This takes place while I am in college, living in an apartment affiliated with the university. This means it’s not run by the university like a dorm but only students can live on this property. This also means we have a real apartment, with a kitchen, washer, and dryer, our own bedrooms, etc.

When we move in, however, our dryer starts smoking like crazy the first time we use it. We discover it is jam-packed with dryer lint as if the previous tenants had never cleaned the filter, and it is clogging the entire line. We get maintenance to replace the smoky dryer easily, but they’ve forgotten to flush the line. There’s no airflow and our clothes aren’t drying.

I have a chat with maintenance about this.

Me: “The new dryer seems to be working great; we just need all the lint flushed out.”

Maintenance: “This is a brand new dryer we just gave you! It can’t be broken.”

Me: “Oh. It isn’t. It heats up totally fine; we just need the rest of the vent flushed out.”

Maintenance: *Condescendingly* “You know you have to actually turn it on, right? Your clothes won’t dry unless you turn it off of ‘air-dry only’.”

I look at the dryer, currently NOT set to air-dry.

Me: “Yeah, I know how to do laundry. Again, it works great and is heating up, but nothing will dry properly because it seems like it’s blocked.”

Maintenance: “Look. This is the air-dry setting. You don’t want it on this. Watch. To dry clothes, we set them to this setting or this setting and turn the knob. Then we…”

The maintenance man continued to explain how to operate the dryer to me patronizingly and ignored me when I kept trying to explain the issue. He probably spent fifteen minutes giving me a demonstration! He marked the ticket as fixed and didn’t do anything further.

After I complained to the front office, they finally sent someone to do what we’d asked for in the first place. 

Surprise! The dryer worked perfectly after that.

One of our maintenance pool costumers complains about her’s green pool water,I called the technician who does the weekly maintenance, and found that the pool filling water comes from a duck pond. this is the conversation with the costumer.

Me- Ok, so I introduced chlorine in the pool, no one is allowed to swim for the next 42 hours, but I have to…
Costumer – Why, it’s summer I have children, This is unacceptable!
Me- Well as I was saying, the pool filling water comes from the duck pond next door, the water contains too much organic matter, we can not be responsible for the quality of water in the pool, as the filling water is too bad.
Costummer – Yes I know, I don’t care.
Me – You call [company] complaining about the water…
Costummer – Yes, you saw how the water was, it’s unacceptable.
Me – We Can Provide a good service if your water is that bad, I’m sorry but the water will be green every time you fill the pool to replace evaporation losses.
Costummer – I don’t care about the fill water.
Me – But you calling complaining about that?!
Costummer – Yes…
Me – Ok I’m canceling the maintenance, according to the sign the contract by both parties, the customer to provide the necessary conditions so that the technician can perform the maintenance, ie: water filling the pool in good condition and limpida, cleaning supplies, access to the site …. it was not fulfilled some of the conditions, so we can not provide good service as the customer wants. As information in the contract the service technician will clean your pool until the end of the month, but make it clear that not poedmos be responsible for the quality of water in this period, because the pool filling water is’t full of organic matter.
Costummer – WHAT? I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT?! I DO NOT CARE WITH FILLING WATER!
Me – But we do Madam, we aren’t going to be responsible for any disease or fungus that youcan get in the pool.
Costummer – Why are you doing this to me! It’s summer and I have kids! You are a f**** a*******! I will call all the newspapper and tell them the joke your company is!
Me – Madam, you can’t do that, It is illegal, if you have any complaints, should be done by the right means, in addition if you insist and proceed to complain to the media, I’m surely that you will receive a letter from our lawyer.
Costummer – Get out of my house! NOW! You are threatening me! I do not want to see your business here!
Me – Ok madam your maintenance will be suspended the rest of the month and canceled at the end of the month.
Costummer- WHAT!?You said you sent the man until the end of the month! This in the contract! And now he says that not anyone come here tomorrow ?!
Me – Yes, but since you don’t want to see our companny anymore, I assumer you don’t want the thecnician to come anymore.
Costummer NO!!!
Me – You can solve the problem let us fill the pool with the water company.
Costummer: NO!!!
Me – Ok Madam have a good day with your green water pool.

I work cleaning and maintaining water tanks and systems for various properties. I was supervising a group of coworkers on site, even though at the time I was the lowest ranking as a Casual.

Monday – Day 1

I had a two-man team cleaning a pair of tanks in a block of flats when one put his foot through the floor of the loft space to the flat below. As the “ranking” worker, it was up to me to get photos, take measurements, and fill out the paperwork for the insurance, etc.

I asked a coworker to get my laptop from my van parked in the flat’s car park. He went and got it and I started to sort out the mess.

Then, I asked my coworker for the van key… and he couldn’t find it. We searched all round and there was no sign of the key. It was getting late, so I called the office to get them to send the spare key and I got a lift home from the other team.

Tuesday – Day 2

Luckily, I had access to another van, which I used to get back to the main van… only to find that the parking permit was missing. Yes, someone had used the missing key to steal the permit and then relocked the van. I called the police, and while waiting for them, I got the call from the office: there was no spare key. And then, the other team I had working told me they’d put their foot through another ceiling.

Wednesday – Day 3

I was told the main van would be picked up and towed to the office, but I needed to be there to arrange the pickup. I was at the van from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm waiting for the pickup. Finally, they arrived, but the low loader couldn’t manoeuvre in the car park, and since I’d put on the handbrake and the steering lock — as you do — there was nothing he could do.

Thursday – Day 4

I was told that they were going to get the AA “Kerbside Key Service” in that Friday to replace the key and get the van back. Great, I thought. I could concentrate on the job, which had now moved to another area… until I got the call that there was an AA member and a towing guy heading to the van to break in, break the steering lock, and move it — damage I’d be liable for.

I drove over and headed this off and explained that the AA was going to get a key sorted the next day.

Friday – Day 5

I got a lift to the van, and bright and early the AA guy arrived. Within 30 minutes, he’d made two brand-new keys and programmed the locking.

Opening the van, we found that the only thing missing was the Parking Permit. All my tools in the back were untouched and they even left a fully filled-up [Restaurant] coffee card.

And yup, my manager blamed me for the whole mess, and I was threatened with the sack at least four times. 

I’m glad to be working elsewhere now.

I am working in a department that relies heavily on speed. It is one of those newer ones that takes online orders and gets customers groceries for them so they don’t have to enter the store. 

On one of these days, we all are rushing trolleys to meet our next deadline and one of the aisles ends up having a broken light bulb shoved onto a lower shelf, spilling shards on the floor. This causes me to stop immediately and radio for someone to call over a janitor. To ensure no one gets hurt, I have to wait there now and warn people about this, so I turn off my system to avoid being timed.

When I turn around, I also note that there is a large puddle of water and radio them about that, as well. So now, I’m standing here warning everyone about water and broken glass, waiting for help. The entire time I watch, the time we have to get this order ready slowly dwindles away. They definitely called for the janitor; it was over the intercom several minutes ago. 

Normally, this would be okay; maybe he was doing something more important. But over ten minutes later, he shows up casually facing items at the other side of the aisle. I attempt to call him over so I don’t leave the area. It doesn’t really work, so I walk over to alert him.

He seems surprised that there is any mess at all and follows me over to the water and glass. I point them both out and he grabs a mop and starts cleaning the puddle. Thinking it’s over, I go back to getting my items, only to see him go back to facing immediately after dealing with the puddle. I have to ask him, “What about the glass?” and show him the glass again. 

He gets that cleaned up and I see shards on the floor still, not even very far from where the glass was. He only swept the immediate area. I have to walk over with my time on and ask for his broom to do it myself. He ends up following me and watching as I sweep up the remaining shards for him.

(I work maintenance for a property management company and often carry a work phone to take after-hours maintenance calls.)

Me: “[Company] repair line, this is [My Name]; what can I do for you?”

Tenant: “Miss [My Name], you aren’t going to believe this. There’s a baby possum in my house. Can you send someone out to come to get him?! I’m scared he’s gonna come up my stairs and climb in my bed or something while I’m sleeping!”

Me: *trying not to laugh* “Unfortunately, ma’am, due to state laws, none of our pest control specialists can remove it. You’re going to have to call the Department of Fish and Game and see if they can come out and remove him.”

Tenant: “Are you sure you can’t send someone out sooner?”

Me: “I’m sure, ma’am. It would be illegal.”

Tenant: “Okay. I don’t think they’re open right now so I guess I’ll have to call them in the morning. Miss [My Name]?” 

Me: “Yes, ma’am?”

Tenant: “Possums can’t climb stairs, can they?”

Me: “I think you should be safe if it’s small enough.”

Tenant: “Okay. Okay, thank you, Miss [My Name].” 

(She called me the next morning to tell me the saga of how her neighbor came over and managed to herd the baby possum out of her home.)