15+ Repairs That Ended Up Being More Dramatic Than a Soap Opera

Calling a repairman to fix damage at home is often part of the “being a grown-up” combo: you expect him to arrive, fix the mess, get paid and then leave. But sometimes, what starts as a simple repair can turn into a story worth telling your friends at a dinner party. Today, we bring you several of those stories that start with water on the floor and end with an unexpected twist.

• I hired someone to fix my boiler, which was on its last legs, but I was trying to keep it going until the next spring. He got a temporary fix and persuaded me that my radiators needed flushing, so I agreed, and he came and took them all off and away to his workshop to work on.
  He flooded the hallway in the course of removing them; came back several days later, and a few of them were scratched. He was supposed to come back with a longer-term fix for the boiler, but he had excuse after excuse as to why he couldn’t make it.
  Eventually, I learned that his relevant certification had expired, so I complained to the site where I found him and then found someone else to fix it. At least I got my radiators back. © Multigrain_Migraine / Reddit
• An electrician came to change my plug, a sweet old man. He saw my paintings and started talking to me about his childhood: how he loved to draw and wanted to be an artist, but didn’t make it. I could see his eyes light up, and somewhere deep in his soul, a dream was awakening.
  I gave him a painting, a blank canvas, brushes, and a few paints. © Overheard / Ideer

• I was living with my ex. Shortly before we separated, our gas boiler broke down, and my ex called a technician. They gave a five-year warranty, but recently the boiler had problems again. I wrote to my ex asking if he still had any contacts at the company.
  All I got for a reply was hysteria that I was trying to lure him back to me on the sly. Yes, I haven’t spoken to him in four years. I’ve been looking for a reason, and now I’ve finally come up with one. Some people’s egos go through the roof... © Overheard / Ideer
• I walked into the apartment, and there was an electrician and a strange woman sitting on a stool. I asked my mother, walking away a little bit, “Who is she?” And she said to me, “Well, she’s the electrician’s wife.”
  How much do you have to be suspicious of your husband to go to work with him? The lady sat there until he finished the job. © Overheard / Ideer
• A technician came to repair the washing machine. He narrated everything he was doing. “I’m going to take a screwdriver. Now you need to light a flashlight. Look, the bearing is worn out!”
  And it was accompanied by his requests, “Come quick, hold it here. Take the coats off the hook, they’re in the way. Give me a mat, it’s too cold to sit on the floor.”
  Then he began the story of his whole life: how he studied at school, how he got a profession, and where he had worked. The nightmare lasted for three hours. Finally, he left. And then, a potted cactus fell from the window: poor cactus, he couldn’t stand it either. © Overheard / Ideer

• I usually keep one eye on people working at home and one on my phone. If they have questions or need input, I’m there. I stay out of their way when they’re working or walking to and from their trucks.
  I don’t like small talk, but I will indulge it to a point, partially for politeness and partially to gauge what kinds of questions they’re asking and watch for big red flags. And I’m glad when they leave. © ObsessiveAboutCats / Reddit
• A handyman who was a friend of a friend of a friend, sort of thing. Not a bad guy and did good work. But he tended to just...let himself in.
  Like, he’d show up for a job and not knock and just open the door and come in and then say hello. That’s fine, maybe for some of the people he did work for, but as a single woman living alone, it was not my idea of the right way to come to someone’s home. © wanderingstorm / Reddit
• One time, a guy came to my apartment to fix my internet and cable box. I let him do his thing in the living room, and I went to hang out in my room with the door open in case he needed anything.
  After an hour, I was like, “Okay, what is up? He hasn’t said anything.” So I went to check, and the man was on my couch, casually watching TV. I asked if it was all fixed, and he said, “Yup!” and proceeded to stay for another 30 minutes. © kmcdingus / Reddit

• While they are repairing whatever needs fixing, I walk quickly from room to room, constantly doing nothing, such as shuffling some papers, and “Oh, I gotta put away the oven mitts,” and then quickly move a book from the coffee table to another coffee table just to appear busy instead of awkwardly staring at the guy. © cubosh / Reddit
• My husband went on a work trip for a month, and we had no communication. And, as luck would have it, my washing machine leaked, so I called a technician. He fixed it in half an hour, and I paid him.
  When he was leaving, I saw him blush, and he handed me a piece of paper. I unfolded it and read, “The valve needs to be replaced, but replacing the gasket helped. If it leaks again, I’ll repair it for free.” I asked him why he hadn’t told me directly.
  And he replied, “I’m embarrassed to say it, because I charged you for a full repair, and it was only two minutes of work.” I don’t like conflict, so I said, “As long as it works, I don’t mind. But thank you for admitting it.”

• He showed up to fix a leak. We agreed on the fee, and he started working on it.
  Thirty minutes in, he said he needed to get some parts from a hardware store. He did not return. My calls went unanswered. © meyesmenotyou / Reddit
• I am a student and rent an apartment. Once, during exam week, I went to the bathroom at night and, half asleep, I flushed a whole roll of toilet paper down the toilet.
  In the morning, of course, everything backed up. I called a plumbing company and was told on the phone that the job was very difficult because the toilet bowl would have to be disassembled, and that would cost a lot.
  The technician came and fixed it all in five minutes, simply by pulling out the unfortunate tube with a cord. I paid him as agreed. © Overheard / Ideer
• Our refrigerator stopped working, so my mom called the technician and told him what had happened. He replied, “I see, but that would mean that I’d have to go on a Saturday.” Yes, everyone works on weekdays. But the man didn’t want to go anywhere on Saturday.
  So he preferred to explain to my mother over the phone what she had to fix in the refrigerator to get it back to freezing like before. My mom did all that, and the fridge still works. © Zershon / Pikabu

• My ex-girlfriend called. She said the dishwasher was leaking, and she had called a technician from a website. He spent three hours working on it and took the money, but it was still leaking. I went over for ten minutes, replaced the hose clamp, and it was all good.
  I ask the home technicians, “Why, before posting an ad, don’t you study the manual?” I am a man of principle. I called that technician, politely talked to him, and he returned the money to my ex. © StanleyD / Pikabu
• Water started leaking into the washing machine. I called a technician. At first, he told me it was the water residue after washing, but overnight, it accumulated up to a liter, which is a lot for just the residue.
  We removed the lid and saw that the water valve was leaking. I asked him how much it would cost to replace it. He gave me an exorbitant price. I looked up the cost on the Internet and was surprised at how much cheaper it actually was.
  I sent the technician home and went and bought a valve. The replacement is elementary: connect three pipes and screw in two screws. The whole thing takes five minutes. The leak stopped, and everything works now. © SebPereita / Pikabu
• We were refurbishing the kitchen last year, and my husband had to move the water pipes for the dishwasher. He opened up the wall, and I heard him cursing a blue streak under his breath. I came in and asked him what was wrong, and he was so annoyed that the work was shoddy, but HE was the previous plumber. © WestAshevillean / Reddit

Here, we’ve collected a set of simple and unexpected tips for those who are going to start a repair this winter season. These will make the renovation process easy and less costly.