When the hot summer days started I simultaneously craved an automatic folding umbrella like an ice cream to give temporary relief from heat when walking under the scorching heat of the sun. We have lots of umbrella at home, the kind that you could also use as a walking stick but these can be easily left and forgotten someplace. I had lost a few in the process. Besides it’s lots of hassle to be carrying it around. Unlike the folding ones which can be easily put aside in your bag as you go along with your business. And so, I settled for the Fibrella brand. It took me nearly an hour to finally decide which particular design to buy (the flat one with the uv proof – which I don’t actually know if it really blocks the harmful effects of the sun); one that would last long, not too small but enough to have me and an impromptu acquaintance covered at any weather condition – except during a storm 
. Not too heavy but sturdy enough to withstand the winds. With that single purchase on hand, I went out the store a contented happy woman.
Barely a month and seldom used the beloved umbrella would no longer open. However hard I tried to push the automatic button, it won’t budge a bit. I decided to call the manufacturer as the item has a 3-month warranty period. But to my dismay, they only have one service center that is in Binondo, Manila, quite far from where I am residing. Calculating mentally the expenses that I would incur if I willed to visit the service center against the cost of the umbrella which is P500.00 less P0.05, it would not do me justice. Transportation + waiting time (which would make me hungry) +food + energy = I settled to open the mechanism myself. I didn’t opt to just discard it as it is still new.
With a set of screw drivers I figured how to open the handle where the mechanism is located. No sweat, I smiled, then suddenly without screws to hold the handle together, the spring inside just popped out and the rest of the little parts flew in different directions. Sweating and cranky, I crawled on the floor feeling with my hands trying to find the evasive parts. In short, I was able to put them all together and found the flaw in the assembly. As a DIY mom, I was able to make some adjustments to make it work again. Yey!
I don’t know if the shape of the handle has something to do with the defect or it was simply the quality, but until now the umbrella is still working fine and has been very useful as a loyal friend in times of sunny, hot summer days! I may as well offer my services to those who will find themselves in the same predicament.
