I am not a lightbulb repairman!

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He could also be tired of by the 2 appartments to paint.
And delays running short for him so getting nervous at a lady who didn't learn to change the lightbulbs

I mean: it's a lot for you but for him, that's typically the type of little things that can get on his nerves.
Imagine: if you are plenty to call him for that kind of stuff and he is the only one for the job... it's not easy as well for him.

Maybe he was just having a bad day, then

We tend to avoid confrontation. So for most of my life I'd let something like this slide. I would not complain because I would not want to get anyone in trouble.

Recently I've come to a conclusion that I've been wrong to keep quiet.

If someone screws up, go and talk to their boss! Not just because they'd do it to you (they would) if the roles were reversed, but because the screw-ups need to be straightened out or fired. If they aren't stopped they might make a more significant error somewhere down the road.

Go and talk to the property manager. Just tell them what happened. Do not offer any opinions as to why it might have happened. Just give them facts. Also, I would not mention that he replaced the light bulbs for you in the past. That would then push the discussion into the realm of logic: "he changed bulbs before, he won't do it now, what's changed?" Most people in customer service field aren't very good at such reasoning, in my experience. Also, they don't care about what happened in the past. They are empowered to help with your present problem.

Last edited by Dilbert on 05 Aug 2009, 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

All toggle wall switches are supposed to be installed right side up where off is when you push it down and on is when you push it up. Tell your manager or maintenance man that your wall switch has been installed upside down and that it is on when you push it down instead of up. When he comes he will have to either prove that it is right side up or will have to correct it. In either case he will have to change the light bulb in order to test it one way or another.

I always hold a towel to the lightbulb to screw it in or out. I cant touch it when I have it near the electrical socket it screws into. I, too, have had handy men shake heads, get attitudes and finally just stalk off after saying pretty harsh stuff to me. I always wonder why, because if I knew what to do, or how to do it, then they would not have a job, would they?

He probably couldn't fathom that it would give someone difficulty so he may have considered that you were trying to take advantage of his time or or get some other extraordinary service from him. Maybe he was overdue for a drink. Whatever it was he didnot understand you and should have treated you better.

Well, I once called the AAA to change a tire! That is RARE! I changed my own tire probably over a dozen times! And to call the AAA?!?!? EMBARASSING!

Well, he could TELL I tried. I had the grease stains on my hands, etc... And it was HARD for him. He had to tack a FAR larger wrench and put all his weight into it. He made it clear that he was glad to see that it was far from easy. He appreciated not coming out for a simple tire change. The tire was obviously put on with an impact wrench, and my little wrench just couldn't provide enough leverage. If it were even TWICE as large, MAYBE I would havve had a chance.

There is PLENTY for handymen to do, and they would LOVE to get paid well. NO decent person would want to really charge for changing a lightbulb, especially not a man charging some nice old lady, no offense.

I often feel the same way(that I might break the lightbulb). They ARE made to handle the strain though. If you break one, it isn't really toxic(at least not the incandescent), and you probably won't even be cut. Just apply just enough force to be able to turn it, and make sure it is in straight and can't drop out, before letting go.

I rather imagine that his problem was that management might have been on his frame because he had not gotten to some rather involved repairs in another part of the building in what management considered to be a "timely manner". He sounded like he was really feeling the pressure, and I expect to him something like changing light bulbs seems like such a rudimentary task compared to the many other things that he needed to take care of in not near enough time, that he lost his cool. If he is like me, he will come back later and apologize.