FEEL MY WRATH, Bastard Property Managers!

Here are the storm photos, as promised.





Here's the problem. This darn thing came completely disconnected from the house, making it not AmerenUE's problem, but the Homeowner's problem. I am not the homeowner, so I don't have to pay, thank God. I do, however, have to WAIT for the homeowners to pay.

I called "Emergency Maintenance" as soon as I could after the storm was over. Nobody called me back, but the maintenance guy came out the next day to look at everything. He took a look at the tree which had fallen on the power lines and said "Yeah, Ameren's gonna have to take care of that. It'll probably be a while." Yeah, thanks.




Here's the power line running right over my chainlink fence. This meant the kids couldn't play outside.








Here's my favorite little tree. I was sad.



And HERE is the culprit.









Here's the pole, pulled askew. I really like the word askew.



Here's what I saw out my bedroom window, as I watched the storm instead of going to the basement.


So Ameren came out Monday at about 2:30am (I'm guessing, since I had no clock) with a chainsaw. R didn't even hear it.

There is something wrong with a man who can sleep through the sound of a chainsaw running less than 50 yards from his head.

So Ameren was moving faster than expected. They worked all day Tuesday and got the power back on on Tuesday afternoon. For everyone but us. This is the tree after the chainsaw.






So Wednesday morning I called and said "Hey, the electric company's been here and all I need now is for the electrician/maintenance people to come out and stick the conduit back onto the house..." The electrician said he'd have a guy out either that afternoon or first thing in the morning, at the latest. Ok, I said. There's an end in sight. I can make it.

I didn't hear a damn thing from anyone. At this point it had been 4 days, and things were getting pretty tense at Chez Karma.

So I called Thursday morning at 11 and said that nobody had been out there yet. I called the electrician myself and asked if they'd be out there today. "Well, we're going to try to get you on the schedule..." he said. "Don't yank my chain, if it's not going to be today, seriously, just tell me. My maintenance guy said this morning at the latest, and you're telling me it might not even be today at all?"

He laughed. Literally.


And this, friends, is when I reached the absolute limit of my patience. I snapped. I called the property manager in hysterics (here I need to point out that I love the word hysterical because it is based on the Greek word for uterus. Since having a uterus and behaving like a raving lunatic are synoymous, as anyone knows). The conversation went something like this:

"Um, hey this is Penny Karma, I was wondering if there was any possibility that we could get a different electrician out here since this one just told me that he probably wouldn't be able to get me in today... I mean, this (whimpering now) is just crazy... We've lived here for two years and we've never asked for a single thing... and this is totally ridiculous..."

"I understand your frustration."

"No, I really don't think you do, I have three kids who have been eating peanut butter and jelly for breakfast lunch and dinner and who are climbing the walls, my son needs his nebulizer..."

"I appreciate your concern."

"I mean, if this was happening at your house, I'm sure you'd be on the phone too..."

"Mrs. Karma. What YOU have to understand is that we have 200 properties that are all without power. We have them prioritized and all I can tell you is that the electrician will be out there as soon as possible."

First of all, BULLSHIT they have 200 properties that are all without power. Ameren got power on two days ago, and I seriously doubt that the other 199 properties to which she's referring have had electrical connections totally ripped off their house and who are now just waiting for a guy to come out and spend maybe 5 minutes hooking the damn thing back up.

"Well, is there any way for me to find out where Crazy Woman with Three Kids ranks on the list, priority-wise? And is there any way I could drop my kids off at your office for an hour?"

"Mrs. Karma. I understand your frustration. But you have to be PATIENT."

"I've BEEN patient. For five days. Now I'm really kinda at the brink of insanity..."

"I'll see what I can do, but if you pester the electrician, then he just gets mad and it'll take longer."

FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!

I hung up. I sat on my bed and sobbed. I couldn't think of anything else to do with myself.

This was at about 2:30pm Thursday.

Finally, about two hours later we went out to get some food and came back to this -



There now, was that so hard? I mean, honestly, people.

The electrician called me to let me know it was back on. I thanked him. I called the Property Manager and told her I was back on and apologized for being upset.

I didn't have to apologize, I know. I had every right to be as pissed off as I was. But I believe in killin' 'em with kindness.

And then kickin' 'em in the shins.