JJ16

The Return of the Old Temp Replacement Washing Machine

Vicki had paid for and had received a new machine last month – it lasted all of an hour or so from the sounds of it, so she called a service technician who came out, told her it was ‘her fault’ – she had attached the hoses incorrectly at the back of the machine. Then he drove away.
She redid the hoses, started up the machine and it cranked out.
So…Service technician comes out again, takes away the brand new machine, leaves an old falling apart ‘temp’ machine in its place and and drives away. We are now a month later. Vicki had been phoning the service dept to find out when her new machine would be ready to come home – each time it was the same response,’ prochaine semaine’ <next week> three weeks in a row, and o by the way, it now needs a NEW MOTOR! Frustrated, Vicki keeps on phoning and the lady who by now recognizes Vicki’s voice, first tells her that her paperwork has been lost and then when that doesn’t wash <pardon the pun> hangs up on her and refuses to take her calls.
With this in mind, we decided to go right to the TOP – deal with Conforama and demand a new machine.
The old machine is loaded up in to the box trailer on the back of Vicki’s car and we set off.
So here we were at lunchtime, authorization in hand for a new machine ‘aujourdhu’i. <today> and we are walking between rows and rows of washing machines while overhead balloons and signs remind us that Fete Des Mamans is on Mai 28 <Mothers Day> and wouldn’t she just love a new washing machine? <From these people? Not likely! I’m thinking>
Vicki settles on a new Indesit machine which I immediately dub ‘Indecent’ and we load it on the back of the little box trailer with the help of two very enthusiastic guys.
Back home we go, plug it in and start a small experimental wash. Success! Il fait marche! It works.
Now granted this is probably not what you were expecting in a travelogue but when you live for a week with the excitement of all this happening – dealing with plumbers and masons and technicians all in French – I think you begin to understand a little what living here is like.
In Provence the code word for ‘maybe’ is ‘normalement’.
Here in Gascogne region it’s ‘prochaine semaine’ <next week>.
Case in point – in town is a seamstress who has had Vicki’s curtain material for 8 months now – when will her curtains be ready?
All together now: ‘prochaine semaine’.

Since we are in the area of Jouet with this diary entry: here are some shots of the Church across the road - sadly it is only used for funerals these days.