No Blowouts Scheduled Today

No sprinkler blowouts are scheduled for today. That gives us a brief break from compressors, hoses, and—in at least one recent case—an unexpectedly aggressive front door.

🚪 The Door Was Closed. The Request Was Still Open.

Jesse arrived at a property where a customer had requested a sprinkler blowout.

A woman answered the door and slammed it in his face.

I don’t know whether she was the homeowner, a wife, sister, daughter, or the Director of Door Operations. Whoever she was, she was clearly in charge of closing it.

Unfortunately, our cancellation system is not connected to the door hinges.

Closing the door does not remove a registration, recover the time spent driving there, or put that stop back into the schedule for someone who actually wants us to show up.

It does, however, move us directly to the non-cancellation invoice.

📋 Then Came the Questions

After the invoice went out, the customer gave me the third degree.

When I explained that Jesse had the door slammed in his face, the conversation went quiet. There was no response after that.

He had given me the impression that he still needed the blowout completed. I can’t tell you what he intended, but I can tell you where we stand.

We have a strict policy against mistreating our technicians. Rude treatment earns a ban from future services, and the non-cancellation invoice still stands.

To his credit, the customer has since paid the invoice, and we appreciate him taking care of it. That settles the billing, but it does not change our policy. We won’t be returning to this property.

Our technicians work long days, tow expensive equipment through traffic, drag hoses, and spend the season trying to get everyone’s systems winterized. They deserve basic courtesy when they arrive at a job someone asked us to do.

They are not there to audition for how much disrespect they can tolerate.

🤝 You Don’t Have to Invite Them to Thanksgiving

We don’t require a welcoming committee. Nobody needs to bake cookies, roll out a red carpet, or greet the compressor with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

A reasonably civil conversation will do.

If there’s confusion about the service, explain it. If there’s a problem, tell us. Those are things we can discuss.

Slamming a door in someone’s face is also a form of communication. It just communicates that we won’t be doing business together again.

🚫 Cancel Before We Get There

If you no longer need your sprinkler blowout, use the cancellation form before a technician makes an unnecessary trip.

That is how you cancel a service request.

The front door is how you enter and leave the house.

I hadn’t planned on needing a paragraph explaining the difference, but this season continues to expand the scope of my writing.

---

Thank you to the many customers who treat Eddie and Jesse with kindness and respect. We appreciate you making a demanding season a little easier.

Steve
The Maintenance Shop