When the accident happened at our house last week, we made what felt like 100 phone calls. We were eager to call all the right people to help repair what was damaged. In an attempt to get the garage door closed (to avoid hairy, messy animals sneaking in at night), we called a few local garage-door repair services, hoping to put in a request for an “emergency service,” which would likely be expensive, but possibly happen in the same day as our call.
One of the fellows we called was a ready-to-rock repairman who agreed to arrive at our home the same day!
What luck!
Or so we thought.
Mr. Garage Door
Up rolled Mr. Garage Door (I’ll refrain from sharing his real name) in a pretty non-descript white van. He didn’t seem to have too many tools or supplies, but confirmed that he could help us get the door down and repair enough so we could use the garage door regularly.
“I can help you now, today, right now!” he said. “Give me less than an hour!”
He kept his promise in showing up at our home. But, the bracket he had in his van was the wrong size. He also did not know anything about our custom garage door, nor garage doors in general, it seemed.
“This door is very old,” he said. “And insurance won’t help with this.”
The gentleman was, unfortunately, wrong on both counts. The door was less than 3 years old, and our insurance agent (Thank you, State Farm!!!!) assured us that our garage door and its repair would be covered.
“Do you have worker’s insurance?” I asked. “What’s your HIC number?”
The man told us that information was “back at his office” and he could get it to us later.
“I can definitely fix this right now so you’ll be up and running.”
“Ok,” Hubs said, “How much?”
Without blinking or pause, the man said, “$875.”
Saying “No Thank you”
Hubs’s eyebrows lifted and he asked if that was the best he could do. Mr. Garage Door assured us again that we wouldn’t find this garage door again, so we should just repair what we had.
“That’s not happening,” Hubs said. “We’re going to need this good as new. We’ll need all new panels.”
The man stuttered, looking at us like we were crazy.
Without having provided his insurance information or showing up in a well-marked van, I wasn’t buying any of this guy’s bologna.
“I think we’re gonna pass,” Hubs said. “I’m sorry, but thanks for coming out. This is a ‘no thanks’ for us.”
The man became irritated and grumpy real fast. “So, I’ve wasted my time? I drove all this way for nothing?”
Hubs gave the guy some cash for gas and apologized, which I didn’t think he needed to do, but he did it anyway. “This just won’t work for us,” Hubs added.
The guy left and Hubs and I sighed a deep breath of relief we’d saved our $875 for the time being.
benefits of the challenge
The interesting thing about this challenge is that, as a couple, we’re valuing our cash a lot more. It’s not about the clothes, the shoes, the eating out, or the stuff. It’s about the value of the money and how we choose to spend it. It’s about listening to our guts before reacting to anything, let alone purchases.
I was THRILLED to bits that we ignored this fellow’s offer and sent him on his way. We trusted our instincts and picked a different option.
A few hours later, Hubs got the garage door down with the help of a neighbor. And we hired a great, highly recommended, top tier garage door installation company for the repairs. Everything will be alright in a few weeks time.
The lesson is this: we are listening to our guts. We are tuning into our integrity. And we are handling all sorts of situations better as a result.
How is this challenge going for you? Fill me in! I can’t wait to hear what you’re learning and experiencing! And as always, Namaste every day!
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4 the Love of Peace 