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Blogs by Mary Terzian
Can you Trust your Repairman 9/25/2013 1:39:55 PM
Who can you trust when you bring a repairman to check your installations? My air conditioning system quit at the peak of the summer. For a few weeks I sat in a sauna, hoping the A/C will return to life. No chance. I asked my writers’ critique group if they knew an air conditioning specialist. Only one lady sent me a referral. When he came to check, at $80/hr, he said there was no point in fixing it since it was more than 50 years old. It was replaceable with $6,000 only,including his visit. I preferred to pay him and think it over. He showed enough honesty to tell me to check the electrical lines before starting the renovation.
When a second guy offered to come, I told him I will not pay for his visit. He agreed to check the system for free. He told me there was no electrical juice, and that it was better to replace it with a new system at a cost of $15,000. The disparity between $6,000 and $15,000 put me on alert. He was ready to sign a contract. I told him I would like to sleep over it.
A third person called asking me if I needed help with my air conditioning. I asked him how he found me out. He said he had his own network, vague answer. I told him I would not pay for the visit but he was welcome to check the system. He came on time, dressed in a uniform and a cap, company name embroidered on his chest, looking professional in every respect.He quietly went about his business and pointed out, as a first diagnosis, that the transformer had busted. I asked him what would be the overall cost of replacement. He said the transistor would cost about $60 and his labor would be $100 but gave no guarantees that the system would work until after he put the transformer in. I asked him how much time it would take. He said 20 minutes. I agreed for the replacement of the transformer.
He returned the next day, with the transformer, at a designated time. He came on the click of the clock, changed the transformer, gave me a rebate and fixed it in twenty minutes. The air conditioning is functioning well now.
On further probing him he said he was trained by a large company specializing in refrigeration systems, worked there for years, then established his own company. I assured him that with this quality of service I will recommend him to the whole world because he was reliable, quoted an honest price, and delivered what he promised on time.
Mr. R. gave me more than service. He restored my confidence in humanity. Honest people are like rare gems nowadays. As for those three weeks I spent in my home-made sauna 24/7, they turned out to be salutary. There is not a single pore on my skin that has not been washed off of poison, anger, or accumulated frustrations, while I swam in my sweat. As for the $15,000 bonus I earned, I called the contractor to express my disappointment. Had he been at an arm’s length he might have received a black eye.
If you are dealing with the same dilemma's as I am please let me know. This story is 100% true. Do you have similar stories of fraud and abuse? I’d be willing to listen at Nayri.aol.com.
