DESPAIR & REPAIRS

In my search for a repairman, I took six names & phone numbers from the Services Offered section of the local newspaper. Out of these six I managed to get one person who gave me an actual estimate. -- This is not going to be an inexpensive job by any means!

The first who came out didn't want the job because I refused to allow a forklift on my property. --The last one in 2003 cracked my driveway and busted my sprinkler heads! I ended up agreeing not to sue for damages as planned in order to get them back to finish the work. They had up and left for another job. "A more important one" I was told. That job took almost six months! It should have been completed in ONE!

A scaffold would work better here than a forklift, anyway.

One of the six assured me he'd call back to schedule a time to come over, but never did. Another man called back and scheduled a time, but never showed up!

When these guys change their mind I wish they would be considerate enough to phone and give me a good lie. Such as: I've been called out of town OR a family emergency has come up. It's better than inconveniencing me!

The other two never called me back, period!

I've encountered this same problem in the past with handymen for SIMPLE jobs. And I've had several who gave me estimates whom I hired that never bothered to show up or return my phone calls to explain. Thankfully, there was no deposit in those cases!

Many of my single women friends have experienced these same issues!

Silly me! I thought the whole idea of advertising in the newspaper was to drum up business! Are these guys so besieged and overwhelmed with job offers that they can't get around to everyone? Whatever, I'm not chasing after anyone who isn't interested in the work!

I was all set to hire that one man who showed up and gave a professional estimate. It was not out of line pricewise. But then I Googled him! He had an arrest record, Drunken Disorderly Conduct in 2016. I saw his photo in a mug shot.

Thankfully, my financial advisor came up with someone. That man declared my house to be a project! Lots of rotting wood was painted over, some was replaced, but not primed, so the paint is bubbling. -- That must be the handiwork of the church-going carpenter. The one so skilled he could cherry-pick his jobs; or so I was told.

Now it's peak hurricane season and my anxiety level is right thru the roof of my cathedral ceiling! Both this repairman & I agree that any work should start after the season. A major hurricane would undo repairs, or my house might be left in ruins! This is not the tranquil, uneventful season for which we had all hoped.