One of my family members had a problem with her ice make/water dispenser on her frige. She called a repairman and he let her to know that her frige was old and it could not be repaired. He disconnected the water pump and cut the hose to the water dispenser collected his fee and left. Years later on a visit to this family member I requested ice for my drink and she told me this story. Anyway to make a long story short, she now has both ice and water again thanks to our perseverance (we repaired it ourselves).
Another family member let me to know she took her car to a repair shop in Cole Bay, the same shop that prompt this letter/article. She took her car in for repairs and wind up taking back there four time, before taking it elsewhere to fix the problem.
In another case, I took my truck for body repair and paint to a shop in Cole Bay, which will remain nameless, but the name starts with the letter Hassell's. As usual the work was to take two weeks and it was three days longer. Fine I receive the truck with poor finish bad workmanship and lights not working. I came to an agreement with Management to return the truck to rectify the problems. Six weeks later return the truck and it was like déjà vu the same thing all over again, the paint job was even worse this time, and the same problem of the lights not working AGAIN!! As they say in dutch "een ezel stoot zich geen tweemaal aan dezelfde steen" (a donkey don't stomp its foot twice on the same stone). So what does that make me? Now management again is asking me to return the truck for a third time to rectify the problems. I ask.
Is a lack of skill, integrity and professionalism among these so called tradesmen?
Whilst there is no consumer protection on St. Maarten and there seems to be no laws in place to aid us from these predictors, perhaps now more than ever there should be some procedures set in place at least to report these businesses. If nothing but a data base that one can request information about the business before you do business with them. At least you would have an idea as to type of people running/working at the place. The reputation, skill, integrity or the lack there of. As people have dealings with these establishments one could report to this agency good or bad and one can obtain there info before losing their money to them.
People come to SXM from all over the Caribbean and clam the mechanics, masons, electrician etc. But we here on the island have now way of verifying there skills, until after the work/mistake has been made. That would be like me immigrating to Guyana claiming I'm a airline pilot, and the boss just hands me the keys for the plane and say "boy hurry up take them passengers to St. Maarten come back" without knowing if I could fly or not!!!
Ceci Scott
PS: There are no keys to an airplane....
