Genie was in her early 30s when she moved into her new apartment. Just like others Genie moved in as soon as the fitting-out contractor moved out. It didn’t take her long to learn that the closet doors were not working, the working desk drawer could not be pulled out, light switches were missing (the wires ended at the wall behind the closet), and there was electric leakage at the oven. As the contractor who fitted out the apartment had long gone, Genie needed someone who could fix these problems but had no idea where to look—you know that in business district it was easy to find clothes not skilled helpers.
After days of searching she finally found a carpenter who was fitting out an apartment in the same building and wanted to earn some extra money on the weekend. The carpenter promised to bring along with him an electrician on following Sunday to fix all small jobs at Genie’s apartment. Genie was very happy as the problems would be soon over and then she would enjoy decorating her new place. On Sunday the guys shown up as promised and finished their jobs in couple of hours. Genie was told that the drawer was fixed, the closet doors were adjusted, the light switches were in place and connected, but there was nothing they could do with the oven as the kitchen was fitted out without ground wire. It was not an expected outcome, but was pretty much clear that how much the guy s could do. Genie gave them one thousand baht for their time.
Genie needed to do something with the electric leakage, and the trouble closet doors, and she figured it would be easier to fix the problems herself than finding someone else to do it. That afternoon she went to hardware store, bought some wires and tools, came back, wired the ground, and fixed the trouble closet doors. All were done in that afternoon.
Finishing the projects Genie came to realize how much she enjoyed it—though she had to craw into the undercounter cabinet to wire the cable. Later on she even added some more projects like the pendent light for her dining table, added some kitchen fixtures, and unblocked balcony drain pipe herself. She was quite a handylady, wasn’t she?
In addition to her own experience, Genie often heard friends and colleagues having hard time finding skilled men who were qualified and willing to do such small jobs. Genie figured if she made the professional service available, not only would she get to do something she really enjoys, but she would also get to help others who didn’t have time and energy to go through the same experience as she did. That was how, a couple of years later, ServiceGenie was born.
** Genie is a licensed Civil engineer and an American Welding Society certified inspector. She has extensive experience in high-rise building construction and interior decoration.
