My Hitachi Atom is up and running. After having spent the better part of the day searching for an Inverter unit (Daikin with heat pump) in vain, got fed up with the week long delivery time being quoted and decided to get the Atom repaired. Actually the real reason for frustration was that the gas topped up last night was all gone by the morning. So picked up the local Yellow pages and did an Eenee Meenee Miney Mo on the various A/C repair adverts in this month's booklet and picked the winning advert (literally). The guy who picked up at the other end told me that he was completely booked for the day but could be with me at 9.00 in the morning. I reluctantly agreed but the next 10 minutes under the fan churning hot air & I was back on the horn. Asked the chappy to come at whatever time he was able to, the guy politely refused & reassured me that he would be there first thing in the morning but this time I threw him a curve ball. I told him to come in and just top the gas to get me through the night and I would pay him for the gas so the deal was struck X bucks for complete repair & Rs. Y for the temporary topping off. The chap promised to be at my doorstep sometime around 10.00 pm.
Cut to 0930 pm and the guy is at my door along with his assistant riding a Honda Scooter that is nothing less than a mobile workshop complete in all respects. The guy not only has the gas cylinder but complete wherewithal for brazing too. So, he climbs up on to the parapet where the ODU is installed and by the time I reach the window next to the install he asks "Sir, poora kaam abhi kar doon?" I am all for it but.... "will you be able to find the leak in the dark"..I ask him. "Mil gaya Sir" is his reply, @#$ 2 minutes next to the ODU and he claims to have found the leak. Then he shows me his fingers the tips are smeared with oil. He says it is the capillary next to the return check valve that has given away. I rejoice in the sight as that is a sure shot indication of where the leak would be. Our man goes to work and about an hour later he and his assistant gulp cold water as I enjoy conditioned air from the decade old machine revived after it's first downtime.
All done and then it is time for the mandatory disagreement on some mundane point, I say mandatory as without a disagreement where is the fun in getting anything repaired
I ask him "Current kitna hai"
Him "8.5 Amps"
Me " Aur return pressure kitna kiya?"
Him "70 (psi)"
Me "75 kyon nahi"
Him "Sir kal doopaher mein yehi 80 ho jayyega"
Me (with a poker face) "Jadoo hai kya"
Him "Sir gaarmi mein pressure uth-ta hai, sardi key mausam mein karvatey to mein 40 hee karta"
Me (now seemingly with astonishment) "Aissa kyon"
Him "Sir Gas ka kanoon hai"
Me (now smiling inwardly) Kanoon kisney banayaa"
Him "Sir meiney ITI mein pada tha aur kaam mein to roz dikhta he hai"
Jackpot !
Me "Achhaa mujhey kal doopehar mein check karkey bataoo"
Him "Sir kal full book hai parson ayun to"
Me "OK par phir mein Rs. 500 rookunga"
Him "No promlem Sir"
Double Jackpot!!
I pay him the X less 500 bucks and come Monday will gladly give him the balance along an appropriate tip as not only did he make possible for me to have a comfortable environment to sleep in tonight but more so because he accommodated my oddball demand of turning up when I asked him to and that is an increasingly rare phenomenon with repair guys be it A/C wallah, Electricians, Plumbers and what not. In the middle of the season there is such a demand for these guys, that most would have not batted an eyelid and simply refused the job or worse would have promised and not turned up at all.
So, that is it for now folks but I will post again regarding another interaction that I had with a Daikin dealer's installer that made me aware of a peculiar but important requirement regarding the install for airconditioners with the new Ozone friendly gases.