The past two weeks have tried my patience beyond all other experiences this year. 

Between the medical bills and the car situation it's a wonder that I haven't pulled out what little hair I have! 

Last week alone I spent seven hours on the phone dealing with the medical crap plus another three dealing with the vehicle situation. 

I had no idea that I had a spare 10 hours in the week. 

Who knew?! 

I have also cried more in the past two weeks than I did through my whole cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

When I am frustrated beyond words I cry then shut down from depression as the walls close in. They closed in hard and fast and I was despondent. 

Well, until I hit that stupid deer. 

Anyway...

After receiving the quote from the dealership that was astronomically high, I called some independent transmission shops and got quotes. The best was with a guy who has rebuilt 15 of the same transmissions this year. His price was $3,800 worst case scenario including parts. This was nearly $2K less than the dealership quoted us. Even if the Ford corporation paid for parts, our out of pocket expense was going to be more than the whole fix with an independent. 

I called the dealership to tell them that the vehicle was going to be towed out and see if we owed them anything. 

In true dealership fashion, I was told that they service manager had to speak to his boss but he wanted to see if he could match the price. 

He called me the next morning and, after confirming the independent shop was going to use Ford parts, asked if they could do the job if they matched the price. I told them yes, as long as they would guarantee that it wouldn't cost more than $3,800. 

They said yes. 

I'd won...sort of. 

Since the Ford garage is going to do the job there is still a chance that the coporation will pay for part of the repairs and our out of pocket expense will go down. We'll see. 

I freaking hate this BS. 

I've had a LOT of jobs in my lifetime. Not the least of which was working in the service department in  dealerships. 

I know the game. I play the game well. I hate the game. 

And, I despise feeling as if I was being screwed. 

We were definitely getting screwed. 

When I called my hubby to tell him what had transpired he thanked me and told me I was amazing. He doesn't have the temperament to deal with stuff like this. We each have our strengths. This is totally one of  mine. 

I hate having to do it but am grateful for the experience that gives me the know-how to get it done. 

It'll all work out, let's face it, it always does but man this has sucked. 

Medically, I have no knews on the copay situation. I will definitely keep you posted on that though.