The Lion And The Mouse
Look, I'm trying not to be whiny. After last week's Bitchfest and a good night's sleep, I got out of my funk and felt better (and thank you, Anonymous Reader #1!). And, when Drumstick started laying her eggs, I thought my paroxysms of delight were enough to keep any bad occurrences at bay. But then I got this:
That would be my bill from the first plumber who came to fix the waterline problem at my rental house. The one who tried to patch the line twice, realized it was going to need to be completely replaced, and told me it would cost $2,837 to do so.
No, this bill is not from him replacing the line: this bill is for the four-and-three-quarters hours it took him to try to patch the line, realize he couldn't, and then stop.
Now, he had called me before he tried the first patch and told me it would cost $250 to patch it, but warned the line may need to be replaced, and he'd call later with a bid. Then he tried to patch the line, saw it still leaked, so spent several more hours, apparently, digging down to try to patch another section. Hence, apparently, the increased bill.
When I got this bill for twice what the plumber had quoted me, I was shocked and mad. So I called the company.
But here's my problem: I'm a wuss. It's not in me to bluster and yell and threaten not to pay bills and claim I'm going to take the company to court. So I simply stated, first to the secretary and then to The Plumber Himself, that I was confused about this increase. To which The Plumber Himself flatly replied that the $250 quote was to fix the first leak; then, upon discovering the second leak, he stayed later to try to fix that one. So, The Plumber Himself dispassionately explained, he spent four-and-three-quarters-hours, at $97 an hour, digging more holes and trying to patch that second leak. And he never got back any of the parts he used, he continued . . . I think he was a little bitter that I hired another plumber to actually replace the entire line.
The fact that the renter and I had spent two hours digging before The Plumber Himself arrived, along with the fact that the renter continued to dig alongside The Plumber Himself, did not sway the plumber: he still had to spend four-and-three-quarters-hours, at $97 an hour, trying to fix the problem.
And here's the thing: I can't blame him. I believe that he did spend that amount of time at the house. I understand that I wasn't reachable after he discovered the second leak (though I don't think he tried to reach me), therefore he couldn't consult with me. He did the work, fair and square, even though the work didn't do a thing. So what can I do but shut up and pay the $537.16 bill?
Yeah, I know: I'm chickenshit.
Bee, however, is most assuredly not chickenshit. He feels that The Plumber Himself had no right to keep working without consulting me, once he'd quoted the bill at $250. He feels that, if The Plumber Himself had already said the patch would most likely only solve the problem temporarily, The Plumber Himself should never have bothered to try to fix a second leak. He feels that, even if I had authorized the plumber to try to fix the second leak, the plumber should not have charged us for it if it didn't work: that should just be a risk that comes with the job.
And so Bee thought about it for a day or two, then called the company and threatened enough of something that the owner is going to call him back tomorrow to talk about it.
I feel bad for the owner. I feel bad for The Plumber Himself. They must have people argue their work all the time. I see their point of view, as does Bee, but I also, of course, see Bee's point of view. And Bee is not going to be kind and gentle when he expresses that view tomorrow. He is probably going to yell and threaten not to pay the whole bill and claim he'll fight it if they take us to court.
I don't know if it'll work.
I just know that I hope I'm not around when the call comes in.
But, non sequitur-ous as it sounds, this experience reminds me of one of the reasons why I love Bee. He's willing to fight the fights I run from. He's willing to be the ass when I'm too scared. He's willing to put himself out there and not care what other people think of him in order to get the job done.
I don't know if his way is the right way, but -- I have to admit -- it often works.
When the meek inherit the earth, do you suppose it'll be because the strong have already done all the work for them?
No, this bill is not from him replacing the line: this bill is for the four-and-three-quarters hours it took him to try to patch the line, realize he couldn't, and then stop.
Now, he had called me before he tried the first patch and told me it would cost $250 to patch it, but warned the line may need to be replaced, and he'd call later with a bid. Then he tried to patch the line, saw it still leaked, so spent several more hours, apparently, digging down to try to patch another section. Hence, apparently, the increased bill.
When I got this bill for twice what the plumber had quoted me, I was shocked and mad. So I called the company.
But here's my problem: I'm a wuss. It's not in me to bluster and yell and threaten not to pay bills and claim I'm going to take the company to court. So I simply stated, first to the secretary and then to The Plumber Himself, that I was confused about this increase. To which The Plumber Himself flatly replied that the $250 quote was to fix the first leak; then, upon discovering the second leak, he stayed later to try to fix that one. So, The Plumber Himself dispassionately explained, he spent four-and-three-quarters-hours, at $97 an hour, digging more holes and trying to patch that second leak. And he never got back any of the parts he used, he continued . . . I think he was a little bitter that I hired another plumber to actually replace the entire line.
The fact that the renter and I had spent two hours digging before The Plumber Himself arrived, along with the fact that the renter continued to dig alongside The Plumber Himself, did not sway the plumber: he still had to spend four-and-three-quarters-hours, at $97 an hour, trying to fix the problem.
And here's the thing: I can't blame him. I believe that he did spend that amount of time at the house. I understand that I wasn't reachable after he discovered the second leak (though I don't think he tried to reach me), therefore he couldn't consult with me. He did the work, fair and square, even though the work didn't do a thing. So what can I do but shut up and pay the $537.16 bill?
Yeah, I know: I'm chickenshit.
Bee, however, is most assuredly not chickenshit. He feels that The Plumber Himself had no right to keep working without consulting me, once he'd quoted the bill at $250. He feels that, if The Plumber Himself had already said the patch would most likely only solve the problem temporarily, The Plumber Himself should never have bothered to try to fix a second leak. He feels that, even if I had authorized the plumber to try to fix the second leak, the plumber should not have charged us for it if it didn't work: that should just be a risk that comes with the job.
And so Bee thought about it for a day or two, then called the company and threatened enough of something that the owner is going to call him back tomorrow to talk about it.
I feel bad for the owner. I feel bad for The Plumber Himself. They must have people argue their work all the time. I see their point of view, as does Bee, but I also, of course, see Bee's point of view. And Bee is not going to be kind and gentle when he expresses that view tomorrow. He is probably going to yell and threaten not to pay the whole bill and claim he'll fight it if they take us to court.
I don't know if it'll work.
I just know that I hope I'm not around when the call comes in.
But, non sequitur-ous as it sounds, this experience reminds me of one of the reasons why I love Bee. He's willing to fight the fights I run from. He's willing to be the ass when I'm too scared. He's willing to put himself out there and not care what other people think of him in order to get the job done.
I don't know if his way is the right way, but -- I have to admit -- it often works.
When the meek inherit the earth, do you suppose it'll be because the strong have already done all the work for them?
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