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?

$358.40

Do you all remember my taste of insanity when it came to my washer/dryer combo LG High Efficiency Bullshit?

I made an appointment for someone to come take a look at it. They were too busy to come before yesterday, April 9.

So after telling them that the water wouldn't drain and that the error code said that the sensor was the problem, they had me shell out $69.95 for them to look at the garbage machine for 10 minutes and tell me exactly what I told them - the drain and the sensor need to be replaced. Wow what a shock!!!

The repairman couldn't give me any more information. Not how long. Not how much. Not anything.

So I waited to hear from the company to find out how much. Well lucky me it will cost $358.40 for parts, labor and tax. Are you kidding me? No way in hell am I going to spend that much on a machine I don't want to use. I don't even think I could resell it for that much!

What am I going to do? How do I get rid of this thing!??!?!?!

***UPDATE***
I decided to give it away for free. Thank you craigslist.

Insanity Is An Option

I am the owner of an LG High Efficiency all in one washer and dryer unit. It came with my apartment and I was really happy and excited about it the first time I saw it. It is small, it takes up very little energy and it is a laundry unit in my apartment!

Unfortunately for me, after a month of using it I started to hate it. I didn't like the amount of time it took to do a load (about 4 to 5 hours). I didn't like the way the clothes came out. I saw too many wrinkles and everything felt over-dry. And then finally, a sensor broke. Now I use it to stack pots and pans on top of it.

Over the past few months I have almost lost my mind over what to do with this machine. After it broke I called a number of repair companies. Most never heard of this type of machine (I guess it is too European for them) and when I finally found a company and made an appointment they never showed up.

My most recent decision was to give it to Charity. I called the Salvation Army and have been told they do not accept broken appliances.

I then considered trying to sell it in its current condition. But how do you put up a classified ad to sell something broken that I have no clue how much it will cost to fix. I don't have the heart to not tell someone how messed up the machine is.

So I went back to the first decision and tried to find another company to repair it. After being put on hold and hung up on a few times, I finally got through to a real person who was willing to give me an appointment. Unfortunately the appointment isn't until mid-April. I guess I have waited long enough for this thing to get fixed, so what's another month of waiting?

But now what do I do with this thing when it is fixed? Should I put it up on Craigslist and just try to recoup what I paid for the repair? What are people willing to pay for this type of machine? I believe I am about to lose my mind and I won't be at peace until this machine is only a distant memory.

Please help!

Broward County Courthouse, Who Do You Think You Are?

I took a trip up to Broward County this morning to visit their lovely mental institution Courthouse for a hearing. Every time I go up there I realize how crappy that Courthouse is.

First of all, what is up with the parking? There are only a handful of private lots charging $10-$20 flat rates for the day (most get suckered into the $20 because of its location). You could stay 10 minutes or 8 hours - you pay that amount. If you show up at 4am you may be lucky enough to get a meter on the street - but I bet the police will find something wrong with it and give you a ticket anyway. Why? Because it is Broward County.

Why is it so expensive to park? Do you think your land is worth more than Miami? If you haven't been down to Miami in the past 20 years you may not know that Miami has municipal parking lots where you can park all day for $8. And if you are stupid enough to go to a private lot maybe you will pay those Broward Rates, but at least they give you an hourly rate option and not require a full day flat rate.

Now I know suddenly Broward has a high opinion of itself thanks to a certain Anna Nicole Smith media circus in their courthouse over the past few weeks, but really this has to stop.

On top of that - the elevators in the courthouse never work and they are slower than the drawbridges over the Miami River.

And this courthouse can't decide whether you should bring your own Orders to hearings or give you blank ones. If you don't bring in an order they send you down to an administrative office to get some. When you show up there you get lectured for not bringing an Order. What is the big deal? In Miami the blank orders are in such excess that they are used as toilet paper in the Judge's bathrooms. So why is Broward so cheap? That is just another mystery.

I just want to know why the Judge's chambers do not have fax machines. I show up for the hearing and the Judge for some reason doesn't have some document that I already sent him by mail. I ask if I can have my office fax it over to him. No can do because they don't have a fax. What? Seriously? Is there some hidden fax but you just refuse to share? Bullshit.

On top of that - what is with all the smug faces that work around there? Every person automatically gives you a blank stare and refuses to assist you with anything. Even after you do all the "please", "thank you", "I appreciate it" ass kissing, you still get nothing. You all need to just chill out!