STORIES FROM THE GEEZER APARTMENTS: The Whiners

 

Am I a complainer if I complain about complainers complaining constantly? Join a particular group of women here, and the same complaints continuously surface. Most women in that group were the first residents when the building opened and was owned by a different company. They were given many perks before the building was sold a year ago and need help to adjust to the new management/ownership. Recent highlights from a gathering of the original renters:

1. "My window keeps falling out when I open it, and the maintenance staff tries to fix it, but it’s still loose." (Hint: Don’t open the window. Some things can’t be fixed. This building was thrown together during COVID when there was a shortage of workers, and the owners wanted to quickly open it to start making some money. It also explains why they wanted to sell it within months after it opened.)

2. "There’s no coffee in the common area." (I’ve heard this over a hundred times and only lived here 10 months. This isn’t an Independent/Assisted Living facility, and we aren’t paying those rates. I don’t care what the last building owners did for you. Suggestion: Make your own coffee. Better yet, please move!)

3. “I asked the maintenance guy to cover a hole in my ceiling, and he locked my back door after he finished. I had left the door unlocked for friends to easily enter while I was away. They can’t do anything right.” (Perhaps they were doing you a favor and thought you forgot…or they wanted to ensure no one came into your house uninvited. Have you thought they might get blamed if anything was missing? It’s not all about you or your superior intelligence.)

4. A couple living here became very upset about spots on their carpet, and no one responded to their requests. (Could it be your dog, which you’re too lazy to take outside regularly?) In January, the woman told me about her frustration with the office and their lack of addressing her issues. I suggested she complete the online form for maintenance requests. She did, and they cleaned her carpet but not before the couple organized a meeting so everyone could discuss their issues. The husband was heard entering the common area and loudly stating he would sue the owners! (Get real. I didn’t attend the meeting but participated in a town hall meeting organized by management a week later. This woman is high drama, and there’s always something she’s upset about while sucking the air out of the room with her complaints or who offended her a year ago.)

5. These women were unhappy that the residents' questions were saved until the January management-led town hall meeting ended. (Note: Everyone was encouraged to send their questions to management a few days before the meeting. I expressed that I could understand why they wanted to handle the forum in this way so that it didn’t become a disorganized, chaotic bitch fest. No one agreed with me.) 

6. "My rent was increased by 28%, but I convinced them to increase it by only 14%." This is her contribution to group discussions for the past several months... whenever anyone listens to her. (Clue: you probably received a significant reduction in rent because the building was empty when you moved here. And...you're likely still paying below-the-average rent for new apartment buildings. What will your increase be next year? Hint: 14%)

At this point, I announced that I had repeatedly heard these complaints over the past 10 months and was tired of it. I understand everything was perfect before the new company bought the building, but could the unending griping cease? If anyone doesn’t like living here, then move. Plus, I’m satisfied with the management and found them responsive to my needs, including when my apartment flooded during the December freeze. (One of the biggest whiners stated, "Oh, I'm happy here." You could have knocked me over with a feather!)

Just when I thought they were exhausted from whining, another newer female resident joined us. I encountered this woman in January as she angrily yelled at a staff member about having NO TOILET PAPER when she moved in and that management should have furnished it! Good friggin' grief.

So…one of the women invited her to share her terrible experiences as a new resident. First, her apartment flooded before she moved in, and she had to select a different apartment. (OH, NO!) (My apartment also flooded, but I stayed with my daughter for a few days while they repaired it. Management offered to put me in a hotel. Stuff happens, but ya' get over it.)

Her subsequent big complaint was NO TOILET PAPER or PAPER TOWELS in her apartment when she moved in.

At that point, I remarked, “That’s it. I’m outta here. I will not listen to this any longer.” I give up. Can’t these women talk about movies they’ve seen, books they’ve read, current affairs, their children/grandchildren, or even plans for Mother’s Day? ANYTHING but complaining about living here (or their various ailments). They lack any insight, even after being confronted. I empathize with management having to listen to this crap daily. Sometimes, I just don't fit in, nor do I want to. Paddy...it's you and me against the world!

I could have introduced the following topic... "Hey, Call the Midwife is on PBS tonight, and only a few episodes remain this season! Who's your favorite character? Isn't it wonderful how they have woven into the storyline controversial topics every episode?" But, it would have fallen flat.

Complaining is a bad habit that is difficult to break. Besides, none of them thought I was addressing them: "Oh, no, not ME!"

One obvious solution is to move if I'm unhappy with my neighbors, but only a few are unpleasant. In the future, I will choose which group to join and which to avoid!