A/C update: After 17 days of my A/C not working effectively and three maintenance requests that had been ignored, on Thursday, June 30 I caught a lady in the apartment building’s office who seemed to be a district manager.
She was very nice and helpful. She said she’d send maintenance up within the hour. She also said, since all 3 of my maintenance request tickets addressed the same issue, she was going to close out my June 13 and 16 tickets and the June 23 one would be the active one. She said I might receive email notifying me that the two older tickets had been closed.
That evening, I came home and the apartment was still hot. There was a standard maintenance documentation form on my kitchen counter. It read, “Parts on Hold Needs Freon.”
They didn’t come back Friday, July 1, leaving me without A/C during the scorching hot July 4 weekend.
Nor did they come back Tuesday, July 5. A number of my friends thought I should withhold my July rent; however, on the advice of a lawyer, I paid it. Air conditioning is not considered an essential landlord-provided service in Tennessee.
On Wednesday, July 6, I went down to the office to try to talk to a human again. However, there was a notice on the door saying the office was closed (sounded like permanently) and if we needed anything, to fill out a maintenance ticket in the online portal – precisely what I did June 13, 16, and 23 without result.
Thursday morning, July 7, about 7:30, I pulled up the emails notifying me that the June 13 and 16 tickets had been closed. There was a link inviting me to take a survey about my experience with the maintenance requests. I clicked on the link and opened the survey.
I gave them one star out of five straight down the line. In the comment box, I mentioned how my requests had gone ignored for weeks and I was extremely hot and unhappy.
About 8:35 that morning, I got a phone call from “No Caller ID.” Well, of course, I’m not answering that! An hour later I saw that the mystery caller had left a voicemail.
“Hello, Paul,” said a foreign-sounding (Indian?) voice. “I see that you are not satisfied with the job maintenance did on your air conditioner. I will send someone out today. If you need to talk to me, you can reach me at the number displayed on your caller ID [but it said No Caller ID]. Thank you and have a pleasant day.”
By noon that day I couldn’t stand to be in the hot apartment anymore and walked 4 blocks to the Silly Goose. It was a hard walk, because the heat has aggravated a circulatory problem in my legs that started in 2018. I was fatigued and dehydrated by the time I got there. At 12:38 “No Caller ID” called back.
“Hello, Paul,” said the Indian-sounding guy. “This is property management for…….. (paused about 5 seconds while he located my apartment building’s name). We were wondering when you were going to be home. I had a maintenance person stop by your apartment, but he didn’t have the right key to let himself in.” (And he couldn’t go get one from the leasing office, because they had closed it.)
I contemplated walking right back over there, but I was worried the 4-block walk so soon after the last one would be more than my legs could take and I might fall. When my condition was at its worst in October-November 2018 I fell a couple of times and had to be helped up.
So I told the guy, “I plan to be home tomorrow morning until noon. Would that work for you?”
“Yes, Paul,” Indian-sounding guy said. “I will send him out tomorrow.”
“MORNING,” I reiterated.
“Tomorrow morning. Thank you, Paul, have a pleasant day.”
I stayed home until 3:00 yesterday afternoon and no one came. When I came home about 10 yesterday evening, the temperature in the apartment was 83.
So I get another weekend in a sweltering hot apartment. Let’s have a look at the forecast:
- Today: 98/75. Heat index near 110.
- Tomorrow: 93/73. Lower humidity so maybe the A/C can catch up a bit and get my apartment down to a frosty 79.
Thanks for reading all that. If I seem unusually worn out and non-talkative when you see me out, now you understand why.
Tune into NBAtv tonight at 8:30 to see the Grizzlies’ summer league team play the L.A. Clippers.
Tonight is Country Music DJ Night at the Blind Bear from 9 to 1. DJ Superbrad will spin the hits. Apparently this is a big deal and a lot of people are talking about dressing up in Western shirts and cowboy boots. I’m very proud to say I don’t own any of that stuff. I’ll try to stay out late and see the spectacle.
Bleacher Report will hold a live, streaming interview with Ja Morant tomorrow at 4 PM. You can watch it here.
The Nate Smith Whiskey on You Tour comes to the Hard Rock Cafe on Beale tonight and tomorrow.
Rob & The Rockin’ 88s play Ghost River on Beale tonight.
If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, check out this article about Amplified Food Prep. Several of my friends use this service, love it, and say it has made them healthier. They make customized tasty meals that fit your dietary needs or meal plan.
ARRIVE Hotel was lauded as being especially dog-friendly in the DM’s article about 12 places you can hang out with your dog. There’s never a pet fee, and you don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy the lobby with your pup. The article lists several other outdoor spaces that are ideal for dogs, including Slider Inn Downtown’s backyard. Dogs are not allowed in the indoor areas of restaurants in Memphis, although I can tell you that regulation is widely flouted Downtown.
ABC 24 reports that Tom Lee Park construction is 40% complete. But that’s not the REAL news in this article. MRPP hopes the park will be ready to open in July 2023 – which means Music Fest 2023 and BBQ Fest 2023 likely WON’T be on the river. I suspect MRPP knew this was the real timeline all along.
Kashief, Bird Williams, and Karen Brown, with The Marcus Malone Band as the backing house band, will take the stage tonight at 901 Live! at the Halloran Centre. Tickets are $47.50.
Today is National No Bra Day.
SIsterly Too: A Framily Affair happens tonight at the Cannon Center.
The Mid-South Jewelry and Accessories Fair, which was supposed to happen this weekend at the Renasant Convention Center, has been postponed.
Huey’s is hiring cooks, servers, takeout runners, and hosts.
WWE head honcho Vince McMahon is reported to have paid $12 million in hush money to 4 different women to quiet sexual misconduct allegations. One of the women was a former WWE wrestler. It’s claimed that Vinnie Mac decided not to renew her contract in 2005 after she rejected further advances from him. Hmmm… Ivory and Molly Holly left the company in 2005.
Ready for Saturday brunch at an air-conditioned venue. Back tomorrow with more news.