Thanks for starting this thread, cause I need to blow off some steam myself.
People are the same way with their dang snowblowers. They wait until the eve of the storm and expect you to run right over there and get them going. Even though they broke it on the previous storm, they'll wait until the weather channel tells them they're going to need it again.
The current weather pattern has made things worse. With one storm after the other, people are parking their blowers with the snow and slush in there and it freezes up by the next storm. They go out and try to engage the auger. Some people are smart enough to let go of the control when they hear the belt squeeling, but many are so stupid that they just hold the thing down and burn up the belts. Some actually melt the belt cover.
I guess it's a mistake that anyone can make, but some people are doing the same thing after we've fixed it and fully explained what the problem is. "It's doing it again!!!" They're mad at the machine and they're mad at us, but the problem is them. I've gotten to the point where I've pretty much cut a few of these people loose and told them I'm don't have the time to come back, and they're on their own. If they can get it to the store, we'll fix it, but we're not chasing this stuff in bad weather. I don't mind going out in the cold to fix a machine, but I'm not going out to fix stupidity. For any price.
Thanks.....I feel better now.