Every summer, some people, who live on gravel roads, pay to have tree sap poured on their section of the road in front of their house to cut down on the dust that cars make when they drive by. You pay this company a one time fee and then they pour sap on your road a certain amount of times that summer.
Well last summer, because we had the extra money in our savings account, Kevin went over and offered to pay half of the bill...because since we live right across from each other pouring the tree sap saves us from getting road dust as much as it saves our neighbors. We did not help out the summer before this(our first summer here), nor did we enter into any kind of a written or verbal agreement last summer when we payed half.
So the gravel road has just had it's first pouring. This morning while Kevin was working in the garden, our neighbor walks over and hands Kevin a bill for $212 dollars...our half for the dust maintenance. We did NOT personally choose to have this done to the road, nor would we ever. Our neighbors called the company, set it up and decided to have this done w/out conversing w/us at all. Our neighbor's kids are grown and out of the house....so I would hope they would realize our priorities are different than theirs. Things come up...like doctor, hospital and ambulance bills...that make it impossible for us to spend money on road tree sap.
I would like some input or advice on how YOU would deal w/this situation.
5 comments:
Uh, yea... here's how I would handle it...
I'd walk back to the other side of the road and hand the bill back to him and tell him that you weren't planning on doing tree sap this year because of medical bills you're paying and that if he had asked you about it before he did it, you would have saved him the trouble of walking over to your side of the street with a bill.
I just spoke w/daddy about your question.I will try to condense his advice. He said that he would pay the bill because it is so important to maintain good relations w/your neighbors. Think of the corn you gleen and the times they have scraped your driveway, and most important, a good Christian witness. Then after a month or two when it works in the conversation let him know that it was rough for you to come up w/the funds this year because of medical expenses and if he decides to have this done next year to talk to you first and see if you have the funds to help.
I agree with daddy and mama. My first reaction would be to cram the bill down the neighbors throat.....that would also be my second and third reaction.
In the past I would of said sorry but you should have asked if we were going to do this with you this year and give the bill back. If so, I think I would ask if they had already paid the full amount,and if so would then proceed to say that I would be glad to help in paying but I my need some time because of medical bills that need to paid and if that would be ok. Then I would say that next time it would be nice to discuss the matter before hand so there would not be any problems. All this would be said very calmly of course...
KevinW
Quoted text:
All this would be said very calmly of course...
KevinW
The "very calmly" part is were I fall desperately short...so that is why my husband is keeping me out of the whole deal. :) We Bentley girls have HOT tempers! ...right Eric, KevinH and KevinW?
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