One of the many challenges that Expats face when they move to a foreign country is figuring out the social rules for interacting with that country’s people and for getting things done. For example, North American newcomers to Cuenca quickly discover that “mañana” doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow, and that “between 10 AM and Noon” often means sometime in the late afternoon. In another example, many of us have encountered “gringo pricing”, where the price we pay seems to vary based our country of origin rather than on the objective value of the good or service.
This isn’t a criticism of Ecuadorians! Rather it just acknowledges that North Americans moving to Cuenca are often unsure how much they can trust that the “rules of the game” that they learned at home apply here. The recommendations in GringoPost are useful precisely because they help us navigate this uncertainty as we look for local service providers whom we can reasonably trust to perform well in the delivery of their services.
What do we mean when we say that a person is trustworthy? That they have integrity: they tell the truth and are ethical? That they are competent and know what they are doing? That they are reliable, show up on time, get the job done as expected and can be depended on? When I hired a professional plumber in the United States, I generally assumed he would demonstrate all three of the above elements: integrity, competence, and reliability. Didn’t always happen, of course, but that was my expectation.
A deeper level of trust – involving concern – characterizes my relationships with my wife Carol, and with my best friends: I believe that they have my best interests at heart and care about me and not just themselves. We don’t usually expect that of our business transactions, but when we encounter it in a work colleague or a service provider, that individual becomes a treasured friend and resource in our lives.
Such a person is my friend, Olger Avila of Cuenca, Ecuador.
Like many Cuencanos who advertise in GringoPost, Olger is an expert and careful driver, and has many construction skills including painting, electrical work, plumbing, etc. He is also an experienced general contractor. He managed demolition and construction crews of up to 60 people in the United States for 17 years and works to U.S. building standards. Accordingly, he is expert at finding the best craftspeople in Cuenca, at the best price, and then supervising them to be sure that they deliver excellent work with no shortcuts. He has U.S. certifications for trucks, heavy equipment, and uniquely in Cuenca, is certified in lead, black mold and asbestos abatement. He has helped expats build luxurious homes outside of Cuenca, repaint their apartments, hang their paintings, rewire their homes to add outlets, add lighting, redo kitchens, add shelving and cabinets, track down luggage lost somewhere between Guayaquil and Cuenca, source hard to find items, negotiate best prices from suppliers, and much, much more.
We have just completed a move and renovation of an old Cuenca home with his help, and he has been invaluable. Throughout, he has been on time, cost-conscious, concerned with our satisfaction, and proactive. Little things: he hates paint splatters, he cleans up after every job, he hands me money I drop while we are shopping together, he insists on carrying stuff that we buy into our home for us, he is a talented problem solver, and on, and on. He has consistently anticipated our needs and exceeded our expectations. He speaks good English and is a flat out nice guy. He has become a trusted friend, and if you give him a chance, he will earn your friendship and trust as well.
We enthusiastically recommend Olger Avila as an all-around, huge help to your lives here in Cuenca.
Address: Cuenca, Ecuador
Contact information: 098-431-5433
Recommended by Harry Watkins: 099-948-0708
