Thanks for the Gift! Um, Can I, Maybe, Have it Now?

[CrestfallenNoMore]

I just bought my first home back in September.

 

During my home inspection, my inspector noted that my furnace has a cracked plate. On top of that, it hasn't been serviced in the entire 8 years that it's been in the house. When the former homeowners refused to pay for the servicing and plate replacement, one of my best friends and her husband (who is an HVAC guy, woo hoo!) volunteered to replace the part and service it for free as a my housewarming present. Since my home inspector felt the furnace was actually in quite good condition, I elected to forego pushing the issue with the sellers and graciously accepted my friends' generous gift.

 

Because a cracked plate CAN leak carbon monoxide (not a deadly amount, but I'm still not crazy about any amount), I wanted to get the issue taken care of quickly. In mid-October, they came over and he looked at it, wrote down the part number and said he'd get it ordered and would perform the service when he installed the new plate.

 

Well, nothing has happened since then.

 

I totally appreciate and understand that he is absolutely swamped and is even on-call during many weekends. He works A LOT. I can also understand that the holidays are a very busy time for us all and, to top it off, they have a baby coming at the end of the month that they have been preparing for.

 

When the baby comes, it's going to be even LESS likely that he'll find the time to order the part and service my furnace. I've considered just calling them up and telling them that I really appreciated their generous offer, but I don't want to bother them with it when they are clearly so busy, so I'm just going to call in someone else. But then I feel that I can't do that without hurting their feelings and spurring them into action during this super busy time for them. I'd feel like a jerk for forcing the issue when they're about ready to give birth, but it's not as if a month later or right after the baby is born is going to be a good time, either. And I truly don't want to make them feel bad or force them to deliver on their gift, which they certainly didn't have to give me in the first place.

 

I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm prepared to be a little more patient (maybe until end of Feb. - that will have been 6 months) but I feel that I'm pretty much stuck waiting on them to deliver (even if that's not until anothe 8 months from now) or I have to say something and hurt their feelings.

 

Is there another way that I'm not seeing? Does anyone else have any suggestions for how I could approach this?

 

Thanks!

[Ronni_W]

I totally appreciate and understand that he is absolutely swamped and is even on-call during many weekends. He works A LOT. I can also understand that the holidays are a very busy time for us all and, to top it off, they have a baby coming at the end of the month that they have been preparing for.

 

I've considered just calling them up and telling them that I really appreciated their generous offer, but I don't want to bother them with it when they are clearly so busy, so I'm just going to call in someone else because I'm uncomfortable with the potential for carbon monoxide leaks.

I'd make it about the CO2 hazard, and say everything that will help him know that you totally understand his hectic schedule and that he did not purposely renege on actually delivering his gift...without anything that might go across as you guilt-tripping or feeling like a victim.

 

Rather than "hurt feelings", he may feel total relief. It's also quite possible that he's forgotten all about it, due to all the reasons you cite. If that's the case, telling him that you're going to take care of it yourself will give him the choice of making good or thanking you for your understanding.

 

If he promises again, I'd say to effect of, "Okay...but if I don't see you by <specific day about 2 weeks away>, then let's just call it a tie and I'll take care of it myself. Fair enough?" And then just start talking about the baby's imminent arrival, or whatever.

[Chocolat]

Just call someone in to do the repair and don't even mention it. If your friends notice, which is not likely, just say that you realise they were busy with work, baby coming, etc., and that you were concerned about the CO2 and decided to get it done without inconveniencing them.

[green_tea]

I agree with chocolat - just get it done yourself and don't mention it to them. In the unlikely event that they order the part for you after that, you can offer to pay them back if they can't return the part.