About a month ago I finally got a bank account down here in the south. It was a long time coming due to the nature of having a credit union (with one location) over 1,000 miles away as your primary banking source. But I really like my home bank and my debit card is really cute, it has a picture of a hodag on it! Anyway, back to the story at hand...I got this new bank account, wasn't able to access my account details online, over spent the money I initially deposited and bounced a $100 partial rent check to my landlord. The rest ($350) was paid without problem (with a check from my old account). So I was less than $20 short on covering this check, but because I don't have any money in my savings (yet) it bounced... Nevermind the fact that I have a credit card with this new banking partner and they could have charged the amount on there... Ok so the check bounces, I get an email from my landlord about it
"If you have a hardship with your cash at this time ---lets talk about it! The $100 check was returned. There will be a $30.00 charge for the returned check in cash or made out to..." The subject was " Important Call me ASAP I have to talk to yo9u about a check that was returned and I need your current phone #"
Kind of sweet right, sounds like a nice concerned landlord. So I drop the check off in her drop box (in her carport). Well she apparently didn't get the check because yesterday I got an email from her, subject: " I need to hear from you in order for you not to have your door pad locked one night when you come home!"
The body of the email was blank. Well, I was thinking this was a real humdinger, because I wasn't sure how she was going to padlock my doors...just doesn't really make sense and sounds a little maniacal. So I responded,
" I dropped a new check off at your place this weekend with a note apologizing for the check and explaining that I will pay the fee with next month's rent. Again, I apologize."
Today I check my email and I have this in my inbox,
"Great! I will get it from the box. Any time you put something in the box and it is not rent time---please call me to let me know. Remember to make you late fee on a separate check or cash. $10.00 plus $2 per day the it was late. The return check fee is $30.00 Total $62.00
Now apart from all the problems she is having with the english language, I think she is also having a hard time with logic. Isn't a returned check inherently going to be late? And it wasn't the whole amount that was late, it wasn't even half. And I like the part how I need to make the fee check out to her personally, not the company. When I signed the lease (a year and a half ago) she made me pay her like a $60 filing fee - to her, not the company. And yes, I should have known then, and I did, but I was SOL as far as apartments were concerned and her places are nice. Since signing the lease for the first year, I have had no problems with her, until now... You think she would cut me some slack - I have never been late or bounced a check in 17 months.
Once I calm down and figure out something logical and not angry to say to her, I will call her to convince her not to charge me that extra $32... after all, I bounced the check because of lack o' funds, not because I was squirreling away all of my huge graduate student paychecks!
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