I actually thought about this thread and had myself a good laugh thinking about how other people have a preconceived notion that it's so easy to just pick up a phone and things are magically dealt with in a few minutes and with minimal effort. I work for a large property mgm't / community mgm't company. I almost always work "after hours", which presents its own unique set of challenges when it comes to maintenance and landscaping / irrigation issues. Let me tell you it's not always a piece of cake. You don't get to decide when problems arise. They don't always happen 9-5, M-F, on non-holidays.
I just had a situation arise Sunday night with a major water issue at a home in a community we manage. At first, it was thought to be a broken sprinkler. It was pitch black so nobody could really see anything to get a good look at it. The irrigation tech who works at the company we contract with -- he didn't want to get out of bed too quickly. It took him 4 hours to drive up from San Clemente to O.C. to check it out. Except that wasn't the problem. Believe me, he was NOT happy when he realized his trip was for nothing. He said the water coming from inside the house. We couldn't access the house, though. Meanwhile, dealing with a lot of irate phone calls from the neighbors because their sidewalks and lawns are flooded while gallons of water are being wasted during this drought as it gushes out of this home's lot. Our assistant was crying at her desk because one neighbor was being a really verbally abusive jerk to her. I had to let her catch a break while I called the Water District to come shut the water off. It took all night just to get to that point. Repairing the problem hasn't even started yet. Imagine if this isn't your main focus in life.... it's just your side job. LOL!!!
It still makes me chuckle. Good luck with that. ;D ;D
