The inspiration for the title came from Charles Dickens - this year we are celebrating the bicentenary of his birth.
Today I am seeking advice. I'm in the process of solving a problem but undecided what my next step should be.
The story, so far, runs something like this....
I noticed that the floor in the toilet was a bit damp (and I'm usually so careful!) . On investigation it looked as though the water was leaking from the toilet itself. A plumber sent by the управдом (building management people) suggested that I needed a new манжет (some kind of rubber 'sleeve'). I managed to buy said манжет from the local market and called for the plumber to fit it. A different plumber arrived and said the first one was an idiot and I really needed a whole new toilet and it needed to be a certain kind. He showed me where the cistern wasn't aligned with the pipe in the back of the toilet.
So, did I really need a new toilet or was I the one being played for a fool? I wanted to resolve the problem myself without involving the landlady (hope she isn't reading this) as she always tends to increase the rent whenever I trouble her with anything involving money. My thinking at this stage was that if I throw some money at the problem it would solve it so whether the first or the second plumber was right a new toilet would be the end of the matter. Ha! Off to the market and start looking at toilets. Of course, when I started mentioning the kind I was told I needed then people started saying "you don't want one of them, you want one of these" in the way that people do. A ordered a complete new toilet and two young men from Dagestan, and a new toilet from goodness knows where, duly arrived just after 9 p.m. (!!) on Wednesday evening. They ripped out the old one and installed the new. If only that were the end of the problem I could live "happily ever after". But, and there's always a but, the toilet seems to have been installed in the middle of the floor rather than against the wall. When I sit down my long legs don't allow the door to close! I could see why they did it as the pipe sticks out a long way from the wall but surely as reputable plumbers (?) they should have told me that this particular toilet wasn't suitable in this instance rather than go ahead and "bodge" it. There is no Consumer Credit Act in this country (as far as I know). What do I do next? Some choices are:
1. Leave it as it is and always visit the loo with the door open. Not really a viable option as sometimes there are students in the flat.
2. Go back to the boys from Dagestan and see if they can cut back the waste pipe and reinstall the toilet closer to the wall. Firstly, the waste pipe is quite a substantial fitting, I'm not sure it would be easy to cut it. Secondly, if they made such a mess of the first installation, do I really have faith in them to come back and do good work.
3. Buy another toilet, of the kind I was advised to get in the first place, and get somebody reliable in to install it? It would be throwing good money after bad but if it solves the problem.....
4. 'fess up to the landlady and get her to solve the problem. Not likely!
What should I do next?
Today I am seeking advice. I'm in the process of solving a problem but undecided what my next step should be.
The story, so far, runs something like this....
I noticed that the floor in the toilet was a bit damp (and I'm usually so careful!) . On investigation it looked as though the water was leaking from the toilet itself. A plumber sent by the управдом (building management people) suggested that I needed a new манжет (some kind of rubber 'sleeve'). I managed to buy said манжет from the local market and called for the plumber to fit it. A different plumber arrived and said the first one was an idiot and I really needed a whole new toilet and it needed to be a certain kind. He showed me where the cistern wasn't aligned with the pipe in the back of the toilet.
So, did I really need a new toilet or was I the one being played for a fool? I wanted to resolve the problem myself without involving the landlady (hope she isn't reading this) as she always tends to increase the rent whenever I trouble her with anything involving money. My thinking at this stage was that if I throw some money at the problem it would solve it so whether the first or the second plumber was right a new toilet would be the end of the matter. Ha! Off to the market and start looking at toilets. Of course, when I started mentioning the kind I was told I needed then people started saying "you don't want one of them, you want one of these" in the way that people do. A ordered a complete new toilet and two young men from Dagestan, and a new toilet from goodness knows where, duly arrived just after 9 p.m. (!!) on Wednesday evening. They ripped out the old one and installed the new. If only that were the end of the problem I could live "happily ever after". But, and there's always a but, the toilet seems to have been installed in the middle of the floor rather than against the wall. When I sit down my long legs don't allow the door to close! I could see why they did it as the pipe sticks out a long way from the wall but surely as reputable plumbers (?) they should have told me that this particular toilet wasn't suitable in this instance rather than go ahead and "bodge" it. There is no Consumer Credit Act in this country (as far as I know). What do I do next? Some choices are:
1. Leave it as it is and always visit the loo with the door open. Not really a viable option as sometimes there are students in the flat.
2. Go back to the boys from Dagestan and see if they can cut back the waste pipe and reinstall the toilet closer to the wall. Firstly, the waste pipe is quite a substantial fitting, I'm not sure it would be easy to cut it. Secondly, if they made such a mess of the first installation, do I really have faith in them to come back and do good work.
3. Buy another toilet, of the kind I was advised to get in the first place, and get somebody reliable in to install it? It would be throwing good money after bad but if it solves the problem.....
4. 'fess up to the landlady and get her to solve the problem. Not likely!
What should I do next?
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