When John got to the house, he almost cried
My brother had been a serious cheapskate from the time he found out how to spend money. He would buy candy and hide it away so the rest of us couldn’t find it. If my buddy and I bought candy, my buddy and I had to share with him or he would tell our mom, although he never shared his stash. Twenty years later, he was still cheap, and would use someone else’s stuff before simply using his. He had no one to use when he had to buy a new heating and A/C system. He asked my husband, who is an actual heating and A/C specialist, what his opinion would be for a new heating and A/C system. My husband told him about multiple fine heating and A/C systems that were really efficient. When John started giving him quotes on the price, my brother asked if he couldn’t reduce the price by 50%. He was sure my husband could get it cheaper if he said the heating and A/C system was for us; John told him he wouldn’t do that. Two weeks later, my brother called and asked my husband if he would install his new heating and A/C system for him. I tried to talk John into charging him to do the installation, although he said my brother was family and refused to charge him. When John got to the house, he almost cried. My brother bought the cheapest heating and A/C system available, and it wasn’t even really strong enough to keep his house warm or cooled. John almost refused to install the heating and A/C system, knowing my brother would blame him the first time something went wrong with the boiler or the air conditioning system unit.