Stop in for a cup of coffee

So I've got to rant just a bit.

I really dislike it when someone only contacts you when they need something. about 8 year ago I installed a furnace and A/C for my ex mother in law. I've always liked her, and just wanted to help her out. Well fast forward to just last week. I get a message from her husband (not my ex's dad, she remarried). That the A/C was working great, but he got this hair up his butt to go and wash it out. Well since he did that it wont work, and he keeps asking me to come look at it. I dont mind helping diagnose things but I got rid of all my A/C tools and really cant help out anymore. Yet he expects me to come out and look at it. I've told him I would ask other people I know if they would want to swing by and everyone is busy now. I relay that back to him and he asks me ok, so when can you come out.. Seriously I dont have the stuff to diagnose your problem, call up a repair company... Grrr!
Stop dancing around the answer and just say No.

“I cannot, and will not come to help you, here is the number of a repair service.”

I learned a long time ago to never soft sell the answer “No”.

Firm, direct and unforgiving...period.

Ask my FIL who tried to take out a life insurance policy on my daughter when she was a year old without asking me and named himself as the beneficiary and gave me no rights to the policy. He mailed it to me with little sticky flags where he needed me to sign. I sent it back shredded in a FedEx envelope with a note that said “No”.