Last night I put the flannel sheets on the bed. Mmm, toasty warm. Good thing, too, because this house is COLD.

We have always used the same local heating & cooling company to take care of our furnace and air conditioner. We’ve been good customers of this business for twenty years. Not any more. Sorry, Randy, you’re just too darn rude and uninterested in our business.

Last year, as usual, we called Randy to come out and inspect our furnace before the cold weather came to stay. He made an appointment, but never showed up. I called again, he apologized (just sooo busy!) and rescheduled. He didn’t show up.

One more time: reschedule. No show. No explanation, either. Fortunately, the furnace seemed to run fine all last year.

This year, I called the same place. No answer. I left a message. Nothing. I called one more time. The phone rang a million times, no answer.

So I called another furnace guy. He wasn’t in the office, but I left a message. If he calls back, he’ll get my business. And if he doesn’t, I’ll call yet another one.

I know it’s a busy time of year for furnace guys, but even so, there should still be some customer service involved. Or maybe just some plain old courtesy.

If Randy had a website, I’d link to it so you could all see who NOT to call.

The problem is, this year, the furnace isn’t putting out. It just clicks and snorts and toots and wheezes, like an old man with false teeth, who snores, and has a bad cold and gas. In other words, not REMOTELY hot. All show and no go.

We’ll be using the wood stove a lot anyway. Sigh.

I wonder if there are any assertiveness-training classes in this immediate area. . . . .