Living in the arid rocky hill country is my paradise. Well usually. Yes I love the sunshine, mild winters and blistering hot summers. My most recent dilemma does not relate to the weather I love, though I offer it as justification for living in a community where underground utilities create unique challenges. On a street that offers up and downhill slopes viewed through my kitchen window, drainage of household waste requires assistance. Prior to establishing this residence, we had never lived where conscious thought was even required about where the flush and drain deposits traveled.
Cursory education for new inhabitants involved discussion of the little box on the side of the house. The gadget inside would be the harbinger of malfunction, should our grinder pump fail. Each home boasts of it’s own sewage grinder-lift station to be absolutely sure our poo and dirty dishwater leaves as it should. Cautionary tales about the cost of repair or replacement left us aghast. We made sure to avoid financial disaster and paid for the upgraded “diamond” plan when obtaining our home warranty policy. Noting the red flashing light on neighbor’s control boxes left me with relief that ours continued to do its work, UNTIL my neighbor called about nine pm with news that mine was flashing!
Drama in the days that followed tried my joyful spirit. In fact, my cranky old lady persona reflected my inability to flush toilets, run my shower, dishwasher or clothes washer. The assigned plumber arrived unexpectedly. I happily welcomed them, but alas the relationship went sour quickly! I was told a septic tank pumping specialist would need to come remove the vile liquid before diagnosis could be completed. That was the news after I made a trip to the ATM to obtain cash for this service provider requiring a cash only version of my co-payment. They drove away leaving me looking at my still flashing red light, googling “septic tank services”. A call to the warranty company was unhelpful. The claims agent told me they did not provide that service, but when completed, an additional visit from the plumber would not require an additional co-payment! Why was I not comforted With that news!!!
The following day a delightful young man came out in a big truck with a long hose to drain the 37 gallons of sewage from my tank. He apologized for collecting the “thousand gallon minimum” fee, after calling his boss to attempt to negotiate a lower cost. I appreciated the five percent senior discount, acknowledging silently that I wouldn’t want to do his job at any cost. He drained the tank, reset the pump, ran the grinder and the pump through the paces, had me flush both toilets and run copious amounts of liquid down my drains. The red light was no longer flashing and he proclaimed my grinder and pump functional. He was here less time than the lazy plumber had spent in my drive awaiting my retrieval of cash payment!
After fretting and stewing overnight I called the warranty company with my “never mind” about sending a plumber back out. Conversations with neighbors revealed that the plumber used in their repairs had arrived, drained the tank and completed the repair or replacement without the need to recruit a septic pumper! The claims agent I reached on that call listened patiently to my tirade. Yes, the plumber should have drained the tank and included the charge for that in the bill. The huge pump truck was certainly overkill for my tank. Though not covered on it’s own merit, I might be eligible for reimbursement since it did accomplish my initial purpose.
Positive response soothed my attitude. I had a choice. A check would be dispatched in six to eight weeks or on-line gift card of my choice could be used immediately. Being sufficiently cranky, I chose the Visa Gift card to be mailed the following day. Hardly anyone waits for a check these days, and my disgust in this event began with a service provider refusing to accept a check!
