Uncertainty isn't my friend

I've emailed the genealogist telling him I won't be using him further when I get the Cooper and Gatty reports. I stressed  it was an incompatibility issue rather than a criticism of his skills as a genealogist..

Thanks for your suggestion. My daughter would have to take me as I don't drive. Where he lives is about  85 miles distance from where  I live. So 170 miles or so round trip. My daughter is a very helpful and wonderful person, but I would not expect her to do that- on the slim chance that he changes his mind.

He may just be a luddite who shuns electronic communication except when he has to - an old fashioned phone call and stern talking to may have better results if he is this way.

If not, then can you pay him a visit? If you have an imposing friend of family member to bring with you then this tends to focus their attention.

I've emailed him several times trying to get some indication as to how things are progressing. It's fallen on deaf ears and a very stubborn mind. He has his way of doing things and he won't change tack. On hindsight I shouldn't have paid a sizeable lump sum of money upfront. He has no financial reason to pay heed to a deadline.

firemonkey said:

I find myself checking my emails obsessively in the hope the reports will be there.

Have you spoken to the person doing the research and insisted on a deadline? This is about the only way you can get them to deliver in a way that works for you I suspect.

Tell them you have a presentation to do and need the results in, say, 4 weeks at the latest. They have had ample time to do the work so this shoud be easy for them to do.

I'm having that issue, with getting a replacement car. He came at 6:30 pm THIS EVENING, when I planned for tomorrow evening. In the end, we said Saturday at 1 pm. Though he isn't concrete; on that.

Life getting lifey.

Hi Mark,

I have to say it would be a cold day in hell the day I invite one of my neighbours round the trouble they have caused me! But on a serious note yes short notice is a pain

I hear you!

My wife is pretty good and is always taking my needs into account.

But, yesterday she said with less than five minutes notice, "I think I'll ask [our neighbour] to come in to play with the dog, before we go for a drink."

I nearly had a heart attack and didn't react well.

The sad thing is that my wife has needs too. Why shouldn't she be able to ask a neighbour at a moment's notice if she feels like?

It's pretty cool about your family research. I hope that you get it soon. A cousin of mine dug up all sorts of interesting things about maternal grandfather.

oh yes this is my biggest bug bear not knowing a date I get told I am impatient in fact I am not if someone says thanks got that will reply in a week I am happy.If you send a request and hear nothing and chase that is a pain.I then get called obsessional but hey I have OCD and Autism the O is obsesionalism