Author: therascalrevealer

Req Tech Wrecks Again

The Requisition Technician has a bad habit of wrecking pocketbooks.

This time Wreck It Req Tech was called to fix a furnace that was heating intermittently. Over the course of three service calls he replaced a thermostat, replaced a leaking hose and called it, well… not good. He didn’t call it anything because it still wasn’t working right. Instead he reckoned… ba dum tss… himself unable to deal with the problem because he’s “not trained in Carrier” equipment.

Too bad he didn’t say that before he made three trips to the home and charged the homeowner Continue reading Req Tech Wrecks Again

Batting a Thousand

Rindle Replacements performed a tune-up on these two furnaces about two weeks ago. (Say that ten times fast.) I visited those same two furnaces today. I visited with the homeowner as well. She told the tale of many tall tales told. I didn’t keep the count, but Rindle did by way of the invoice pictured below. Let’s see if half the lies they tell about the furnaces aren’t true.

Continue reading Batting a Thousand

Black and White

Imagine going to a mechanic and being told that you need a new car because your old one has a rusty tailpipe. That’s kind of what happened to today’s featured homeowner. Except rather than being told she needed a new car, she was told she needed a new furnace. And rather than citing iron oxide (rust) as the reason, the repairman cited zinc oxide – in other words, zinc rust. It’s the “scary” looking white powder pictured below.  Continue reading Black and White

Confornting Disappointment

A homeowner left messages for both me and Confortera Heating & Air yesterday. Confortera called back first, so they got the appointment. Even so, I did a little troubleshooting over the phone and gave the homeowner some general advice. I warned him that he’d probably be told to replace his furnace. I soft sold that last bit because, as I’m sure you can understand, I can’t just blurt out something negative about the competition to someone who doesn’t yet trust me.

Confortera did not disappoint. That is to say, they disappointed. Continue reading Confornting Disappointment

The Big Dig

The Requisition Technician looked at furnace today. I supposed that’s redundant since it’s winter and he is a furnace repairman. Anyway, Req Tech jiggled some wires and the furnace started working. RT then said that it would take a lot of work to dig into the furnace and figure out what was really going on, so he didn’t dig. Instead the homeowner dug into his pocket for $100 and handed it to RT who then left. The furnace stopped working again a half hour later. Continue reading The Big Dig

The Running Repairman

Does a world renowned doctor show up at a patient’s door within hours of being called? Unless the patient is filthy rich, probably not. First, the patient goes to the doctor’s door. Second, and more to my point, a world renowned doctor is in high demand. Therefore s/he need not work crazy long hours or off-hours to get paid. In other words, if the patient wants the best doctor then the patient might have to be patient.

Call me conceited for concocting this comparison, but does a locally renowned furnace repairman show up at your door within hours of your call? Continue reading The Running Repairman

Lucky Number 700

There’s an old joke that goes something like this…

A man takes his VCR in and asks, “How much will it cost to fix this?” The repairman pauses for a moment and says, “Three-hundred dollars.” The man retorts, “But you haven’t even looked at it.” The repairman quips, “Yeah… but for $300 I can fix it.”

It seems that The Requisition Technician has turned an old joke into reality Continue reading Lucky Number 700