What started off as a minor AC issue turned into a big personal issue between old friends, and I couldn’t feel worse about it! I have known Ed for over five years now, and he is one of the nicest and hardest-working guys I’ve even met.
Ed is a line cook for a local diner, he is a single dad, and a few months ago he started studying to earn his HVAC certification. Ed doesn’t have a lot of education, and he discovered that HVAC techs make excellent money without having to spend 4 to 6 years in school. He thought the best way to provide for his daughter, and build a real career, was in the HVAC industry. Fast forward to a few months ago, and I asked Ed to come over and help me with an AC problem I was having. Ed had achieved his HVAC certification, but was still a rookie who lacked a lot of hands-on experience in the field. My air conditioner had stopped working, and I couldn’t afford to call for a contractor, so Ed was happy to help a friend in need. Here is where the problem started – Ed could not determine the cause of my problem, and didn’t know how to fix it. This made him feel embarrassed, because he said he could help me fix this AC unit and wound up letting me down. Ed thought he had let me down, I wasn’t upset with him at all! Nonetheless, Ed became more distant and our friendship suffered, because he still felt embarrassed about the air conditioning issue.