Air filter... and the rude workshop owner.

Our Five Seasons Portable Air Cleaner broke down. And I am looking for people to repair it. It's been with us for 18 years.

I've been looking for repairman or workshop dealing with electrical appliances, since Monday. So, this afternoon I was overjoyed to find one, with the help from some parking coupon officers. Don't get me wrong, I was looking for such services online but it turn futile. The number could not be reached, and there's little option. My brilliant father thought that Yellow Pages are obsolete so he threw them.

Feeling that there's still hope with the air cleaner, I am happy.

But it doesn't last long. The shop is owned by a rude woman.

So it goes like this

"Do you repair air filters? Mine is having some problem"

I didn't bring along the air filter, it's in the car. I was just looking then.

"Air Purifier ka?"

• "No, just a simple air filter, with static filter and fan... apparently the switch is not working, can you fix it?"

"Air Purifier is difficult to repair!"

• "Oh Ok"

"What's the brand and how long have you had it?"

• "It's Five Seasons and we have it for 18 years"

"18 years? And I never heard of that brand, I advise you to just throw it away, anything more than 5 years is hard to fix, no component"

"Just throw it away and get a new one, China brand would not last long, get a new one..."

FIVE SEASONS is a CANADIAN company, MADE IN CANADA! I really want to yell at her but I just kept it to myself.

So any foreign brand is made in China... which is another word for inferior quality. And looking at their website, they still produce the air cleaner, some for KENMORE.

So I asked her if she would repair KENMORE products since the component would likely to be the same.

"KENMORE? What China brand is that?"

Stupid lady. She's of Chinese descendant and looking down at her 'homeland'.

What electrical shop doesn't know KENMORE?

Frustrated, I went to the Landline Telephone Service Provider and get myself a Yellow Pages.

Searching through it and called more companies.

Apparently, nobody is willing to repair an air filter. Now I feel like I am living in a 3rd world country. Well, it is a 3rd world country, disguised as developing nation, showcasing only the developed part of the nation to the world. Yes have tall buildings (used to be the tallest in the world after 911), a national pride, but our highway is mediocre.

Tsk tsk tsk...