Make Me Smile--NOT
“How can I make you smile today?”
That’s an unusual way for a business to answer the phone. And it was particularly ironic for me too since I was calling the local business that re-roofed my home four years ago to tell them that IT LEAKED.
So I passed my problem along to the lady who answered the phone. And I could tell . . . she wasn’t smiling.
She took only the scantest (hmmm, spell check says that’s okay) of details and after telling me that it would be a $100 service call if it turned out NOT to be my roof, the conversation ended.
Of course it was the roof. I had a bucket filling with drips falling from the family room ceiling. Good thing my son Scott was home to rescue our newly carpeted floor from serious water damage. Well, maybe not serious water damage but it always helps to be overly dramatic on the phone with businesses, I’ve learned.
The woman had promised me that someone would be contacting me to set up an appointment to come over and check it out. Hmmmm, I hadn’t even given them my phone number. They did find me in their computer. Maybe my phone number was there. After a few hours had passed, I was thinking of following up when I got a call from my son Scott.
“Dad. Did you call the roof people?”
I told him I did. “Why?”
“Cause they’re up on the roof right now.”
Whoa, so much for setting up an appointment. To their credit, they did call first--Scott let it go to voice mail--and they knocked on the front door too. Scott ignored the knocks, figuring they were salesmen. Only when he saw ladders going up and people climbing up the side of our house did he figure he should investigate.
So after I convinced Scott that all was cool, he met with the roof people. And he found out, much to my dismay, it WASN’T the roof leaking. Turns out that the caulking over one of our upstairs window had pretty much failed to the point of being non-existent. The rain was running underneath the siding and finding its way into the family room below.
*sigh*
So that piece of news cost me $100. At least they caulked the window before they left.
But still, I wasn’t smiling.
posted by Big Dave T @ 5:56 PM
14 Comments:
What? You weren't smiling?
Hey, think of it this way .... it cost $100 to find out it wasn't the roof, BUT they did the caulking for you saving you an additional service fee from someone else to do so!
Dave, you really need to focus on the good part!
Hi Dave ~~ I am so glad it wasn't your roof and it was good of the roof people to do the caulking on your window. But we do not always feel like smiling.
Well done on your two boys doing so well
at Uni -you did well to put them through.The end of an era, as you say.
Glad you enjoyed the jokes and the bloopers. I am doing well and can miss next week the Physio lady said and go again in a fortnight. You shouldn't have balance problems at your age Dave, can you get it checked out? Exercises have been a big help to me and they are not too hard to do. My eldest son John turned 57 today, no wonder I feel old.
Take care my friend, Regards, Merle.
Take care my friend, Regards, Merle.
LYNILU--I am a glass half empty soul of late. You're right, I need to look on the bright side more.
MERLE--My own balance issues are just occasional dizziness. Happens on hot days like today. The doctor knows about it but he thinks it's just the usual stuff--medications, metabolism, etc.
None of us here are exactly handypersons so I don't know who we would call even if we knew the problem. Are caulkers listed in the yellow pages?
I'm impressed that you were able to get them out-w/ or w/o a fee Dave! when we had roof issues a few years ago-we couldn't find a single company who was willing to come out and check to see if the problem was the roof or the skylights! we wound up phoning our insurance company who recommended someone-who lived in a different county!
JAN--Thing is that if I'd known it was the window caulking, I probably could have caulked it myself for less than $10, which is what a tube of caulk costs. The window was on the second floor, on the family room roof right outside our bedroom window. I wouldn't even had to climb a ladder, just climb out our window onto the adjacent roof.
CARINE--Our new roof came with a lifetime guarantee, so they had better come out.
Call them back and when they answer the phone with "how can I make you smile today" tell them to waive the $100 fee and you would be grinning from ear to ear.
TECHNOBABE--Heh, heh. Good one, Technobabe. I should try that.
Well you made us smile with the posting of your story Dave.
PETER--Thanks. Hearing your comment makes me smile too, that others at least can find a bit of humor to brighten their day.
LIFETIME guarantee good job Dave..glad to hear it wasn't really really bad but then you have that whole thing covered. Glad too that they caulked it for you. Hope there is no other charges. : )
PS HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!
CAROLDEE--Yeah, but not the washing machine has quit. It needs repair as well. When it rains it pours.
Thanks for the birthday wish.
Dear Dave ~ Thanks for your comments on my blog. I believe Sydney and Brisbane are much more expensive to live in than Melbourne and here. Glad you liked the jokes and info. and glad it is warmer in
Michigan. It sure would be warmer than here.
I hope your wife got a replacement for
the ceramic planter that arrived broken.
I send for a lot of things via mail order catalogs and they are wrapped really well with no breaks on very fragile items. Take care my friend, Regards, Merle.
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