A Visitor’s Shock At Unhelpful Service

ON Thursday 27th January 2011, en route to Lusaka, Zambia from Windhoek, Namibia, my wife and I encountered a clutch problem with the Nissan 4 x 4 which we were driving in at Otjiwarongo at around 16:00hrs, about two hours from Windhoek.

As luck would have it, a local young man advised that there was a Nissan dealership in the town. I smiled encouragingly at my wife and headed for the premises. As I saw the Nissan sign, I breathed a sigh of relief. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise!We headed straight for the Workshop Manager’s office with my newly found ‘Samaritan’. After a wait, the Manager came out of his office, looked at the young man and then started a conversation in a language which I took to be Afrikaans. After a spirited discussion, the man walked past me as if I did not exist, did not offer a greeting nor even look at me. He entered our vehicle where my wife was in the passenger seat. Again there was no greeting and no acknowledgement of any sort. He started the car, tried to move it back and forth and then came out. He briefly talked to the young man and then jumped into a VW Kombi and drove off without looking at me or uttering a single word! I asked our young man who was now looking sheepish what he had said and the young man interpreted that it was too late and we should come back the next day. One night in Otjiwarongo!The next day around 8:15, we were back at the garage. Again, there was absolutely no greeting and no acknowledgement. It was as if I was not there as the conversation again started with the young man. A few minutes later he walked out and disappeared in his office. The young man then explained that he said we would have to book the vehicle in and he was very busy. In fact as I was trying to ask what he had said during their conversation, he told the young man to shut up and not to interrupt him as he was talking!I looked at the sign at the entrance and could not believe how unhelpful, rude and uncouth this semblance of a human being could be to stranded travellers with a Nissan vehicle! The young man then suggested that we buy the spare parts and try some local mechanics from the location. We paid for the clutch kit that arrived the next day on Saturday and proceeded to a local mechanic who sorted out the problem at about 6pm on Saturday.In all my life, I have never seen such disgusting behaviour from a person who is paid to give a service. I am sure if my wife had been a dog on the passenger seat, he would have recognised its presence.I am now left wondering whether Nissan service is about rudeness and not caring about its customers and wish to put on record my disgust at the behaviour of this uncouth man.I might add that the rest of the members of staff at the spare parts department were very helpful.Swithin HaangalaZambia