The Lesson of Christmas Lights

The whole lighting thing was different this year and even hinted at the global economic situation. I had to call the yard care business after the day the installation was to have been completed.  They maintained that we had not submitted a check, even though that was not what they had said they would do in our contract.  I reminded them that we had received no bill, and that I always paid half when they placed the lights on the house.  We left for Disneyland just after that conversation, and they were to be installed when we returned.
It didn't happen.  I called them again.  And this time they promised to be there within a day.  It didn't happen either.  After another call, a person arrived for the check, although no lights had appeared.  I was beginning to regret having done business with them, and by then I had mentioned it at least twice--once over the phone and a second time in person when they appeared at my door, especially given the fact that we not only paid our bill on time, but we also did it early the previous year.
Finally, I heard the hammering one afternoon, and I felt better, until hours later when I went outside to see the 48 inch wreath that was to be at the top of the garage.  It was all of 12 inches. I called again.  They seemed to have forgotten, but I reminded them that I was looking at our contract that basically guaranteed specific requests for three years.  One basic point was that the wreath was a 48 inch wreath.  It took three calls to correct that, and they did the tree in the front yard incorrectly too.  Oh, and there was no discount that they originally promised that was to be five percent.  They forgot everything like that, but it was only a small amount in my opinion, so I let it go.
Eventually everything seemed to be alright.  We enjoyed the holiday lights and everything seemed fine.  Christmas came and went.  Ann took these pictures one evening after New Years, and according to the agreed time, the lights disappeared.  It was even a week after I unplugged them.  With the economic situation already a concern, everyone in the neighborhood darkened their lights at least several weeks early, and strangely as it seemed, I did the same thing.  I am after all the person who would light them every night until Valentine's Day.  

I actually even looked forward to their coming the next year.  We had forgotten the bad vibes we had from poor service, and I even began to dismiss their poor memory, because after all, the lights were pretty.

And then I noticed the rain gutter on the south side of my house.  I called them immediately.  They made a classic statement.

"Wasn't it already like that?"

I know that Santa Claus is on my roof on Christmas Eve on a yearly basis, but other than that, no one has been there since the installation of the gutter.  During the past summer, a subcontractor actually looked at it momentarily while we examined the vinyl siding on my house, but we looked at everything from the ground, and he never climbed to the roof, and given the fact that if I had been the one who slipped from the top of the cornice and caught myself on that thin patch of metal, not only would I have ripped the entire section down, but the University of Utah would have had seismic recordings of my hitting the ground.

It took four calls to get something done.  They showed up, and I go outside to see the repair. They told me that they would bend it back, so that it looked just like new.  I reminded them that unless it miraculously appeared as it had before the damage, I would not accept it.

It wasn't.  I went from my jovial, friendly self to angry, pissed off me.

I called the next morning.  

"Isn't it looking OK now?"  That was the owner's response.   

In spite of my anger, I was still nice but there was edge in my voice as I explained that it wasn't OK.  Two weeks passed.  I called one more time.  Another bill arrived, and this one had the stamp PAST DUE in bold red print.  

I was not friendly when I left the message, especially when I reminded them that since the middle name of their business was Quality, I expected nothing less.  They called Monday morning.

Nothing happened.  I called again.  This time I was rude when I left the message, and I received a call that finally made me feel better, but that was after I reminded them that I would never allow them on my place again, and I would take care of the repair and send them the bill before paying, just so we knew exactly where everyone stood.

Workers showed up the next morning.  I'm so glad that there are construction jobs for people who obviously have spent time in jail or prison are about to spend time in either one or both, because the two who came to do the repairs appeared to be qualified to do either one.  But they fixed the rain gutter, not as nicely as I would have liked, but at least there are no longer the imprints of two size 10 shoes in the light brown metal.

I don't think the Ward house will have Christmas lights next year, but it was fun while it lasted.