In mid December we replaced the last appliance in this house that hadn't gone kaput -- the gas hot water heater. Fortunately, we caught it at the slight leak stage, not the 50-gallon flood stage (been there, done that, got the flippin' merit badge).
Out comes our handy-dandy Appliance Company/Plumber/Heater/AC/All-Around Do Everything With Appliances Company to take away old gas hot water heater and install new "energy-efficient" gas hot water heater and charge us the equivalent of a mortgage payment. Ouch. Woot. It's done. I can breathe easier...and do the dishes once more.
The day before Christmas we receive a postcard in the mail from our County Plumbing Inspector notifying us that the "Company" took out a permit to install the gas hot water heater. Thus, the County must come inspect.
This morning (27 Dec 2010) a rather surly fellow appears at my door. "Good morning," I say in my chipper voice. "D'ya know that having your water hose still attached to your faucet out front means in Spring that faucet will break?" he snarls at me. "You must be Scott," I reply, my teeth beginning to grind.
I yell upstairs for Devoted Spouse....no answer. Scott-the-Inspector says, "I can find it by myself." With my happy face...I flipped on the basement light and said, "Knock yourself out."
I returned to my Twittering and Frittering.
Devoted Spouse meanders to the basement in search of Scott-the-Inspector. I hear rumbles and grumbles and heavy footsteps. Ruh-Roh.
Scott-the-Inspector whips out his cell phone and makes a call. Looks at me in my comfy chair and mutters something about a pipe not installed correctly and he has to call a plumber. Oopsie - we failed inspection.
Oopsie again -- Scott-the-Installer called the wrong plumber. Snort. The correct installers are on their way. Devoted Spouse is leaving to volunteer at church. That's a good thing because he doesn't want to be here when the "Company" arrives. This redheaded-stepchild is workin' up quite a head of steam -- you see for the past few weeks we have been living in a house and breathing what Scott-the-Inspector terms, "gas exhaust". Now I realize that's not the same as a gas leak -- but it can't be good. The "Company" Field Rep and the General Manager for their Plumbing Operations WILL be accompanying the repair crew today. Don't mess with the red-headed stepchild... Oh Crap on a Crutch.
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| That space right above the bottom rung of crutch is a separation in the pipe. Nasty! |
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| The Fail here is the white cap above the water heater but below that silver pipe should not be tilting downward |
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I want to get one of those waterless heaters but I think they cost more then one mortgage payment.
ReplyDeleteI hope they fixed it properly and you pass the next inspection. When I have had workers come to my house to do any work, I am all in their face asking questions. Why are you doing that? Why are you do it this way? Is that the best way to do it? And you know they still mess up sometimes. I think there is no pride in their work, by most workers nowadays. Everything is about just get in there, and do as little as possible, and then walk out of there with as much money as you can.
"My" telephone man, MrUpole, goes on jobs where they have had to send out two, three, or more guys before him, and the problem will still not be fixed. Then MrUpole arrives and he will stay there until the job is done. Last month he saved a lady from losing her job. She was crying because she was so happy. His company tells them that they have to do "x" amount of jobs each day. MrUpole rarely gets to do the amount required because he will stay at the jobsite until the job is fixed and the person is back online or on the internet. Then he gets in trouble and then it starts again the next day. He stays until the customer is happy with everything working and one would think that the company would be happy because he has just retained a happy customer, and this helps to keep the company in business. Does the company not know that without happy customers, who stay with them, they would not have a company.
I think that this is what is so wrong with our country and the world. Money and greed has become God to the majority of the people during these times of lately.
Once upon a time, people had self respect and self pride in what they did. They worked hard to do their best in what they did each day. They worked hard to earn their meager posessions and would never have thought to take things from those who have more because they felt entitled to those things. They knew if they wanted those things then they would have to work harder and longer, or get a better education. But now with a government who for 100 plus years has increasingly taken (stolen) more and more from the "have's" to give to the "have not's" and doing such a sloppy job about it, has meant that many workers and companies in the private sector have started to follow suit. This means crappy jobs done by all. It is a good thing the military does not follow those crappy rules. Can you imagine if the military did such a crappy job then there would no longer be an America. This is why so many companies jump at the chance to hire ex-military. This usually insures they are getting a worker who takes pride in what they do.
Anyway maybe this plumbing company needs to hire some ex-military and then your job would have been done correctly.
But yeah, I agree with others in that you just need to stop buying appliances.
God bless.
PS...glad you were all safe.
It's fixed and passed the second inspection but I'm so angry with the company I could SCREAM and I fully intend to report them to Better Business Bureau, all my friends, Angies List and any other place I can think of, the rat b*st*rd scoundrels. Grrrr.....
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