Neighbor Issues

[coolgraymemo]

(This should have been posted a few weeks ago)

So, we've lived in the same house for ten or more years. When we bought it, there was an empty lot behind it. About five years ago they built a Uhaul office and used the lot as the truck parking.

The owners of the Uhaul made a barbed wire fence that runs parallel to ours. Ever since the lot began to be used, we have been having problems with them bumping into our fence with their trucks. Today, we checked our fence and there is a place where they hit our metal pole and bent the fence about two feet. So now the fence looks like it is about to fall onto our yard. It is obvious they hit it since the wire fence on their side is a little bent. Along with that, there are about five or more little "dings" on our fence throughout.

What should we do? Demand they make a new fence?

[coolgraymemo]

(Today)

So, after contacting half of Uhaul, we finally got the manager to ask us to "get estimates." The first guy came today - $1880 for about 75% of the fence (the other 25% isn't damaged).

I went to give the manager the estimate and he seemed to not believe me - he kept saying "Oh that's too much" and "I don't think we'll pay that." So before leaving the parking lot, I quietly told him that "I would look for other ways to resolve the issue." He blew up - kept telling me to not talk because I "would go too far" (I don't know why he said that since I wasn't mad or anything. He said I shouldn't threaten him with suing him (I never said anything about getting a lawyer).

[Seerlah]

Get in touch with corporate and take pictures. That's damage to personal property.

[ianwpb]

Yeah, don't even bother talking to him. Get his name and store number and contact corporate. They would love to hear about this I'm sure.. If they're any good at customer service they'll fix the fence and then some.

[SS92]

Yeah, don't even bother talking to him. Get his name and store number and contact corporate. They would love to hear about this I'm sure.. If they're any good at customer service they'll fix the fence and then some.

That. My boss was telling me about an ongoing fight with uhaul and their guys damaging her property when she moved from Palo Alto. She stopped fighting locally and Corporate resolved it and refunded her moving fees.

[biketsai]

Easy way to solve this, get 2 more different estimates and show them to this manager. You could of course go to small claims court if they don't wanna pay. But make sure you take some good pictures right now.

[coolgraymemo]

I have about 100 pictures as of now. One of the trucks is actually pushing the wire fence at this moment (it isn't a Uhaul truck though).

I tried contacting corporate (hence "calling half of Uhaul"). I called Uhaul customer service and they told me to please call the regional office. I called the regional office and they told me they would call me back. Never received their call. I ended up calling them. I spoke with a lady and she told me she would try her best to get one of the "bigger ups" to contact me. I received a call from the "bigger up" on Friday stating that Uhaul couldn't do anything about it since it is a private Uhaul office (or something like that). The office is shared with a mechanics shop.


Let me tell you guys about customer service...
Last weekend (the day we found out about the damage) we went to talk to the workers since the manager wasn't there. The kid that "worked" there was high and the office reeked of marijuana. As we walked behind the office, there was a little group of smokers gathered around (and it smelled like marijuana).
I already brought this to the attention of customer service and the regional office.

[coolgraymemo]

Oh and for each estimate they are going to charge $25-50 since it is a residential-industrial (or something like that). In other words, they only give free estimates if it is residential-residential.
The manager didn't seem to believe this either. I gave him a copy of the receipt too.

[TConklin821]

Take the estimates and take him/the business to small claims court. Even talk to the local police about advice. If they agree with you, see if they can go on record about it. The fact that UHaul is doing nothing about it is appalling.

[biketsai]

Take the estimates and take him/the business to small claims court. Even talk to the local police about advice. If they agree with you, see if they can go on record about it. The fact that UHaul is doing nothing about it is appalling.

I agree, get the estimate done anyways and have them pay for it when you settle. You will probably need all 3 if you take it to small claims court. Police might not be able to do much for you since this is a civil matter, maybe a report at best.

[TConklin821]

It is not a civil matter, damage to private property is a crime. It is a felony in many states depending on the amount of damage. If you sue, it will become a civil matter, but as for right now, property damage is most definitely a crime. This is the reason corporate would usually be so willing to pay for the damage. Paying for a damaged fence is a lot better than a criminal case against them. I say talk to police.

[ianwpb]

Another option is calling up the local news station. I know someone that moved into an apartment that ended up having bedbugs that the landlord already knew about. He refused to do anything about it so the tenant called up the news station and they did a story on it. That kind of pressure may make them do something about it. Or just take them to court...

[coolgraymemo]

I'll give them a chance to work out a deal without getting any other parties involved. We have another person coming to evaluate the fence and give us an estimate on Tuesday.

The more I think of it, the more I regret I didn't record today's conversation (I forgot to hit record on my phone since the manager came up to our car quickly). Let me summarize our conversation:
Him: "... that's too much ... I don't think they'll pay for it ... the fence doesn't need that much work ... "
Memo: "Ok. Well if they don't want to pay for it, they we'll try to resolve it another way ... " (calmly while getting into my car)
Him: "You shouldn't be threatening me ... what are you going to sue me? " (obviously angry)
Memo: "I didn't say anything about s ..."
Him: "I recommend you stop talking before ... " (angry) *
Memo: "There's no reason you should be getting mad ... you aren't the one that's gonna pay ... run the receipt by your superiors "
Him: - - - silence - - -


*At this point I felt like he was going to say he was going to beat me up. I was thinking to myself, "Oh yea, I'm real scared of a fifty or sixty year old smoker..."


If they don't want to resolve it the easy way, we'll look for other means.

[geeky]

Are any of your other neighbors fences messed up (neighbors that parallel you, aka next door)? If they are, it might be a good time to involve the community and get everything fixed together.

[coolgraymemo]

No. Each of our neighbors only shares about ten feet with the lot. We have about 150' shared with the lot. The center section is the one that is mostly damaged ( ~ 100-120').

[geeky]

150'?! No wonder the estimates are around 2 grand.

[Seerlah]

I am not an advocate of calling the police...EVER (911 is a different story). But call them up and file a report.

[TConklin821]

What's wrong with the police?

[Corrado_Guy]

What's wrong with the police?

The police should always be your last option, they have other things to do that to attend every little squabble. While they are busy harassing a guy for a fence someone could be dying and in need of help but there is nobody there or whatever the case may be. There is nothing wrong with calling the police but this should always be your last option because once they are involved you will find attitudes change and if you think they were bad before you will find them much worse. Try the other methods first and if they all fail then call the police, tell them what you have done to resolve the matter, and see if they can be of any assistance to you.

[JoeyZ]

Lawyer up. They will.

You have a case. The manager making 22k a year is a moron.

[PhillyOne]

What's wrong with the police?

Fuck the police

[Lornnn]

i might be more adamant about reaching corporate
who's to say they're going to be more cautious/sensible even after the fence is replaced?

either way the manager seems like a total cock.. its obvious where the damage is coming from ** his area/business/trucks ** so he's really got nothing to bitch about aside from himself and his staff

[Lornnn]

The police should always be your last option, they have other things to do that to attend every little squabble. While they are busy harassing a guy for a fence someone could be dying and in need of help but there is nobody there or whatever the case may be. There is nothing wrong with calling the police but this should always be your last option because once they are involved you will find attitudes change and if you think they were bad before you will find them much worse. Try the other methods first and if they all fail then call the police, tell them what you have done to resolve the matter, and see if they can be of any assistance to you.

there's a special pair of cops who come sit in the little cove at the entrance of my dead-end street every evening around 8PM
.. nothing goes on around here, its quiet, nice neighbors
these two just sit there illegally parked with their lights off, lurking until they can chase after some random unsuspecting driver
..then come back and do it again on and on until about 3AM

keep up the hard work, boys.

[coolgraymemo]

Well, I spoke to the manager again today (over the phone). He also wants at least two more estimates.

He says that $1880 is too much since their company doesn't bring in that much money. I almost got the feeling that he is acting like he "owns" the company or that he is going to pay for the fence out of pocket himself.

He then told me that he could rebuild the fence himself. lol. If it comes to that (which I wont settle) I would rather rebuild it myself and have them pay for it.

[doubleu8]

This is why companies have insurance. If it costs less than their deductible, then they will pay 'out of pocket'

Get two more estimates and present them to the OWNER, not the tard manager.
Take charge and get this done, it's not a huge deal.

[Seerlah]

What's wrong with the police?

I would like to take this time to exercise my constitutional right, and plead the 5th.

[gt172]

id call the cops (tho i hate them) hell id park a car right up on the fence soif they hit the fence they tap the car but then im an ass when ppl are one to me

[melloman]

To be honest, I would get a camcorder and film them smoking behind the place (if you can see it happening from your side of the fence) and any damage then if you don't want police to get involved.. go to your local News station.

Here in BC, Canada. We have our local news station (Global BC) that will gladly come out and do a story. It just shows the public that "Global BC cares about the community" kind of thing. A police report will always help aswell. This can always just lead up to a EASY WIN in small claims court with all the evidence. Good luck buddy.

[Max@034]

Uhaul's are generally privately owned franchises so I do not know exactly how it works with who ends up responsible for things like that, but it may not be a clear case of Corporate just showing up and paying. They may push it onto the owner, but frankly it has nothing to do with you whether or not they can afford it. If its a properly run business, he will have insurance and won't be paying that out of pocket anyways.

Good Luck. I've had to deal with these situations before but with normal residential people; it's always easier when a business is involved.

That being said, I wouldn't worry about actually getting the money, just more how long and how much time you will have to invest in order to get it.

[coolgraymemo]

I also remember him saying that not all the metal poles from my fence had to be replaced (as if he was an expert).

I got two more estimates yesterday: one at ~ $1500 and the other at $3850 .

I also filed an online police report today.

Today, I went to give him the two new estimates and I couldn't find him. The "supervisor" (which was the pot-smoking kid from the other day) wasn't too happy to see me - pretty bad service since he wasn't high. They also had little buddies around (the office didn't smell like Marijuana this time - they were probably doing it behind). Well, the kid told me the manager would be in at closing time (5 pm). I went back at 5 pm and he still wasn't there; I waited about fifteen minutes to see if he came but nothing. I'm starting to think he is trying to avoid me.

I seriously do not know where they hired these workers. I have a feeling the manager and the workers are related because these kids look like they belong in a juvenile detention center.

[coolgraymemo]

Update:

Gave him the two estimates today.

He keeps saying that he has enough experience to fix the fence himself.

I also recorded him saying that he had "Twenty god damn fucking years of experience" and "I don't want to get into at dick slapping/swapping fight with you guys." Great example from a manager right? Five star customer service...

[Ridemywideglide]

Coming in late on this thread, but it's been interesting reading. How have you made out? Hope it's over and you got paid.

Regardless, the owner of the business is the responsible party. Rather the property is leased or owned, it's on him. Uhaul (corp) may pay to help keep a good name, but it's not on them, it's on the owner.
Personally I would file a complaint everyday for the next month about the drug use going on behind the shop, rather you see it or not. I would also petition the city counsel ( or pertinent body for your situation ) about removal of the commercial-residential zoning for that land. you could also demand that they install metal/concrete pillars similar to what banks have in the drive throughs, due to the possibility of large commercial vehicles crashing through your fence and ending up in your yard. Just mention one of your kids getting run over (if you have any) and shit will happen yesterday.
Also, as a business owner, he is required to carry insurance, and from the way you say he has been, I'd guess he doesn't have any. If he did, he'd take you estimate and have them cut you a check. Operating without liability insurance can not only get him shutdown, but is also a criminal offense. Check into that side of it.

[coolgraymemo]

That's cool. Any input is still welcome.

Really haven't worked anything out since I have been REALLY busy these past weeks.

What I have done:
- Spoke with the regional manager: he couldn't do anything about it. He just went over to talk to him, and tell him to keep customers happy.
- Filled police reports for damaged properties, and threat.
- Filled BBB report; don't know what happened with this.
- As of yesterday, I spoke with the person that owned the land (and is now in charge of it; new owners are from China). My neighbor had the phone number since they are friends. He told me that he would try to fix it, since it "Wasn't right." Sounded real polite, and hopefully something will happen. My neighbor told me that before we lived here (and before there ever was a Uhaul), the three neighbors on our court (would be our house and the two next to it) petitioned and had a block fence made. However the fence was built where the lot started (which would be where the Uhaul parking starts now; opposite of our fence). It was eventually torn down for the parking lot.
- I have been trying to contact someone from City, to come look at it and see if we can get that block fence built up. Haven't had time to really go in-depth about it.

Most of this should be done in the next week since I will have more time.

I don't want to talk to the manager any more.

[donkeysaudi]

shoot a better soultion from the start would of been a mob threat.... call up the local mofia pay up front a fair lump sum and badda boom badda bing there taken care of and you can enjoy a lil weekend project with your buddys

[Nevets57]

It doesn't surprise me that they are giving you grief. Here in Canada, we have a show thats called Marketplace, where they investigate companies that have many customer complaints or shady business practises. They did one on Uhaul because of their constant poor service, extra charges etc. etc. Apparently Uhaul has been getting away with all of this crap because people eventually give up or don't want to deal with the hassle of bringing them to court. I know your situation is different since you haven't rented any of their stuff but don't be surprised if they lead you on a wild goose chase and drag it out as long as possible. I just bought my first Audi in Calgary (approx 370km from where I live) a couple of weeks ago and on the way back, the trailer I rented from them blew a tire, on the highway, 60km out of Calgary. We got stranded outside Calgary for 3 hours while they tried to figure a solution in -28 Degrees Celsius and eventually just decided to drive our other car back to the closest town. We ended up buying our own tire and replaced it on the side of the highway. Why they didn't just send a truck from the place we rented it with a new tire is beyond me but apparently thats too expensive? Luckily I eventually got the money back for the tire (I was lucky because I accidentally didn't sign a waiver, which trust me was pretty shady as is) but just like everyone else, I didn't have the energy and time to get anything else back for my time and hassle. Anyways sorry to rant and thread jack a bit there but hopefully you get it all sorted out.

[Seerlah]

^Budget is better. If the tire(s) needs replacement, they send a tire guy out to fix it.

[SeekB00st]

Uhual, being a business, has to have insurance.

Contact main operations, threaten, wait for check. Simple.

[coolgraymemo]

Update:

Around mid-February, Greg (Uhaul manager) called me to let me know that he was talking with Uhaul and that he might be covered to get the replacement fence. He told me he would call me back in a few days. That same day, I opened a case with my local small claims court. I never heard back from Greg after that call. I called the office at least six or seven times - they never once picked up the phone.

About a week ago, I was with my dog in my backyard when I hear Greg call me from the parking lot. He gave me a BS story about having called me ten times and that he might have the wrong number (I gave him my number once again). He tells me that he is going to come to my house the next day to talk about our issue. Never came to visit. Never called me.

The day after our last meet-up, I took the paperwork from the court to the Sheriffs office so that they can deliver them to him. I already know I'll get an immediate call once he receives them. I hope the Sheriff (or police officer) shows up to the business while the workers are getting high.


I'm also going to petition to get a cinder block fence or something built on their side since we need to be sure that this wont ever happen again (thanks for the advice #32).

[redline380]

i wouldnt stop at that. as stated, this is not only a civil issue but a criminal one as well. file a criminal complaint with the cops too. it will only strengthen your case. but what it boils down to is how much are you willing to spend here? lawyers are not cheap. if you find one to take the case, you could always ask for lawyers fees on your part too (some areas do this, others do not). if the civil suit ends up in your favor, at the very least threaten to file a criminal complaint. #32 does bring up good points, but petitioning o have the area rezoned just isn't going to happen. better to not waste your time there. good luck with this. i like stories like this and will be going to law school one day

[coolgraymemo]

Two police reports have been made:
1. Damage to personal property.
2. Thread ("Yea, well I know where you live!").

Haven't heard anything back from either of them.

I also have a bunch of recordings from when I would take estimates to him.