Dr. Kool‘s

Where Good Neighbors and Good Servicemen Meet

Koolness 101

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a contractor who is capable, dependable, and honest.

Some people call in several contractors, ask lots of questions, and then pick one. It's like playing Russian Roulette.

A member of our family said the following: "Find someone you trust. Pay what he asks, and then do what he says."

Here's what I tell my customers: "The only thing you need to know about air conditioning is me! If I don't know the answer, I'll find it."

The purpose of this website is to help you find someone you trust. Once you find him, you should take reasonable steps not to lose the guy. Go the second mile, turn the other cheek—whatever it takes.

We All Have Problems

You call a repairman because you have a problem. Something isn't working, and it's cramping your style. You have places to go, people to see, and things to do. You're frustrated, perhaps even mad—anything but kool. If you take your frustrations out on the repairman, you're in trouble. I'll give three illustrations.

THE UNKOOL CUSTOMER

Daniel and Sharon's Case:

In the presence of his wife, Daniel said the following: "No one wants to work for me."

"It might be your personality," I replied.

Sharon responded with a hearty laugh.

There was an element of truth to what I said—that's what made my comment funny. Being around Daniel, at times, is like doing penance.

Keith's Complaint:

Keith had suffered much at the hands of numerous AC repairmen. Only later did I realize that much of his suffering was self-inflicted.

He asked: "What if there's a problem? Will you come back?" Other repairmen had refused to return a second time, but I assured him I would make myself available.

Keith was in deep trouble, and I bailed him out. After that I expected a modicum of gratitude, but numerous calls followed my repair job. Nothing was wrong, but Keith still had complaint after complaint. Finally I put two and two together. Yesterday I sent Keith a form he had requested, and along with the form a note that read as follows:

Now, Keith, I want to tell you why even good contractors don't want to work for you. You are a contentious and argumentative man.

Keith later sent me a note—an argument to prove he was not argumentative. If he had remained silent, I would have thought he was making progress.

Not a Fun Job

I arrived at Paula's house at 7 pm. Her AC was down, and this was an emergency call. Once I got the machine running, she interrogated me as to why it had failed. Somehow she took the information I had given, and built a case. In her mind the breakdown was my fault. The next morning my men finished what I had started. They discovered a piece of trash had stopped up her condensate drain. Sometimes things just break.

Kool Interaction

A repair job can be challenging, and the last thing anyone needs is personal conflict. The examples given above are not make believe—just the names are. Keith should shape up, and Daniel needs to learn some manners. Neither Keith nor Daniel want to lose me as a serviceman, but both are in danger. I'm still wondering about Paula.

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, there were lots of unkool people. Those who managed to keep their kool came out better.

For each transaction to be kool, both parties must be satisfied—not only with the results, but also with the interaction. . . . Now let's get down to the business of fixing things.

Diagnosis & Repair

Often the diagnosis and the repair are done at the same time. But sometimes the diagnostic portion will be tedious and time consuming. That's when you're glad you have an experienced technician who is patient. Some illustrations follow:

Early in my career as a repairman, my customer kept complaining that his AC was freezing up, but I found nothing wrong. He had an intermittent problem. After five trips I finally caught it in the act. From that experience I learned: When in doubt, replace the blower relay.

I had a medical problem the doctors were unable to identify—it continued eight years. Finally, a neighbor put an idea in my head, so I requested a CT scan. Now the doctor knows what's wrong, and we can get on with the business of solving the problem.

I followed the advice given earlier. I found a doctor I trusted, paid what he asked, and did what he said. After a period of time, I did switch doctors. Again, I found someone I trusted, and went through a similar routine. Never once did I vent my frustrations on the doctor.

At this moment my Oldsmobile is languishing in the repair shop, where it has been for a full month. I trust these people implicitly, and I'm waiting patiently. I told Bill, "I'm just glad you're willing to do this for me."

You should expect to pay for the diagnostic time, and then pay for the repair job.

Recently, as a repairman, I went through a tedious diagnostic procedure for a customer—I'll call her Mary. She then turned the job over to a cut-rate contractor. That does not make for a good repair relationship. And by the way, that incident inspired The Kool Konnection. It was a blessing in disguise.

What If It Doesn't Work?

Even if it doesn't work, you pay for the effort. (To put it bluntly, the doctor gets paid even if the patient dies.) I installed an AC system, and the customer wasn't happy with the results. I ran my tests, and then quickly admitted I had undersized the system. I suggested we re-do the system, and offered to meet him halfway. We removed the undersized unit, and he used it elsewhere. By agreement, I installed a new system at my cost (labor and material). It was a good professional compromise.

The Actual Repair

Once you get past the diagnostic part, the contractor is responsible to stand behind his warranty. If the part or equipment is defective, he is obligated to replace it. If something breaks within the warranty period, he should fix it.

The Kool Kustomer

If you hired a man you trust, and there's a question whether a repair comes under warranty, you ask him. If he says no, you pay the bill—it's that simple.

So what does it take to have a kool transaction? The answer is found in a single verse from the Bible.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21, NKJV).

To submit is to give in. As I said earlier: You go the second mile, turn the other cheek—whatever it takes.

It's hard to compress an entire course into three pages, but I've tried. If you feel I've missed something important, please let me know. Contact Us.

 

In Pursuit of Koolness,

Dr. Kool signature

Dr. Kool

p.s. The Preferred Kontractor is accountable to the Kool Kustomer. To enjoy the full benefit of the program you must first register. Kool Kustomer Registration.

Socialism 101: Never waste a good crisis.Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Mt. 24:44 KJV
Blessings: The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.Sir Winston Churchill
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Good For The Soul: Confession is good for the soul, but hard on the reputation.Merle Krafthefer
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Kool Kommunity: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:4
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