Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.

[Livia]

@Auspice Yikes that sucks.

I don't understand why places make it so hard to receive money.

[Auspice]

@Livia said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Auspice Yikes that sucks.

I don't understand why places make it so hard to receive money.

So they can charge you more money.

[surreality]

@Auspice A lot of the tactics you're describing remind me of the shady tactics of payday loan agencies. Not remotely OK. Will keep my fingers crossed for you -- it sounds like this place is best to get the heck away from when you can no matter what.

[Ganymede]

@Auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

New management shortened the 'due date' from the 5th to the 3rd.

What does your lease say?

New management can say whatever it wants to; the lease is the only document that matters. If you are in a month-to-month tenancy, the payment terms, in the absence of a written document to the contrary, defaults to the prior lease.

If you want to put a fork their eyes, let me know.

[Auspice]

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

New management shortened the 'due date' from the 5th to the 3rd.

What does your lease say?

New management can say whatever it wants to; the lease is the only document that matters. If you are in a month-to-month tenancy, the payment terms, in the absence of a written document to the contrary, defaults to the prior lease.

If you want to put a fork their eyes, let me know.

Just dug up the email: it looks like the 3rd is the letter of the law, as it were, and they just didn't bother enforcing it until this month. (I feel like the 5th was to allow for things like office closures on holidays and Sundays, which is reasonable, and makes it all the more ridiculous that they chose this month to stop the allowance).

I paid it online this morning.
And was pissed off about it because the charge went from $30 to $32.

The methods to pay in the lease are totally different because... different management (but one of the methods they got rid of allowed us to pay through a third party and that made things vastly better for schedule issues).

[Ganymede]

@Auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

The methods to pay in the lease are totally different because... different management (but one of the methods they got rid of allowed us to pay through a third party and that made things vastly better for schedule issues).

This is also an issue. You may have a fair housing issue. If you go to fair housing, make sure you bring all relevant documents. Here in Ohio, if a landlord fails to provide what is in the lease they are in breach of the same.

[Auspice]

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

The methods to pay in the lease are totally different because... different management (but one of the methods they got rid of allowed us to pay through a third party and that made things vastly better for schedule issues).

This is also an issue. You may have a fair housing issue. If you go to fair housing, make sure you bring all relevant documents. Here in Ohio, if a landlord fails to provide what is in the lease they are in breach of the same.

So the fact that they went from 'Payment via online portal or at <approved location>' to 'Payment via different online portal (that incurs a fee) or in the office' is a violation?

Because seriously: approved location was perfect. More flexible hours. No fees. I was on time every time except one month where my bank fucked something up. Now, well, nope unless the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd is on a Saturday or I wanna pay $30+ in fees.

[Ganymede]

@Auspice

It's certainly something that you may want to talk to local fair housing about.

To elucidate my opinion, suppose the lease said "rent payments shall be made on or before the third day of each month, and may be paid online via Paypal or at the office at 123 Fake Street", then, for the term of the lease, that's your obligation. Unless you executed something modifying that obligation, it's enforceable.

New management company then announces "rent payments shall be made on or before the third day of each month, and may be paid online via Venmo or at the office at 456 Liar Avenue". Does your obligation change? No, because it is a unilateral amendment to the contract. It is the legal equivalent of saying "although I agreed to accept payment in the form of money, the payment shall now be in the form of blood".

[Auspice]

@Ganymede

Gotcha. Well, I'll see about reaching out to them. Thank you
Because I'm only here a few more months but god if I'm not dreading a repeat of this in October.

[Ganymede]

@Auspice

[Rinel]

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

If you are in a month-to-month tenancy, the payment terms, in the absence of a written document to the contrary, defaults to the prior lease.

Is this a common law thing? It is absolutely not the law here. Rent is due at the beginning of the term, absent law or agreement to the contrary (La. C.C. Art. 2703), and if a prior lease is continued after the cessation of the term, its term becomes indeterminate and (for purposes of residential lease) defaults to month-to-month (La. C.C. Art. 2680), meaning that rent is due at the beginning of the month.

Anyhoo, my legal real world peeve: I do not enjoy having to spend time writing up subpoenae duces tecum and request for disciplinary action on fellow defense attorneys. I would much rather said attorneys deliver the records of prior clients as mandated by law. This is an easier solution for all parties.

If you make me subpoena you I am not going to be nice. Nice time ended when I started having to spend my time getting you to do your job.

[Ganymede]

@Rinel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Is this a common law thing? It is absolutely not the law here. Rent is due at the beginning of the term, absent law or agreement to the contrary (La. C.C. Art. 2703), and if a prior lease is continued after the cessation of the term, its term becomes indeterminate and (for purposes of residential lease) defaults to month-to-month (La. C.C. Art. 2680), meaning that rent is due at the beginning of the month.

Pretty much. It seems awfully inequitable to me that when a lease with payments due on the 15th of every month terminates, the tenant is then required to pay on the 1st of subsequent months. That means that, after the termination, you either have to pay an additional half-month rent or the landlord is out a half-month rent.

Anyhoo, my legal real world peeve: I do not enjoy having to spend time writing up subpoenae duces tecum and request for disciplinary action on fellow defense attorneys.

I, on the other hand, am happy to prosecute complaints against attorneys for failure to produce a client's file on request. This is some basic shit, motherfuckers.

[Aria]

So for many years, I worked as an administrative/executive assistant at companies that tended to be very bottom-heavy with their titles, so my job was really more "Assistant + Choose Two: project manager/database manager/event coordinator/marketing specialist/writer".

This summer, I started a new job with a new title that - despite being at the same pay grade and relying heavily on the same skillset - gets way more recognition and respect. And today, an admin I'd been working with for several weeks screwed something up. Like, screwed something up BIG TIME and now has us scrambling to find space for a full-week series of events for people coming in from two other states.

She almost burst into tears when she had to tell me, not because of me freaking out at her, but because of how worried she was that I might and how relieved she was when my response was "Oof. Okay. Well, that's not great, but it happens sometimes. Don't worry! What can we do to fix it? How can I be flexible so we can find other options to make this work?"

And I know that feeling - that feeling of absolute panic that you get when you tell the people you support that something went wrong, even when that something was totally out of your control or even actually their fault. The sickening dread that builds up in your stomach when you know you're going to have to tell them, even if you already have a workable solution, because they're going to flip out and put this on you because honestly how hard can this be?! It broke my heart to have someone come to me with that look on their face, that tone in their voice, and immediately start apologizing profusely on the presumption that was just expected of them because of their job title versus mine.

Guys.

STOP BEING ASSHOLES TO YOUR ASSISTANTS.

Just stop.

They deserve better. Their job is way harder than you think it is and if you don't believe me, spend a week trying to do for yourself everything they do for you. I'll be surprised if you make it two days without having to call someone up in a sad voice and ask them if they can please tell you how the expense reporting requirements work and how you even get into that system.

STOP BEING ASSHOLES TO YOUR ASSISTANTS.

That is all.

[Auspice]

@Aria It's also so rewarding to be in an environment where people support each other.

I'm still learning to ... allow myself to ask for considerations ('Hey, I need this deadline pushed back') because of how many shit companies I've been in.

But man, I was thinking about this today! A lot of people here are preparing for work trips and I overheard two women in the bathroom: one admitting she was really stressed out and nervous about her trip and the other reassuring her and saying 'All right, what we need to do is find out what we can take off your plate, okay? Will that help?'

Like, it was goddamn heartwarming.

There is a reason I am already mourning the end of this contract. There are too many shit jobs out there where people abuse those beneath them and the company culture is not helpful/conducive to mental health in the least.

[Ganymede]

@Aria said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

STOP BEING ASSHOLES TO YOUR ASSISTANTS.

Associate: You want me at the consultation?
Me: Yes. Don't forget to bill for it.
Associate: Isn't it your client?
Me: I'm not starving for hours and numbers. You bill the hour, you take the hour. Let me worry about me; it's my job to worry about you.

This is how you run your law office as a partner.

[Aria]

@Auspice Totally agree. 110%.

I think what really kills me is that this is at the same company where I've been for the last five years and I've seen this treatment of assistants at every company I've ever worked at, regardless of whether it was an ivy league university or a pharmaceutical supplier or a chain of pet supply stores.

So it's clearly not just the company in this case, but something about the title. My guess would be that it tends to be one of the lowest titles in most companies (barring things like a mailroom, a warehouse, maintenance, or something typically considered 'blue collar') and it's a job held overwhelmingly by women, so both hierarchy and gender dynamics come into play.

I even once walked into the HR reps office and told her that at that very moment, one of the executives was chewing out his assistant so loudly that people from other areas of the floor were coming over to ask me what was going on, that I could hear her sobbing through the closed door, and if I were at my house and heard screaming like that, would be calling in a domestic complaint to the local police. HR responded by deciding that she and I were 'troublemakers' and causing gossip in the office. #truestory

Just treat your assistants like people. It's not that fucking hard.

[Rinel]

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

That means that, after the termination, you either have to pay an additional half-month rent or the landlord is out a half-month rent.

Well, or the landlord tosses you out after giving the appropriate notice, which I think is 31 days before termination?

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

I, on the other hand, am happy to prosecute complaints against attorneys for failure to produce a client's file on request.

I don't like spending time that I could use for my client's benefit. You can rest assured that once I know I have to go after another attorney, I go for the jugular.

[Auspice]

fuck gas stations that post their 'with our credit card' price only. Or in big ###s while the actual price is teeny tiny and I don't see it until I get off the highway.

[Arkandel]

@Auspice That's a thing? Sheesh.

Here I don't even carry cash or cards any more. I just pay with my phone for nearly everything.

[Auspice]

@Arkandel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Auspice That's a thing? Sheesh.

Here I don't even carry cash or cards any more. I just pay with my phone for nearly everything.

It is absolutely a thing and it pisses me off.

'Oh! Only $2.11 a gallon? Nice.......oh it's actually 2.22 goddamnit.'