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Tue 3 May, 2005 08:47 am
"you just can't get good help these days..."
what follows is the saga of the Oil Burner Guy...
over the winter we scheduled an annual tune-up for the oil burner.
it being one of the worst winters in bahstin's history, the earliest appointment we could get was late april -- fine.
so i took a day off last wednesday in order to let the guy in to do his thing.
everything was hunky-dory, except he had to change the filters, and did not have replacement filters with him.
so he said he'd drop them off the next day, and if i was unable to install them, i'd call him to finish the job.
turns out i couldn't figure out how to install the dang things.
they didn't seem to fit, and i figured better to be safe than sorry.
so on friday i called to make another appointment.
i did not wanna burn another vacation day, so i asked if the guy could come back after work.
i was given 4:30pm as the time to expect him, so i left work an hour early to be home by that time.
i walk in the door @ 4:20, and commence waiting... and waiting.
@ 6:00pm i got on the phone, mildly annoyed.
the dispatcher put me on hold for 2 minutes, came back and said "he's on the way over."
"great!" i said... 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 -- nothing!
the frustration is building...
we have dinner, etc, and hit the sack @ 9:45pm -- having lost all faith in his arrival.
10:00pm -- we hear the door bell ring.
WHAT?!!!!!
the house was pitch black!
did he really think i was gonna get outta bed to let him in -- on a work night???
like a fool, i actually did get up, but by the time i got downstairs he had driven off...
at this point i'm at a loss as to how to proceed.
- nasty phone call?
- nasty letter?
- sheepishly try to re-schedule?
what would you do if this happened to you?
I presume there aren't too many contractors to tune-up oil burners in the area. If there aren't then you can't afford to piss off this guy, you'll need him again. If there are, then call someone else.
Reschedule him to come on Saturday morning (assuming that suits you). Give him a time-frame of 9am-10am only. That way, if something is not right after he leaves, you have the rest of Saturday to get him back. Get his cell-phone number and call him if he is a minute late.
we're using the same company that installed the burner and delivers the oil.
they've been reliable for 10 years -- which is why yesterday's snafu is hard to swallow...
they don't work weekends (but apparently work ungodly hours during the week...)
if and when i re-schedule, i'll be sure to have them call if (when!) they're going to be late...
RP--
You have my sympathy. At least the weather last week was moderate.
thanx Noddy
it has been mild, but some nights it'll dip into the 30's -- at which point ol' faithful springs into action...
RP--
I meet the Oil Burner Men in January and February--usually in snowstorms. Our furnace makes a habit of going to bed about eleven and never waking up. The Oil Burner Men quit at 11 and start again at 7 by which time the house is Very Cold. Outside temperatures are generally in the teens--or single digits.
The current record for Miserable Malfunction was set in the winter of 2003-04). The furnace quit on Tuesday and again on Wednesday and again on Thursday--all in the wee hours of the morning.
Mr. Noddy was in the hospital and the kerosene heater we use for backup was still in the garage.
I sweet-talked the Thursday repairman into bringing the kerosene heater over the snowdrifts and into the house for me.
At least we have a service contract.....
Once upon a time repair people gave you a firm time: 9 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Then they promised morning or afternoon.
Now they will say, "Sometime tomorrow...."
epilogue --
the planets finally lined up last friday, and we are now the proud owners of a filtered oil burner.
i watched the dude, for next time...
Congratulations.
Now, will you be able to afford oil next winter? I reckon we'll be paying nearly twice as much unless I lock in at the current price.
Have you checked the futures markets for heating oil, Noddy? It used to be a listed future or option.
Roger--
Good idea. My hunch is straight from the Front Pages--with oil above $50 a barrel.
In these parts oil prices have nearly doubled in the last year.
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