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Service is a simile for rip-off

Ed the Editor's personal blog corner

I don't think it is breaking news that getting satisfaction from companies in the construction industry is like finding a tooth in a chicken. They have a slick marketing machine to draw you in, endless ways to upsell and a state of the art billing system. (Read, a sign on their lawn, bullshit stories about how bad your roof is, and a hand-written invoice accompanied by a baseball bat.)

To be fair to the local guys who built our place, they do a decent job and have even been known to honor service agreements and put bad things right - eventually. Unfortunately they decided to branch out into a meeting, greeting and cleaning service for summer rentals on the homes they built less than 7 months ago. We signed up and left for the season. Yesterday we returned and yesterday they joined the list of yet another business demonstrating the malaise that seems to pervade the so-called service-oriented industry.

After 3 months, it seems they did the meeting and greeting part, but as the summer wore on, the cleaning element appears to have got lost in the billing mayhem. (Or was it lost in the translation into Spanish?) I just got back to find half a beach on the carpet, and enough food bits on the furniture to feed a small family. Yummy. Not to mention the stains of doubtful origin on the beds, a clean but broken chair and a puddle in the middle of the garage floor.

That water issue is the most galling, because 7 months ago the builders installed the offending air conditioning pump that looks like it has been leaking for 3 months straight. They built the house and everything in it is still under full warranty. Do they have no sense of responsibility, or pride, or embarrassment at such failures of essential appliances? I know I would have jumped straight on that if I were in their shoes. And did I mention the garage door was open and the front door unlocked, probably since Saturday? Thanks guys.

Oh well, today should be a fun day of clearing up the bureaucratic mess. And assuming they want the rest of their money, the cleaners will surely turn up today too? There I go again, assuming.