Honest Answers Only Please

[fat eddy]

Ok here is the situation,
You are in the basement of a customer’s house getting ready to start a new install. When down the steps comes the homeowner she is an elderly lady who has recently lost her husband. She starts talking about her late husband and how he loved doing all the maintenance and repairs around the house, it was his passion .She continues to say how well he took care of the furnace and now that he is gone she won’t have anyone to fix it and that is why she is replacing all the major appliances in the home. She points to his tools and workbench and says these were his tools they are just the way he left them I would be remorse if they were upset.

Ok now its 4:00 pm and the install is complete except for soldering up the new water heater, couple joints no big deal, one guy cleans up the other finishes up. As you are soldering you run out of propane\acetylene which ever you prefer. You start remembering that you might not have anymore on the truck. So you go look and sure enough you don’t. As you are on your way back in you happen to notice that there is a bernzomatic case on the workbench, must be one of his hobbies, just need a little. You then tell your partner of the circumstance he is getting worried because he needs to be home at a decent hour and it’s your truck. The shop or supply house is 20+ miles traffic both ways.
You are looking 8:00 pm right in the face. Then you see your partner staring at the bernzo case and you start looking at it also. What do you do?

1. Use it and put it back because she will never know anyway.
2. Drive to wherever you have to, to get some then finish real late.
3. Tell her that you will need to come back tomorrow (have to tell your boss this too)
4. Use it and place your can in his case, and keep his full one.
5. Look at your partner (the one who needs to get home on time) and say I’m going to the truck for a while and if this water heater is running when I come back in I won’t ask how it happened.
6. Call the shop and have the owner drive you some out making him late for whatever he was doing.

Feel free to write in any answer that would be true.

[fixit50]

I would kindly ask the homeowner if it was ok to use it. Mam we are out of gas and need to solder this up and i see that there is some on the bench that your husband had, is it ok if we use it and put it back in it's place. I am sure mr. will be helpfull in knowing that he had what was available and that he had it,since he has done the soldering before on the pipes in your fine home, If it is ok to use it I will take great care of it and do the job that your husband would of done. if not that is ok also I can run and get some or we can come back tomorrow, the choice is yours what would you prefer?

[mo-flo]

i would inform her of the situation and ask her if it be alright to use his stuff.....and she can watch....this is what her husband would of wanted.

[Dof3]

I agree with fixit. I would bet she would be happy to let me use it.

[dec]

Honestly I would just ask the lady if it would be ok to use it and tell her your situation that if she would let you use hers that you would drop off a new bottle to replace hers the next time you are in the area. That way you are being honest with her and its a lot cheaper for your boss then having you run back in.....thats just my opinion.

[simpleman]

I would grab the old guys torch,get the hotwater heater
in then tell the ho,that her husband had a part in the install after all.

Then I would give her a big hug and wished her pleasent dreams,as I hurry home.

[41gasman]

This very thing has happened to
me.The answer you get is what I
always do.

Ask!

Go talk to the little old gal.
Ask if it would be OK if you
used Just enough of her husbands
lp to finish the job.If not, then
you go get more.Ultimately the
responsibility is yours!!!
You stock the truck.One can
never take with out asking
under any circumstances!!!!!!
If you think it is going to be
hard to tell the boss you
had to go get some more lp.
Just try to explain that
you riped off the customers
dead husbands tools.Cause thats
exactly how its going to sound
to him when the little old lady
makes that phone call to the
office.THis is really a no brainer.
The choise is made because
it is the right thing to do.
NOT because you might or might
not get caught.This really
should not even be a question.
But each to his own I guess.
41Gasman

[ajscharper]

I would find out if the old coot had any life insurance and if he did , try to spark a romance with the old bat..if it works? viola ..no more installing water heaters !

[maxster]

if the hubby was there he would of been helping you,she would of let you use it in memory to him that even then with him gone he did help with the work going on.

[rob10]

While you borrow the torch. Then tell her the old man's ghost showed up to help you with the job. It might bring a tear to the old gal's eye!!

[Toolpusher]

I thought this post was going to be meaningfull and have helpfull info,

Guess not !

[beenthere]

I'd ask, and if she said no, I'd go and get another bottle of gas, while kicking myself in the butt the whole time for not having my mapp tourch with me.

[ajscharper]

Meaningful and helpfull toolpusher ? How many ways can this problem be answered logically? The best thing to do would be to make sure your truck is fully stocked with parts and tools.. in the event that this fails you, then asking the HO would be the simplest solution. All responses do not have to be serious here.. I for one have a sense of humor that needs exercise now and then.

[coolguysfl]

Now stop for a min. --- how would you want someone to treat your mom?

Somewhere back in preschool... did'nt someone mention -"if it's not yours - don't touch"

If you have to think about this for more than a second, you're missing a chromosome.

[live365]

I like the idea of the life insurance policy comming into play and hooking up with the old bag and retiring.

[Al Gregory]

Your not going to steal it, Just solder your fittings and put it back

[41gasman]

Look.the way this thread was started
It seemed to ask about some of the
pressures(time constraints) and
the gray areas about what is "OK"
and what is not in as how we
conduct are self in a customers
home. First I have to say hooking
up with the old gal sounded like
a good idea.But the reality of
the point asked is the point!
Any anwser other than asking
the old girl is wrong. Yes it
will cross are minds we are human
and who wants the helper whinning
about it for days on end. But
If you get busted for what to
us is a stupid little thing.
(jesus the guys dead)There
would be no end to it for
the company you work for.
What ever ended up happening
would make a little driveing
and buying your own bottle
of gas look pathiticly cheap.
I personaly would fire a guy
for it on the spot no questions
asked.If you want to know why
just start reading the other
thread about what ho's look
for in a contractor.
Hope ther is lots of peaple
out ther that would use the
dead guys gas.Leaves a lot
more work for me.
Good day
41Gasman

[condenseddave]

Don't ever get caught that short of gas is the real answer.

I mean, I carry two B tanks, and three MCs and three R o2's. If I'm going somewhere that I know I'll be soldering, I'll bring the #2 Acetylene tank and use that.

Things happen, but this lady makes it clear that that workshop is a shrine.

I wouldn't even ask.

I know how my grandmother feels about my grandfathers' office.

[duc dowg]

you have to ask in this situation. You cant just take it

[docholiday]

Leave water heaters to the plumbers and you will not have this problem.