Things not said (kind of long)

I got home Wednesday night after having spent the last two months in Arkansas looking out for my step-father's best interests while he recovered from a car accident (he's still not fully recovered but it was decided I needed to come home). While I was gone I had some things done to my house, like some construction work and then I had someone come and clean my house because I wanted to be able to come home and relax in a clean house - and that wasn't happening without an intervention. ;)

Anyway, there were some things that I thought went without saying, but apparently I was wrong. So, I want to take this time to say those things now. . .

To both the construction crew and cleaning crew (because I don't know who was at fault in these things):

First of all, I can't imagine that either of you would be okay if someone came into your house and tampered with your air conditioning thermostat. Well, I'm not particularly okay with one of you tampering with mine. But, if you were going to be so uncooth and do such a thing, the least you could have done was put it back where you found it before you left. At least that way I would've never known what you'd done.

Oh, and it's not enough that all the pieces of the items you broke were together. Couldn't you have just given me a heads' up and said, "hey, I'm really sorry but (insert item) got broken. It was an accident and think it can be glued back together - I'll leave all the pieces together for you." Yeah, that definitely would've been better than coming home and finding things broken throughout the house.

Okay, you both pulled my washing machine out to do work. One of you did something horribly wrong because now it floods the laundry room and hallway every time I do a load of laundry. Totally not cool and I think one of you should have to pay to have it fixed - you can work out the "who" amongst yourselves.

To the contractor I want to say:

I'm a single woman with a normal car. You knew that when I hired you to do the work. If your fees don't include hauling off crap, it would be nice to know that because I thought that was included in your fees. It was a bit of a shock to come home and find that I'm going to have to figure out how to get the paneling you removed hauled off. For future reference, I think this should be something discussed with your clients. I, for one, would've happily paid additional costs to have it hauled off.

Okay, there apparently was some miscommunication about the repairs to the walls. I don't recall the word "except" being used when I pointed to specific spots I wanted repaired. When I said "all" places on the walls, it also included the big honking hole in the bathroom wall but I guess I wasn't clear about that.

As for the baseboards, well, I have a couple of questions. Is there a reason you only did three of the four walls in my bedroom closet? And is there a reason you didn't put the same stuff you put under the kitchen cabinets under the bathroom cabinets? I'm just a little curious.

Oh, and the phone line. I know the baseboards you installed were thicker than the ones that had been removed but couldn't you have hidden the line and re-attached the outlet when you put in the new baseboard? Seriously, did you think I wouldn't notice the difference?

And for the cleaning person I have a lot to say to her:

I'm a dog person. You knew this before you came out because we discussed it. So telling me that I shouldn't let my dogs in the house ever again was out of line. Telling me once could have been considered constructive criticism, but telling me over and over and over (and over again) because you didn't think I was understanding what you were saying was totally uncalled for. As was taking everything dog related out of my house and throwing it into the garage, because you didn't think they should be in the house. The fact that I had to clean all that stuff when I brought it back into the house means you didn't do your job!

Oh, and it's in very poor form to quote a price for a job and then, once you're done, tell the person that they owe you an additional $20 for cleaning supplies. Seriously, that should've been captured in your quote. If you forgot to mention that supplies were extra, you really should have to eat the cost. Leaving the receipt and all the bottles of supplies on my kitchen counter wasn't cool. For one, it meant that I had to clear my kitchen counter and then wipe it back down when I got home. Something else I paid you to do. For another thing, it let me know that over half the items you made me pay for weren't even used. In short, you made me pay for things you didn't use and I don't need. Not a good way to get a recommendation.

When we talked about the job, I stressed to you that I really wanted you to focus on my bathrooms. The guest bathroom was disgusting and the master bath needed some special attention as well. I said those would be your money makers when you gave me the quote - remember that? Anyway, given that the topic that I went on and on about were my bathrooms, you can imagine my surprise to come home and find that both toilets still need scrubbing as did the master bathtub. I don't know how I could have been more clear about wanting you to focus on those areas. If you don't do bathrooms, you should have told me when we first talked.

I suppose you noticed all the baskets I have throughout my house. I use them to help keep things organized. In the master bath I have all the stuff I use in one. It makes for better organization and easier clean up. I just have to take the basket off the counter to wipe it down and put it back on the counter when the counter is dry. So, why you decided to pitch the basket under the sink and empty its items onto the counter, I don't understand. It just created more work for you - and me, since I had to put stuff back in the basket when I got home.

Ditto for the basket of movies in the living room. Why would you empty them onto assorted shelves on my entertainment center when they were all in one place in the basket? Again, you created unnecessary work for the both of us.

And while it could be considered nice that you put all the magazines into one pile, they were sorted based on what I had read and hadn't read. If you'd left the ones that were in a basket alone, it would've been okay. But, you couldn't do that, could you?

I didn't ask (or expect) you do wash my draperies. I can appreciate the gesture though. However, if you're going to take them down, it would've been nice if you had put them back up correctly. The fact that I now have to take them back down and figure out what the correct way to put them back up again annoys me to no end.

I feel similarly about you washing my walls. I didn't ask or expect you to do that. It's a nice gesture but I can tell exactly where you were when you decided you'd had enough of that and stopped. The fact that you went on and on (and on) about washing my walls and to come and see exactly where you left off doesn't lend itself to a recommendation from me.

And I'm curious - was there a reason you decided to rearrange furniture in my bedroom? Also, I'm assuming you don't watch TV or know how cable works because when you unplugged the cable box to plug in the lamp you moved to the other side of my bedroom, you rendered the TV it was attached to useless. I thought that was just common sense but apparently I was mistaken.
I'm not sure why you thought it necessary to rearrange items in my refrigerator (including the shelves). Things were arranged as they were for a reason. But that aside, if you were going to spend that much time on the refrigerator, wouldn't it have made sense for you to wipe down the the door and its handles too? After all, people see those before they see what's inside. Just saying.

As for your leaving my door unlocked - well, it worked out well and saved some time, seeing as you turned off the power to my garage door opener and I wasn't able to come in that way.

I have to hand it to you though, you though - you really cleared out the guest bathroom of "stuff". Of course, I'm not sure why everything was put in the living room. Seriously, I'd really like to understand what you were thinking by leaving that role of toilet paper on the table in the living room. I know sometimes a person can hardly wait but if they can't make it to the bathroom in time, I don't think a role of toilet paper in the living room is really going to be much of a help. Just saying.

And last of all, the phone books in the closet may have been a couple of years old but considering they were the only phone books in the entire house, I don't see where you thought it was okay to throw them out. It makes me wonder what else you threw out and so now I'm forced to go through the two huge trash bags you filled to see what else you deemed unnecessary in my life (thank goodness the dogs weren't here when you were throwing things out!).

In short, you created more work for me to do than there would have been if I'd just cleaned my house myself when I got home. So next time I need my house cleaned, I will definitely look elsewhere.

I also have a couple of things to say to others that weren't hired to do things. . .

To my friend that watched my house for me. Could you please return my calls and let me know where a month's worth of my mail is? Did you forward it after I told you I was coming home or are you still holding on to it? It doesn't matter either way but I'd like to know what's going on and your avoiding my calls and not returning my messages is aggravating as all get out.

To my neighbor who tossed his trash in my backyard. Knowing I was gone is no excuse. And telling me that you were waiting until I got home to clear it out doesn't fly. If you'd cleared it out while I was gone, I would've never known what you'd done. Waiting until I got home only caused me inconvenience because I had to lock my dogs up while you cleared out something that never should've been in my backyard to begin with. Not terribly neighborly if you ask me.

So there you go. That's what I came home to and had to deal with. They were all things I would've thought didn't need to be said but apparently they did. And now they're said. All that's left is for me to clean up behind the people I paid to clean up after themselves.

I know, long rant but well, I think it's over now. :)

Hope you're all having a great weekend.

~L