Helluva Week.

Let's close out this week with a few gems of my work week.

Me: May I help you?

Customer: I hope so. But if there is a man there I would prefer that honey.

(honey? I should have called him schnookums, the ass)

Me: Sir, there are no men in the office. But I assure you I can help you.

Customer: well pretty lady we can discuss this but then have your boss call me so I can get all of this accurately. (big word for the neanderthal)

Me: My boss is female just so you know. (yeah I went there)

Customer: (louder and exasperated) What the hell is this world coming to?

Me:  Pardon? You mean because women are smart and have enough independent money so they can build their own business? Or do you mean that economically women want or need to work? 

Customer: No, because they belong in the home, period!

Me: Sir, I am going to hang up now. You have yourself a nice MALE day.

Yep, I said that. After 12 years I am getting a bit mouthy. 
The 2nd time now I have given it back to them. 
So sick of these jerks who have reared their ugly heads recently. 
I wish they would crawl back into the hole they climbed out of.

Rick went to a home for an estimate. The man was horrific. 
This creep said things that one shouldn't say in life. 
For the love of God, I don't know why he would just spew this ugly shit to a stranger. Rick said as he was in the bathroom he stuck his head in the door and was on a tangent. 
Rick listened and told me he kept bringing the conversation back to the job at hand. Finally, they discussed the job. 
But that didn't stop Bigot Bob. He thought he was on a roll. 
Rick was biting his tongue.
As Rick got to the front door he handed him an estimate sheet that had no price or numbers, it only said, due to your language of bigotry and hatred I can't work for you. He, of course just walked out. 
The man was left standing there holding this with his mouth open.

Rick said he was certain after he got in his car and the man's front door shut that he was now calling Rick all kinds of names. 

Yep, it's gettin' time to retire. 
We are no longer dealing well with rednecks and assholes. 
Many years ago Rick was at a home in a similar area of similar people.
He was on his knees working on this man's tub. That was all he was doing, very small job. The man came in and sat on the toilet and began to spew ugly shit. 
It started with gay people, them people of color, then people with different religious beliefs. Rick told him he didn't appreciate his language. Then he went off on Pres. Obama. Not about policies or what he was doing, only the color of his skin. Rick told him that he did not want him in the room and he did not want him talking like this to him. To please keep his opinions to himself or he would have to leave. The man laughed and called him a !@#$! lover. You know what I am leaving out.

So Rick began to pack up his things.
He has now asked this man 3 times to stop this talk or he wouldn't be able to stay. The guy apparently thought he was joking. 
Rick stood up and the guy said where are you going? 
He said I asked you to stop using words you were using and talking about this while I am doing a job. I am not comfortable with you.
I am going to give you the number of a competitor, they may be able to help you.
The man yelled at Rick that he called them and they charge more. 
Yes, they do and they don't always show up or do a good job, but I think you are both on the same page of bigotry.  Have a good day. And he left.  Of course not without this man calling him names too. We were actually shocked we didn't get a review from him about this. Maybe society got lucky and he did crawl back into his hole or karma bit his ass and he has left this world.  

I have never had a workman come to my home where I felt the need to talk about politics, religion or race. I did have a workman come into my home and spew their hatred of other people different from them and I asked him to leave. (satellite technician and I told the company who sent him as well) 

I am losing my patience with people.
My 2nd favorite this week was a woman who was asking us to come back to do another bathroom. She wasn't going to be there. Normally when that happens we are left a check at the house or they give me a credit card and after I get the photo showing the "after" I charge their card and send them the receipt and photos showing it has been completed. Never an issue in 12 yrs.
Until this twit. 

She said she works all day every day at the Pentagon. She isn't allowed to use a phone.  Yet she has called me several times. I guess it is just when it's convenient for her. She knows we will not book online so she has to call sometime.

Apparently, she doesn't sleep, get a lunch break or ever go home so she can use the phone. She won't return calls because she is very busy she tells me at least 5 times a call or in email.  Email is all her communication can be these days and sometimes she is too busy for that too.
I called her for 2 days. Two days before the appointment and 1 day before the appointment. Several messages left both days. 

A month prior she wrote to me because she's busy and can't use the phone. We went back and forth confirming the appointment and the details. She sent me the following in an email.
"The home should be empty so I might buy a lockbox that he could use."
(the home we are going to is a rental for her and her husband)

My confirmation was like this - 
You are confirmed for xxx on Monday, June 3rd at 9am.

Please take a moment to review the attached document for what needs to be done before we can begin.

Remember as we discussed on the phone, sprucing up, painting and remodeling must be done BEFORE the refinishing for optimal results.

I will call you the day before the job to see if you purchased a lock box and how you wish to pay.

She wrote back the same day 2 minutes later, "Perfect, will talk to you then."

I called the day before 4 times. I left 4 voicemails. No return call. 
I wrote 3 emails through the course of the day. No response. 
Then I remembered she is the Queen of the Pentagon and she is too busy and works 24 hrs a day. She probably wears those sexy depends garments too because she has no time to use the restroom.

Did she buy that lockbox? Did she decide someone would be there? 
It is 5pm we don't know what she is doing. I make the last call and email at 8pm. No response. We assume we are not going in the morning.

The following morning at 7:30am I saw her email that came in at 11:30pm the night before.
She says she just got home. Oh my, she isn't sleeping at the Pentagon? Yea, just got home I'm calling bullshit again! 11:30p? But let's go with that. She is important and very busy. She has told me this several times. 
She wrote in her email to me at 11pm "Imagine my surprise that I had to give you this information the day before the job" 

I wish I could say I was shocked. Nothing shocks me anymore.
So I got our email communication and sent it to her showing her how we discussed this.
Oh, that doesn't matter I am still wrong even if it is in black and white.  
She continued to say she was unaware she needed to give me this info and to drop it on her the day before when she is so busy is unacceptable. She was livid that I waited until now to tell her this. 
OMG. She just read her email telling her this from 4 weeks ago and her response to it as well. What the hell is she talking about? It is in black and white. Does she have trump syndrome? (I said it, it's on tape, but I didn't say it.) 

Okay, new policy, I will never do this the day before again. 
It will be 3 days prior. Not that it would have mattered in this case though.
All it takes is one person in 12 years and a new policy is implemented.

Aside from her being pissed about the last minute need for us to get in the house and the payment arrangement - How did she think we were going to get in if we didn't have a combo for the lockbox?
So let me get this straight, you aren't going to be there. You didn't hide a key or give us a combo. How did you think Rick was getting in? He's a smart fella but he can't walk through doors...yet.

Then ignoring the fact that she just told me she didn't buy the lockbox and that she can't be there because she is busy, she went on to write that payment shouldn't matter because we did business 10 years ago. 
"I'm good for it, I'll get it to you eventually", she says.

Eventually? When? She works 24 / 7 because she is so very important and the Pentagon will fall apart without her?

She actually used the word eventually. I wanted to ask her if her hairdresser lets her leave when she says, Oh I'm good for it I've been coming here for years. But of course, I did not.

The only people who complain about paying us when the job is completed in 12 yrs have been 2 people.
1 never paid - ever. 
2nd was this woman.
(If giving me grief about paying I feel they had no intentions of paying)

We did give her 3 options to pay but she was not happy about any of her choices which is so odd to me. Her option was she'd get around to paying me. 
Our Option one was to leave a check behind. That is what 50% do (the other 50% give me a credit card#) 
This way if she doesn't see the completed job photos we send and a paid receipt then she can stop payment on that check. That has never happened but if necessary that could be her thought process. Or have her husband be there or a friend or a neighbor or book this when you're home.

When I asked what she wanted to do she wrote, "you go to my house and do my 2nd bathroom,"  
Will you be there? 
No.
If you aren't there will there be a key or a combo lock to get in? Silence.
Next thing I know she is no longer responding. Fine with us! 

This mensa works 24 hrs a day at the Pentagon and is a very important person. Believe that and I have a bridge to sell you.

I have to go call my mortgage company now.
I am a very busy and important person. I'll pay them eventually, I mean we've been doing business for 20 years, I'm good for it!


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I had to post this again because it seemed appropriate for my week.