Dear Mik and Mike: I have terrible karma or luck or whatever you want to call it with helpers and workers at my house. Last week our contractor of many years sent over a plumber who not only didn’t finish the work we requested, but left a mess, pipes and parts everywhere. I tripped on some pipe pieces and broke my arm. I told the contractor about all the problems and asked him to send over someone new, but he sent the same imbecile back again. What should I do?
If you pay this idiot the full amount of what he bills you, then you are the imbecile. Make sure you deduct any and all medical expenses from anything you pay him, including what someone else will have to fix. I find it curious that after many years of having you as a client the contractor didn’t come over himself and personally finish the job, and offer an apology. Maybe he doesn’t need the work. My advice to you is to get many references before working with someone else in the future.
As my father Oscar says (continually), “Get rid of shitheads, don’t depend on pecker heads”. Sounds like a lawsuit in the making to me. You may want to mention the possible implications of work related injuries. No one wants to be involved a lawsuit. It will not make anyone happy, but it usually gets things that are stuck into motion. Good workers are hard to find, but we all need to maintain positive and healthy boundaries around what we are comfortable with in our lives, our homes and our relationships, both professional and personal.
Photo by Colley’s Mill
