A Funny Plumbing Experience
Let me start by preempting this story: in no way was Rooter Experts involved with this event.
Okay, where to begin… My friend Mark told me about his experience from two years ago while renting an apartment out in North Hollywood. I won’t say anything about where it took place or who was involved, in order to keep everyone’s identities safe, but I will say that we all had a good laugh when we heard about this.
Mark actually had a very good relationship with his landlord. He never showed up unexpected, he respected boundaries, he understood when Mark needed an extra week with the rent check, and he was great at fixing any problems when they occurred. Perhaps a little too good, it would turn out.
The landlord planned to stop by the apartment to pick up the rent check in early May 2010, which was no problem for Mark. But earlier that morning Mark noticed that his bathroom faucet was dripping and leaking from the base. He figured, no problem, I’ll wait and tell the landlord when he arrives.
So the landlord shows up, collects the rent check, and hears the issue. Now Mark wasn’t really concerned, but the landlord has an obligation to fix any plumbing problems in the apartment. This old man sort of freaks out and tells Mark it is too late to hire a plumber. Mark assures him its fine and he can wait until morning or even until the weekend, but the landlord insists on getting it fixed.
After thinking it over, the landlord remembers that one of his tenants in his Van Nuys apartment does some freelance plumbing and has helped in similar situations at that apartment. The two locations are a 10-15 minutes drive, so he calls up the man. This tenant’s son answers the phone, says his dad broke his arm at the construction site where he works, but he can come by and take a look, for which the landlord thanks him profusely.
About 45 minutes later, the plumber’s son arrives stinking of booze. There is no doubt he is drunk, and Mark is regretting this decision. What should be a simple fix takes over half an hour and when Mark looks in the bathroom it is covered in dirt, grease, and grime. But the landlord thanks the drunk young man as he is leaving.
Of course, I try the faucet and it is no longer dripping, but instead is SPRAYING all over the bathroom. I yell to the landlord, who takes one look in the bathroom and takes off sprinting for the drunk guy.
Luckily, he catches him and brings him back to redo the repair. This time, it takes over an hour and the floor, sink, toilet, and mirror have somehow gotten even dirtier. But I make sure to test the faucet and it is in fact fixed, although the warm water doesn’t seem nearly as hot as it should be. The landlord and drunk guy leave, but it is shortly after midnight and Mark has work tomorrow.
Los Angeles Plumbing Company
The moral of this story is to not use an amateur plumber who may or may not be intoxicated (in this case, he definitely was). Rooter Experts is a professional Los Angeles Plumbing Company that will show up promptly at your residence and do a thorough job, the first time. Don’t be like Mark, hire someone who can get the job done right.