One such thing was a letter written about 12 years ago, to "the Office of Chesterfield Villiage", and home of the first apartment we occupied as a married couple, in Richmond, VA. It was one of those places that nearly jumps off the cover of the apartment showcasing catalog you're given upon arriving in a new city . . . absolutely sparkling with potential as it beckons hapless renters into its web of deception. The model we walked through was, of course, immaculate in its perfection, and with no reservations, we signed away the next year of our young lives.
So, here is an excerpt from the letter I found, written about 3 months later . . .
To: The Office of Chesterfield Village
Re: Brief description of why we are disappointed with your service
Things we've reported that remain unchanged
* kitchen carpet is still dirty (turns our feet black)
* windows are still filthy
Things wrong with the place when we moved in
* screen door broken
* ceiling cracked and sagging
* several drawers fall out when pulled open
* cupboard under sink bowed, shelf broken (we fixed it)
* kitchen carpet cut too short around refrigerator
* tile old and mildewy (can't get it clean)
* shower doors soap-scum stained (can't get clean)
* one shower door does not stay on runner
* many surfaces have dust balls and /or other small items spray-pained onto them.
* kitchen cabinet above oven has black tar-like substance on it
* bathroom cabinet is warped and bowed
* all cupboards full of bugs
* hallway wall is blistered
* kitchen and bathroom baseboards stained
* bathroom tiles are cracked
* weight room has no pins for weights
* carpet has many stains
* kitchen sink stained
* oven did not work (you fixed this)
* fitness room door lock broken (after 3 weeks of telling us it would be fixed "today", you fixed it)
* fleas in the carpet (you exterminated them, after I asked repeatedly and visited the office)
* kitchen counter loose
* paint coming off in areas (you fixed this)
Other things to consider
* Our door mat was stolen
* other residents' cats are often on our patio
* my wife is having continuous trouble with her sinuses from the dust / mildew in our place
* washing machine regularly fails to clean laundry. It actually stained a load Saturday, and the spin cycle failed to work.
* We sent a letter to GSC on October 8, 1997 . . . On October 14, we received a letter from GSC stating they were sorry and would inform your office. We have never received any response from your office.
I remember it was within days that the office of "Chester the Molester" (as Danny came to call it) informed us we would be released from our contract without the $1,000 penalty (people were leaving like crazy b/c of several shootings which had taken place in one of the parking lots, so they kept raising the penalty), ONLY because of the line item mentioning my allergic reaction to the dust & mildew. We moved into a much cleaner / larger / nicer apartment near the church where Danny was the youth pastor - an apartment where parents would actually allow their youth group aged kids to come and hang out!
This seems like a bit of a random finding; but I believe that in God's ever-perfect timing, He provided this unassuming piece of memorabilia to give me an extra shot of gratitude for the house where we currently live. He took care of us that first year, and has continued to keep us in His care. Thank you Jesus, and thank you Chester the Molester!
3 comments:
I remember that place. On our first night visiting you went to the ER with strep. No doubt it was from the mold and dust. I also remember how beautiful Richmond was. The trees were full of wisteria vines that made them look purple. The smell was so wonderful.
And then there was...LARRY!!!
even back then, i treated brevity as a subjective term.
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