Cracked

[bill_schubert]

We have a cracked window.

Hard to see the crack in this lazy picture but if you look it is there

It is the attic and I'd have not noticed but Dana did.  Guarding her nest.  My job is to fix the nest.  So I nosed around and through Next Door got a link to a local company and contacted him.  Local.  Small business.  All seemed good.  This is not magic, it is a standard window replacement.  I even made it better by not waiting until August to make the appointment.  Since it is in the attic the temp there is pretty warm in August so I arrange anything having to do with the attic in the other seasons.  The guy was supposed to come over this morning and sent me a text yesterday afternoon:

I just wanted to advise you that when I go up into your attic I can't be responsible for any damage that may occur while walking across the rafters. I will do my best to watch where I step but I cannot be held responsible for any damage while walking or working up there.

I forwarded this gem to my friendly insurance agent who sent me back a WTF? that made me more sure of my ground.  I cancelled the appointment not really wanting anyone in my house who starts off a relationship advising me that he can't be responsible.

There are a lot of other choices and it is not an emergency.  Definitely off putting, though.

Comments

[susandennis]

weird! good call on making the call!

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

Good call, bill_schubert

When you're not in the situation (as I'm not in it), it's so easy to think of retorts or riposts, such as, "And you, of course, understand that neither we nor our insurance company will be held accountable, responsible, or liable if you misstep and fall through the ceiling and cripple yourself for life; you'll be expected to sign an agreement to this effect before you come onto the property. Any injury you might receive in any way or for any reason you agree before the fact is due entirely to your own fault and is therefore entirely your responsibility."

Nah --- don't need any of that.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

I'm getting less snarky (not in my mind.. that hasn't changed) with old age. Lots of brilliant retorts but I'm glad he showed his colors early. It was to my benefit.

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

Truly said!

I like to think I'm getting less snarky in my old age, too, but I find myself canceling appointments, engagements, or woulda-coulda-shoulda-mighta-been friendships danged early (or, in one case, far too late) when true colors emerged or an intent was made manifest.

But, yeah: just, "No, thank you for your time, good-bye" is really all that is necessary.

[anais-pf.livejournal.com]

You would think window guy would have his own business insurance that would cover that!

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what my agent said. I was so put off by his attitude I didn't bother to verify his reality.

[texasts.livejournal.com]

I’d have done the same thing.

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

I'm impressed with your diligence in addressing this straight away! When I moved into my 100 year old house in 1991, there were cracks in two windows and I thought they would be the first things I fixed. Thirty years later they're still there, joined by two more. I have a $1,000 excess which would be applied to each one and the windows are large and expensive. I can live with the cracks.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

How funny. I really don't much care about fixing it but for the potential damage that the opening to the atmosphere might do. Rain or humidity or bugs. Resisting entropy in general, I think.

Of course we were in the house looking at things when it barely had a roof so everything is new and I try to keep it that way knowing that we'll sell it sometime.

I've not lived in an old house in a really long time and have forgotten what it is like.

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

Yes, if mine was a new house I would definitely be more proactive. But seeing a crack in a pane of glass in a door and knowing it was put in in the 1960s and is no longer available and replacement would involve replacing all the glass panes in the door as well as the glass surrounds makes me embrace entropy:). Yours is definitely the right approach, but there just never seems to be a good time to spend thousands on something that isn't causing me any problems.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

Makes you wonder what he's done in the past! My friend Mark the roadie used to work for British Gas and told me more than once he ended up putting his foot through a ceiling when trying to negotiate a loft space but then British Gas would always send in the people to fix it because he was insured for it. Having done the same thing myself as a child (very scary!) and knowing how easy it is you would have thought this guy would be covered by his insurance