Unreliable, Inefficient Or Just Indifferent

Know what's this?

It's the knob / button for the handbrake of my car. It broke into 2 pieces.

It's about to break into 3.

***

Like thousands of others, I'm driving a modest locally-manufactured car. It's coming to 8 years old, and has so far served me very faithfully. 

The other day, when I reached home and was about to park my car, I discovered that I could not pull up the handbrake. I did not realise why till I found that the knob or push button on the handbrake missing. 

So I drove straightaway to the service centre, and asked them if they could help. 3 of the staff came to look at the handbrake ... and told me what I did not want to hear. "Nothing can be done," they all pronounced. 

They advised me to change it to a new set of handbrake. The bad news was that, I had to wait for 2 weeks because they did not have the replacement handbrake in stock.

I was dismayed. 2 weeks? How was I going to use the car in such condition? Were they going to be responsible if I were to get into an accident? 

Meanwhile, I was to lock my vehicle with the Gear 1, to prevent it from slipping when stationary.

Can you get the spare part in by this week? I persisted. I could not possibly wait for 2 weeks. It was too long. 

Sounding rather indifferent, one of the staff said he would try. "We will call you when the handbrake comes in," he said. "And the car needs to be in for half a day to get the handbrake fixed," he added. 

Annoyed, I drove to my regular mechanic uncle in town. Before I even finished expaining, Uncle Mechanic produced a metallic knob .... and fixed the handbrake for me. It only took 10 seconds and RM20.00, and I was good to go.

It's been 2 weeks now. I haven't heard from those guys at the service centre. Maybe I never will. They are pretty unreliable or inefficient or just indifferent! HMMPH!!!