What $100 ?

Wow, way to be a bundle of negativity in my corner of the internet, but here you have it people, another complaint.

What is it with my luck when it comes to landlords/roommates/neighbours? Why can't I have just one smooth housing experience? And my dad wonders why I want to buy in to a house so badly, well, dad, this is why.

I was shorted $100 on my damage deposit when I left the trailer on the 12th. Now, this was not because they found damages to the trailer, it was because the landlady decided on her own that my damage deposit was not the $300 originally (well technically not originally) agreed on, but that it was just $200.

Originally, if we go back to the very first communication via their kijiji ad, the deposit was to be $100. On being informed that I had a dog they raised it to $200. I agreed to that, because I'm used to being jerked around a little bit for having a dog and $200 was reasonable for a deposit in relation to my monthly rent. Not to mention, that this same email said that they would just count my deposit towards my rent, so technically, I was just paying some rent in advance and wasn't making a damage deposit at all. Great deal right? I thought so.

Two months later I got another email, saying that their insurance deductable had increased to $300, they were, therefore, increasing my deposit to $300. This would not, as previously stated, be included in my rent, and I was to pay a $300 deposit to be held seperately from my rent. I was told, and these are their words, not mine "you will be refunded $300 in cash" granted that I don't wreck anything in the trailer, which she acknowledged that I did not (I have a written note from her saying so).

So! I agreed to an additional $100 on my deposit, with the expectation that I would get it back, essentially it was being held until Christmas, like a forced savings plan that I depended on in order to be able to afford to buy my lovely family their Christmas gifts. That's right, I budgeted around that $300. A portion for the ferry and gas home, a portion for the hotel on my way home, and a portion to go to paying for my seasonal gifting habits. I only got 2/3s back.

I confronted my landlady about this descrepancy in person, pulled up the email from them that said specifically, "$300 in cash" she gave it a dismissive glance, told me she didn't have her checkbook with her and told me if I emailed her the email I had, she would send me the money in the mail. I had no choice but to leave (though I bet now she was lying, and she did have either the cash or the cheque book on her). She did give me some speech at the time about how they had raised everyone's rent, to which I argued that the email said nothing about a raise in rent, only an increase in my refundable deposit.

I emailed her the message, figuring that she was a fair and reasonable lady, and while she concedes that is what was written, that her husband was "out of his mind" when he wrote it and that it doesn't, well, to put it in the simplest terms, it doesn't "count". Then she gave me some random BS about how that money was for gas anyway, and that I agreed to pay $100 for gas. I did, I agreed to pay $100 for gas, $50 each way. I have an email from them that breaks it down like that, $50 there, $50 back. I already paid for gas. She is scrambling to find a reason that they charged me an extra $100. First she tried to apply it to rent, now she's trying to apply it to gas, but the only thing that she will fall back on if I continue to pursue the matter is that her husband wasn't thinking straight when he sent that email.

It is an insanity plea!

I can't believe that my first encounter with an insanity plea is over a damage deposit refund of $100.

I came back at her arguement with the whole series of emails exchanged from the very begining, I saved every single one, highlighting the important parts, the parts that prove they said deposit, refund, and the parts that show I never agreed to an increase in rent or gas price. I should also point out that each email contains both of their names in the signature, so prove to me which ones your crazy husband wrote and which ones you wrote (I didn't use those words exactly, that would sound all unprofessional and stuff). Then I told them to not bother contacting me again unless they were sending my money.

Does that sound like I gave up too easily? I don't think so. I could tell from her weak argument and her 'so there!' attitude that nothing but bringing them to small claims court will get me my $100 back. They want to plea insanity, I call stupidity on them. I'm tired of spending so much time arguing with stupid people. My time is worth more than that $100. I've seen very little of the Redline small claims case, but what I have heard about it also tells me that $100 isn't worth it. Those people aren't worth it enough to me.

I am starting a new part of my life. I am finished school, I am trying to get my head around building a business, I am looking for a car, a place to live, a job, and a new fuzzy family member. It is Christmas. I am not going to sour everything by beginning my life with this idiocy. I know I'm right, they know they are wrong. Happy Christmas Sari and Barry Marks, don't spend my money all in one place.

On another note, my unnamed friend who knows who she is recieved an extra $100 from her landlord when she departed. He owes her at least that for the hell he put her through while she was living there. But seriously? When it comes to the universe balancing itself... that's my $100 bucks, girl, hand it over.