The company I work for rents out not only social houses, but also student rooms. These rooms are maintained just like the social houses and priced according to the law, though we ask less because even we think the government asks too much. So, a decent room for a decent price, though opinions may vary.
I have customer service desk duty for walk-in clients, alongside another coworker. Enter a young man, dressed very classy: an unwrinkled suit, flashy sunglasses, perfectly clean shoes, and perfect hair. With him is another young man, dressed equally sharp.
We just dealt with a rush of clients (one of them needing two hours before he finally left!), so the area was empty at that time. The young man starts leaning on the desk with one arm.
Man: “Good afternoon, ladies! It’s really quiet, isn’t it?”
Me: “Good afternoon, you just missed the rush, but that just means we have all the time for you.”
Man: “Oh, really, really? So, you two deal with aaaaaall the clients by yourself?”
Me: “No, sir, all our other coworkers deal with the other client questions. How may we assist you?”
The young man whips out a letter from his pocket, with some flair.
Man: “Well, I just returned from my six-week vacation to Thailand, and I found this letter in my letterbox. There must’ve been a mistake, this letter could not be intended for me!”
Instead of giving it to me, he hands it to my coworker, holding it with two fingers. She takes the letter and starts typing.
The young man starts talking to his friend and they loudly mention how much their suits cost, their shoes cost, their sunglasses cost, how they visit a barber every Tuesday, and throw in a ‘I don’t know anyone as successful as me at age twenty’ and ‘When I graduate I will start a start-up because I have a money-making idea’ once in a while.
My coworker looks up.
Coworker: “Sir, I see this letter was not sent in error. You have not paid your rent for two months now. We did try to deduct it, per your contract, but both deductions failed. This was a final notice after sending you three more letters, and since you did not respond, it was sent to a collection agency. I’ve taken the liberty of writing down the number for you.”
After a short silence:
Man: “Oh, no, no, no, that is a mistake, I have automatic deduction set up!”
Coworker: “Yes, you do, but it failed twice. On both [date] and [date]. That’s why we’ve sent you these letters. I also see they mailed you twice and called you on [date].”
Man: *Laughing.* “Oh, but I was in Thailand (again, with emphasis) then, so I was not aware. So, I will pay it with my next rent.”
Coworker: “I understand you were away, but it is your responsibility to pay your rent if the automatic deduction fails. That’s why we sent letters, emailed you, and even called you.”
Man: “But I was in Thailand! How could I have known? So, I am not responsible for your mistake.”
Coworker: “Sir… the automatic deduction only fails if there is no money in your account. Are you telling me you never checked your account in those two months? And I see the first letter was sent five days after the first deduction failed. If you were six weeks away, you should’ve seen that letter.”
Man: “Well… eh… I am very busy with my studies, so I didn’t see any letters. So I can’t be responsible because I did not know.”
Coworker: “Unfortunately, sir, you are responsible. Your debt has been handed over to the collection agency. There is nothing more that we can do for you. I advise you to call them.”
Man: “Oh, I will, I will! And they will just cancel the fee, because this is all a big misunderstanding on your part.”
He puts on a show of putting on his sunglasses and takes both the letter and the note. Both walk away and leave the building. The young man flips out his phone, his posture less confident.
The two young men keep standing right next to the sliding doors, activating them over and over again, so yes, I can hear the famous last words:
Man: “Hey, eh… dad? I’m in trouble…”
