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An Honest Man

January 21st, 2009 at 08:08 am

I previously posted about having to repair our gas fireplace. It cost $122 to have someone come just to "diagnose the problem" which was determined to be a malfunctioning part. So, we paid $122 for the house call plus $33 (10% of the $329 part that had to be ordered).

Well, late Tuesday afternoon the repairman came to install the new part. He removed the old part and replaced it with the new, but the fireplace still didn't work... it would not light. Then he started systematically checking other things and finally got it to work.

What astounded me is that the repairman then told me the original part was working "perfectly well"... that it was not broken. The problem was that the system had to be reset. That was all... a very simple fix. The nice man then showed dh how to reset it in case it happens again (it was not something we would have figured out).

The best part of this story is that the repairman said there would be "no charge" for the visit, that he would take back the part that had been ordered, and the company would refund us the 10% we had paid to order the part. I couldn't believe it!

So, even though the original visit cost $122, we saved $329 on the replacement part and we now have a fireplace that works. We are so grateful that this honest technician told us the truth. He could have replaced the old part, reset the system and charged us... and we would not have been the wiser. His actions have reinforced my faith in the basic honesty of people.

Posted in Saving Money, Live and Learn | 7 Comments »

7 Responses to “An Honest Man”

  1. whitestripe Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 11:25 am 1232537157
    1232537157

    that is very nice of him. when someone does something for me that i dont expect i always like to give them something to show them i appreciate it. with tradesmen it is usually beer, neighbours i give bread (i work at a bakery) and friends or aquaintances usually chocolate. Smile

  2. Apprentice Fun-Frugalist Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 12:30 pm 1232541045
    1232541045

    What a decent man !

  3. campfrugal Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 01:11 pm 1232543499
    1232543499

    Definately stick with this guy and refer him to others. It is so hard to find honest people for our repair needs.

  4. lizajane Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 02:57 pm 1232549845
    1232549845

    That's great. Sad that it seems unusual to have an honest person doing the work. I agress with campfrugal, refer him a lot.

  5. Ima saver Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 03:17 pm 1232551067
    1232551067

    That is great! I had two appliances repaired for a cost of $400. Neither one of them ever worked again! I did not get an honest man, but I am glad you did.

  6. PRICEPLUS Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 04:09 pm 1232554166
    1232554166

    How sad is it that we are so surprised by an honest man. Whatever happened to the concept of doing a good job and being the best you can be?

    I think the country would be in much better shape if there were more people like this repair man. If his honest ways were pervasive on Wall Street then maybe we would not be in this financial mess!

    I would call the company and applaud this man's honesty. I'd then tell the company that I will continue using their services and recommend them to people. WinkSmile

  7. monkeymama Says:
    January 21st, 2009 at 05:50 pm 1232560208
    1232560208

    I hope you got his card. We had a similar experience, guy came out and charged us nothing for a problem, and I lost his contact info. I wish now he had sent me a bill!!!!!!!! Big Grin
    But that is great.

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