I’m a fairly trusting person, but I also have plenty of street smarts and can usually read people fairly accurately.
I get a sense of whether or not someone is trustworthy within a minute or two of meeting them, and it usually pans out to be correct. That’s why I was nervous when I first met my new HVAC technician last year. Something about him didn’t seem right when he came inside to inspect my furnace, and I called my friend to come over and keep me company until he had serviced the heating unit, and we watched to make sure he didn’t do anything strange on his way out. This year I called to have my air conditioner serviced before it got too hot outside, and was really hoping they would send out a different heating and cooling repairman. I requested that over the phone, but they told me that they only had a few guys to send out for dozens of calls that week, so there was no way to ensure my AC would be inspected by someone else. Of course, I was unhappy to see the same truck with an HVAC logo pull up. I made sure my dog was right next to me as he cleaned the lines and replaced the air filters on my air conditioning unit, but everything went smoothly. It wasn’t until he handed me the invoice to sign when I realized he was trying to overcharge me by at least double what the AC maintenance should have been! At least I know my instincts are good!