So I hadn’t posted last week, but there’s somewhat of a good reason. Life struck! Last Wednesday evening we lost AC, and in Florida, that is not what you want as we enter into June. So the “fun” began to find an AC company to come out and look to see what had broken, whether it could be fixed, and what the damage would be to get the AC up and running again.
The good news is that a few years ago we were living in a rental and had the AC go out. It was going to be weeks before they could get the part, so we invested in two portable AC units that do a decent job of keeping rooms within the house comfortable. So we quickly got those set up so that we could try and keep it as comfortable in the house as we could.
Thursday we had someone out and they took a look. The whole time I was hoping it wasn’t the compressor, because that gets expensive. I’m not an AC guy, but I’ve had capacitors and other parts go out that are much faster and cheaper to get fixed. After replacing the dual ignition or something—again, not an AC tech—it was determined that it was, in fact, the compressor. So the tech quoted the price and said that the company makes them say it could be anywhere from next day to 6-8 weeks. But we have a pretty “standard” AC and he didn’t see an issue, though he would call me the next day and let me know.
The next day comes and I get no call, so I call the AC company and guess what? The part is backordered and it will be 6-8 weeks. I wasn’t holding this against the AC company as they don’t control this, but this was worst-case scenario and I broke the news to the family.
Here’s the thing—anyone that knows me knows I don’t just take the first answer to a problem. So I started calling other AC companies and eventually called mine back and asked what could be done. They were trying real hard on their side and gave me the customer relations department for the manufacturer, and I set to work on calling them. After repeating the same story as I had to other AC companies, the lady on the phone asked, “So what are you looking for?” I kind of thought it was pretty obvious what I was looking for—the part to fix my AC as quickly as it could be at my house. She finally opened a case and I had to get some information from the AC company.
So back to the AC company I go, and the purchasing person had done more digging as well. By the end of Friday, we had an appointment for the following Wednesday to get a compressor installed!
Monday was a holiday, but I got an automated text saying I had an appointment for Tuesday and to confirm. Well, I was expecting Wednesday but wasn’t going to complain and hit confirm about a thousand times. By the end of Tuesday, we had AC again!
The Real Lesson Here
The moral of the story? Don’t take the first answer. Be persistent and do what you can to get the answer you want. This isn’t just about AC, but life in general. If you want something bad enough, you need to find a way!
Look, I get it. Sometimes persistence can feel like being a pain in the neck. But there’s a difference between being persistent and being a jerk about it. I wasn’t rude to anyone—I was just determined not to accept “6-8 weeks without AC in Florida” as my only option.
This experience reminded me of something I’ve learned over the years in both parenting and career challenges: the first “no” or the first obstacle rarely tells the whole story. There are usually more options, more people to talk to, more angles to explore. The key is knowing when to push and how to do it respectfully.
Whether it’s advocating for your kid at school, negotiating a work situation, or yes, getting your AC fixed in record time, persistence paired with politeness can move mountains. Or at least move compressors from “6-8 weeks” to “next Tuesday.”
Sometimes the breakthrough comes from simply asking, “What are my other options?” instead of accepting the first answer you’re given. And sometimes it comes from being the squeaky wheel that gets the grease—or in this case, the cool air.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go enjoy my wonderfully air-conditioned house and maybe give those portable units a well-deserved rest.