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how would you handle this
Comments
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A little more clairifcation
She called me on the buisness phone, not my home phone. She has both numbers, she is a neighbor. I own the company, so it was not side work.
Someone posted that since it was a neighbor, they would have been embarrased to send a bill. Well, where does that stop? People who border your property? Those who live within a direct line of sight? How about those who live on the same street? Wait, arent we all memebers of the same global community? Maybe we should all work for free? What a great experiment, but didnt that fail in Russia?
I feel that the bottom line for me with this, is that she determined what price she wanted to pay. She figured that the value of my services was about 13% of what I feel it is worth. I will cash the check, make a donation to the building fund of the new YMCA that is going up in town, in her name then match it. I will let her know that in the future, she would do better to call another plumber, who is neither a neighbor nor a friend, to avoid this type of misunderstanding in the future.
Chuck
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Good plan, Chuck
Unfortunately most people do not appreciate the hard work that you do day in and day out. The fact that you were able to do the job quickly and correctly is lost on this woman. I think we as plumbing and heating professionals need to help educate our clients about the real cost of having a business and sometimes that's a hard lesson and is only learned by opening the checkbook.
As others have said, you probably should have settled on payment before you did any work. (I say this, but don't always follow this advice myself).
Here's what I think I would have done: (Keep in mind that although I do some plumbing I do not advertise drain cleaning as a service). With any clogged drain I tell people that there is no way of knowing what it will take to clear it up . I think you were lucky to get in and out in 10 minutes. What if the plunger didn't work and you had to get the snake, and what if there was a collapsed line etc, etc.
It stinks when you take the time to help someone out and they insult you. Some people are clueless. Try to forget about it.0 -
don't worry about it
You should have charged her $150 just like you would have charged anyone else. Who cares what your neighbors think about you all they care about is themsleves. Call her and tell her to keep the $20 and don't call you again. I live in a neighborhood full of junkys and low lifes and if any of them asked me to help them I would just say no I'm too busy.0 -
Had the same problem
Guy 3 houses down calls on a Sunday morning, ands wants his hot tub on his deck repaired now. So I come right over and in the pouring rain proceed to troubleshoot why the pump is inoperate. He says from the doorway, "Lousey weather to be working outside isn't it." My reply is "I don't mind, Sunday work gets billed at $175.00 per hour" The look on his face was worth a million bucks. He is an director at the local hospital and grosses 250 grand a year and wife is an administrator at the high school at 95 grand a year. I found a pressure switch bad and replaced it and gave him a bill for $265.00. Both him and his wife start bitching at me about the cost of the repair and my rate. My reply was that I did not call them they called me to repair their 10 grand hot tub, and I would like to be paid now, thank you. Got my check, I know he expected me to repair it for nothing cause I was in the trade and lived on his street.0 -
Had the same problem
Guy 3 houses down calls on a Sunday morning, ands wants his hot tub on his deck repaired now. So I come right over and in the pouring rain proceed to troubleshoot why the pump is inoperate. He says from the doorway, "Lousey weather to be working outside isn't it." My reply is "I don't mind, Sunday work gets billed at $175.00 per hour" The look on his face was worth a million bucks. He is an director at the local hospital and grosses 250 grand a year and wife is an administrator at the high school at 95 grand a year. I found a pressure switch bad and replaced it and gave him a bill for $265.00. Both him and his wife start bitching at me about the cost of the repair and my rate. My reply was that I did not call them they called me to repair their 10 grand hot tub, and I would like to be paid now, thank you. Got my check, I know he expected me to repair it for nothing cause I was in the trade and lived on his street. Takes all types to make a world.0 -
No win situation, Chuck
The donation is a great idea, and if that gets the monkey off your back, then you and your community are better off for it.
On the other hand, if you're still bugged by it, I would be inclined to go have a face-to-face with her to clear it up, and then it's bygones and lesson learned.
Happy holidays to all my on-line neighbors out there!0 -
What I would do.
I would let it go.
I'd cash the check.
I would remind myself she thanked me, and told me she really apprciated my coming over on Thanksgiving.
I would tell myself that by telling her "Happy Thanksgiving" when I left, maybe she interpreted that as neighborly good will and a freebie.
It ain't worth it - it's too trivial to think about more than ten minutes. Think about it in terms of the long run. Ten years from now, will you still be angry when you think about it, or will you laugh? Be a bigger person, it doesn't hurt that much.0 -
What I would do.
I would let it go.
I'd cash the check.
I would remind myself she thanked me, and told me she really apprciated my coming over on Thanksgiving.
I would tell myself that by telling her "Happy Thanksgiving" when I left, maybe she interpreted that as neighborly good will and a freebie.
It's too trivial to waste time thinking about it more than ten minutes. Think about it in terms of the long run. Ten years from now, will you still be angry when you think about it, or will you laugh?
Maybe you'll become better friends. Maybe not. If not, thirty bucks isn't much of a price to learn a little more about what kind of a person you are, and what kind of a person your neighbor is.
Hell, after a while, if I ran into her I'd probably apologize for the misunderstanding and thank her for the twenty. Yeah, that's it, give thanks.
Or get all pissed off about the principle of the thing.
Life's too short.0 -
What I would do.
I would let it go.
I'd cash the check.
I would remind myself she thanked me, and told me she really apprciated my coming over on Thanksgiving.
I would tell myself that by telling her "Happy Thanksgiving" when I left, maybe she interpreted that as neighborly good will and a freebie.
It's too trivial to waste time thinking about it more than ten minutes. Think about it in terms of the long run. Ten years from now, will you still be angry when you think about it, or will you laugh?
Maybe you'll become better friends. Maybe not. If not, thirty bucks isn't much of a price to learn a little more about what kind of a person you are, and what kind of a person your neighbor is. I probably pay more for overdue video rentals.
After a while, if I ran into her I'd probably apologize for the misunderstanding and thank her for the twenty. Yeah, that's it, give thanks.
Or... you could get all pissed off about the principle of the thing.
Life's too short.0 -
What I would do.
I would let it go.
I'd cash the check.
I would remind myself she thanked me, and told me she really appreciated my coming over on Thanksgiving.
I would tell myself that by telling her "Happy Thanksgiving" when I left, maybe she interpreted that as neighborly good will and a freebie.
It's too trivial to waste time thinking about it more than the fifteen miutes you spent doing the job. Think about it in terms of the long run. Ten years from now, will you still be angry when you think about it, or will you laugh? Or just smile and shake your head?
Maybe you'll become better friends. Maybe not. If not, thirty bucks isn't much of a price to learn a little about what kind of a person you are. I probably pay more for overdue video rentals in a year.
After a while, if I ran into her I'd probably apologize for the misunderstanding and thank her for the twenty. Yeah, that's it, give thanks.
Or... you could get all pissed off about the principle of the thing and hold a grudge for years.
Life's too short.0 -
You aren't in business for yourself, Joe, are you?
Embarrased? Why should he be embarrassed? Mad Dog
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Good response John I thought of that too
MD
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ok Duncan , but should he\" work\" for her again?
MD
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I Like your style John...
good for you! Chuck...bottom line..she took advantage of you and has no class. You did the right thing. I have been in the same situation many times. It has taken quite a few incidents, but we NEVER do a job without giving at least a ballpark price. She's a LOOKIE LOO. Mad Dog
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Sure!
Just make sure she understands what it's going to cost before doing the job.
Why, do you think she's gonna pull the same trick again, even if it was made perfectly clear beforehand what the price is?
I could be seeing things from a different point of view because I live in a small town. If someone skids off the snowy road here, you stop to see if you can help them out. When you skid off the road, they help you. Just the unwritten law of common courtesy, and putting yourself in the other person's place.
Could be different where there's a million people around and some think it's OK use someone then discard them. Here, we see each other all the time, and word travels fast.
Sometimes I don't know if that's good or bad. On balance, though, I think the good outweighs the bad.
Hey, maybe I misunderstood her intent or motives, but I still have to give people the benefit of the doubt, that's just me. Especially if it's a gray area.
Not quite as bad as the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies, though (when they're getting the one-finger salute in L.A. traffic)..."Hey Paw, they're wavin' at us agin! Folks sure are friendly around here!"0 -
Favors - my thoughts
Did you tell her that you would charge her? I wouldn't have charged her unless I did something that really took quite a bit of time or parts. 15 minutes is nothing in the grand scheme of things, especially neighborly things. an argument over 20-30-50 dollars is not worth the time!! Don't get me wrong, I will bill for every minute of my work day if I could. What happens when that neighbor needs a new water heater? That would be a job you wouldn't even get to quote cause she won't call you!......because of 50 dollars and 10 minutes of time when you are 1 minute away. What does she do for a living? What if you need a future service from her? I am a bartering fool when given the opportunity!! Just my thoughts.
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check
Hell, I don't know why anyones saying return the check! You cut her a deal & she shorted you,the b*%#@.I'm with Dan except I would be waiting for that no heat call, ha ha ha ,then say sorry! Or if you feel ballsie knock on the door & tell her what you told us & ask for the rest, ha ha ha, love to see her face (she'd probably pay , she'd be so floored)I guess it depends on how you expect it to play out,at least you still made money ,I still think she's a B*^%#0 -
Sounds like
bad communication all around. If you care to keep communications with her you need to tell her what the normal charge is. She should have been told the charge face to face so any misunderstanding could have been dealt with right then and there. Of course it's easy to say. I get caught making communication errors all the time. I prefer to choose good will over money most of the time, especially with neighborsw. WW
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Chuck
30 bucks sound cheap to find out what kinda **** she is.0 -
one other thought
Chuck---Print this thread 50 plus posts and deliver it to her.- love to see the look on her face.0 -
Common sense prevails...
Good words & good thoughts Duncan.
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I.......
Would have sent the the check back with an apology saying I am very sorry if this is all you can afford please keep it you obviously need it more than I do.
Have a nice day
John0 -
seems to me
he should wrap himself up in tin foil - hat included - before walking over to thank her for her generosity!
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As a matter of fact I am Mr.Dog. I make quite a nice living servicing process chillers at several large manufacturing plants. Like I said, when you live in a small town you tend to look at things in a different perspective. Especially the people around you. Apparantly you hail from a populated area and you folks see things different then we do. We tend to put people ahead of the almighty dollar. Its is also important how people see us. That is why, around these parts anyway, we don't expect money everytime we do a small favor for people. And lets face it, 10 minutes out of somebodys life just to pump a plunger up and down a kitchen sink and expecting to get 50 dollars for it?!!!! Gee why do you suppose alot of customers look upon all of us as crooks?0 -
John
I like your response the best of all!!!
I have had this happen to me as well, in fact I still have the check somewhere, never cashed it, just too much of an insult to think about it!!! and that person never got anymore service from me!
some people just have no sense or manners. all they think about is how they are going to get the best deal, the cheapest deal!
went looking for christmas cards tonight.
How many do you think I found with santa's Butt crack showing along with snide remarks about being a plumber. Doesn't that show what people REALLY think about the plumbing trade in general!
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I can tell you how to really tick her off....
We had a preacher who told the consistory committee we were too expensive & not to call us (we ended up replacing the steam boiler anyway). The Sexton relayed the info during the boiler's install, so I looked up her bill and sent her a full refund for 100% of the bill. Enclosed a note saying how we waranteed our work and had she called, we probably would have found a middle ground. Also included that if she didn't want the money, neither did I and that she was free to give it to her favorite charity.
Let's just say she wasn't very lady-like nor acted much like a preacher upon receiving that check and note! To this day, she gives me the most stone-cold-hateful stare when we pass each other on the street (fortunately that's not very often!). Some preacher. Methinks it would have been better if I'd let that sleeping dog lay.
BTW, the congregation ended up having to dismiss her. Seems she was nasty to many others & stepped on a few too many important toes. What goes around comes around!
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Ignorant people
need to be educated. No, I am not a plumber nor am I in the HVAC biz. However, I ran my own service company for twenty years looking after every kind of door that is out there.
One thing that is missing from the responses to this thread is that of personal time with one's family. This woman interupted a tradesman's family time because she did not want to wait until the next day for a service call during regular hours. Was this really an emergency? Did she actually pour Drano or some other chemical cleaner into the sink to try and solve the problem? Or was it just more convenient to her to save the cost of the chemicals and ring her plumber/neighbour to cure the problem.
I am willing to bet that there is very little inter-action between her and this plumber at any other time. She may be a neighbour but she is not a close friend. No dinner invites, no come on over, we're having a bbq.
Sorry, but if it was me, I would send her a statement showing the twenty dollar credit to her fifty dollar bill and request the balance of the invoiced amount. I would also include a polite note stating exactly what my regular rates are and my OT rates and state that I had already given her the preferred neighbour discount.
It does not matter here whether you told her in advance that there would be a charge or how much the charge would be. The onus was as much on her as it was on you. Actually, she never had any intention of paying you a dime for your help. If she did, she would have asked you how much she owed you the minute water started flowing down her kitchen sink.
The way I see it, you are already on her list for charging her anything. I don't think she will ever call you again for anything and I also think that you will get a cold reception if you bump into her by chance. This is a matter of professional pride. Screw her.. you did the job.. go get paid.
VV0 -
I don't know
Hey, that'd be one way to get her not to call him again! He could explain to her the shiny side needs to face outward to reflect negative thoughts. He could do the Ray Bolger Tin Man from The Wizard of OZ "If I only had a heart" thing as he handed her a bill for 150 simoleons. That'd be WORTH the buck fifty to see!
I wouldn't call her *generous*.
I know it could be taken as condescending, like she's just throwin him a tip. Or it could be taken as a high-handed insult that she's thinks she'll only pay him what she thinks he's worth (which is less than Chuck is really worth), but I get the feeling maybe she was trying to meet him halfway, in her own mind. Dang, she is his next door neighbor!
It sounded more like a misunderstanding.
A good neighbor (I mean she should have) would have walked across the backyard and talked about it face-to-face to come to an understanding. Maybe she was too uncomfortable with it. Maybe she IS a penny-pinching ****. But I just didn't get that from Chuck's description.
I suppose all I'm saying is that it sounds like there was a misunderstanding, she wasn't rude, and even if she is blowing smoke, Chuck can be the bigger person and show her some slack. And that he should cut her some slack because she's a neighbor. Even if she uses the term 'friend' only when it benefits her. His entire neighborhood can't be parasites that are gonna suck him dry!
What can I say, I've only been burned a couple of times. Only once by a real shyster that I was warned about ahead of time by other contractors. Other times by dirt poor people.
Am I a sucker?0 -
viva vegas
Well put! thanksgiving night , skys the limit! If it was a personal friend we wouldn't be having this conversation0 -
Joe you have no clue
whatever you do for a living ...I would like to see you in the same type of situation...A neighbor should call and want to give their neighbor the money instead of someone else....50 was a smokin' deal. 10 min or 10 hrs..It was work obviously her nor her husband couldnt do. If your neighbor owns a gas station..maybe you could call him night before a holiday and ask him to bring you some air in a can for your tire..at no charge. If I called a neighbor over to do something I couldnt..first I would have offered money as soon as they were done. If they said they would bill me then so be it and I would pay and be thankful I got a deal. wHY ARE MANUAL THINGS LESS BILLABLE? Computer techs bill you for phone help..Why because they are using their knowledge.
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Hey wait a minute lets back up here. The originator of this whole thing seems pretty proud of the fact that he normally charges 150 dollars for a lousy couple minute sink plunging. And if I'm not mistaken he mentioned how easy this one was to boot. It was right next door for cryin out loud! We don't know the whole story here. Maybe this lady is on a fixed income, maybe money is tight. There could be all kinds of things he's not mentioning. Is this guy we're supposed to feel sorry for here some kind of shyster? If this guy is charging people that kind of money for dummy work he's been porking people for a long time. Hey its about time somebody returned the favor.
And don't tell me I don't have a clue! I've been in my trade for 31 friggin years,, the last 14 on my own. I got more work then I can handle, lots of satisfied customers and I still find time to help out a neighbor once in a while. "AT NO CHARGE" If that makes me some kind of idiot in your mind who can't sympathize with the guy who feels like he got stiffed then you know what you can do! End of conversation.0 -
What Would You Do??
This one has certainly gotten a variety, as well as a quantity, of different responses. Most more eloquent and more reasoned than mine, to be sure, but here goes anyway.
If my neighbor were an attorney, and I needed a hand standing a flagpole up, and he was home, I would ask him and not expect him to ask for payment, knowing that he could ask me for a similar favor someday. But if I were to need five minutes worth of his time to answer a legal question, I would expect to receive a bill for it. The difference is that in the one instance I was asking him for help in a field that he had spent many years and much money becoming expert in, and in the other instance I was just asking for the help he was able to give as a man.
The same holds true in this case. The neighbor asked for your help in your professional capacity, and should have expected to pay you as a professional. The fact she acted as she did shows her pettiness. But you are the owner of a business, and a professional. To react in any demonstrable way to her behavior risks you appearing as petty as she is. You can't improve the situation by lowering yourself to her level. Let it be, and look at the whole episode as the cost of education. And learn not to help neighbors or relatives - unless they are good friends.0 -
Joe,
If you would look back at the posts, I told you what she does for a living, and what her husband does for a living. I also explained that she has my home phone number as well as my buisness number. She made the decision to call the buisness. So before you say you dont have the whole story, read the whole story.
If you want to give away your professional talents for nothing or for half of what they are worth, that is completly up to you. You are just going to help people like her, keep the sterotypical image of people who work in the trades not being worth anything.
And do you know why I was able to finish the job in 10 minutes, maybe it is because of the years of experiance in the trade, and those years are worth something.
Most people on this wall know me, they know I am not a shyster, they also know, that when people appeal to me for a favor, I give probally as much, or maybe even more than most.
Did it ever occur to you that the reason you are so busy is that you dont have a clue about the value of your own abilitys, and that the general public either knowingly, or unknowingly is exploiting your ingonrance about how to run a buisness?
If you want to give your service away, fine. That is your call, and your choice.
And $150 is not for "a couple of minutes of sink plunging" it is for an after hours service call. There is a minimum service charge. And if it is such dummy work, Im sure you could have handled the job very well, why couldnt she do it, or have her husband do it. They didnt have the tools, or the ability to understand, that if you dont cover the open sink, in a double bowl set up, that you can plunge forever and get no where.
So, you charge what you want, give away what you want and Ill do the same.
Chuck Shaw
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This thread has taken on a subliminal
issue and that is one of how humans choose to interact with one another in the face of a given set of circumstances.
Joe comes from a small community (according to him) where everyone knows everyone. His business behaviour is dictated by the unwritten rules of his community. Joe is locked into those "rules" because, to step outside them would be akin to cutting your own throat. I suspect that Joe is viewing all of this solely in the context of the micro business climate he has come to know and accept over the thirty or so years of his working life.
The bulk of us are used to working in large metropolitan settings where even people living on the same street often do not know your name let alone be able to recognize your face. Here, the unwritten rules of Joes community do not apply. Pay attention, Joe. lol
If Chuck moved himself and his business to Joe's town, Chuck would likely not be able to charge the rates he does currently. This is not to say that Joe is "giving away his services" nor is it to say that "Chuck is a gouging shyster".
If Joe moved to Chuck's city, he would quickly learn that country mice get devoured by fat city cats in the blink of an eye. Joe would have to change his rates and the manner in which he does business IF he expected to stay out of bankruptcy court. In order to survive in the business world, you have to go with the flow. A phrase that should be very apropo in this forum of wet-heads.
What is needed here is a bit of understanding by all parties that business practices of a given trade are subject to the whims of the local populace. What flies in one community as being perfectly acceptable does not necessarily hold true on the other side of the continent.
This thread now has about double the responses of any other thread currently on the list. Opinions as to what Chuck should or should not do have been far ranging so I suspect that Chuck is really no better off on his issue then when he first sat down to type his post.
From where I sit, the issue is not really about money. Thirty bucks is not going to make Chuck richer or poorer than he currently is. The issues are about personal pride, self-worth, setting precedents, human relations, company policies, business practices and integrity.
Chuck will have to decide which side of the fence he wishes to be on each of this issues prior to finalizing his course of action or inaction. After all, it is Chuck who will have to live with that decision, not any of us. He asked for our reactions and we gave them. However, that does not give licence to beat each other up because we disagree about how the other conducts business. We are not walking in their safety boots.
In the interim, perhaps it would be beneficial for everone to recognize that; despite the fact that you are all tradespeople, the rules of operation are not uniform from coast to coast.
Just my thoughts.
Now, how about some help on my Radiant Heating thread, which was what brought me here in the first place. lol
VV0 -
Hey Joe, I know Chuck and his integrity - he is a winner!
You can make your own conclusions as to what I think you - there is a Beatle's song that comes to mind.... and I believe you are a liar. You aren't in the business...I can smell fakes like you a mile away. Chuck is as honest as they come AND Actually does real CHARITY WORK on a regular basis. Get lost, this no place for slanderers like you. Mad Dog
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Don't lay that \"small-town-farmer\" guilt trip on those of us
who live and work in the suburbs and city. I've lived in rural areas several times, and you folks don't hold a monopoly on good deeds and being neighborly. Us City dwellers are just as caring and charitable - we just don't wear it on our sleeves. Mad Dog
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Don't get me wrong, I'm a country boy at heart, but
in this megalopolis of the tristate area, we too, stop and help stranded motorists too. I can remember several times many trucks passing us on a country road, when we were trying to flag them down for help. There are good folks in the city and good folks in the country. I have not found country folks anymore helpful. Mad Dog
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Dummy work?
What kind of statement is that?
Get off your pedestal,you`re no better than anyone else.0 -
Since you don't understand...and I agree with MadDog
I agree...End of conversation!
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True enough...
There are those who'd just as soon run you off the road if you were in their way around here in the country, too. And I know there are a lot of neighborhoods in NYC that are tighter than a lot of rural communites. Lots tighter. Just different. People are people. I do think that on the whole, people are a little more guarded, and maybe even a little more suspicious of others in big cities than in the country. Overall, I think it's a little more relaxed in the boonies. Like Wallace Stegner said, the people should fit the scenery.
I'm lovin this thread, we're gettin a lot out of it.
Here's the deal... There's a lot of things that woman's actions COULD be...
Her actions could be interpreted as an insult to Chuck.
Could be interpreted as looking down on what Chuck does for a living.
Could be interpreted as cheapening Chuck's value as a tradesperson.
Could be interpreted as a cheapskate ripping Chuck off.
Could be interpreted as her being a phony, calling him a friend to get a freebie.
Could be a misunderstanding.
COULD be a LOT of things. Lots of possible interpretations. Lots of speculation. Some of it being taken personal - emotional reactions.
This thread is really about human nature, that's why its so fascinating. Our different interpretations of this single event are flitered through all our different individual past experiences.
Getting past the interpretations, the FACTS (going by what Chuck described) are:
The night before Thanksgiving, Chuck got a call from the woman next door asking him to unplug a clogged kitchen sink drain.
Chuck grabbed a plunger, walked across his bck yard to the woman's sink and unplugged the sink in about ten minutes.
He wished the woman happy holidays as he was leaving.
He later billed her for fifty dollars. His usual rate is $150.00
About ten days later she mails him a note and a check for twenty dollars.
In the note she thanks Chuck and tells him she appreciates his help the night before Thanksgiving.
In the note she asks "isn't $50.00 a bit over the top? among friends?"
--------------------------------------------------
Personally, I don't see things in black and white. I use the extreme circumstances from each end of the spectrum to try to understand the gray area in between those extremes. I imagine putting myself in each players' place, to help understand the different points of view.
I'm thinking this whole this has to do with ASSUMPTIONS and communication. What Chuck assumed and what she assumed seem to be two different things. It all depends on what was said on the phone and what was said while he was there, communication. What WASN'T said seems to have become as important as what WAS said.
And we're making assumptions about her motives based on how we've been taken advantage of (or not) in the past.
Fascinating, Captain...
By the way, I do think the reasonable and neighborly thing for her to do would've been for her to offer to pay Chuck -at the time-. But I also don't think it's unreasonale for her to assume it would be something less than the going rate because they live next to each other, and because it was so easy of a task.
But if that was the assumption, it wasn't communicated, and the situation got to where it is now.
I think what she SHOULD have done afterwards, is call Chuck and say she wanted to talk. She should have walked across the back yard and say: "Chuck, I misunderstood and thought you were help me out as a neighbor and friend with no charge that night." And I agree with those who said she should have offered to pay, or at least asked "Do I owe you anything for your help?" While Chuck was there.
But she didn't. And Chuck asked the question here.
That's a lot of shoulda woulda. I guess the question now has morphed from "How would you handle this" to "How do you handle this gracefully?" in my mind. My disposition is to assume the best of human nature and let it slide, but make sure it doesn't happen again. Others see it as an obvious attempt by her to get over. I kinda like the objective view of just marvelling at the whole thing, too.
I say let it slide, don't get emotional about it, don't hold a grudge. Chuck the assumptions and misunderstandings (pun definitely intended). No judgment. Just forget it, chalk it up to a misunderstanding and let it go. Try to get along with the neighb, do your part. If she does turn out to be a creep, at least you've tried to do your part to get along, you've made some effort. And all it cost is fifteen minutes. Or thirty bucks, or a hundred thirty bucks, depending how you look at it.
Chuck, after all this, We HAVE to know how this all turns out. Funny how this stuff hooks you.0
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