Gutter cleaning... weather permitting

I have gutters on my house that are almost out of reach of my current ladder. When I say almost, I mean that if I put my ladder up at a very steep angle and then stand on the sticker that says, “Do not stand on this rung,” I can reach way up high and get the tips of my fingers in the gutter. That being said, I do not try to clean my gutters anymore. My trees have easy access to my gutters and fill them with leafy goodness. Last year I had my gutters cleaned and the guy did not do a very good job. What he didn't leave strewn all over my yard, he left in the gutters. Two months later, ice filled my gutters and water backed up into my house.

This year I contacted a local guy (whom I shall refer to as GutterDude.) GutterDude seemed to have his shit together and I sent him an e-mail:

On Nov 28, 2009, Doug wrote:
Hello GutterDude,
Can you please let us know about getting a gutter cleaning quote for: (my address) Westerville, OH 43081

Thank you,
Doug

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Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 10:30 PM
To: Doug Subject: Re: gutter cleaning quote

Doug,
The cost to clean your gutters will be $145.00. We are about a week out.
Thanks for your inquiring
GutterDude

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On Nov 29, 2009, Doug wrote:
Hi GutterDude,
That sounds reasonable. Does this include cleaning up any of the fun stuff you find in our gutters? In the past, we've had an issue with people doing a so-so job of removing debris from the gutters and then leaving said stuff strewn all over the yard.

If your quote includes removal of all the debris in the gutters, then please let me know how we can go ahead and schedule you to come out. We can put a check under to doormat or drop it in the mail. Let us know how you would like to proceed.

Thanks!
Doug

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Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2009 11:14 AM
To: Doug
Price includes removal of all debris from the gutters and none left on the lawn.
We will leave an invoice in the door. We are about a week out.
GutterDude

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December crept up and I got busy around the house and at work. I was outside hanging the Christmas lights when I noticed the leaves in the gutters still. I went in and the next morning I sent GutterDude an e-mail:

Sent: Friday, December 18, 2009 8:27 AM
To: 'GutterDude' Subject: RE: gutter cleaning quote

Hello GutterDude,
Did we slip off your schedule? I understood you were a week out, but that was three weeks ago.
Can you let me know if you are able to clean our gutters?

Thank you,
Doug

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GutterDude did not get back to me and I realized that I had not given him a good request, so I tried again:

On Dec 19, 2009, at 10:07 AM, Doug wrote:
GutterDude,

I would appreciate some communication concerning the cleaning of our gutters at (Myhouse) in Westerville. Please either let me know when you will be here or let me know that you are canceling and that I need to find another vendor to take care of cleaning out our gutters.
Please let me know within 48 hours.

Doug

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To: Doug Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: gutter cleaning quote

Doug
You are still on the list. We should be out this week weather permitting. Thank you for your patience.
GuttterDude

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That next week the snow began to fall and GutterDude did not arrive. As it was Christmas, I forgot about the gutters and moved on with other things. Soon January arrived and I went to take down the Christmas lights. There had been about four weeks of snow and below freezing weather which I assume was not permitting. But the weather was changing and there were expected highs in the 40s that next week… perfect for ice dams. I decided to write GutterDude one last time:

On Jan 14, 2010, at 10:21 PM, Doug wrote:

Hello GutterDude,
Please allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Doug and I contacted you on November 28th (that was back in 2009) to see about getting my gutters cleaned. You gave me a very good price and said you were a week out.

When you didn't show up for two weeks, I contacted you again and you said you would be out that week, weather permitting.

Now I look upon my house and I see clogged gutters filled with leaves and ice. It's quite beautiful at sunrise.

Tomorrow it will begin to warm up and the snow from my roof will melt and begin to head down to the gutter. I assume the conversation will go a little like this:

Melted Snow: "Hi gutter!"

Gutter: "Hmm mmmmm mmm mmm."

Melted Snow: "What's that?"

Gutter: "Hmm mmmmm mmm mmm!"

Melted Snow: "Oh! You can't talk because you are filled with ice and leaves!"

Gutter: "Hmm."

Melted Snow: "Well, I can't go down you and I've got to go somewhere. Where will I go?"

Doug's Drywall: "Hey! You can come down me!"

So, GutterDude... for the last time... when will you come to my house and clean out my gutters? When you say weather permitting, does that mean April? Either tell me that you will have a person here in the afternoon tomorrow or Saturday or tell me that you cannot clean my gutters.

Again: Tell me that you will have someone here on Friday January 14th, 2010 or Saturday January 15th, 2010 **OR** tell me that you have failed and will be unable to clean my gutters.

Thank you,
Doug

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Dear Doug,

We do appreciate your patience. It looks like we should be able to do it Monday if not before
GutterDude

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On Monday I stayed home from work and waited.

At 10:30am, the GutterDude truck pulled up and knocked on my door. And as much as I am a dick on the internet, I had a nice, quick chit chat with the guy and left him get to work. GutterDude unleafinated my gutters, cleaned up the debris in the yard and left me with an invoice and a thank you.

And my thanks to him is that I’m calling him GutterDude and not his real company’s name.

Rock on, GutterDude. Weather permitting.