My brother 'borrowed' my chainsaw and returned it a mess

I needed my chainsaw for a job this morning, but it was gone from my garage. Found out my brother used it over the weekend to clear brush at his cabin. He brought it back filthy, with a dull chain and no gas left. I'm pissed because now I'm scrambling to get it ready, and he doesn't see the problem.

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_west4mo ago

Is this a regular thing with him?

umat684mo ago

Setting clear expectations fixed it for me!

riley_bell1mo ago

That "setting clear expectations" thing is definitely the way to go but you gotta be super specific about it. Like, don't just say "bring it back clean" because clean means different things to different people. I had this same problem with my neighbor borrowing my tiller and he'd bring it back with dirt caked all over the blades and call it clean. Now I literally hand him a checklist when he borrows anything - return with full gas tank, chain sharpened, blade washed and dried, no exceptions. If your brother doesn't see the problem after you spell out exactly what you need, then he's just being a mooch and you gotta start charging him a rental fee or just say no.