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In the morning post, OtherSharon mentioned the problem of companies or workmen returning calls. Here is what I ran into day before yesterday.

My outside outlet doesn't work and the patio light above it started blinking like a strobe light. Went on-line to Angi's - not particularly happy with that site since it seemed like they arrange the work, you pay them not the workmen, and they didn't even tell what company was coming. Then tried the BBB. I never realized that the Better Business Bureau was just like Angi's list! I thought it was a gov't or nonprofit something or other. Nope! Seems like companies pay to be listed there, too. Both services said an electrician would contact me. Never did.

So I sat down with the Senior Yellow pages and my laptop writing down electricians that come to my area. #1 - no answer; #2 automated message said we're sorry but we are closed for vacation until Sept. 19. #3 - automated voice said your call is being transferred to a message system. Message said, "We're not available." #4 - Actually got a real live person, but since I have an older mobile home he said he didn't work on anything built before 1980! #5 - Said I'll come tomorrow between 9-12 and will call you first. FINALLY! Waited all day and no visit and no phone call. Got my son to help me - he's a much better computer searcher than I am and I made him do the calling. I hate to think we are treated differently because we are women and old, but I figured get a man involved. First call the guy said he'd be here Thursday between 2-4. We'll see.

I have had this problem for years. I arrange with a business for a job and no one shows up nor do they call to cancel. OR they come to do the job but don't do a complete job. And they wonder why their companies go under? Okay, rant over.

Evie

Oh, Evie, I feel your pain. I spent 5 1/2 hrs yesterday trying to get Food Lion website to accept my new credit card, without success. A trip to the bank, two trips to Food Lion and the rest of the time on hold or talking to incompetent idiots. I hung up on the last woman who told me I needed help enter card info. I even emailed Food Lion who replied with another pho number to which I replied I wasn’t sitting on hold for another minute. Local Food Lion requested I bring my iPad to them so I guess they could help the poor old biddy but their best couldn’t fix the problem either. When I left the store she was on hold with corporate headquarters. I came home ate half a bag of Cheeto, 3 cookies, didn’t dare start drinking wine. I took 3 advil and went to bed. Slept to 8:30 and feel better this morning. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Death by Food Lion. Geeezzzz

Evie, does your local small hardware store know of someone who does small jobs.

When my ex and I had our motel in Wisconsin we needed some roofing done. After finally getting someone (that was a major feat) they would work half days, leave early on Fridays and not make it back until Tuesday. At least the final job was acceptable. But geez. I feel your pain. Things haven't gotten better.

Evie, do you have a NextDoor.com in your area? That is usually a really good place to get recommendations from your neighbors.

The incompetence with companies and workers now days is so frustrating! No one seems to know what they are doing or even care. How do they make any money or stay in business? One thing I have noticed out here tho is the Hispanic owned and run businesses are very good. They seem to have a good work ethic and are hard workers.

I feel your pain. "Service" people don't give service any more. Don't answer calls, NEVER let you know when you're coming, never show up. I don't understand how they stay in business. I've actual had better luck finding people on Facebook for local people. I am sure to get a WRITTEN estimate when and if they come to my house. Used to have a good handyman until he got hooked on pain pills. Just this year found a great housekeeper and gardner through Facebook. Both Maria and Carlos are hard workers, reliable and I pay they well. Before them I had several others that just didn't seem to want to actually work. With my current health situations they are priceless to me.

I had been trying to get my plumbing problems fixed since the freeze last winter and finally finished on last Friday. The last place I called actually has a woman answering the phone. I haven't gotten a bill from them yet. I have 3 switches that need to be replaced and since it's a small job no one wants to come. My house is a modular home which is built like a mobil home so the switches are some kind of strange switch. If it was the house kind I think I would try to replace them. There is an electrical supply in town that I think I will stop at and ask them if they know anyone.

I wish I knew how to get in touch with some of the Mexicans that put up sheet rock. If I call one of the companies it will be a Mexican crew that shows up. I need the ceiling replaced in 2 rooms. I just don't want to have to move everything.

Martha

Evie and Ladies, good to know I’m not alone in trying to get a business to respond. Believe it or not the painters are here today. As happy as I am I resent that it took over a year to get a response to my many calls. Interestingly my son who has built a couple of houses is having trouble getting a callback for outside brickwork for a retaining wall that needs done. Much of the work he has completed himself and since he has a wide circle of friends in the various businesses it wasn’t to hard to get help inside. Unfortunately I’m not in the same circle and am at the mercy of people in the area I live. I have found asking people at our local hardware store for recommendations and that has usually at least gotten names but most of the time I play the phone game trying to get callbacks. Also I’ve found that some of the businesses started small but have grown and no longer are interested in the handyman type jobs when they can get bigger jobs and more $$$. So then the cycle starts all over again. I can do lots of things but certain things require more knowledge than I have. Okay, my rant is over! But thanks for the reminder that I’m not alone with this problem! Now I’ll go back to watching paint dry!!!

Update! I gave into my frustration and asked my oldest son to take over finding an electrician for me. On his very first call he got a real live person who said they would be here Thursday (yesterday) between 2-4. I said lots of luck with that. Not only did they show up exactly at 2:00, but there were 3 guys and 2 trucks! The boss just stayed long enough to double check what was needed and then went on to the next call while the remaining two guys replaced my patio light and did the outside outlet in a very quick and efficient way. Bill was $115.

This company was not listed on Angi's, the BBB, nor the senior yellow pages. My son found their site on line AND their location is only a couple of miles from me! Other listings showed companies located in towns/cities miles and miles away!

Evie

Evie, keep their number! I'm so glad you got things done. And the price seems quite reasonable.

Shirlv wrote: I came home ate half a bag of Cheeto, 3 cookies, didn’t dare start drinking wine. I took 3 advil and went to bed. Slept to 8:30 and feel better this morning. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Death by Food Lion. Geeezzzz

So sorry, so frustrating, but you tell a hilarious story. Thanks for the laugh.

I feel very blessed that when we had a minor shower leak last week, I called the contractor that installed the new shower and fixtures, he came within 2 hours. Of course I did mention I was ready for him to give me an estimate for a kitchen makeover. … The kitchen makeover plan is now humming along, but I am running into a supply issue delay for some of the items. So far am satisfied though.

When I thought about getting my generator, I was doing some research trying to figure out who to do it. By chance I happened to have lunch with the real estate agent who sold my house and I bought this one through. Bought my current one from his mother, so I have known him for a while. I mentioned to him that I wanted to put a generator and then he told me who to call. So I called the fella he suggested and he came out that same afternoon. He owns a small electrical business not too far from my house here. Operates out of his home. He came out, walked through my house, told me what size generator I would need, , then within a day I had an estimate of how much it would cost and I told him to go ahead and do it, gave my credit card number to his wife as she runs the office etc. within three weeks from the day that he came out my generator was installed. And beng he is an electrician of course, I also asked him about a couple of other things that I needed done here but I did not commit to them as of yet. They are more winter stuff. I am glad that I went that route because my cousin decided to put in a generator too but she decided to go with a dealer here in town instead. They install generators but they do not hook them up to gas so now she has to wait for another company to do that and she has since found out that she needs a new gas meter so that she hast to wait for the gas company to do that. And my neighbors also had one installed through the electrical supply company that he used to manage but I think that you have to wait for somebody else to install it. So I made the right moves.

I was also fortunate that a new handyman type business opened up here, that is licensed and insured and is doing small jobs or big jobs. They came out and replaced that bathtub I had done this past winter. I’ll call them again the next time I need something. I found them through Facebook. We have a local site called Gaylord helping Gaylord on Facebook and it is a great source for finding things like this. A lot of businesses I ever tell you that on Facebook now.

Another positive story--When I was in Eureka, CA, I called a mobile RV repairman to see if he could fix my AC unit. He came on time and after getting up on my roof and taking it apart, he told me I needed a new unit and gave me a photo of the tag. When I went to pay him, i expected the usual $100 fee for just coming out plus time spent, but he said that since he could not fix my problem, he would only charge me $20. I said that was too little for his time and gave him $60 in cash!!

All of this reminds me of when I was working for Ford. I would take content from the subject matter expert assigned to me, put it into a course format for online learning, and then get him or her to give it final approval before it was programmed. One of my experts was extremely hesitant to approve anything without checking with a bunch of other people, even though he had authority to do so. This resulted in multiple meetings where nothing happened, delaying the project, which was frustrating for me and the people who were waiting to program it. I can't remember what his real name was, but it was close to the name of the "ficus" plant so we used to call him that in our team because he moved like a plant. I used to come back from meetings and hit the candy bar machine for chocolate. My boss's desk was right across from mine, so a couple of times he handed me chocolate from his stash.

Chocolate cures a lot of frustrations.

Contractors are terrible to everyone and anyone!! I worked as an insurance adjuster for many, many years and we always were getting calls about contractors that didn't show up, didn't return calls, didn't do the work they were supposed to etc. etc. etc. It didn't matter which state it was either. Contractors want the big jobs not the small ones.