Cowboy Builders...

Grrr.  Where do I start! 

The main entrance to our very humble home is via a sliding door with two small vertical windows to the side.  It was the original sliding door from when the house was built backin '1970 something' when Buck Rogers was a little boy...

Problem is that the track was broken beyond repair.  How the hell it got so broken and beat up is completely beyond me!!  But it was.  To open it you had to put all your effort and skill into 'jumping it' and 'jimmying it' on several occasions the whole door came out of the door frame completely LOL...and then we had to go around the outside and quite easily put it back into the frame again...yes, it was completely hilarious at the time too...me and my children have had many laughing fits and happy memories created because of this door...

Anyway, over a year ago my BIL said he had a friend who owed him a favor and that he could 'hook' us up with an new sliding door..."sure" we said...thank you.  A month later, we asked him when his friend might be available..."I'll call him and ask..."says BIL.  Then again just before Xmas last year we asked again if the friend was available...and again we got the same answer.  By then I was had enough and though 'fark it..'

Then this year in Feb, I start babysitting BIL's infant child...and to rub it in his face, when he came to pick his son up, I'd make him have a fit to open the sliding door.  After the first couple of days he mentioned his friend again...I didn't bother to answer him,

Then two months ago we decided to give his friend one last chance...and low and behold, two weeks later, BIL and his friend turn up to measure the door!!  I was home at the time...they did their measuring...and at the end of it BIL called me over and introduced me.  'Friend' then proceeded to tell me that my new would be half door (no mention of a side window panel like the existing one).  Immediately I'm thinking there is no window cos it's wayyyy easier to just divide the space in half and make it just one whole sliding door, SO I said, "Oh, so no window?"  The friend looked at my BIL and gave a little laugh and said "Oh - ok...we'll put a small window on the side (and pointed to where it would be)"

Then two weeks later they finally turn up on a Saturday and proceed to install the sliding door...I get excited and go ahead and cook them an awesome meal to take when they were done. 

So the old sliding door gets taken out....new frame put in...so far so good.  Then the glass...there are four huge panels...and I'm starting to think 'where the fark is my window??'  So I whispered to hubby "where is the farking window?"  Then hubby goes over to the guys and tells them that I'm asking where the window is...and the friend proceeds to tell him that "Oh don't worry, don't worry - the window is coming...I'll be back to put the window in..."

*sigh*

By the time they were done, (remember there are four huge sections for the glass to go)
Section 1 - is fine
Section 2 - is tinted glass
Section 3 - is broken glass
Section 4 - has a huge 'something' spray painted on it and small scratches

I. AM. NOT. IMPRESSED.

The following Monday the friend turns up to measure the 'window' and tells us that when he 'drew' up the plan, he showed BIL who 'passed' it.  And tells us that one of the sections is supposed to be one large window.  I tell him that would be really dumb...way too big and at a perfect height for the kids to hurt themselves when it was opened.  So then he says that he can put a window horizontally at the top part of one of the sections...but it might look funny AND he's have to think of a way to put this window in without having to take the entire frame back out!!

WELL. FUCK. ME.

He tells us he'll be back next Monday (which is Monday just gone) and leaves...but not before asking my hubby to hook his son up with a part time job at his work place!!  Ummm 'scuse me?? 

So Monday has obviously passed...today is Thursday.  And he didn't turn up.  I've been thinking about this farking window/sliding door and getting really pissed off.  First of all...I asked for a window.  They said they'd put one in.  Frame goes up - there is NO window.  We ask where it is and are told 'don't worry, there is one, it will go in'.  But then when he turns up he tells us that the window he's going to put in is going to require taking the whole frame out...so he'll have to think of a way of putting it in without taking the whole frame out...so how the hell was he going to put the window in that he first said was supposed to be there??  He would have had to take the whole frame out to put it in...so wakey wakey...there WAS NO WINDOW TO START WITH.

I'M PISSED OFF.

For the price we paid, we could have got a secondhand one (working perfectly fine!!) WITH a farking window!  Hired a small truck to bring it home...and hubby could have installed it.  In fact I prolly would have had a bit left over to buy me a bottle of hot stuff (if I wasn't breastfeeding of course!) and hubby a box of beer.

BLOODY COWBOY BUILDERS!

I'm annoyed at BIL who went on and on about his 'friend'. 
I'm annoyed at the friend for ignoring me asking for the window.
I'm annoyed at the both of them for lying to me about there being a window in the first place, when clearly there isn't one.
I'm sure there are other things I'm annoyed at but just can't think straight at the moment lol.

So anyway...after stewing it over, yesterday I got hubby to call BIL, tell him to tell his cowboy sidekick to NOT bother putting in any window at all...but for his friend to come over and replace the 3 dodgy glass panels and put the handle/lock on (yes...that's right, the lock/handle hasn't even been put on yet...our home security consists of a long piece of wood to stop the door opening *sigh*) and that is it...nothing more nothing less.  Hubby gets off the phone and I asked him what BIL has to say.  Hubby said BIL asked him why we didn't want the window put in, hubby told him, it's ok...it's alright as it is.  I snapped and told him he should have told BIL that the window his friend was proposing to put in would look ridiculous and that it wasn't what we asked for...of course hubby being the quiet kind natured man he is, didn't say any of that...
SO apparently Cowboy will be over on Saturday to finish the job...I will NOT be cooking jack shite for him, you can bet on that.  And as we have paid a fair price but got a raw deal...I will be making sure that I get all three bloody glass panels replaced with NEW glass.

As for his son getting a part time job - good luck with that.  You do a half ass job for us and expect a favour...I don't think so mate.  And who the hell told him hubby could even get him a job??  That's right BIL - who must have spun shit to him that hubby was some hot shot at work and blah blah blah...why the hell would hubby put his good name on the line for someone he doesn't even know??  Sheesh...and if you expect a huge favour like that (considering that we are paying you more than enough for your labour) wouldn't you even TRY and do a half decent job of our sliding door?  Instead of doing the 'easy' one whole piece - no windows version?  Ki'o ia.