Being Transparent With Your Intentions

A few weeks ago I was having some power problems. One minute I'd be going along great and the next the lights would go out!!! The power sockets were fine so I got my lamp out so I could see. It was intermittent so I never knew when I would next be plunged into darkness!!!

Anyhooo...... a little back story before I go on.

In January I went to a wedding. I didn't know too many people there but I knew a couple of people that I used to work with and my very friendly electrician. As it turned out I chatted on with him for probably 3 of the 6 hours that I was at the wedding and reception. We get on well and laughed like idiots for most of our conversation. (He is married and his wife was part of these conversations) We also share a couple of health issues and he offered to lend me his BP monitor which was jolly nice of him. 👍

At some stage of the afternoon he was telling me about having his explosives license and wanting to go practice blowing things up - as it happens I have some tree stumps in a paddock which I'd like to cultivate so I jokingly said to him "why don't you come blow up my stumps and you can drop the BP monitor off at the same time hehehe". I didn't really expect anything to come of it because I was really only kidding.

Well.... blow me down with a feather - he rings me up a couple of weeks later and says "I'm coming past your house next week I'll stop in with the monitor" "awesome" I reply. He says "I'll have a look at those stumps while I'm there to see if they are too close to your house"
"oh wow ...... ok" I say shocked that he'd even remembered.

So.... he turns up, we have coffee, chat on for a good hour before he says I'll go look at your stumps and see how far from the road and house they are. Sweet.... we go check them out and I point out a tree, close by, that I want cut down for firewood. He says "I can cut that down for you, no worries" "chur bro" I think to myself that's fantastic. (that means good on you mate)

Moving on back to the power issue....... I ring the local power company and they send out the chap to look at my transformer. "Nope" he says" that's not the issue, it must be a fuse up on the pole in your yard but unfortunately I can't check that because your pole is rotten at the bottom". So they had to get a bucket truck out to lift him up to check the fuse.... nothing wrong with the fuse either. They checked the connections on to the house.... nope still no issues. They check inside the house and the lights come on.... whooppee!!! So they leave.

Next morning no lights again!. Grrrrr.....

I put up with no lights for a couple of days, making use of the lamps I have though struggling to see the computer so playing on Steemit was challenging!
The next day my electrician was due to come so I ask him to check to see if he can see any problem. It's outside he concludes so back to the drawing board with the power company!

So..... getting back to point of all this rambling... He cuts down a tree and he blows up a stump and he replaces 3 light bulbs.

Three weeks later I get a bill in the mail for $450.

Wait .....what!!

I feel he should have been more transparent with what his intentions were!

I expected to pay for the electrical stuff but I sure didn't ask him to cut down a tree.
(I could have got a neighbour to do that for free)

He was looking for practice things to blow up.

He knows I don't have a job and I'm studying right now.

Was I naive thinking he was offering as a friend?

I think he should have said to me - I can do this - It will cost you this. Then I could have decided if I wanted to pay what he was asking. I feel what he did was misleading and not at all clear or transparent.

What are your thoughts?

This was written as part of the Buddyup community.

Images Thanks to Clipart Library.