I'm getting another flurry of calls from contractors and/or folks who want to sell me Solar Power for my house. My number got on some list someplace and the calls come hot and heavy at times. From what I can tell, about 25% are from actual contractors…that is, folks who actually would do the work if I was interested in having work done on my premises, which I am not. The other 75% are people who are just cold-calling to try and earn a commission. They answered some ad somewhere — probably on Craig's List — that said they can make $XXXX dollars a week…and it turned out to be this: "Here's a list of names and phone numbers, here's a prepared speech. Call people. If they're interested, you turn it over to us and if we close a deal, you get a commission."
And since the person needs money and has no other prospects, they give it a whack. One suspects it isn't very lucrative and that no one has ever made anything close to the advertised $XXXX. So I feel sorry for these folks but since I already have a great contractor, I figure the nicest thing I can do for them is to end the call quickly so they can get on to the next one. Of course, that's also the best thing for me.
I get especially annoyed with the ones where their script calls for them to say, "We spoke to you last August and you were very nice to us. You said to call you back next [this month] and you'd be ready to start some work on your home." Usually, I just tell them they're lying but when a fellow called a few minutes ago, I decided to lie back at him. He said his firm did all forms of home construction and repair. I asked if he, himself, was the contractor because I'm sick of these calls from kids who answered an ad somewhere who don't know anything about construction. He unconvincingly assured me he was a contractor.
I asked him if his firm can do Floor Candling. If there is such a thing, I don't know what it is. I just made it up. Nevertheless, he told me his firm was quite experienced in Floor Candling. I asked if he, himself, had done the Floor Candling or if he subcontracted it out. I added, "Because I don't need a contractor for that. I can call a Floor Candling firm directly myself." He told me no, he'd candled quite a few floors in his day. I said, "Great. Now, when you come over to give me an estimate, that's all I want done. I don't need my ceilings strip-screened and I don't need my walls krebulized or anything like that. I just want an estimate on having my floors candled. When can you be here?" He said he'd have to check his calendar and call me back.
Let's see if he does. I have a few questions I want to ask him about the specific techniques he employs when he candles floors. Like, does he strip the filaments off the bleen or does he coat the entire flooring with Baker's Wax?