My aunt's wedding dent inspection dilemma

I was at my cousin's wedding last weekend, and my aunt pulls me aside to look at her car. She had a dent from a shopping cart, and she wanted me to check it out right then. I'm in a suit, at a wedding, and she's showing me her bumper. I tried to be nice, said I could give her a quote on Monday, but she kept pushing for a 'family discount'. It's so awkward because I don't want to be rude, but this is how I make a living. I have costs for materials and time, you know? It's not like I can just wave a wand and make it perfect. Plus, doing favors for family always leads to more favors. Now my uncle texted me about his truck's paint chip. It never ends.

3 comments

3 Comments

barbaraanderson1mo ago

Why do family always do this at events? I totally get it, my cousin asked me to check his engine noise during my dad's retirement dinner. I was in a dress and heels, not my work clothes. He even had a video ready on his phone to show me. Now I dread holidays because someone always has a "quick question" about their car. It really never ends.

hunt.sage1mo ago

That part about dreading holidays because someone always has a "quick question" hits so close to home, @barbaraanderson. It's like once people know you can fix things, they stop seeing you as a person and just see a free service call. You get the video ready on the phone at a dinner, and I get texts with pictures of busted thermostats during birthday parties. Why do we have to be "on" just because we're in the same room? It turns what should be a nice time into another work shift you didn't agree to.

the_alice1mo ago

After my grandma's funeral, my uncle asked me to fix his tablet right there. It's like @barbaraanderson's engine noise video, where family thinks every gathering is a free repair shop. I guess we should start wearing "off duty" signs to these things.