Where Good Neighbors and Good Servicemen Meet

Scheduling

Some appointments can be made and kept at a specific time. Your dental or doctor's appointment is a good example. That's not the case for most repairmen. The repairman makes a call to your home with only an approximate idea of when he will arrive or how long the job will take. And most residents do not want to stay home all day waiting for a repairman.

It's to your advantage to build a long-term relationship with a repairmen you trust, a man who becomes familiar with your equipment. When you find a good man, you should quickly transfer his listing from the Word of Mouth Pages Directory to your personal service directory. We will automatically upgrade your "My Directory" every time your provider files an update.

Most repairmen do not make service calls in the order received. That would cause them to run back and forth from one side of town to the other. Anything you can do to lessen the repair stress will be appreciated.

• Your serviceman will love you if he can come whenever he has an opening. I often call ahead just to be sure someone is there. Some customers will direct me to a neighbor who is always home and has a key to the house.
• One approach is to commit to either morning or afternoon for a certain day. The repairman will then plan his stops accordingly.
• There are times of emergency when I respond immediately even though others are waiting. Sometimes I ask for a window of opportunity. Can I arrive, for example, sometime between 9 and 11 or after lunch?
• After-hours service is available, but there are some things you really need to know before calling. See Emergency Service.
• Be ready when the repairman arrives. You should remove obstacles—cars from the drive, and boxes or other items that will interfere with the repair. Is your furnace or air handler in the attic? Sometimes an attic access is in the closet. Remove clothing, etc. that is in the way.

The bottom line is this: The repairman must be able to get into the house, and have access to the equipment. He must have authority to do the necessary repairs, and he must have the time to do the job. Good work, done efficiently, requires planning on your part—very important!

Kool Planning,

Dr. Kool

p.s. A fabulous resource is just a click away, and it's free. The Kool Konnection—check it out!