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The Second Advent of My Refrigerator
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Sometimes the second coming is better than the first!
Now that you’ve all heard me complain and complain about management company, I’ve got one more story to toss on the pile.
So despite everyone’s input that we didn’t have a legal leg to stand on when it came to not getting keys, Susan and I took drastic action. We got apartment keys, but we didn’t have keys to the garage or washer/dryer room. I once got locked out at 9:30 pm and couldn’t get to my car to pick up Susan from school. So we decided to withhold rent. If they consider “starting the lease” to be from the time they hand over the keys, I argue that we had not officially begun our lease agreement. Especially since we weren’t getting access to all the facilities described in the contract.
Anyway, we paid rent and withheld 1/3 of the rent for the time that we did not have access. I was a little nervous, because I wasn’t sure if that was actually legal. I’m still not sure. We didn’t hear anything from the property manager. Then again, this is nothing new. I’ve called that man at least a dozen times, and he has yet to pick up his phone. So last week on Thursday, I come home from work...and notice that something seems different…
I take a look around to try to put my finger on what that difference is...and discover that THE REFRIGERATOR IS MISSING! Now you have to understand that the leasing company told us that we could have that fridge, but that they would personally throw it out because it was too disgusting to use. When you’re poor, however, you can’t really be all that picky. So we kept it. It really wasn’t ours. And so at that moment, I immediately thought that they had taken the fridge back as an act of retaliation!
All our food was in the sink or on the counter. The multiple dairy products growing ripe in the afternoon sun. The ice cream was in a sad state of affairs. I freaked out.
I called around frantically, trying to get someone on the phone. I was trying to formulate my argument why what they did was wrong. “You didn’t get my permission to enter the premises...” and “You had no right to take something as an act of retaliation...” Finally, I got the maintenance manager on the phone.
“Um did someone come and take my refrigerator?” I asked, trying to hold myself together so I wouldn’t scream at them.
“Oh, are you in apartment #4? Oh that was a mistake,” came the reply.
“...A mistake?”
“Yeah, it was supposed to be the fridge from apartment 7.”
At this point, I was relieved and fully in disbelief. Could they really be that retarded? Did they not notice that it was still in use?
So I asked haltingly, “so...can we get the fridge back...?”
“Uh, can we give it back tomorrow?”
“I’ve got lots of food that’s already spoiled and still spoiling. I need it back tonight.”
Thankfully, they agreed without too much of a struggle. I have never been so happy to see that nasty old thing again. You really do appreciate it the second time it comes around, because you’ve had enough time to realize how good you had it while it was there, even if it was old and worn. I was so happy that I didn’t even ask why there was dirt and tree leaves in the freezer.
As they shoved it back into place, the maintenance manager said, “Good thing you called. It was going to be thrown away tonight!”
...
I have only one word for this: RETARDED