Please allow me to explain to you the incidents that occurred yesterday, as they are representative of my interactions with SOS Property Management and the property at N Nevada St.
##6/20/2015 11:00 AM: Lawn has finally been cleaned of sewage waste. No response yet from city or property management.
##6/19/2015
11:03 AM: Left a voicemail for Robert Shapiro, the President of SOS Property Management, to let him know how poorly his company has handled this, and how rude his employees are.
11:08 AM: Called the city to file a complaint about the sewage on the lawn.
11:18 AM: Sent an updated email to the city with pictures of the lawn and courtyard this morning.
##6/18/2015
9:00 AM: I woke up to find a small amount of water in my bathtub. I decided to see if it settles back down, as it wasn't filthy yet. I go to a meeting.
10:30 AM: I return from my meeting to discover the tub and toilet are rapidly filling with filthy water.
10:35 AM: I call 858-273-8800, speak briefly with someone, and am directed to someone's voicemail.
10:45 AM: I call back, and speak with a person, who says they will send out the plumbers.
12:41 PM: I receive a call from a number I don’t recognize (858-369-5373). No voicemail is left.
2:32 PM: I receive another call from the same number, and answer. It’s Christian Spicer, who has called to clarify the plumbing problem that has been reported. He tells me that I should go upstairs and tell the neighbors to stop running water. I tell him that I don’t believe the neighbors are home, nor are they running water, and that has nothing to do with it. He says he will call the plumbers.
3:58 PM: I submit an issue to the City of Oceanside via their online portal.
4:39 PM: I receive a call from Drain Patrol. They tell us we are next on their list.
4:53 PM: I receive a call from Drain Patrol. They tell us a plumber has been dispatched.
6:00 PM: Plumber arrives. We have now not been able to use our bathroom for about 9 hours. The tub has filled with filthy water, there is water coming up from the floor, and the toilet is about to overflow.
6:05 PM: I send an email to the City of Oceanside with more details, and this link to photos of this and past incidents: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o61gy9kamr2p0g9/AADp2gw5-whp7XqrHUFMf1Bxa?dl=0
8:50 PM: Plumber finishes. He tells us several things need to be replaced, particularly in the laundry room, and that he will make recommendations in his report.
8:59 PM: I call the after-hours maintenance number because there is raw sewage on the lawn, sidewalk, and street. I am quite clear that the plumbing problem has been fixed and that we need cleanup.
10:00 PM: The plumber comes back. We are both confused, he speaks to all of the neighbors.
10:11 PM: I receive a call from the maintenance company at 201-504-4200 and am put through to Daniel at SOS. He asks if I said the plumbing was backed up again. I said that no, I was quite clear, the plumbing is okay for now, but the lawn needs to be cleaned up. Daniel tells me, rather rudely, that it isn’t possible. I tell him that I called in the plumbing problem at 10:30 that morning, and that it is in no way my fault that it was not resolved until 9:00 PM. He very rudely raises his voice and says tells me they will get someone out there.
##April 30, 2015 Here is a delightful piece of an email exchange between myself and Christian Spicer, the manager for this property. He is angry that I've called the city after he failed to resolve the sewage issue.
Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 1:19 PM
RE: River of sewage again
Hey! Just got a call from the city!
Man they are fun people. At 11:06 Am you stated that no one had been in contact with you regarding this issue and “the river of sewage”.. I have in writing that you contacted the drain company at 9. I have word from the company that they left you messages last night to go out there. Come on… don’t create a bigger issue then it is. I understand your frustrated but if you think its fun for me to handle its not. You contacting the city where I had to forward the info where we addressed it yesterday and the invoice I will have to send showing the plumber was there between 1030 and 11. This creates more work for me which slows down the things I have to do like take care of this issue. Or others that pop up.
Thanks
Christian
My response:
Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 1:31 PM
Re: River of sewage again
First of all, I do not have any messages from them from last night, for which I would happily provide phone records. I checked the Drain Patrol number and I missed a call at 7:27 last night, which I attempted to return quickly at 8:40 during a break in a lecture I was giving and was not connected in time to know who had called. I got their message and returned their call at 9:31 this morning, AFTER which, I went outside and discovered the mess, which indicated to me that someone had already come and left, as there were absolutely no trucks in the area, and I had no idea when this had happened, nor when it would be cleaned up. I emailed you, got no immediate response, and decided I was tired of this crap, literally, and contacted the city. Which, by the way, is my right as a tenant and citizen, so I'm sorry you finally got called out by the city on this place. I am SO frustrated, you have NO idea, and the city absolutely needs to know about this, it is beyond a public health hazard and it happens every single time they come out here, and last time was the first time you even attempted to clean it up. I'm not making a bigger deal out of it than it is. There has been a pile of feces on the lawn since at least 9:30 this morning. You don't think that's a big deal? There are kids here, not to mention all of the rest of us who have to live here. It's right under one of our bedroom windows! I'm so sorry I made doing your job harder, maybe if anyone bothered to properly manage this property, or fix the root of the problem, since I've been reporting it basically since I moved in, this wouldn't be such an issue. I'm sorry that not wanting a pile of human waste on my lawn is so high-maintenance of me.
This day was a disaster, here's a link to a writeup I made, which was also emailed to the entirety of SOS Property Management.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A0TXRBV3yLWBBJtJrkkX8JCBOLqna-YHVSvEYgdDX_A/edit?usp=sharing