Thursday, March 12, 2009

rant-o-rama

Sigh.
I need to vent a little.
In general I don't love reading other people's venting because it just gets me all worked up and filled with righteous indignation and then I'm all upset over a problem that isn't even mine! So if you're like that and don't want to read this, that's ok. I forgive you.
On to the story!
So I woke up at 7:30 this morning to what sounded like men talking... in my backyard. It also sounded like the water was on somewhere but it was kinda hard to tell. Truth? This was only the second night we've spent in the house so I'm still getting used to the noises.
Tyson had already left for work so I crept out of bed and peeked out the window.
Nothing.
I figured I was hearing construction workers at the house next door and the sound was just carrying over, and I figured the water sound was maybe just the fridge filling itself up or something? I dunno.
Anyway, I got out of bed, went downstairs and got myself some breakfast. I was just getting loungy (new word!) in front of the telly when I see a man walk past the window in my backyard!
Bah!
Keep in mind that I am home alone at this point and we don't have any blinds on the window. He proceeds to nonchalantly fill up a bucket of water from the spigot at the back of the house while I'm frozen in my living room wondering what to do.
I figure a gentle confrontation is my best bet.
So I open the sliding glass door and say "Hello! Are you working on my house?" Who knows? Maybe he had some sort of legitimate reason to be there that I didn't know about.
The guilty look on his face informed me that he did not.
Basically he didn't realize we had moved in yet, although he did see the boxes in the house, and he was working on a job on the house next door, which as he explained to me, wasn't our property. Yes, thank you, I didn't realize that Tyson and I do not own the entire neighborhood.
I did get the impression that it wasn't really his fault though, he was just doing what his supervisors said to do. He also knew the name of a guy who helped us with our house (I shall call him Bim) and said that Bim was the one who told him to get water from our house.
Oh really?
Then he told me exactly how much water he had taken and that he was sorry and wouldn't come back now that he knew we lived there. Ok, no hard feelings.
About a minute after he left the doorbell rang and it was his supervisor (who's name was also Bim, confusing, no?) and he apologized profusely and told me again that it was Bim who said to use our water.
Well now I'm thinking, how many people have used our stuff while we've been paying utilities? We've only really been here a couple days and anything could have been happening while we were transitioning from the apartment. We have owned this house for almost two weeks and Bim knew it. What makes him think it's ok to basically steal water from us since our house is the only one with the utilities turned on?
Meanwhile I'm texting Tyson about the situation and he's even getting upset. You know when Tyson gets bugged about something that it is a legit claim, not just the woman hormones talking. He's mostly worried because here I am home alone in a new house with no blinds and strange men are walking around just a foot away from the house.
Now I'm thinking less about the water and more about my privacy which suddenly feels violated.
So I call Bim.
Who denies telling anyone they could use anything.
Whatever.
I remind him that we are living there and that it is not ok for construction workers to be using our house for anything. I was uncomfortable with what happened and I told him that Tyson wasn't thrilled about it either. He was pretty quiet the whole time.
So now I don't really feel like anything has been resolved although I'm sure it won't happen again. I have no idea how much the 15 gallons of water cost us, although since I used at least that much in my bath yesterday it probably doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme.
Should I be bugged?

11 comments:

  1. yes. i get bugged by things like that. more the inconsiderate-ness of the situation than anything else.
    once, city workers were working on the house across the street from us. (no one that i knew or loved lived there at the time) and i came out to find a mighty long extension cord plugged into an outside outlet on OUR porch, running across the street and around the other house! seriously? not okay with me. also, when the house next to us was being built about a year and a half ago, we suspected that the construction workers were using our outdoor facilities and we set a trap. ha! they totally fell into it and we busted them. they apologized and said they wouldn't do it again. but we didn't trust them and set the trap again, and guess what? they fell right into again. not even two days after they apologized and gave us their word. idiots.

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  2. I would be bugged, too. With the utilities thing and the privacy thing. Hopefully they will have the sense to leave your house alone. That's crazy. Like you said, they knew you bought the house 2 weeks ago. Ergh!

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  3. Now I want to know details of Morgan's trap!!

    Would I be bugged? You betcha. Without permission they are trespassing, and stealing.

    15 gallons isn't much, but they should have asked first.

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  4. I agree with what everyone else has said as well. That is very annoying and besides the fact that you are paying for what they are using, that's just creepy having a bunch of men walking around on your property while you are home alone. When we first moved in here there were tons of houses along our street still under construction. A lady down the street told me she caught the workers using her hose and they tried to deny it. She I guess set some kind of a trap so she'd be able to tell if they had used it and went and bawled them out. They tried to pretend they didn't understand English! I did have a worker come and ask to use our hose cause they needed to remove a piece of cement by our house and needed water. So, that was nice of him to ask and I was ok to let him use it since he asked. But I wondered if maybe he just couldn't figure out how to turn it on since we had timers on it, he he! Well I hope they quit bothering you. I'm sure you'll be glad when the construction is done in your area and they are gone for good.

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  5. send bim the water bim.. i mean bill ;) and tell him to go bim himself if he doesn't pay up. that's what i'd do. or just call the po po.

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  6. just a little creepy really! haha... your house is so cute though! I am so jealous really! Where in Washington are you guys again?

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  7. Uh-that's the way it is in the construction world-especially when it's happening all around you. I would call the builder and tell him you have moved in-I don't know if it will help-make sure your doors are always locked-maybe invest in your blinds quicker than you wanted. But there's going to be lots of noise and activity for awhile-sorry-we were the first on our block to move in too-I can relate.

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  8. Yeah, this is unacceptable. I would complain to the people you bought the house from, since I assume they are the same ones that are building the ones next door. Remind them that trespassing is illegal and that using your water is stealing. AND, if you see it again you are calling the police. That will get their attention.

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  9. Totally bugged. Good job on calling everyone. You're a girl after my own heart:) If it gets nasty and you need some good stingers, call me and Benjy. hahaha

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  10. Hahaha, Mari, I love reading your blog. Honestly, I can't say I would be bugged, but what do I know, I don't own a house yet, so I don't pay my own water bills. That belongs to the apartment. I'm sure I would feel differently if it were actually my house because I get possessive about stuff like that, so I imagine I WOULD be bugged if I were actually in your exact situation. Good for you on calling Bim, I don't know if I would have done it. I would have made Sterling call.

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