The power flickered briefly during last night's thunderstorms. The desktop computer shut off, as did the clock on the microwave. But the power stayed on and nothing else had to be re-set.
We thought.
This morning it was a bit stuffy in the house and Long Suffering Spouse reported that it got stuffier as the day went on. She didn't want to open the windows because it was still quite humid out.
Then she called to report that she'd tried and failed to start the air conditioning.
Somewhat reluctantly, we agreed she should call the repairman.
My mother-in-law stopped using this repair service a couple of years ago soon after she figured out that every time she called them... she wound up calling them back soon thereafter.
It was almost as if the repairman fixed the thingamajig... but loosened the whatchamacallit at the same time... just by a little... so that it failed a week thereafter. Or maybe two weeks.
Long Suffering Spouse thought on it a bit and decided this had happened to us, too. We stopped getting annual maintenance visits... because they were too often and too soon followed by repair visits. And we hadn't had a problem for a couple of years now... until today.
I get that same, sinking feeling every time I take the car in: Too often, it seems, problem A is fixed... but problem B begins soon thereafter. They take one look at me and know I'm not a car guy. They know somehow that when they spout any gibberish about how the flambshooter is shot and the wootenanny has wooted its last hoot, I'll just nod gravely and sign the repair authorization.
It's not fair, really. If it's true. And if it's not true, I'm paranoid. But the repairman just made my wife initial something that says he offered her a furnace checkup and she declined. Was he laughing up his sleeve when he left the house?
I'll be sitting under my desk, trembling with fear and waiting for your responses.
13 comments:
oh crumy the same thing happened to us. last night the ac went out!!! well it was cool enough outside so we opened the windows and turned on the ceiling fans and went to bed. this morning sarge thought of something. last year we put a filter in the air return duct for allergies and forgot it. well it was completely clogged and the ac had froze up. it thawed by this morning and works now, hope that it's okay. it's 14 years old! anywan hope yours is okay too.
oh, and curmie? i left you something at my blog but you have to find it!
smiles, bee
tyvc
The highest imperative of urban life is to find trustworthy tradespeople.
I don't have any problem with construction people because I understand what they are saying, and more importantly, doing.
I too am not a car guy. Given cars these days, I don't think there are any real car guys, including most of the people that repair them.
That said, I keep cars a stupid amount of years. I'm on my third car since the late Eighties. I've had it for I think, a year and a half. My purchase caused lamentations at the garage I go to, or more accurately, did go to. They were double whammied when a friend of mine who also had an old vehicle, bought a new one a couple of months after I bought mine.
We think they may have applied for welfare.
Oh you barristers! Thinking how when one thing was fixed, another thing-a-ma-jig might have been altered in a surreptitious and suspicious manner…
well did you find the technorati link i put in the post with the cartoon? hmmm?
ha ha ha
smiles, bee
I need to take my car in for a simple tire rotation and oil change but I am afraid to as I'm afraid that while it's there they will miraculously discover that my wootenanny is just about on its last hoot and I should take some preventive maintenance that I can ill afford to avoid total loss of wooting.
Glad to know it's not just we women who fear the mechanics (doesn't quite have the same ring as "Fear the Reaper" does it?) and that men tremble in fear before them, too!
yukky situation!!
Bee -- I found it.
Dave -- We finally had to buy a new van when the repair shop -- the repair shop -- said they'd be stealing from us if they tried to fix it anymore.
Ralph -- I don't think it's because I'm a lawyer. It may be because I'm a chump.
Linda -- I try to put on a brave face, but my knees knocking gives me away every time.
so...I'm trying to figure out why you are linked to the "manogram"?
hmmmm.....
Is there a cooling down period in your country? That's what happens in the UK, you can have a week or so to change your mind in these circumstances.
it almost seems like things can hear and they all agree to empathize with the others that get broken. last year, our bathroom leaked, then the garage door won't work, then the circuit breaker acted up and needed changing.
it was eerie...we even theorized that these people are somehow working together, and when they fix something they try to break something for somebody else to fix. i know it is not true, but how do you explain it all?
I HATE when they chuckle as they walk away!
me again. friday 3:55 PM, our ac guy just left. we need a new coil. but the catch is the unit is 13 years old and he's not sure if he can get one, he has it all charged up (for 131.oo smackers! thank you very much) but it is not fixed. he'll be back next week with either a new coil or a new unit. want to take bets?
smiles, bee
he'll be back next week with either a new coil or a new unit. want to take bets?
Bee -- do I look stupid?
Wait.
Never mind.
Post a Comment