air conditioner saga - also known as - lost in translation

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friday
11 july
11:00am

Fuck. So yesterday we FINALLY got the guy to come fix the two malfunctioning air conditioners. They broke down late last week. We had the one on in the master bedroom when we went to sleep, and when we woke up, it had stopped working. Then I came out to the living room to turn that one on, and lo and behold, it didn't work either. So we opened up all the windows and tried to figure out how to get them fixed.

I went down to the desk in our apartment's lobby and basically said, "The air in our room is really hot. The machine is broken," since I didn't know the vocab for "air conditioner" , and mimed that the machine I was talking about was on the wall. She understood, and she asked what brand the AC's were. I had no idea, so later she came up to our apartment and looked at the two huaile machines.

She then called me from downstairs to give me the number of the repairman. Now, it's pretty clear that I only speak baby Chinese. And there was no way I would be able to call the repair guys and get it across to them that we needed help.

So the next morning I went back downstairs to have her call. Except she wasn't working, some other girl was. So I tried to, once again, explain that two of the AC's in the apartment, where we are guests, not residents, aren't working, that the girl yesterday gave me this number, but I don't speak Chinese well, and could she please call them and set up an appointment for me?

Of course she tries to call and says there's no answer. I tell her, fine, whatever, no problem.

The weekend passes. I'm frustrated. All of this is over my head and they're all speaking Chinese to me, of which I understand about every 5th word. It's exhausting. But our hot apartment sucks.

Monday comes. The first girl, who was so helpful, is working again. She asks if our AC's have been fixed. I tell her that no, Friday I tried to get the other girl to call, but to no avail. So she tries to call. No answer.

Tuesday she tries again. She gets ahold of them, but they can't come until Thursday. Okay, so we have to be here Thursday afternoon.

Wednesday we go out to Tiananmen etc. Yesterday we hang out at the apartment, waiting. Around 1pm, I get a phone call from the repairman asking if we're home. I say yes. And ask him if he's on his way. His answer is unintelligible.

At the time Arielle and Chloe and I are sitting outside reading on a bench. I see a repairman entering our building, so I follow him in and look questioningly at the receptionist. She says that's not the guy, and asks me what number just called my cell. She calls him back, says he's on his way. So I hang out at reception, making small talk in baby Chinese and her baby English, talking about where she's from, how long she's been here, how speaking English makes her nervous, how speaking Chinese does the same for me, how education in China and America is different, yada yada yada. After 45 minutes of this, I retire back to the bench outside to continue reading Peter Hessler's "River Town".

So the guy finally arrives. He fixes both airconditioners. Yay! We close all the windows and revel in the cool apartment air. Buuuut he's charging Y460. Y200 each, and Y60 to see what the problem is. However, our apartment book says that checking them out to see the problem is FREE. So I go downstairs and start haggling. Me, repairman, receptionist, and the dude receptionist. We end up calling LuLu, who speaks the best English in the whole apartment complex, and she basically tells me that we have to pay the Y60.

Fine. I pay the man Y460 and ask for a receipt. He doesn't have a receipt. More negotiations. The receptionist says he will send the receipt there, and she will give it to me, next week. She takes down all of his info.

Whatever. By now it's 15:30. We've been inside waiting all day. We decide to go out. At 18:30 we leave, -- turning off the AC's when we go out-- all dressed up, to go see the China National Acrobatic Troupe perform. Which was AWESOME. We stop by the hostel and pick up our friend Gal and another girl staying with Gal and go get chuan'r and noodles and beer.

We get home around 23:30. Turn on the AC. Ah, blessed air! Arielle showers, and then I do. I get out and think, damn, it's hot, I bet she turned it off.

No. She didn't. They both quit working. Again. Nine hours after the repairman left.

Now it's the next morning. I slept for shit because I was sooo hot and PISSED OFF. Got up at 8:30. Checked my email. Took Chloe for a walk. Our receptionist isn't working - it's the other girl who doesn't know what's going on and doesn't even speak baby English.

I feel defeated. Later I will call Lulu. Now it's 11:30 am. Ben and Arielle are still asleep. I'm hungry and am going to leave and get food.

So fucking fed up.

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Comments

[Sylvia]

well, WTF is going on with it TODAY?
OK. It's the next day now and no word. ????? Are you COOL yet?? So so so sorry! You try and try (and SUCCEED!!!!) making the best-ever plans.....then, this out-of-your-control crap happens! I'm sorry. Besides $, what can we do?

[anonymous]

FT AC
Air conditioning sucks you damn whiners. Don't you have your windows closed long enough during the winter? Stop living in a cave you damn wimps. Unless its is getting over 100° or maybe in the mid 90°s with high humidity there isn't much reason to have it on. If you want to be cold just wait, winter will be back shortly & you can go stick you head in a snow drift.

[mbaade]

FT AC
deeeeear "anonymous", crackhead. have you ever suffered through a missourah summer? hot. humid. [like your mom.] now add insufferable pollution into the mix. and then you will know the glory of AC in beijing. looooooove, the management