The Downside of the Siesta

Alright, so the intention of this blog is in no way to rant. But this one I have to let slide. The Spanish siesta culture is really great. Post-lunch relaxation and the lack of pressure to get things done is a wonderful way to live.

Until you need assistance with something. Then it automatically becomes the worst system in the world. Spain's general lack of work ethic has been tremendously frustrating ever since my Blackberry started malfunctioning on Tuesday.

As evidenced by the fact that no one tips waiters, the Spanish society doesn't really have an emphasis on customer service. Mercedes ranted to me about that yesterday, which inspired me to do this post. I feel like my rant is more acceptable if it is shared by a woman who's been living over here all of her life.

Since Verizon does not exist in Spain, I went to the Vodafone store after lunch. Vodafone owns Verizon, and the logo is printed on my SIM card, so I figured that'd be the place to go for technical support. Silly me though, after lunch time the store was barred up. It's only open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. then 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Which are exactly the hours I normally have class, and then run.

So I changed my schedule to fit with the siestas. Didn't really need to though because when I got there, they informed me that since my phone says "Verizon" on the bottom instead of "Vodafone," they can't help me. When I asked what to do since Verizon does not exist in Spain, they said "Go to a Blackberry store." When I asked if those exist, the girl said, "I'd imagine so. You'd have to look it up online." Then she shrugged her shoulders and went back to Facebook chatting.

The situation was just not something that would have happened in America. I really, really missed the comfort of getting my problems addressed at my earliest convenience. Mom and I skyped the Verizon people a few days later, and they immediately had a new phone sent to my house, which Aunt Jan is conveniently bringing to me in Rome next weekend. Thank you, USA.