When Did Good Service Go Down the Drain?

When did it go out of style to provide good service? I'm not even talking about service with a smile--I gave up on that years ago. But good service. In fact, these days, any service would be nice.

When we moved into our house there was a mold problem that required removing everything along a critical wall of the kitchen: the wall containing the sink. The dishwasher, which is adjacent to this now-empty wall, was also disconnected. Nearly three months later, I am still washing dishes in the sink of the half bath. Why?

We advertised on Craigslist for someone to come and re-build us cabinets along the blank wall, install a new countertop along that stretch (something to complement, but certainly not try to match, the patterned granite in the rest of the kitchen), patch a large hole in the drywall between the kitchen and the living room, and reconnect the sink, garbage disposal, and dishwasher. Several people responded, we picked three and set up appointments.

One never showed.

One showed, enthusiastically gave us suggestions (good ones) and promised to have an estimate by the end of the day.

One showed the next day, not-so-subtly let us know that he had so many jobs he couldn't remember which one this was, and said he'd get back to us.

Needless to say, neither did. Nor did they respond to our follow-up efforts.

So we turned to the pros. The first guy was such a turn-off we lost all hope. He ignored everything we said and wrote up an estimate based on replacing all of the countertops and some other unwanted work. We screened from the Yellow Pages and the Internet after that, and were told (finally, honestly) by one guy that the job sounded too small.

We revamped our plan to meet what seemed like a minimum threshold of work and have set up appointments to meet with folks and get estimates. In the meantime, tired of breaking and almost breaking things in the bathroom sink, we decided to pay the price for a plumber to hook up the dishwasher since the remodel will likely be another month away (minimum).

I called several "urgent appointment" companies from the Yellow Pages, only to find that if I was having a real emergency they wouldn't be able to see me until the next day anyway. I ended up setting up an appointment with Rapid Plumbing, who had several phone numbers for locations around the valley. I explained that I had a new job and I didn't know my husband's schedule, so it would need to be before 9am. We set it for 8:00 and they said they'd call before leaving.

8:00 came and went. No plumber.
8:15 I handed phone duty over to my husband and got ready for work.
8:30 they called and said the plumber was on his way. I left 10 minutes later, with a check on the countyer for my husband to sign.
9:15 I called from work to check in. No plumber, and my husband had to leave for work at 9:45.
10:00 they called and said the plumber was there--was anyone home?

You have GOT to be kidding me! I coldly reminded them that the appointment was for 8:00 and it was now 10:00. Amazingly, they then asked if we wanted to reschedule (!!!)

I was raised with the idea that you provided service in return for what you were lucky enough to enjoy. I started volunteering before I could drive, and I continue to volunteer today. It's not a burden, and it's not something I do half-assed because I'm not getting paid for it. Apparently the idea of providing excellent service no matter what is an antequated idea(l). But someday, those of us who still care enough to do the very best, will be too old, too jaded, or too dead to make a difference.

And then what happens?