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20 June 2018

Latest Groan!


The latest ‘breakdown’ at my house was part of the guttering. I had a message from neighbours to say water was pouring into their yard from broken guttering - mine. It must have been collecting rainwater for a while and then WHOOSH, got rid of it. It has been a bit quiet on the repairs front so this came as a surprise. Oh well, let’s get it repaired.

First, find someone to do the work.

Gutter Guys is the name of the firm I chose from Yellow Pages Directory. Yes, the girl said, someone will check it out on Saturday between 9 and 12 o’clock; that’s the first day after the complaint. Not bad going, I thought, except nobody turned up.

Rang the firm the same day and was told someone would be out between 3 and 6pm. Again, no-one turned up. You can imagine my mood.

As soon as I calmed down I contacted another company. This time, on line. I am always a bit dubious about doing stuff on line, forgetting the success rate of most of my efforts. So, a guy called Andy responded to my plea for help. He is local to me, which made me feel a bit better. I mean, I have his address… I can always pop round with a battering ram if he lets me down. I don’t think that will happen because the guy not only responded to the on-line approach, he went to the trouble of phoning me and fixing a time and date, even apologising for the fact that he is going on holiday first.

Well, Andy returned from wherever and straight away sent a text to confirm the appointment. A few days later he repaired and cleaned the gutters. 

Now we’re all happy...

Until the next breakdown...

Watch this space!

18 comments:

  1. Glad you found someone reliable. We've had all new new roofing but in places our guttering drips when we have heavy rain and I'd like to get it fixed. I think I need Andy!

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    1. I never trust on-line contacts (not sure why!) but Andy proved to be a godsend, apart from the fact that he lived locally!

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  2. Nothing like home repairs to remind us of the house's mortality.

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  3. That's GREAT news, Valerie! It is so difficult (also here in the US) to find dependable and follow-through companies who do repair work. Even in my apartment building, it can take WEEKS to get a response from the maintenance service from the leasing company. One time, it took over a month to get them to fix something in my apartment. Yet, I think it's ironic that the leasing company expects their tenant's RENT to be on time each month.

    Glad to hear you found a reliable man to fix your gutters.

    Enjoy the rest of your week, my friend!

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    1. Gosh, Ron, you would think the leasing company would be more accommodating, surely it's in their own interests eventually. I am now looking for a gardener but even that is difficult.

      Hope you have a good weekend, when it arrives. We still have wicked winds to put up with but there's a promise that the weekend will be nice. Hmmm!


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  4. You don't seem to be having much luck inside and outside of your house. Hope your luck changes soon. I think most things break some time .

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    1. I too hope things change pretty soon. Yes, things break, but I wish they wouldn't all break at the same time...lol.

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  5. I am always astounded that people will come round, sometimes even do a quote, and then absolutely do anything to avoid doing the actual job. I never can work out why they don't just say, "I haven't got time" or "it's not my area" rather than pretending they are available and then cancelling because of their grandmother's funeral. Yes, I've had that one several times, I have almost wondered if they say that to take the mickey because it is a cliche like "the dog ate my homework." !

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    1. Jenny, your comments opened my eyes. I thought this sort of thing only happened in my area. Perhaps we should teach them a lesson ... book them, let them agree a visit, then cancel. Workmen these days don't seem to want work!

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  6. Glad Andy came through for you, Val. Hope everything stays in great shape for you so you can enjoy other adventures. Take care.

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    1. Fingers crossed, Matt. Hope you have a great weekend.

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  7. Oh dear, if it's not one thing it's another. I have a friend about 50 miles away in the country, and it's hard for her to get someone to come by to fix things in her home. The reason they give is 'hunting season'.

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    1. Hi Denise, perhaps the hunting season means tracing and dealing with uncooperative people.

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  8. We don't have gutters on our house and sometimes I wish we did. But I guess that would be one more added expense when the neighbor's yard started flooding :)

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  9. Hi kden, actually the guy didn't charge much, for which I was truly thankful. I don't see the purpose of cutters, all they do is collect water - and weeds. Still, I guess the eventual unloading of water into a barrel is a way of saving water for the plants.

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  10. Glad your gutter issue was resolved, Valerie. Just read the previous comments and as former homeowners, I can attest to the fact that getting repair folks to show up on time can be challenging. When we first purchased our VA home and were looking for a contractor we had to go through quite a few to find a reliable one. Living in the mill apt is a bit easier when repairs are needed as we just notify the management office and there are several on0site maintenance folks. The usual "wait" time isn't excessive and we don't need to be home as they can use a pass key if we give permission ahead of time.

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  11. Beatrice, unreliability seems to be a common thing. I wish we could cure it by charging them for waiting time! I have a neighbour who leaves her gates open for gardeners to come while she is at work. Having once worked for the police service (CID) I trust no-one.

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