didn't say that, but it was more like, I see my shoes over there and they aren't ready and this is the 3rd fricken day. She ignored me for like a minute and then she said my name which kinda cracked me up because all the gringa chicks (btw I'm CANADIAN) must have my name. Anyhow, she flat out lies to me and tells me they will be ready in 5 minutes. She doesn't tell someone to get on it, doesn't ask anyone, just LIES. I suppose I was up in her face and lying to me instead of giving me a reasonable answer is WAY freakin better!

For some reason she decides to walk over, pull them out from the pile of shoes and asks the guy about them. He said some shit about not being able to do something and comes over like its some complex thing. It was not and I said, I don't care, get it done and WHEN? The guy says an hour. (Notice how he didn't say 5 minutes?).

I tell them I will be there tomorrow and they better be ready because I don't have time to come for no reason.

That is when I went back to my car and noticed garbage cardboard still on my windshield.

I'm not going tomorrow. I'm rebelling. I know they won't even bat an eye that I don't pick my shoes up, but it's the only revenge I have. I can "pretend" my rebellion is teaching them a lesson.

Shoe Jerks!

12 Comments:

  • At 10:35 AM, May 09, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Well, your nice friend will be back and able to go on Monday...cause she can´t bear the thought of you having to go through all that again.
    And..btw...even though I know them...they are the most disorganized bunch I have ever seen!!

     
  • At 11:46 AM, May 09, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    We should maybe just put our shoes on the altar and pray to the shoe gods and light a candle. Maybe we'd just wake up one day and have beautifully repaired shoes!? You just have to believe!

     
  • At 3:46 PM, May 09, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Yay, you had to run a necessary errand! This makes me happy because it inevitably brings out the rant in you, and nothing's better than an Elizabeth rant!!

    I hope you run out of gas again soon, too!! Won't that be fun?

     
  • At 5:12 PM, May 09, 2008, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Your post made me think of the lyrics to Rickie Lee Jones' song "Juke box Fury":

    "Polly and I went to the circus
    Polly got hit with a rolling pin
    We got even with the circus
    We bought tickets but we didn't go in..."

    I have a neighbor, a really nice old guy, who has a sign on his house saying her repairs shoes. You can use him as an excuse to come visit me.

     
  • At 10:32 AM, May 11, 2008, Blogger Theresa in Mèrida said…

    We take our shoes to a guy by the plaza grande, the repair shop is called something like El Volcan. Usually, if we drop off at 9 am, we can retrieve at 4pm. He is closed mid-day and Sundays and only open a half day on Saturdays. But every little mercado seems to have shoe repair places. Are these the only guys near you? There have to be better options. Also I would never pre-pay any service! That's like asking to be last, here. What a pain.
    regards,
    Theresa

    ps. so the answer is bring your shoes with you when you come visit!

     
  • At 6:34 PM, May 11, 2008, Blogger My Way said…

    Anon...thanks!!! I'll take you up on that offer fer sure man!

    Lisa...I believe....

    Heather...I love it when I make you happy! And shit!

    River....good to freakin know!

    Theresa...we have all asked around for a different shoe place and so far as I know, even the locals have no clue!

     
  • At 7:38 PM, May 12, 2008, Blogger Islagringo said…

    I so love it when you get all pissy and ranty! You do tell a good story. I felt like I was right there next to you, living it. Maybe because I encounter the same SHIT every frickin day!

     
  • At 9:18 PM, May 12, 2008, Blogger My Way said…

    I think it's because everyone can picture it in their mind!

    PS I got my shoes back!

     
  • At 3:24 PM, May 13, 2008, Blogger Theresa in Mèrida said…

    "PS I got my shoes back!"
    but were they fixed? and if they were fixed were they fixed right?
    I'm glad you got them back.
    regards,
    Theresa

     
  • At 3:46 PM, May 13, 2008, Blogger My Way said…

    One of the shoes wobbles if you must know. lol

     
  • At 7:00 PM, May 19, 2008, Blogger Gary Denness said…

    Relax! This is nothing! My TV, which broke after just a couple of months (and yep I stupidly lost the receipt!) has been in the local repair shop since last October. It's going to be ready on Wednesday. It's always going to be ready on Wednesday. It's been 'going to be' ready on Wednesday for more than 7 months. This is Mexico. :)

     
  • At 1:36 PM, May 20, 2008, Blogger My Way said…

    Gary - You know, when you hear these types of stories from someone else they are so much funnier! It's like I almost want them to never give you your t.v. back because it's just a hoot!

    or

    NOT! lol

     

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