Remember back in March, when my neighbor's junk truck took a chunk out of my house? I decided to trust the truck driver, whom I'd never met in person, when he said he was very sorry and he'd take care of fixing the damage.A loyal reader who is now a lawyer (hi David!) emailed me lots of helpful advice about estimates and estates and probate and claims and--after a moment of heartburn--I decided I'd throw caution to the wind and put my faith in this guy on the phone.
Well, it took a while, but the house has been repaired. Thanks to a few years of grime and sunshine, the paint isn't an exact match any more, but the difference is subtle and it's certainly not unusual to see patch jobs on old stucco houses in Oak Park.
1 comments:
Nice job! This story is a good reminder that, in most cases, people want to do the right thing and can be trusted to do as they say. The lawyer (me), however, is trained and inclined to envision the worst that could happen and be very risk adverse. Thus, when you say, "Somebody broke my house!" the lawyer says you'd better get everybody's name, addresses, and other information to protect yourself if somebody renegs or fails to do the right thing. But there's no substituting for practical experience and personal judgment about another person's honesty and integrity. Your gut said you could trust the guy, and your gut was right. The law (and lawyers) are good tools for dealing with really bad people and really big risks or injuries. It's not much help in dealing with decent people and small risks or injuries. In fact, it tends to make dealings with decent people over small risks or injuries worse, not better.
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