Frustration & Mold!

Extreme frustration is my new name! I am so irritated right now and I don't know what to do! To start my biggest frustration is between myself and my housing community. Basically our entire area military housing system (which is privatized) has been under scrutiny for poor handling when it comes to maintenance practices, including many reports of mold that is going untreated. All the stories reminded me of when we first moved in here and my back door wouldn't secure properly. It is a double door that has a blot lock between them, well in a big storm the doors would blow open due to them not being secured into the frame well. I woke up one morning to the doors wide open and the curtains and carpet soaked with rain. I called maintenance to come fix the door (which took them 2 days) and the guy said, "Well there's really not much we can do about this..." and then banged the top locks into the frame with a screwdriver. REALLY? Could you not have installed a cross lock on the inside or something? The door still gets jiggly now and then so I still have to go back in and fix it myself. They never asked me about the water damage or seemed to care and after we fan dried it, I didn't think much else about it.


In light of the new mold accusations, I decided to do some investigating around my home to see if there was anything apparent. I found a big moldy stain in my HVAC closet on the aluminum backed paper and a water stain around it, but it appeared dry. I also pulled up the carpet near the patio doors and found the carpet discolored underneath and the wooden tack strips blackened (moldy) with water damage. I took pictures and went to my local housing office to request a mold test and have the problem taken care of. The lady was nice, but explained I could treat it, then test or test it, then treat. It made more sense to treat, then test, that way I'd know that the problem was taken care of. A maintenance worker came over within half an hour to look at the damage. He used a moisture probe in the HVAC (while I watched) and said that it came back at 1% which is normal for all walls. The thing is, and I don't know how these things work, when he first put the probe into the area it jumped around 30-40% and then as he moved it, it went to 1%. I thought that was odd, but figured he knows what he's doing. He tells me it must be an old leak and isn't leaking now, so when I start using the air conditioner regularly I should keep and eye on it. He sprays over it with white paint called "Killz" which is supposed to kill mold and then looks at the carpet. Same song and dance, then tells me it's not wet now, so... and basically seems like the blackened wood isn't a big deal. I ask if he's gonna replace it and he's like, we can. He tells me he'll be back tomorrow to pull it up and leave it for a carpet guy to come in and replace. I ask if the carpet can be assessed or cleaned since it's discolored and he says he'll let them know I'd like that. He leaves and I feel kind of ignored in a way. HE was TOTALLY nice, but I just didn't feel like the "treatment" was effective. IMHO, I think that a leak doesn't just cure itself and that some investigative work should have been done in the HVAC to see where it came from. Maybe it rotted a hole somewhere else and how now rerouted to an unknown location? Maybe there is an overgrowth of mold inside the duct that the handy dandy "white cover up" killz spray could not reach? The carpeting, I think should at least be completely removed from that section (about 3sq feet) and replaced, I mean there is a line of black shit on the underside where the boards met the carpet... FRUSTRATION!

SO, the next day comes and I had to work, as it seems I always do when maintenance needs to come by, and when I get home I see that nothing has been done. WTF? Guess they got too busy and I figure they'll show Monday. Monday morning I get a phone call from the maintenance office to do a satisfaction survey on my recent call, I tell the lady, "No, the work isn't done and I already asked to not be contacted by phone because they call too damn early and to only contact me by email. I try to go back to sleep, but my peaceful dreamings have been interrupted and it's no use. That evening a guy comes at about 5:15 (they close up shop by 5:30-6) and says he is there to check the HVAC to see if anything new has occurred. Well of course not, because you painted over it and mold doesn't grow overnight like that. I ask about the carpet, he has no idea and says he will talk to someone. I am still frustrated, but it's late and there is no one to talk to about it, so whatever. Tuesday (today) I had a lot to do and ended up staying awake until nearly 6AM doing a last minute favor for a friend. I crawl into bed praying for a good nights sleep, they last few nights when I did actually get enough sleep my weight dropped and dropped and I was getting giddy with the realization that as long as I got 8 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, my body rewarded me! At 9AM I get another call from maintenance asking how my service was on my water intrusion problem, I tell the girl that I just told them yesterday to NOT call, only email and that it was a bad time. She apologized and said they would try again later. (NOTE: IF they call again I'm removing my number and then they call dial the wall for all I care) About 20 minutes later as I am just about to be asleep again, the doorbell rings. FUCK! I am sleeping on the couch and I yell "JUST A MINUTE", check the peephole and it's obviously someone with maintenance. I run to the room to put on clothes (yes, I sleep semi-nude) and by time I get back they are gone, completely gone. I am pissed, they HAD HAD HAD to have heard me. I call the resident office trying to figure out who it was and what they wanted. To make a really long story a little shorter, after a few calls they figure out it was the carpet contractor come to look at my carpet and assess what needed to be done. I tell her to tell them to come back, that I'll be waiting. They show about 10 minutes later and decide they need to put in some concrete filler, then replace the tack and re stretch the carpet. Then they'll have it cleaned. I say great, when? We decide on Thursday, because I said I had to work Friday and they leave. Not five minutes later, I realize that it's actually Thursday I work and not Friday. I call the resident office yet again and tell them to contact these guys and let them know that I actually need them come Friday. By this time I am wide awake and pissed. I checked my weight and it was up a pound and a half from yesterday!

I am SO SICK and TIRED of having people do this! They call at all hours, work their own schedules, and have little to no consideration for their residents. And worst of all, my weight is suffering for it. I was too tired for the gym yesterday and I am too tired today. I actually fell asleep from 1:30pm to about 5pm, so now I 'll probably be up all night again. I don't know what to do. I can't turn my phone off at night with DH overseas, what if it's an emergency? I also called the store about my washer and dryer delivery, I was told it could be up to 3 weeks and today was 3 weeks with no word. The guy I talk to says he doesn't see anything about it coming in and tells me they should have told me 6 to 8 weeks. WTF? 6 to 8 weeks to have a washer and dryer sent in? How in the hell, why in the hell, would it take that long? I was told a special order clerk would call me back about it today, but no one has, so I guess I'll be calling to bitch again tomorrow. I might just go up there and God almighty if the ones I ordered are in stock, I gonna MAKE them give whatever they have and when mine comes in it's theirs.

It' like 6pm now and I know that I need to go to them gym, I really have to. I need to be home by 8pm to catch the biggest loser (it's about the only show that I'm looking forward to these days and I HATE that they made it an hour shorter to have the stoooopid The Voice results show) until 9pm, then I should should go to the other gym, but I don't know if I have the strength today. I should try to be asleep by 12 or 1 tops too. I felt good to get that all out, but I feel like it's not going to solve any of my problems. Thanks for letting my rant! Dios Mio!