If A Job’s Worth Doing…

It’s worth doing at least three times. That’s an old saying we had at Doggies (O’Donnell Griffin) which came about after doing a job and then the client changed their requirements.

Yesterday was a big day for home improvements. At 7 o’clock the plumber came and ripped out the old toilet. It turns out that it was the same plumber who was here over 18 months ago to replace a burst pipe at the back of the house. Three times. Before he got it right. He warned me that the jackhammer might ruin some of the tiles around the toilet but that didn’t bother me. The toilet came out very quickly and neatly.

At 8 o’clock the cabinet maker arrived to change the vanity unit the bathroom. We desperately needed a new basin and cupboard. The plumber was required to do some new pipework so it was good timing to have them there together. The cabinet maker’s work was done by about 10:30 and the plumber was able to stay there to avoid another callout fee and get both jobs done.

The toilet looks great. The doors on the vanity unit look nice, as does the basin, but the top doesn’t look so great. Bit of poor planning on our behalf, I’m afraid.

Later that night I went to christen the toilet and lifted the seat to have a leak which promptly fell back down. It did this a couple of times before I realised that the base unit was too close to the cistern and wouldn’t allow the seat to stay up. What good is a toilet if you can’t take a leak? Am I expecting too much or is it reasonable to have a seat that allows Percy to be pointed at the porcelain? The plumber will be paying us a visit again soon, I believe. When he returns to move the toilet he can fix the leaking pipe underneath the basin in the bathroom. Oh dear.

I didn’t mention that this is the same plumbing company that installed our gas hot water system and stove. The night that that job was finished I had to call the plumber out after hours to fix a gas leak at the stove the first time we went to use it. The guy didn’t want to come but I made him realise the seriousness of the situation and he didn’t say a word once he had fixed the problem. And there was no bill forthcoming. An admission of guilt methinks.

I don’t wish to name the company. Although they have never done a job properly the first time, and sometimes the second, they always return promptly and the job does get done to my satisfaction. Eventually.

Like I always say, if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing at least three times.