I am writing a quick email to you about something that has bothered me a great
deal as of late. As you know the recent snow storms have created horrible
conditions and many hardships all over the delmarva peninsula. The most recent
of which happened to fall around the dreaded due date for rent of many
residents. Most businesses have been extremely compassionate and understanding
considering the circumstances and have waived many late fees that were caused
because people were unable to use roads, not to mention the fact that many local
banks were forced to close. I personally had creditors located in states
completely unaffected by the storms waive fees as well. The only business I have
dealt with so far that has not shown the slightest bit of compassion during this
troubling time would be the real estate company I currently rent from, ERA. Not
only did they charge a late fee but also a $100 court fee. This even occurred
after calling and leaving a message at their office that rent would be delivered
as soon as we were able to drive safely on the roads. A message had to be left
because the storm forced ERA to close their offices the day we called. When I
attempted to call and discuss the issue I was treated very rudely and was told
there were no such storms and that the office was never closed (both obviously
untrue). I am extremely bothered by this situation and the lack of compassion
shown by a LOCAL business. I am not the type of person to make a fuss about many
things but this has really gotten under my skin, for obvious reasons. I believe
this sort of treatment by a local business should be known to any and all that
do, or plan to do business with ERA. I thank you for you time, if for no other
reason than just to vent.
Sincerely,
Hot Headed in Harbor Pointe
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
I find it odd that you would not sign your name and give this company a chance to defend themselves. My guess would be that you are commonly late on your rent. It is unfortunate that you felt the need to write this letter but would not sign your name so the company could reply.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, I too have had bad vibes from ERA, I e-mail them pretty much on a daily bases and they ignore me... And I am only e-mailing them to inquirer information on a home I was interested in... I know not to use them... Thanks...
ReplyDeleteIf there was a court fee involved I bet you were more then a few days late....
ReplyDeleteSounds like a complaint from someone who was using the storms as an excuse for their late payments. I bet this is not their first time paying late. I had no trouble paying all of my bills on time. Furthermore, the banks were only closed for one day. You knew the storm was coming, yet you failed to pay your rent before the storm. Now you want ERA to waive the terms of the lease you agreed to. I suspect you are not their best tenant, and that is why they did not waive the fees for you.
ReplyDeleteMy advice - get away from ERA.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously feel slighted and I encourage you to severe all ties.
The ocean is full of fish.
This story doesn't add up. Court fee??
ReplyDeleteDear Hot Head in Harbor Pointe
ReplyDeleteYour rent is due on the 1st, late after the 5th. Our office was open every business day except the 10th and 11th. We did not charge anyone late fees until Feb 15th, 9 days later than normal. That was more than sufficient time to get your payment in. Your lease clearly states the terms for any late fees and court fees. If you wanted to argue the fee you should have attended court yesterday or avoid the fee althogether by paying in a timely manner.
Sincerely, ERA Rental Dept
It's "sever"
ReplyDeletethis excuse is like "the dog ate my homework". You couldn't write a check and mail it on time? Sorry but your excuse is lame. Pay your bills on time!
ReplyDeleteIf one lives in Harbor Point why are u Late?
ReplyDeleteThere is a box, generally on a post, in your front yard called a "mailbox." Some people even have them mounted on their homes right next to the front door and some even have what they call "Mailbox Clusters" that are centrally located within the neighborhood. These things are amazing!
ReplyDeleteHere's what you do:
Step 1 - Simply write a check. Don't forget to fill in all the blanks with the appropriate information and sign it!
Step 2 - Put said check in an envelope. If you do not have an envelope there is a store called "Walmart"-they have thousands of them! A lot of convenience and grocery stores have these elusive envelopes too. If you are crafty, you could even make your own envelop, but obviously you have issues with creativity to begin with.
Step 3 - If you got here, congratulations, you found an envelope! On the outside of the envelope in the upper right-hand corner write your name and address (your address is the place where you live). This is called the "Return Address" so in the event that you're too stupid (which is highly probable given your story) to get the mailing address of the recipient right the letter will be returned to you. Next, in the middle of the envelope write the mailing address of the recipient; this would be ERA's address. Again, you seem rather idiotic so you might want to check the address in the Yellow Pages (that's the big book that they leave on your front door step from time to time with a bunch of phone numbers in it) to make sure you have the right address.
Step 4 - This might be a problem for you...In the upper right hand corner of the envelope affix a 44 cent postage stamp. Now given your recent hardship and inabilities to pay your rent 44 cents may be scarce for you, but look in the sofa or under the car seats and I'm sure you could find the funds-if you can't get to the post office to buy a stamp, ask a neighbor, I'm sure somebody out there has one.
Step 5 - Lick the envelope and close it. Some of the fancier envelopes have pull and stick flaps so be sure that you've completed the proper procedure.
Step 6 - Take the sealed and addressed envelope with the check enclose and place it in that funny looking box in your front yard. Perhaps you may want to give it directly to your mail person or put it in one of those big blue boxes on the side of the road throughout town.
Step 7 - If you chose to use your "mailbox" be sure to put the little red flag on the side in the up-right position. This tells the mail person that you have a letter for them to pick up. If you don't have a flag on your mailbox, perhaps taping a friendly note to the mail person on the outside of the mailbox to remind them to pick up the letter would help.
Step 8 - Let the US Postal Service do its job. Your letter will get there and court room will have one less idiot in it!
This should help you in the future even though I find it hard to believe that you didn't leave your house AT ALL during any of these snow storms and were unable to deliver your rent. If you can't afford your rent, then I'm sure that neighborhood housing could help you out...don't be ashamed to ask for help.
LOL Anon 12:15 that was the best comment I've seen in a while :)
ReplyDeleteYour on the internet, go to your bank website and issue a check. They mail it for you and you don't have to leave your house.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is very useful for things other than complaining and porn.
LMAO......Well if all the people in this world practiced what they preached, I guess the world would be a much better place. I do remember working for a contractor that was always bitching that he could never get paid by likes ERA,Eric Davis, Donnie Williams, or any of the other slum lords. I love how they like to preach "rules and terms" but those "rules and terms" never apply to them. Maybe the likes should start paying their bills on time and maybe this person would pay theirs on time too.
ReplyDeleteUm....I smell BS.By the time the landlord takes you to court,you are obviously more than a few days late paying your rent.Harbor Pointe?Perhaps you should downsize...Not defending ERA but no landlord takes you to court for being a week late-they would actually rather you just pay than take you to court because it ends up costing them more attempting to get a judgement against you.
ReplyDelete