Sometimes it is really just too darn difficult to take some men seriously. Honestly - it is!
This isn't me being sexist, or manist or whatever other 'ist' you can think of. This is me telling a true story of two men and a washing machine.... or is that four men?
It all began a week or so back when I put my washing machine up for auction (or Buy Now) on our local auction website. Someone hit the Buy Now button the day after I listed it & duly rang me a day later to arrange pick up. I gave him my address & asked what day he wanted to come - which typically was the day everyone else seemed to want to do their pick-ups of some of the larger items I've been selling.....same time too. What is it about 11.00am anyway??
The next day 11.00am rolled around & the lady who had bought my two huge yuccas had been & gone, the people that wanted to pick up the upright freezer arrived & paid, the guy that had bought my scroll saw arrived & paid...& so on. I even sold another couple of things with out having to list them - so far so good.
Mr washing machine man still hadn't turned up at lunch time..... just before 1.00pm the phone rang with him asking for the street name again. Why, because they were out the other side of town in the wrong street. Apparently NavMan said there was no such street as mine..but I guess that depends on how you spell it.
Now, how hard is it to spell Palm? Obviously quite difficult because I had to spell it out for him.... 4 times. After he repeated it to me correctly it was only a matter of a few minutes before they were pulling into my driveway, handing over the cash & loading up the washing machine into the back of their van. So far so good!
Two days later I get a phone call saying the washing machine wasn't working. UGH! I asked him what it wasn't doing - was it not filling, washing but not spinning, not draining or what?... ( symptoms guys - I need symptoms!!)
The response: It's not working & we didn't drop it or anything.(how reassuring)
Me: Is it filling?
Mr Wmm: It's starts to, but then it stops & does nothing.
Me: OK, have you tried changing the inlet hoses over (thinking he could have them the wrong way around)
Mr Wmm: What good is that going to do? I just want to do some washing!
By this stage I was somewhat exasperated & figured if he had to ask then it was no good trying to explain that it would "make the darn thing work".
I asked for his address & offered to go over & see what it was doing. I was informed that would be good - but it would have to be the next day as he was busy....any time after 1.00pm would suit. No thank you, no nothing. Hmmmmm!!
As it turned out at 1.00pm the next day I was waiting for someone to arrive to pick up some plants - they were late. The phone rang & Mr Wmm quite bluntly stated that he was waiting to go out & I'd said I'd be there at 1.00pm. Say what??? Well shoot, I corrected him on that one!
I duly trotted over to look at the delinquent washing machine. Turned it on & voilà' no sound of water going into it at all. I turned it off, turned off the taps at the wall, pulled it out & swapped over the inlet hoses - while he stood there & once again said "what difference will that make? water's water". I just bit my tongue, hid my smile & said "We'll see", as I pushed the machine back in, turned it one & put it through it's paces.
It filled & ran perfectly - it isn't called a "SmartDrive" for nothing .
There was still no "Thank you" forthcoming. However what he said next made up for it because it's made me smile every time I think about it for the past few days...
"I don't know how you did that, four of us guys stood here trying to figure out how changing the hoses would make a difference......"
You'd admit to that?? To a woman who has just fixed your washing machine by doing what she suggested you try in the first place??
Well there's your problem - Do, or Do Not. There is no try .
Gratuitous car shot - because this is far nicer than a photo of a washing machine.
And I need it!
