Plumber's crack ... and I'm not talking about cracked pipes.

I'm personally a tea drinker, but I believe that I'm in the minority. Coffee is probably most offered here. I'll usually offer either, or soda when someone comes out to deliver something, like propane. We haven't had a repair-man come out since Hubby came into the picture. He does all our handy-man stuff. And, we live so far out of town, that even if Hubby didn't REALLY want to tackle a task, we'd end up waiting so long for someone to show, that Hubby ends up doing it himself anyway. That's funny about the bedroom repair job. I don't think I've ever heard of a plumber being asked to, or offering to take their shoes off before (let alone the rest of their clothing). I completely understand your reasoning for declining. Steel toed boots are a life-saver, or toe-saver in this case. Thanks for sharing 4thfingers!

Good to speak with you again too! Haha well nothing too odd i supose. Just some people ask you to take your shoes off and when you have to carry a big heavy boiler through their house that would definately chop your toes off if you dropped it, you have to politely refuse. I have had the odd flirty customers which is a nice change from the usually grumpy ones. One time a girl asked me to come to her room to look at her leaky radiator and I asked if she wanted me to take my shoes off and she responded with 'oo yes please, and your clothes!' My favourite customers are the ones who have you over to do some work, then when you're all done they ask you to just do little bits for them, completely unrelated to plumbing, like fix doors or lights and things, or one time was a garden fance that took me ages. I don't mind doing it though because I know the company I work for charge them so much so they deserve the little extras. I do like it though, it's quite sociable if you like that and you get offered a lot of tea, do they do that in the US? It being our favourite drink, it's the first thing anyone asks when you walk into their house, 'do you want a cuppa?'

Hello Pallidyne, Hmmm, over-billing in retaliation for embarrassing the plumber. I had not considered that. Now, I'm glad I didn't say anything. Excellent point! Thanks for sharing!

Oh, and welcome to MyLot Pallidyne. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time here!

Good morning Charms, Oh my friend, you've given me an excellent alternative. I hadn't considered using my ample imagination to convert that large, hairy buttocks into some sleek, streamlined mental image of Adonis. That's a fine suggestion!

Hello Whyaskq, Thanks for sharing your perspective. You do have a point about decency.