Post by The Curmudgeon on Feb 18, 2009 9:14:21 GMT 2
Small backstory first; The House of The Curmudgeon (someone really needs to make that film) has had several heating problems recently. In short, the boiler is screwed, which often meant no heat and no hot water. Bummer. Which we were insured for, meaning we did get engineers out to fix it.
They soon got tired of this however, and even tried pulling out of a home visit on Christmas Eve (I had to LIE and say I had kids to get them here). Anyway, we soon changed insurance companies. Wow, boiler cover, insurance.. how exciting is this thread going to be?
So, I was supposed to get a guy to come out and fix it, meaning he would repair the boiler AND fix a leak under the floor, and it would all be part of the new insurance. But the guy didn't come 'cos he was on holiday. I got a call from another engineer the next day saying they still wouldn't be able to come and I lost it saying I had waited in two days blah blah - so he agreed to come and "take a look." He arrived, pretty pissed off, and took a look saying our insurance wouldn't cover it and we'd have to pay, I said "fine. It just needs fixed."
So I sat, pretty much in horror, as this guy took almost seven HOURS, including calling another engineer to go under the floor ('cos he wouldn't fit) and then another engineer to help out with the problem. I had no IDEA how much this was going to cost me. Three engineers time, one for two hours the other seven? Oh shit..
So anyway, once the thing was fixed and the guy was clearing up, we began to talk about music and he mentioned David Bowie. I said I was a big Bowie fan and we talked about him for a bit. Then Prince got mentioned... money shot!
"I've been to gigs for over 30 years and Prince is the greatest showman I've ever seen in my life" - HE said. So I told him how much I liked him, the symbol tattoo, seen him twice - all that, and we eventually sat and talked music for about 90 minutes.
Anyway, the bill? The guy scored through it, "no charge." And all because of our mutual love for the purple maniac.
There is another point to this thread, though - and it's to do with the changing face of musical appreciation. This guy, like myself and everyone on this site, has a passion and LOVE for the music they listen to. For him, and us, it's not just something to download and listen to on the bus, it's not just the "yeah, that song's pretty good" level of "appreciation" that exists pretty much everywhere. This guy collected vinyl, rarities, he talked of the different guitar styles seen in the Sex Pistols and the Clash.. it was a joy to talk to him, frankly because he's a dying breed.
Next time you go into a second hand record store; the one with rare vinyl and CDs - take a look around. What's the average age of the guy pouring through those racks of disc's? Frightening, isn't it?
They soon got tired of this however, and even tried pulling out of a home visit on Christmas Eve (I had to LIE and say I had kids to get them here). Anyway, we soon changed insurance companies. Wow, boiler cover, insurance.. how exciting is this thread going to be?
So, I was supposed to get a guy to come out and fix it, meaning he would repair the boiler AND fix a leak under the floor, and it would all be part of the new insurance. But the guy didn't come 'cos he was on holiday. I got a call from another engineer the next day saying they still wouldn't be able to come and I lost it saying I had waited in two days blah blah - so he agreed to come and "take a look." He arrived, pretty pissed off, and took a look saying our insurance wouldn't cover it and we'd have to pay, I said "fine. It just needs fixed."
So I sat, pretty much in horror, as this guy took almost seven HOURS, including calling another engineer to go under the floor ('cos he wouldn't fit) and then another engineer to help out with the problem. I had no IDEA how much this was going to cost me. Three engineers time, one for two hours the other seven? Oh shit..
So anyway, once the thing was fixed and the guy was clearing up, we began to talk about music and he mentioned David Bowie. I said I was a big Bowie fan and we talked about him for a bit. Then Prince got mentioned... money shot!
"I've been to gigs for over 30 years and Prince is the greatest showman I've ever seen in my life" - HE said. So I told him how much I liked him, the symbol tattoo, seen him twice - all that, and we eventually sat and talked music for about 90 minutes.
Anyway, the bill? The guy scored through it, "no charge." And all because of our mutual love for the purple maniac.
There is another point to this thread, though - and it's to do with the changing face of musical appreciation. This guy, like myself and everyone on this site, has a passion and LOVE for the music they listen to. For him, and us, it's not just something to download and listen to on the bus, it's not just the "yeah, that song's pretty good" level of "appreciation" that exists pretty much everywhere. This guy collected vinyl, rarities, he talked of the different guitar styles seen in the Sex Pistols and the Clash.. it was a joy to talk to him, frankly because he's a dying breed.
Next time you go into a second hand record store; the one with rare vinyl and CDs - take a look around. What's the average age of the guy pouring through those racks of disc's? Frightening, isn't it?
