So, I was just chatting with the guy as he took apart my car door and installed a new window. (Since mine was shattered early this morning.)
He was telling me that I should never, ever mount a GPS on a windshield.
I was mad because I just took it out of the box two days ago.
Did you buy it with American Express? he asked.
Yes.
They’ll give you your money back, he said.
Apparently, if you buy anything with American Express — and it gets broken or stolen within 90 days of purchase, they will credit your money back. The glass man said that he broke his new cell phone — and Am Ex got him another one.
Years ago, some JDate I went on was kvetching about how he lost his sunglasses and he felt that American Express should replace them. I thought he was a headache because people lose sunglasses all the time and why would AmEx do that?
Apparently, because they’re awesome.
I called 800-322-1277, the nice lady kept telling me how sorry she was that this happened to me and said she would e-mail me a claim form. I just need to fax them a copy of my receipt and a copy of the police report, and the money will be credited back to me.
Can I pay you with American Express, I asked the glass man.
Yup. And if the bastards come back and break it again — you get a free window, he said.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: American Express is awesome, replacement, stolen GPS
My fingers are bleeding.
I’m covered in broken glass.
I woke up early this morning. I was thinking about driving down to my parents’ house in Tennessee — or maybe going to the beach. (Summer is a slow time for freelance journalism.)
I got dressed, picked up my cell phone, and saw that my neighbor texted me that my car got broken into and my GPS was gone. I just bought this GPS last week.
Shame. I had a Magellen GPS mounted in my car for over a year. I just bought a Garmin. It was better. I see why someone would want it.
A police officer came by, and gave me his card. He said if I happen to run into the guy who took my GPS, give him a call. (DIY police work?) He said if I want to, I should beat the guy up first, then call.
“I won’t press charges,” he said.
He said that undercover cops in my town have bought 90 stolen GPS’s in the last two weeks. I asked if I could have one of those. He said no. “Then you’d have stolen goods,” he said.
So?
Three other cars in my parking lot were broken into last night. It was storming. It just seems extra mean to break windows during a thunderstorm. I kinda wish they had just gone ahead and stolen the car.
They took my neighbors golf clubs from the back of his unlocked car. “At least they left my Ray-Bans,” my neighbor said. He’s a glass-full kind of guy. He said that maybe my car being broken into prevented me from dying in a crash today. And maybe if he had his golf clubs — he might have gotten hit with a ball on the course today and blinded.
I called the car glass repair place and said I had a broken window.
“They take your GPS?” the owner asked.
“Yeah.”
“That’s the number one item stolen,” he said. “Sometimes they just break into cars looking for them if they see the little circle stamped on the windshield from where a GPS was once mounted.”
Great.
Categories: news you can use · reviews
Tagged: car robbery, diy police, Garmin's are better, shattered glass, stolen GPS, why not to mount your GPS
