03-11-2010, 02:52 PM
I never have company here because my parents are too old to fly and my old friends aren't island types. Those who travel, go to Europe. But I know people who get run around by guests and I've heard some real horror stories. A friend of mine in Kona, has A/C but really can't afford to use it. Guests turned it on all day, ran the HELCO up $400 for their stay ... ate hosts out of hundreds of dollars worth of food, demanded transport throughout, and never offered even a meal. Many people don't want to have confrontations. Those guests will not be welcomed back, that's all.
This talk about the hot water reminds me of a long ago party at my house up in a very chilly part of Washington. The guests were truly out of control but they were not the kind of people I could confront. Bikers mostly. So I went outside and turned off the propane at the tank and there was no more heat, it got bitter cold inside, and then they left. Or passed out.
Guests like this make me think passive aggressive thoughts, like, why not let the frig and cupboards get empty, and if anyone says they're hungry, say, hmm, there doesn't seem to be any food left. Or beer. I bought my regular amount of groceries this week too. Odd.
I have a pretty low tolerance. I especially won't put up with people filling my sink up with dishes and not helping.
Honestly, when we moved over here, we had a spare room for guests, with a bed bought for guests, and no one came. We sold that house and no more guest room. Now we have the kind of company that can sleep on couches or air mattresses. I have a "no loan" policy on my car. Period. My one old friend who did want to come and mentioned the free room, set off the alarms in my head, because she's known for being very cheap, and I knew it would cost a mint to host here ... so I didn't encourage.
Personally, if I were a guest, I'd rent my own car, take my hosts out to dinner, buy my own groceries, only accept cooking that was going to be done anyway, and would say if I weren't coming back, and would try to give them space. I would ask how things work before using them. etc. It seems common courtesy to me.
This talk about the hot water reminds me of a long ago party at my house up in a very chilly part of Washington. The guests were truly out of control but they were not the kind of people I could confront. Bikers mostly. So I went outside and turned off the propane at the tank and there was no more heat, it got bitter cold inside, and then they left. Or passed out.
Guests like this make me think passive aggressive thoughts, like, why not let the frig and cupboards get empty, and if anyone says they're hungry, say, hmm, there doesn't seem to be any food left. Or beer. I bought my regular amount of groceries this week too. Odd.
I have a pretty low tolerance. I especially won't put up with people filling my sink up with dishes and not helping.
Honestly, when we moved over here, we had a spare room for guests, with a bed bought for guests, and no one came. We sold that house and no more guest room. Now we have the kind of company that can sleep on couches or air mattresses. I have a "no loan" policy on my car. Period. My one old friend who did want to come and mentioned the free room, set off the alarms in my head, because she's known for being very cheap, and I knew it would cost a mint to host here ... so I didn't encourage.
Personally, if I were a guest, I'd rent my own car, take my hosts out to dinner, buy my own groceries, only accept cooking that was going to be done anyway, and would say if I weren't coming back, and would try to give them space. I would ask how things work before using them. etc. It seems common courtesy to me.