Diary of an Innkeeper

With 12 rooms at our inn and three rental houses, there is always something that needs to be fixed. George seems to be a master handyman when it comes to fixing any problem. It would get really expensive if we had to hire someone to come in and fix a plumbing, or electrical, or appliance problem all the time. We have even gotten pretty creative with our techniques to fix some of these things.

While George was busy at the inn, we had a appliance repair man meet me at one of the rentals to take a look at a refrigerator that wasn't cooling properly. There was a $65 diagnostic fee, so I knew I was going to have to eat that right away. I leaned against a nearby wall and half watched/half played on my cell phone. Or, that is what it looked like anyway.

The repairman took the refrigerator apart and showed me the part that needed replacing. As a woman (who seemed to be playing Words With Friends the whole time), I guess he didn't think I would be taking notes or paying too much attention to the specifics of what was wrong. "Don'tcha just love Words With Friends," I said. But instead of Words With Friends, what I was actually on was Repairclinic.com.

That part that he showed me that was $85 for the part and $220 for the labor, was only $30 on Repair Clinic. And really! I saw you Mr. Repairman!! It was 4 screws to the back panel and two screws for the defrost heater to be replaced. $220 for labor! Really?? He seemed really disappointed when I told him that I didn't want to spend $305 to fix the refrigerator at this time. He thought it was an easy sale.

I didn't feel bad, though. Sears made $65. AND they tried to screw us by tripling the price of the part and over charging us for 15 minutes of labor. Never underestimate a woman with a cell phone! You may think she is on Facebook or Words With Friends, but any subject is 5 seconds away from a google search.