Like many people about this time of year, I had to move out of an apartment. I've had experience with this landlord trying to rip me off for VARIOUS things, so I scrubbed and cleaned and toiled over the apartment for two days. And like the nerd I am, I have photographic evidence which culminates in a web photo album.
Now if you were a landlord, would you return my security deposit?
Pics
I apologize if this post isn't coherent or interesting. I got some good whiffs of oven cleaner.
----------------------------------
Update, 9/9/03
I wanted to see her take my deposit. I wanted her to tell me in what sh!tty condition my apartment was left. I then wanted to show her the pictures and see her try to back out or lie to my face with photographic evidence right there. Well I got my wish!
Today, I got the letter from the complex. In it, was a generous $235.04 of our $530 deposit! Let the games begin!
Fsck the phone tag. I showed up 15 minutes after I got that letter and went straight into her office.
Manager: Why hello Kevin! How are you doing?
Me: I?m good! I?m here to see you because I have an issue with the deposit.
Manager: How can I help you?
Me: Why was I charged $294.96 to renovate my unit?
Manager: Well I didn?t do the inspection personally, so I?d have to pull your file.
Me: Could you?
::Manager returns with file::
Manager: Well it looks like there?s miscellaneous housecleaning charges.
Me: Yeah, that?s what it says on the invoice. I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed every visible surface of that apartment.
Manager: Well, no matter how hard you clean, there will always be some charges.
Me: I?m obviously not a professional, but I know that I cleaned the apartment pretty well. I know that there wasn?t $300 worth of dirt left there, for sure.
Manager: Again, I wasn?t there.
Me: Can we look at some pictures?
Manager: I don?t have any?
Me: Can we look at my pictures?
Manager: Sure..
I hand her the URL to my web album. I?ve written it on a piece of paper to make it clear.
Manager: What?s that squiggly?
Me: It?s a tilde.
Manager: Tillduh??
Me: It?s right next to the one?
Manager: Uhhh
I walk over and show her the key.
Me: You hold shift and push that key.
Manager: Ok. L I U K.. E
The issue here isn?t that she is such a fscking moron that she didn?t know what a tilde was, because she obviously knew what that squiggly was. The point is that she is that type of person to stall to the very last minute detail.
Manager: Wow, hmm. It looks like a lot of random circles on this wall
Me: That?s from the flash. The color depth of your monitor is not deep enough to represent the change in shade
Manager: OK.. hmm. OK. Hmm.
Me: Click the right arrow to look at them all.
Manager: Hmm, OK. Hmm. OK. Well maybe the kitchen drip pans were dirty and the surface of the stove was dirty.
Me: Look at page 4. I have a photo of the stove.
Manager: Hmm. Ok.
The manager looks at this picture:
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~liuke/apt_pics/pages/DSCF0141.html
Manager: Well, it looks like maybe underneath the top shell might have been dirty. Did you clean that?
Me: Yes, but I don?t have a photo. Let?s say that it?s dirty. Is it $300 dirty? Can we use a little common sense?
Manager: Well I guess not. There seems to be spots?.
Me: I think we?re wasting our time here. I need to talk to someone else.
Manager: What you can do is email me these photos and I will send them to my regional manager. I have to go to my regional manager to make any adjustments.
This is obviously stalling again.
Me: OK. I?ll do that right now. May I use your computer lab?
Manager: Certainly!
She lets me into the computer lab which is adjacent to the manager?s office. I have to wait a while because there are 4 machines, all occupied. There is a girl waiting to use the computers too.
Girl: Is your thing quick?
Me: You can go ahead. I just need to cool down.
Girl: Why?
Me: Well it?s just the manager. You see?
I explain to her my deposit fiasco and all my previous bad experiences with the manager. This takes about 5 minutes.
Me: So this place is running a fscking scam pretty much. So when you move out, you?d better take a lot of pictures because it?s almost guaranteed that she?ll try to rob you.
Everybody was listening to me. That?s like 5 tenants in there.. you think, 5 apartments x $300 scammed deposit? I?ve liberated $1500 of their money by arming them with my experience. I was talking deliberately loudly.
Me: So I need email to her this link to all my photos. You can see them if you want and you can be the judge. If she doesn?t give me all my money back she is going down.
Literally 5 seconds after I said that, the computer lab door creaks open.
Manager: I can help you right here Kevin.
We walk back to her desk.
Manager: What I can do for you is adjust this cleaning charge here and remove this carpet charge. So you get your entire deposit back.
Me: Great. Thank you. (Thinking to self: Die)
Manager: I?m not too good at math. So since you already have that check.. how much do I owe you?
You can?t be serious. Good lord.
Me: My deposit is $530. I have a check for $235.04. Subtract that from $530.
Manager: Oh, OK. I?m not too good at math. Alright. I will send you a check.
Me: In seven days?
Manager: OK, in seven days.
Me: I?m not asking for anything in writing now because if I don?t get that check in seven days, you?ll definitely be hearing from me in several different ways.
Manager: I?m not a dishonest person! You can trust me!
There was pure hatred; hatred from within. I hadn?t felt that way in a long time. I seriously wanted to cut her face. I would?ve done it too if I had a sharp enough implement. I didn?t respond to her comment and I grit my teeth audibly.
Manager: I haven?t ever not done nothing I said I was going to do, have I?
I stood up right there and extended my hand for a handshake.
Me: I?ll watch the mail. Thanks.
I?m glad I took those pictures. I?m also glad that I get really mad over large sums of money.
Now if you were a landlord, would you return my security deposit?
Pics
I apologize if this post isn't coherent or interesting. I got some good whiffs of oven cleaner.
----------------------------------
Update, 9/9/03
I wanted to see her take my deposit. I wanted her to tell me in what sh!tty condition my apartment was left. I then wanted to show her the pictures and see her try to back out or lie to my face with photographic evidence right there. Well I got my wish!
Today, I got the letter from the complex. In it, was a generous $235.04 of our $530 deposit! Let the games begin!
Fsck the phone tag. I showed up 15 minutes after I got that letter and went straight into her office.
Manager: Why hello Kevin! How are you doing?
Me: I?m good! I?m here to see you because I have an issue with the deposit.
Manager: How can I help you?
Me: Why was I charged $294.96 to renovate my unit?
Manager: Well I didn?t do the inspection personally, so I?d have to pull your file.
Me: Could you?
::Manager returns with file::
Manager: Well it looks like there?s miscellaneous housecleaning charges.
Me: Yeah, that?s what it says on the invoice. I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed every visible surface of that apartment.
Manager: Well, no matter how hard you clean, there will always be some charges.
Me: I?m obviously not a professional, but I know that I cleaned the apartment pretty well. I know that there wasn?t $300 worth of dirt left there, for sure.
Manager: Again, I wasn?t there.
Me: Can we look at some pictures?
Manager: I don?t have any?
Me: Can we look at my pictures?
Manager: Sure..
I hand her the URL to my web album. I?ve written it on a piece of paper to make it clear.
Manager: What?s that squiggly?
Me: It?s a tilde.
Manager: Tillduh??
Me: It?s right next to the one?
Manager: Uhhh
I walk over and show her the key.
Me: You hold shift and push that key.
Manager: Ok. L I U K.. E
The issue here isn?t that she is such a fscking moron that she didn?t know what a tilde was, because she obviously knew what that squiggly was. The point is that she is that type of person to stall to the very last minute detail.
Manager: Wow, hmm. It looks like a lot of random circles on this wall
Me: That?s from the flash. The color depth of your monitor is not deep enough to represent the change in shade
Manager: OK.. hmm. OK. Hmm.
Me: Click the right arrow to look at them all.
Manager: Hmm, OK. Hmm. OK. Well maybe the kitchen drip pans were dirty and the surface of the stove was dirty.
Me: Look at page 4. I have a photo of the stove.
Manager: Hmm. Ok.
The manager looks at this picture:
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~liuke/apt_pics/pages/DSCF0141.html
Manager: Well, it looks like maybe underneath the top shell might have been dirty. Did you clean that?
Me: Yes, but I don?t have a photo. Let?s say that it?s dirty. Is it $300 dirty? Can we use a little common sense?
Manager: Well I guess not. There seems to be spots?.
Me: I think we?re wasting our time here. I need to talk to someone else.
Manager: What you can do is email me these photos and I will send them to my regional manager. I have to go to my regional manager to make any adjustments.
This is obviously stalling again.
Me: OK. I?ll do that right now. May I use your computer lab?
Manager: Certainly!
She lets me into the computer lab which is adjacent to the manager?s office. I have to wait a while because there are 4 machines, all occupied. There is a girl waiting to use the computers too.
Girl: Is your thing quick?
Me: You can go ahead. I just need to cool down.
Girl: Why?
Me: Well it?s just the manager. You see?
I explain to her my deposit fiasco and all my previous bad experiences with the manager. This takes about 5 minutes.
Me: So this place is running a fscking scam pretty much. So when you move out, you?d better take a lot of pictures because it?s almost guaranteed that she?ll try to rob you.
Everybody was listening to me. That?s like 5 tenants in there.. you think, 5 apartments x $300 scammed deposit? I?ve liberated $1500 of their money by arming them with my experience. I was talking deliberately loudly.
Me: So I need email to her this link to all my photos. You can see them if you want and you can be the judge. If she doesn?t give me all my money back she is going down.
Literally 5 seconds after I said that, the computer lab door creaks open.
Manager: I can help you right here Kevin.
We walk back to her desk.
Manager: What I can do for you is adjust this cleaning charge here and remove this carpet charge. So you get your entire deposit back.
Me: Great. Thank you. (Thinking to self: Die)
Manager: I?m not too good at math. So since you already have that check.. how much do I owe you?
You can?t be serious. Good lord.
Me: My deposit is $530. I have a check for $235.04. Subtract that from $530.
Manager: Oh, OK. I?m not too good at math. Alright. I will send you a check.
Me: In seven days?
Manager: OK, in seven days.
Me: I?m not asking for anything in writing now because if I don?t get that check in seven days, you?ll definitely be hearing from me in several different ways.
Manager: I?m not a dishonest person! You can trust me!
There was pure hatred; hatred from within. I hadn?t felt that way in a long time. I seriously wanted to cut her face. I would?ve done it too if I had a sharp enough implement. I didn?t respond to her comment and I grit my teeth audibly.
Manager: I haven?t ever not done nothing I said I was going to do, have I?
I stood up right there and extended my hand for a handshake.
Me: I?ll watch the mail. Thanks.
I?m glad I took those pictures. I?m also glad that I get really mad over large sums of money.
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