Great Lies Through History:
Apples are good for you.
No, your butt doesn't look fat.
It's not you, it's me.
Ms. Shirley's Great Lies:
The Roof Is Leaking
I Mailed the Check
I am Not a Liar
And the one below:
The latest came on Wednesday when Ms. Shirley called me responding to my e-mail.
You might remember, Ms Shirley's check got "lost in the mail" in May. She was quick to offer me solutions on how to fix her situation, so I let her. In this case, her solution was to pay me the additional $500 by August. She even sent me an e-mail saying as much.
August has come and is almost gone, and I haven't seen my money. So, I e-mailed her--with her e-mail to me from two months ago still attached.
Ms. Shirley then telephoned me and called me by my first name. I responded by calling her by her last name. To her credit, she immediately caught the subtext and jumped to the purpose for her call.
And I quote, "I am confused by your e-mail. Was I supposed to pay that $500?"
The reason I cut Ms. Shirley some slack to begin with was because at the time, I was shooting for a stress-free summer. I was willing to work with a tenant of two years, with a guaranteed income instead of sending her to the curb. Besides, I am not too keen on taking a chance Mr. 114 won't like his new next door neighbor. And if he doesn't like who is living next door, I probably won't either.
During our call, completely bypassing the fact, I wasn't confused and re-read her e-mail she sent me from months ago, Ms. Shirley went on to tell me her electric bill has been high, she needs dental work and her son is back in school so there are extra expenses with that.
I explained we have a contract, and I am disappointed that there seems to be some miscommunication about honoring the contract. I explained this puts me in a precarious position with my business partner, who does not take kindly to folks who don't do what they say they are going to do. Not that he knows anything about this particular issue.
That got her. In fact, Ms. Shirley has since sent me another e-mail stating the $500 is coming by the end of September. I would be really pleased if there is no confusion on this one.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
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1 comment:
Why do folks think their landlord gives two shakes of a donkey's tail if their kid is back in school, their electric bill was high, their kids car broke down and they had to get it fixed (Ms. Kathy) or even that the "check got lost in the mail"? The light company doesn't care about any of the above. They send you a notice that you have until this date to pay or no lights. End of story. Believe me I know how unexpected things affect ones life when money's tight, but trying to convince your landlord that money you owe to someone else takes precedence over money you owe to them is really in very poor taste and I would think defeats your goal of eliciting sympathy from the landlord.
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