Great Canadian Oil Change Pulls Through

Last month my husband and I went on holidays to Lund, BC. As we like to drive to our destination we decided to get an oil change prior to our holidays and unfortunately VW was all booked up. We ended up going to the Great Canadian Oil Change on 8th St in Saskatoon only to have it improperly done to the point where we leaked oil . It was a bit scary as we were in the mountains and there really wasn't a lot of room to pull over. Needless to say, we were mad.

So back in Saskatoon I followed up with the Great Canadian Oil Change on 8th to be told that he, Emril, was printing off the oil change we had done and was going to fax it to the head office to contact me for further investigation. A week goes by and I do not receive a call. I ended up calling Emril for an update and he goes to print off our work again and tells me to call their 21st street location to talk to Josh, the manager. Sigh.

I contact Josh and he tells me to bring the relevant papers and states that he'll talk to us to find out what happened and then his company goes through the usual process of investigating the sitaution. We go down there and provide Josh the necessary information. I ended up telling him I was supposed to recieve a follow up call and never got one. Surprised Josh states this was the first time he heard about this situation and that he would look into the situation with their 8th street location as any issue goes through him first. He apologizes and we leave with Josh telling us he will contact us once they find out the results of their investigation. So far so good.

As luck would have it another week rolls around and no word. I try phoning for an update but no one answered. Later on that day, John notices that he missed a call and it was the Great Canadian Oil Change. He tries to return the call but the manager had gone home for the day. I phoned the next day only to have Josh apologize profusely for the wait and that we would indeed get reimbursed for our mechanic and hotel bill. YAY! We decide on a convenient time for us to come down and he would cut a check for us.

I am happy to say when we went down to the Great Canadian Oil Change on 21st Street Josh was waiting and had a check already made out to us. He apologize profusely for the delay in getting back to us as he was super busy and understood how if the table was turned, he would expect 100% service. He also offered us a free oil change saying if we ever needed anything or wanted anything checked out he would take care of us. He was super nice and definitely made up for all the troubles.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part I

For the May long weekend, John and I set out for Lund, BC, otherwise known as the end start of the highway on the west coast.


We got off to a rocky start as we had an oil change the day from Great Canadian Oil Change on 8th St near the Centre on Circle & 8th before we left and the seal was put on incorrectly. Needless to say we leaked oil to the point where we ran out (and were extremely pissed) and we had to call our emergency road side assistance for a tow to Golden that was 8km away (thanks VW for the 4 year road side assistance). After a 30 min. wait, we got towed into Golden to the nearest mechanic shop near the Kicking Horse River Lodge. By then the shop was closed so we booked a room at the lodge. I'm pretty sure I don't have to describe the mood we were in at this point. I will keep you posted on whether or not we get reimbursed for the mechanic bill (which we should) and our hotel bill. We tried to make the most of the situation and went for supper at Eleven22 where we shared a hot pot of steamed mussels, and John ordered the Roasted Duck Breast and I had the Tomato and Pesto Pasta. I had a taste of John's duck and I have to admit, it was the best duck I've had in a long time.

So next day rolls around and we contemplate about what our next plan of action is, continue on to Lund or turn around and go home as we wasted 2 days and we had no idea what condition the car was in. Luckily I see the mechanic outside his garage cleaning up the yard. I end up talking to him and discover that he is open on Monday (which is a holiday) and he would try to squeeze us in. We cross our fingers that he is able to squeeze us in and there is no major damage to the engine. We ended up sharing a huge Grande Burrito from the Bugaloo Cafe in the lodge. It was huge and I was glad we shared it.

We spent the day wandering around town and walked across the longest timber framed pedestrian bridge in Canada (you can view pics of its construction here). Here I am on the bridge:



Being that it was Sunday hardly anything was open. We did stop in a pub for a Mt. Bigbie beer and played a game of pool. We spent the rest of the day reading and lounging. Finally supper rolled around and we decided to eat at the Kicking Horse Grill restaurant where we shared a trio of meat and the best steak I've had in a long time. Wonder if we ever made it to Lund :) Stay tuned.