Ask Amy: Handyman's attitude isn't much of a fix
I never want to hire him again, yet I know this will cause my husband to take his side because he's a softie.
What would you do? Please advise.
-- Standing My Ground
Dear Standing: You haven't "allowed" this man to do repairs. You have hired him to perform work at your home. There is a difference. You two aren't doing one another favors - there is an exchange of money for service, and reasonable expectations and behavior on both sides are supposed to keep this relationship in balance.
Forget about trying to teach him a lesson. That's not your job. He threatened you to the point where you felt the need to tell him you would call the police. If he considers you (rather than your husband) to be "the problem" here, then so be it.
He should be paid for the work he has done so far, and you and your husband should find someone else to complete the project.
If he is eager to keep you as clients, he should admit that his behavior was out of line and apologize, specifically to you, because he directed most of his anger toward you.
Granted, we're all a little tense right now, but you and your pushover husband deserve this respect and reassurance from a professional.
Dear Amy: My husband didn't smoke when we married. He's a one to two pack-a-day smoker, now. He smokes in "his" room. I ask him if he's smoking that he at least go out on the porch. He makes a big deal about it, saying, "Why can't I smoke a cigarette in my own house?"
I hate the smoke everywhere -- in house, car, and on our clothes! When I get up in the morning and open my bedroom door, that's all I can smell, and then I get nauseous!
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