WRONG

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I contracted a local tree service to cut down numerous trees in my backyard, and to trim another one there, and to remove the ground cover of fern. They came out initially two weeks ago, and worked two days. We are going into the third week now.

 

Fourteen trees were removed, along with the large ground cover of sword fern.

 

Since that time, the afore mentioned tree service hasn't done anything. The owner texted or called me four or five times, and claimed they would be back out to finish the work. Each day came and went, and they have never showed. 

 

They have left one large tree which I asked to be trimmed only partially finished, they left limbs in my neighbor's backyard where they fell, they left a partial wooden fence down, and a pathway through my neighbor's yard that needed to be leveled. One of my back windows was broken as the result of a piece of wood hitting it. That hasn't been repaired. About eight stumps were left at knee high level. There is a pile of limbs 25 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet high by the road which hasn't been hauled off. 

As you might imagine, I find all of the above entirely unacceptable. 

After it was apparent that the contractor had done the same thing as Forrest Gump's daddy... well, that will take, (as Ricky Ricardo used to say), a little "splaining"...

In one scene Forrest asks his mother, "What happened to my Daddy?" To which his mother replied, "He went on vacation!" Now, Forrest asks a follow up question. "What's a vacation?" His mother shakes her head, and says, "That means he ain't never comin' back!"

I'm convinced that ole boy is "gone with the wind." As a result, I attempted to call Tommy, (his real name), and was ushered into the universe of his full mailbox. That being the case, I wrote an elaborate text, some of which is transcribed, below.

"Tommy, once again you said you would be here tomorrow, and once again you failed to appear, and once again you failed to let me know you had been 'detained.' At this point, I am making arrangements to have the limbs hauled off, and my window repaired.

"And I would add, you and I agreed to have a list of things accomplished, some of which remain undone. I made the mistake of not getting an itemized list of that which we agreed upon, as well as paying you almost $6,000 before the job was finished. Your failure to finish the job is not only wrong, but it is dishonest. I regret hiring you. I regret ever meeting you!"

It is regrettable that one has to defend one's self against one's fellow man who was created by the same God as he, himself. It is inestimably sad that one has to be on one's guard against the unfeeling, uncaring intent of people who will use you and abuse you for their own gain.

But, unfortunately, that's the kind of world that we live in.

by Bill McDonald, PhD

Post-script - Speaking of scams, I received a different kind of scam today. Someone was posing as an authority figure with whom I have to do. He asked me to buy over a thousand dollars worth of gift cards for his staff and workers, and that he'd pay me back. I texted the individual in question, and he assured me he didn't send the email. It is simply unbelievable the people who walk among us, and how little conscience they seem to have. 

After I challenged the man (or woman) that he (or she) should renounce their practice of scamming people, and give their life to God, he (or she) went into a different mode, and said he (or she) has a sick mother, and would I send him (or her) a thousand dollar gift card, and that a Christian would do this for someone in need! I reminded him (or her) that he (or she) was still using the signature block of my friend, and that I was sure he (or she) would make plenty of money scamming people today, and that I didn't want to hear from him (or her) again.