Fear of Fighting

As promised, a Tru-Green manager did call me yesterday. I was a bit surprised that his primary objective seemed to be to defend the local branch office rather than resolve my problem. He indicated that if I wanted the soil analysis it would take two weeks. He seemed very put out that I would insist on it. He gave me the impression that he could tell what type of soil I had by looking on a map. (If that's the case, don't make a big deal out of it in your advertising.) He also indicated that someone would come and take the soil samples but that I wouldn't necessarily know they were there and they would call me with the results. Does he think I'm an idiot? (If this is the guy who's supposed to smooth things over for the client, they are in trouble. This man should not be dealing with customers.) He can call me in two weeks and tell me anything. I doubt that test results actually make much difference to someone who already knows all the answers, anyway.

But I was doubtful. I expressed my doubt. Whether this guy believes it or not, I believe that the soil in my front yard is different from what's in the back. The "evidence" is that we have different grass in the front than in the back, essentially different weeds, and in the front we have issues with crawdads that we don't have in the back. And because I'm doubtful, they need to prove to me that they actually did the analysis. Indicating that someone would stop by "sometime" within the next week (no appointment required) doesn't impress me, nor does it appease me.

So this morning I decided to look on Angie's List. (Why didn't I do that in the first place???) People were either extremely satisfied, or they were experiencing the same types of problems that I was having. I also received the invoice yesterday. To pay these individually would end up costing almost double the quoted price. But I feared that paying for the year in advance would just ensure that I would end up fighting with them for a year. I think there are people I can fight with who won't charge me. And besides, I really don't like fighting. I like everything to be smooth. And if I hire someone to do a job for me, the intention is that they make my life easier or better in some way. That excludes fighting.

Time to phone them - one last time. After listening to my story, checking the number of phone calls and notes in the file, and having a laugh at the manager's expense, I expressed my fear of  "a year of fighting" and asked the young lady what she thought would be the best thing to do, since no one had been able to give me any "warm, fuzzy, feelings". She thought that it would be appropriate to cancel the account and the invoice. It really was the only sensible thing to do.  And now, I need to get back to Angie's List...