It Never Ends!

Some of you may remember my continued drama with the repairs in my house. It started with the hell that was my washing machine and then the A/C broke and needed to be replaced.

So after more than a month of dealing with this A/C company now the situation has just gotten more frustrating. Here is a list of what has gone wrong so far:

- I contracted the A/C people through Home Depot. I was told I would get 10% off for signing up for a Home Depot Card and I would get up to $1200 off for using this contractor. I got neither. I complained to both Home Depot and the A/C company but nothing changed.

- The unit I got was way more expensive than other units on the market, but I thought I should go through Home Depot because at least I should be able to trust the contractor. I was wrong.

- The first time they came to install the unit they damaged the walls, doors and floors in and around my bathroom where the A/C unit is located. They are only now getting around to doing the repairs. Let's see how that turns out.

- The unit was installed on July 3rd and did not work at all. I couldn't stay in my house that night because the heat was choking me.

- They came to repair the unit 2 days later as well as install another part which they are charging me another $513 for. I was really upset with the extra charge but I agreed to it so I could just get my A/C done and move on with my life.

- I live in a large high-rise condo building which could not get it's shit together so the final parts could be installed (they needed to shut off the main water in order for the A/C people to put in some new valves and hoses on the unit which were necessary to meet the Miami-Dade building codes). Turns out my building needed to do a larger repair first before being able to shut off the water. They told me it was done but then when the A/C company came out again the water would not shut off.

And now, the A/C company wants me to pay more money! Why? Because They have to come out again to install the valve and hoses that I already paid for.

Meanwhile, while the building was shutting off the water, the A/C guy (who showed up late) waited and eventually left around noon saying he would just come back another day to finish it.

And now, because the guy left and didn't want to wait for my building to figure out the water situation, they want me to pay more money. On top of that, there is an open permit that they need to close and I guess they haven't realized yet that if they don't finish the work they can't close the permit. But they don't want to finish the work without more money. So if I don't pay, the permit stays open and then what?

Truth is that this company doesn't know what's coming if they don't finish this work at no extra cost. Elad has done much of the talking to the company over the past month because they respond well to him. When I dealt with them at first they gave me a run-around (I think it's because I am a girl or a bitch). For some reason they love him. But now they are giving him a run-around. So now they are gonna deal with me again. And I'm just gonna be a bitch until they get this right. We have tried the "nice" thing and they have screwed us. I'm tired and I want to move on with my life already.

Oh, and guess what - the air filters in the store don't fit the unit! Surprise, surprise - more money I have to spend either to buy the filters from them or get a custom made filter somewhere else. It never ends.

***Update***
After much bitching and complaining, the A/C company agreed to one more shot without charging me more money. Now let's hope my building can get their act together.

HELP

You guys, I'm gonna be honest with you - this has been a shitty past few days. I have no inspiration for blogging and I am just loaded with stress and sadness. As an update from my "mixed emotions" post the other day - my dog didn't fare so well after the stress he went through. I ended up coming home early from my trip to attend to him at the vet. I won't get into details but just know that the ending is sad.

And on top of that I feel like there is just no relief from all these other constant stresses in my life. After finally getting rid of my old piece of shit washing machine from months ago - I got a new washing machine and it has only given me trouble. I have had to deal with already 5 service calls and the machine still doesn't work. And guess what - they came by today to change another part - and a half hour after they leave my machine starts beeping this error code. Seriously - does it end?

Then on top of that my A/C situation is just dismal. Last week a repair guy came out and gave me the highest quote so far. I will hopefully get another person out here soon to give me another quote - but seriously I can't even afford it anyway.

And why can't I afford it? Well thanks to many increasing bills and a property tax situation - I owe a lot of money. You know that saying "buyer beware"? Well, when I bought my condo I had no clue that the former owner would lose his homestead tax exemption and I would end up paying for it. So guess what - I now owe some major big bucks to the property tax world which I have to sort out this summer.

Oh and did I mention I have to soon decide whether to trade in my car (Mini) or pay up money to continue keeping it? I really love my car. But I have this financing plan called a "balloon payment." So let's just say the car costs 20k. I financed 10k 4 years ago. Now the "balloon" of the other 10k is due. I could refinance the remaining 10k and keep my car or trade it in for a newer model. So the pros - I love the car. Another pro - it might be a little cheaper to refinance - but I am still not sure about that. The cons - it is a 4 year old car that is likely gonna need random repairs that will all be out of pocket. More cons - I am not a huge fan of the newer models but the gas mileage is a little better. I have gone back and forth about this for months now and I just can't decide what to do.

Oh and I think I am getting a cold. And my diet? Down the drain.

So with this ever shrinking bank account (soon to go into the negative) and just this general sadness I really don't know how to even think straight. So excuse me if there are no witty posts for awhile - maybe some other contributors can step up and help me out?

Mixed Emotions

Today I'm gonna get a little personal on the blog. This coming weekend is supposed to be one of celebration. Elad and I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary by taking a weekend cruise to the Bahamas. We have been so excited about this cruise on Royal Caribbean (Majesty of the Seas) and have really been in need of this little break.

But lately I have been under a great deal of stress. Mostly because of money issues and really because I have had a busted Air Conditioner for the past few weeks. It works for only a few hours a day. I have had a really hard time trying to find someone who is wiling to replace my A/C for less than $3000. Can you imagine - I live in a condo that is 770 square feet and I can't replace my A/C for a reasonable price.

So this isn't really where the "mixed emotions" have come from. My dog has started to pay the price for the lack of A/C. Last night he had extreme heat exhaustion which honestly scared the shit out of me. We were able to calm him down and get his temperature to a normal place (put him in the bath and sprayed cold water on him and then had him lay on wet towels). And then as we thought he was getting better he started to feel sick again. We took him to the emergency vet and they ran a blood test. He wasn't in such bad shape - just a tiny bit dehydrated. The vet said that he should stay somewhere with A/C and be given pedialite. My loving sister and brother took him to my mom's house where he is hanging out right now. They told me he had a rough night and I ran to be by his side this morning to see how he is feeling.

And now I am supposed to get on a fun cruise for the weekend and all I can feel is guilt and sadness. I want to be excited for the weekend but I just can't stop thinking about my dog.

But I know my mom, sister and brother are fully capable of taking care of my little doggie. They stayed up all night with him and are continuing to keep a close eye on him.

I need to appreciate the help I have, the love I am celebrating and the wonderful dog I care so much about. Reinforce the positive and it will all work out...