People piss me off.

But that's not news to you, eh?

Okay, remember our shitty vacation? Well, besides the fact that it was was a weather-induced waste of money, we still haven't gotten back our security deposit.

Our rental agreement said that we would recieve our security deposit back within 45 days of departure. That came and went. It's been about 2 months.

Scott tried contacting the property owners using all the phone numbers we had, however they'd all been disconnected. Okay, that was okay - we knew they had recently moved, so we cut them some slack regarding that.

We backtraced through the website we rented the house through and had the agent locate the owners. Finally, Scott got an e-mail back from the owner saying that she was sorry for the delay but there had been a death in their family and they were late in getting security deposits out.

Okay. First, let's back up.

Don't get me wrong. I can understand how painful it is to lose someone close to you. I'm truely empathetic about the situation, BUT, you have to draw a line between your personal life and your financial transactions.

I don't like it when people make excuses for not doing what they're supposed to, especially when it involves money.

If we pay a security deposit, that money is supposed to be held in trust. That means YOU DO NOT SPEND that money. They had the benefit of 45+ days of banking interest on those funds and get to keep that. We're talking about a commodity: they had something we wanted, and we got it at an okay price. Certain terms of contract have to be followed for both sides to have a equitable trade: if you say you'll send the money back in 45 days, you have to do it.

Furthermore, you do NOT reveal to your renters your personal problems. That's none of our damned business. Merely say, "I am unable to immedately refund your money. I am working to send it out as soon as possible." If a person finds that unacceptable and demands to know specifics, tell them your story then.

Second: if we pay tax on that deposit, YOU HAVE TO REFUND THE TAX as well. You should not feel personally wronged for being asked for what was supposed to be returned to us in the first place. If you return your ill-fitting pants to the Gap for cash, do they not pay back your sales tax? Yes, they do. We probably weren't supposed to pay tax on the deposit to start with.

What I'm REALLY pissed about is their lack of understanding for the fact that we had the worst fucking vacation ever in their property. They DID NOT disclose the fact that the roof had a substantial leaking problem, which they DID KNOW. That's useful information to have before spending three days in hurricane conditions, huh? We spent three days mopping water and placing water-catching receptacles under leaks so that their fucking carpet wouldn't be ruined. We left that place IMMACULATE given the circumstances. Rule number two of business: a return customer is a profitable customer. They won't get that from us.

I feel used and I'm really pissed off about this situation. If you don't have the money, say so. We'll not be satisfied with that obviously, but trying to make us feel like bad people for bothering you during a sensitive time is way beyond unprofessional. I'm going to make damned sure nobody I know ever rents a property from them.

Perhaps I'm stark-raving mad, but if you had been 60 days behind in doing your responsibilities at work, wouldn't you be fired?

Villa 54. Bald Head Island. Stay away.

Posted by Tiffany at November 8, 2005 10:09 PM | TrackBack