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| Not Beans' house (Editor) (Source) |
Ah, the joys of apartment life. Yehaw. Thought I was over this bullscat when I shed the house. So, back to the beginning, last March my inside air handler (the fan box thingy that actually cools the air and moves the air but sends the now-hot coolant to the outside heat pump in order to make now-hot coolant cool) tried to walk away. Like literally, walk off the shelf it was on because the fan was out of balance and the motor for said fan was way on the way to the door to go walkies. Around the same time the dishwasher machine (not the dishwasher person, that would be me) stopped working. And the roof started leaking around the stove vent hole which caused the craptastic cabinet section around the vent hood to start collapsing (the co-located stove vent hasn't worked since I moved in in 2017.) And the refrigerator compressor started making weird horrible noises, wheezing and stopping with a kathunkkathunk indicating that it was on the way to hitting end-of-life. And the toilet started moving off the donut as the bolts have corroded away enough they aren't bolting, so to speak.
I had to fix the air handler by opening it up, knocking most of the garbage /mold /mildew /snot/ hair /nicotine /thc/ whatever that had clogged the fan blades of the air handler fan. Which stopped it mostly from trying to walk away, which I fixed by shivving it (putting a screwdriver under the frame to warp it enough to stop it from walking away.)
All appliances that are furnished by the management corporation. Yay. Whoohoo. Don't have to worry about fixing and repairing all this by myself. The management company has repair people and deep pockets to do the replacements.
March 2022 sucked. Totally. Very totally.
Informed the landlady. Who took all the information from her apartment as she was firmly deep into the depths of the Covidiocracy, to the point that rent could only be paid via interwebs, the phones were transferred to the landlady's cell phone, the office was closed, no physical contact, no physical forms of communication possible.
Landlady sent a complete moron, nay, a brainless zombie to try to stop the warbling, walking, shaking air handler. By jamming a couple pieces of foam in between the airhandler and the wall. And the idiot stole my screwdriver. Grrr.
Back to the Landlady. Seems she was handling the Covidiocracy by seeing how much THC can be consumed before fatal toxicity has been reached. Seems she never reached it. Seems her continued drug usage (this will be a recurring theme...) contributed to her no longer being the landlady, as there were years of work orders that hadn't been worked or ordered or had people ordered to work.
She gets replaced by a 17year veteran of the over-management company. Okay, have to go all over all the issues once again. By phone. After the 5th item she decided to come see what really is the problem, along with the head of the maintenance section for the over-management company. And she and the head maintainer see the wonders of the air handler, the cabinets, the vent fan, the dishwasher, the toilet, the unpainted/unsanded/uncompleted wall behind the toilet etc. This was in June 2022.
July 2022 comes around, air handler is still malfunctioning/not working properly/shaking. So I call the new landlady and once again go over all the issues. Since the maintenance head was once again in the office when I called, he came over, again, looked at it, again, and called directly to the contractor who replaces the a/c systems for the over-management company. Which took 2 weeks, and they finally replaced the air handler, which now/then worked really well, pushing enough air that between the new 52" ceiling fan I bought and installed (because the 40" piece of dog-squeeze that came with the apartment sucked and I like air movement) the room became very air moveable. Yay.
The contractor did say the outside heat pump was way old, way past its prime, needs replacing, yada yada yada. Said he'd talk to the management company and get them to get a new one. Yeah, right.
Still no dishwasher, cabinets, hole in roof fixed, yada yada yada.
Every month, call the office, ask when things will be fixed, nothing, yada yada.
Come November 2022, in a fit of anger, I go to the office out of spite and, lo and behold, there is a new landlady, as the previous landlady was fired after being arrested for kidnapping of the complex's maintenance guy (who was in and out of jail for 2 years on... drug charges) child (who was being abused and starved by father and mother) and fed-level drug trafficking while on bail for fed-level drug trafficking. Whew. What a twisted world I live in.
New landlady takes over, and I have to go over and over all the issues (minus the air handler as the new one works well) and... Only good thing is she doesn't believe in masking and electronic funds only, so I can save the $10 fee for the rental transaction online. It adds up, yes it does.
December 2022, I ask how everything's going and...
January 2022, I ask how everything's going and... a new one is in the warehouse according to main maintenance guy.
February 2022, I ask how everything is going and the new landlady (from November, not fired yet) asks, "You don't have a new one yet?" Of which multiple calls over multiple days finally results in a semi-competent supposedly drug-free maintenance guy showing up with a dishwasher and removing the old one and installing the new one and he leaves and I look at this piece of dogsqueeze that does run but looks used and abused and I start seething. All this time, 11 months and I get a used almost knackered-out machine.
Next day, I drop by the office and tell the manager that the new dishwasher has been installed and, oh, by the way, was it supposed to be new-new or used-new? At which she says, "Do you really think they'll buy a new machine?" (I do live in a lower-rent apartment, sadly. But it keeps the rain out (except over the stove)
At which time I go home, tell Mrs. Andrew and ponder. The current dying refrigerator/freezer is only a, at max, 16 cubit foot refrigerator, and as we all know, size matters in refrigerators. I already have a me-purchased 16cuft refrigerator for drinks and extra room (I don't like shopping, so when I go, I buy lots, like weekly 4-5 gallons of milk, then there's the sodas and monthly cheese purchases and other bulky items.) But, hmm, 32" wide space and 66" tall space and how much does a refrigerator that fits in that hole and mostly maxes it out, gee, head over to (b)Lowes and they have a sale and it ends on March 8th and it's a 18.3cuft refrigerator freezer.
But... well, though I got the okay to purchase, the kitchen is cramped and the fridge/freezer is stuffed and...
Get to cleaning, come the 8th, go to the Lowe's webpage and it says "Access Denied." WTheck? Clear out all the caches (that would be pronounced 'cashes' not 'cachettes' like the idiots on tv say now) and do disk cleanups and still "Access Denied." Who did I peeve off? Which of our 3-Letter agencies was listening when I said in the throne room that I was dropping a Bisomething? So I restart and do it all over again and nada, "Access Denied."
Fortunately, I have a backup. Mrs. Andrew is right there and I get her to access the site and set up the purchase of said refrigerator-freezer and jump through hoops and crawl through hoops and do that weaving back and forth thingy that dogs do after jumping and crawling and all that jazz and right about the time she hits 'make purchase' I realize that I have a computerphonecamera thingy in my friggin hand and could have done it over the phone. Luddite much, Beans?
So, Friday, March 10th, Me and Mine will finally be the proud owners of our very own 18.3cuft fridge/freezer and I will literally kick, okay carefully place the old tired one. And have plenty of room for the once-a-month trip to Walmart and Sams and the weekly trip to Publix. Whew.
Seriously, when holidays come, space is really cramped.
Here I thought I don't have to do maintenance/replacement any more. Dangit.
I live such a fast and furious life, no?
No pictures for the pilot, because even he knows what a refrigerator or dishwasher or even an air handler looks like. (Editor's Note - I added the picture, I like pictures and I have my "reasons." OAFS)
I hope the installation of the fridge goes smoothly!
ReplyDeleteIt better. Just requires the delivery men to move the old one out and roll the new one in after plugging it in. Should be, I repeat, should be simple. But then again, chaos follows me around.
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. Yeah, it is good you chose Lowes. Water heater delivery from HD was a real treat. They use FedEx around here, and it was delivered with a busted up gas valve and a massive dent in the wrapper near the bottom. A week later, UPS comes to take it away, and tells me they can't, because it was unboxed. Well, how am I supposed to see hidden handling damage without unboxing it??? 4 days later, a third contract company comes and picks it up. 3 days after that, I get my refunded purchase price. Oh, and while all that is going on, I order another one from Lowes. It comes in 2 days, intact, delivered from a local Lowes location by someone not working for FedEx or UPS with a real live liftgate truck.
DeleteI make fun of (b)Lowes but they do a fine job of delivery and service. Previous experience with Homie Despot was only with in-store purchases so never really have much to say about that. The only other appliances I've bought have been through a local appliance store and if my washer and/or dryer ever die, I'll buy from them again as I am now addicted to Speed Queen.
DeleteOne foul note from Lowes. Wife went to buy me a set of Black n Decker cordless for Christmas, and they were delivered. In the shiny box labeled Black and Decker with the tools all pictured in their black and orange glory. She was a bit miffed about her surprise being blown, even though that was the year I actually expressed what I wanted (normally it's "I don't want or need presents, I have you.") so I kind of sort of knew what I was getting.
I had the fridge die at my MN house. Fortunately, we had a branch of a freight-damage appliance outlet (locally known as "Scratch and Dent") in my hometown. Got a larger fridge than the original (in black vinyl and stainless steel with a few dents) for half the price of replacing the original. They even loaned me and a couple friends a moving dolly to install it. Best part was that we didn't have to worry about adding a couple more scratches getting it in the house. Been working fine for 10 years, and with a few artfully placed refrigerator magnets, nobody knows the difference.
DeleteI will normally do the appliance shop scratch-n-dent, but they had none in my price and size range 32" x 66", so Lowes it was.
DeleteSounds like that management company prefers sketchy hires. Once again $$$ counts for everything. Good luck tomorrow with the new fridge Beans.
ReplyDeleteThe apartments are not overrun with college students, nor are they overly expensive. Did not realize that not overly expensive for simple 1 bedroom apartment meant that the management company was a cheapskate provider of services and materials. Eh. It's a home that I am not that responsible for.
DeleteI'm hoping that the delivery is scheduled after 1pm (currently it is from 8am to 8pm and I can't change that) but as long as I have an hour notice to finish all the little things it will be okay (making the right-wing white supremacy hand signal of doom because I can, Mr. fed snooper who's watching everything I type...(and, no, that's not you Mr. Nylon12.))
Ah yes, the covidicy, where the useless learned to "work" from home and never return. Where people were paid not to work and the gubmint became even less efficient than before (how is THAT even possible?)
ReplyDeleteApartment life, I don't miss it.
Overall I enjoy it because at the end of home ownership period there was just one thing after another and with the bonus feature that I don't have to worry about mowing the grass. Additional bonus feature is it's a straight shot into the house with a gurney from the bambilence ifn that's needed.
DeleteMost of the neighbors in my quad (16 apartments) are cool. I only have to get rid of one neighbor who leases her apartment and apparently her bathroom for drugs. Within the last week the cops have been there 4 times, three times for people who don't live there but are living there. New landlady is working on breaking the lease, and every hit helps.
Seriously, all I need is a decent kitchen, a working bathroom and air conditioner and a roof over our heads and I'm fine. Not like I'm going anywhere soon or have visitors much. We're (Mrs. Andrew and I) are pretty much complete together and don't need/want/desire the outside world except for to win lottery bigly so we can visit the Smokies and such on our terms.
There are no lawn services in your area who will take care of mowing the grass for you?
DeleteLawn services on a 1/3rd acre wooded lot was expensive when I had the house. Now I don't have to worry about it, much, somewhat, mostly (okay, I rake leaves and pick up doggie doodles and trash and remove limbs that fall during wind events, but I don't have to mow or edge or anything else.
DeleteOh my! That's a heck of a story. My landlord is awesome as she lets me sleep next to her every night! haha. Glad I own, but it's not for everyone, especially at these interest rates.
ReplyDeleteWhen transitioning from home ownership to apartment, I admit I screwed up and did not cast my search out further, like to the county south of us (we live in Alachua, the southward one is Marion) as there is a world of difference in political and social feelings between them. But I was concerned about price, distance from her doctors, distance from stores, distance from old house to new apartment.
DeleteI at least chose one where the crime rate is reasonable. The THC delivery method issue is more due to idiots voting in medical marijuana here in Florida because stupidity. Oh well, just have to keep my door closed during the times when most of the pot-heads are medicating, including former landlady who was fired for medicating on the job.
Beans, I remember the air handler story. Ugh, this sounds like a horrible series of experiences. Now that we effectively "have" a rental through managing my parents' estate, we try to be far more prompt about such things (it is really not that hard: money and competent contractors help and a base level of caring about people and their living circumstances, especially for reliable clients). Glad you are getting a refrigerator though!
ReplyDeleteRe: Ordering on the Smartbox. I never do, unless it is with a specific app (such as Southwest) that I have used repeatedly and understand. Otherwise, I fear I would "order" something and later hear the question from The Ravishing Mrs. TB "Why did we just order $10,000 worth of X?"
I am more concerned about the security of ordering over the computerphonecamera because interwebs security via phone sites aren't as secure as interwebs security over actual internet.
DeleteThat and I keep forgetting the damned thing can do that. I only transitioned from a flip-phone to a 'smart' phone at the end of 3G, which was last year or maybe the year before. I have had one other 'smart' phone and that was a Windows phone and I loved it so of course Windows phones went the way of the dinosaurs so back to a flip phone which I rarely used because anyone calling me caused me to spend hours trying to open the damned cursed thing up.
I am sure in the expensive stacked upon each other student dwellings the management companies spend more on replacements and on background checks for employees, but most of the bitching is because, well, I bitch quite well and these are services the management company is supposed to take care of and not me as I thought I was retiring from being a property manager. Sigh. So much for clever plans...
Where I live had some fallout from Hurricane Katrina and I wound up with six feet of water in the basement. I was able to save the furnace, but, the hot water tank was gone. I called the landlord and he says that he can get a tank, but, it could take up to two weeks for someone to be available to put it in. He gets the tank and brings it over. I help him get it into the basement and he says that he can't get ahold of a plumber. I tell him that I'm having a hot shower in two hours and proceed to install the tank. He asked where I learned to do that and I told him that I worked with a remodeling crew for a few Summers when I was a kid. I installed three more tanks in places that he owned and he told me that he didn't want to see a rent check until the first of the year. It was September.
ReplyDeleteI tried discussing with each new landlady about work-for-rent and "I'll buy the appliance and install it if you take it off the rent" but that has flown about as well as, well, the Rule of Law during the current regime. (Sorry, political statement but McDonnel Douglass proved they could get a brick to fly with enough power...)
DeleteWhoa! Don’t get ugly!
DeleteI never intended for him to cut me a break on the rent. It had been four days of cold showers, that was all of the incentive I needed.
DeleteDunno what the "access denied" issue is, but it appears to be related to letting their scripts run. If the script is blocked, then allowed, you get the access denied message until something expires later.
ReplyDeleteFor Lowes, Home Depot and Advanced Auto I have to remember to disable my script blocker before going to their pages.
I determined that it might have been due to me keeping the page with the refrigerator open for a week and that peeved their interwebs system. If so, I'll make sure to add to cart and close the page pronto. Eh, laziness on my part screwed up their part. Probably.
DeleteWe rented in Houston. The apartment a/c drained into the bath tub. Right near the back, just a stub of a pipe. The first time that leaked down my back during a hot shower, I just about died. Not a happy day. We moved to a house after 9 months of that nightmare.
ReplyDeleteThe rent house was the "baby" of the lady that was the owner. She never did a lick of work to it. Until the furnace was leaking CO. I asked about the possibility of adding central air less than day after reporting it to the management company, but she had already raced to get the heater purchased and it was "too late to change the order". When we moved out, the water was cut off a day early. I still feel a little bad about the last deposit I left her. ;)
So far all the bad things are still at the petty level. The day the heat pump goes TU is the day I will vent and fume. I was hoping they'd replace the machine during the (brief) winter so we won't die of heat and sweat and heat when it finally craps out during the summer like I know it is going to. I did think of disconnecting it and tossing it in the dumpster and claiming it was stolen, but I have over 2,000 years of institutionalized Catholic Guilt behind me and I suck at lying. So, well, I live in dread for the day it finally wheezes and shuffles off its mortal cooling coil.
ReplyDeleteHey, OAFS, thanks for the pics. Never has my kitchen looked soooo good.
ReplyDelete🤣🤣🤣
DeleteIs it fair to say, “Go Gators”? I’ll save it for another time.
ReplyDeleteIt is fair, if the socialist and outright communist college professors and their fellow travelers didn't have a lock on Teh Stupids here in the People's Democratic Republic of Alachuacountystan, capital city of Gainesvillegrad. Remember "Don't Tase Me, Bro!"? He was protesting that John Kerry was too right wing.
DeleteI am all for socialists and communists existing, if they walked the walk and talked the talk. You know, give up their worldly goods and monies and live like the downtrodden they think they are.
As to actually saying anything pro-gatorish, I just have to whisper the name... Galen Hall....
Other than that, it's an okay place, nice campus, just hope our governor knocks some sense into the leftist twits who are running and shadow-running the place like he did Nova University/New College.