Advertising something to people, that is not FREELY provided ****BY YOU****, to get them to buy something IS an FTC violation. That is EASILY a $70/month cost to you. so the AG, FTC, and any housing authority may want to hear about it.

Steve

Sorry to hear that Sal.Di you do the usual deposit/first and last months rent?
Have you met the neighbors he was stealing from?
Anything else fishy about what he promised and what he actually delivered,or didn't deliver?

Too much crap going on for me to even tell about Kim. I paid deposit and 45 days rent. No first last. But I know I'm not going to get that back because we didn't have running water for 3 days because he had to shut it off to get his septic tank fixed (as if he didn't know that in advance).

Steve thanks for the info. I can't prove that though. He didn't even give me a receipt - but I paid via check so he can't say he wasn't paid.

I'm kind of strapped on this - without the money to rent elsewhere I have to put up at least temporarily. If I ask for a refund, I have to make sure I have somewhere else to go first or he might just kick me out with no refund then I'm really screwed. Just bidding my time. If I don't get my internet connection in the mail tomorrow, I'm going to climb walls. If I do, I'll be at least able to look for another place this weekend. If he kicks me out with no refund - it's police time and I think he might have that gist. He came in and yelled last night because I had a light on (I was reading). So I'm not allowed to waste (read: use) electric. I told him he needed to chill out and to do it fast. He did but it's tense. Well - my time is almost up so I got to get. This is not the kind of interesting that I had been looking for. Swear to god he better not get stupid enough to take a swing at me, LMAO. I'll own his place while he's in jail with his broken bones healing.

If I knew which neighbor he was getting I'd go talk to them - they might know someone else that I could drop down with temporarily until I can get stabilized.

Ouch....holy crap Sal!

Are you concerned for your safety Sal? It sounds uncertain to say the least. I do hope you follow Steve's advice and contact authorities right away.

Sal, if you have a passport, grab Rickie and get your butt over here. I have lots of room for ya.

Let me know if I can do anything else.

WOW sal! I once had a large circle of friends and three were these young women that were roomates in this house. They shared the expenses and seemed to NEVER have complaints. MAN that was SWEET! They had parties and invited a bunch of people to be over and have fun. SERIOUSLY, it felt almost like the mansion on the old beverly hillbillies! I was, and AM, JEALOUS!

Alas, I never did anything like that because I felt I could never trust anyone well enough. Things like YOUR experience just enforce that belief.

If that jerk yells at you for even having a LIGHT on, YIKES! I don't even look at such things. I have been here in a BIG house for almost 12 years! I have an average of 4 lights on ALL THE TIME! Though the temperature drops below 55 in winter here, I keep the place no colder than 55. My refrigerator, sump pump, and various little devices are always on. I hardly notice.

If he wants to play landlord, he should be able to afford it, and know how to manage it. As I understand it, if septic tanks are managed right, they last a LONG time. They have typically 2 leach fields. Those fields have limited use, so after a certain amount of time, you have to switch to the OTHER field. If you don't, things can get REAL bad! SO, does he use well water too? and I mentioned how I have been here 12 years. I ALREADY had to THOUROUGHLY clean the dryer vents, replace the sacrificial rod in the water heater, and replace the water heater.

Steve

Bad news Sal - I'm sorry to hear it.

Now you know some of why many times even when I had a baby in tow, I have stayed in less than nice hotels rather than to be subjected to this sort of crap. Of course probably not too possible with a dog.

I also think it is a good idea to clue the cops if he makes any weird comments or anything at all until you can get out of there.

Keep us posted -

Sorry to hear, hope something turns around for you !

That definitely sux, Sal...I hate to say, and you probably already bypassed this, but in a pinch, did you try dial-up? If you have a phone line handy and an old free trial dial-up service disc...it will give you some free service time, but slow. It's saved me a couple of times in the past...If you are in a metro area you can see if there's another no wep wi-fi close by... look into a cheap cantenna and wardrive for better reception. (you are still "borrowing" service though)
Routers can be hacked (not that I endorse that sort of thing)
Rural area is tough, but it can be done - just not very portable...with an old DISH and the right cable...

Anyone here use or ever used a cantenna or similar set-up?

Sounds like you may need more than just this kind of networking right now though...


Best of luck
3M

Sal - Two words... OH CRAP!

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Oooo Kurt, that gave me the chills.

Sal, there are landlord-tenant laws. While I am not an attorney, I am a landlord. He can't tell you to turn the light off. OMG!

Of course that does not help you until you find another place. My thoughts are with you.

Don

Hi, Sal:

Very sorry to hear of your predicament. You are really between a rock and a hard place, needing a place to stay, needing a place to go, needing stability so you can focus on making money to pay the bills...

My thoughts and prayers are with you, along with those of other concerned members.

GT

Thanks everyone - at least my internet wifi got here today. I am not in physical danger - this dude is no bigger than I am - and has a bad case of "short dude" syndrome. If he were to touch me I could easily put him down, break a few bones and have him arrested to boot. I can't use dial up because I'd have to give him land line phone service to do so. It would cost as much or more than this connection in the long run.

Right now I'm just finishing up two plr products to generate some more cash, and I'm looking for an offline job, too. Things should work out fast. He at least had the septic repaired. I'm sure his whole angle at getting a roommate was to get that fixed. He's a snarky little troll but I think I've let him know that there are limits to what I will take.

If I thought I could get a refund I'd be on it whether I had to live in my car for a few days until I found another place or what. It sucks that it's winter or I'd just tell him to give me the refund and if he refused I'd hit the cop shop and pack my stuff.

I'll get this sorted out. Until then, I'm miserable but I'm not worried about my physical safety. I can hardly wait for this little prick to ask to use my internet connection. LMAO.

Jody - don't have a passport. If I did I'd be up there, needed or not just for the freaking fun of it.

Thom -- you have very little hair left. I couldn't do that to you even though it'd be awesome to see ya again. Next time I come out there it will be for a SHORT visit.

For any americans, I think it would be a good idea to get BOTH passports, and keep them renewed. The people do NOT generally know WHAT they are doing, and there is TOO much that can go wrong! It could end up taking alost 3 MONTHS! I'm not going to let MINE expire anymore. With TWO, you cut your chances of losing it in half, and may double the chances of at least a partial success on your first attempt. And the card is more convenient even if it IS less usable.

Steve

Crap Thom - I wish you lived out here where I actually like the terrain. NY is beautiful in its own right - but the winters are nasty, it rains way too much and there are about 10 million too many people there. Sure would like to get back to the Docks sometime though before every gem area in the NE shuts down.

Happy ending cashtree. I just went to a crisis center and talked to them about my options. I got paperwork started for legal aid in case it comes down to it. He shut the heat off last night and I nearly froze...it's 30 degrees here, maybe less after I went to sleep. I have a cell phone (yeah, I had to - emergency, ya know) charging right now so I can make private business calls or hit 911 if it comes down to it. Just got home and the heat is off again.

I'm still in a bit of shock over this one. You think that you pay rent and everyone is going to be happy. Instead you face living on the street in winter with a scammer holding your cash. And...if that kind of trauma isn't enough -- they said at the center that they could put me up....but I have to abandon my dog. That will be the stinking day. That's what victims need is some more trauma, eh?

Still looking for a way out of this one. It's going to be a bitch and a half. I went straight from the frying pan into the fire. Need a fire extinguisher real fast.

That sucks, Sal. I'll be sending some positive vibes your way . . . with the exception of this next thought . . . wanna borrow my gun?

Dennis....no. I would end up doing serious time. Solve the housing issue though, eh? I've been hoping the little troll would take a swing at me so I could both put him down and have him arrested....finish out the time I paid for here in peace.

Funny how easily that someone can recondition themselves to find the sound or feel of a bone snapping in half pleasant rather than chilling.

[DELETED]

Sal, I hope everything works out for you. Best of luck!

Shared living situations can be rough, I've experienced quite a few of them. Nothing as extreme as what you're describing, but I did have one where my internet access was constantly unstable. That was because the landlord "provided" it but often didn't pay the bill and it would get cut off. Fortunately at that time I wasn't depending on it for my income.

That's why it's a good idea for anyone who makes their living online to have a laptop that can be used at a public place in an emergency. I don't like laptops, as I'm used to typing on a full sized keyboard, but I have an inexpensive one that can be used if there's no alternative. For example, there was a power outage for a few days last October, but the power was still on in a nearby town, so I could do some work there.

Of course, nowadays, even without a laptop there are places you can get free online access -public libraries and colleges for example. Not ideal, but better than nothing in an emergency.

Sounds like you could sue that landlord for damages, though that wouldn't help your situation immediately. I hope you find a situation where you can have shelter and keep your dog too.

The dog stays with me if we have to live in the car. I will not abandon him. I love him. He does as much for me as I do for him. You have no idea how badly it would tear me up to lose him over something like this. I'd be driven over the edge - seriously and finally.

Steve - yeah, I know what he is doing is illegal. Unfortunately - if he can refund immediately, I'm in the cold. I'm 600 short of being able to walk into any place else right now so any confrontation right now can see me in the streets. That is a good idea to find the owner though - unfortunately - it's his house. Once I am out of here, he will get sued. This is outrageous.

Kay - I used to work at a crisis center. I am just ignoring his ranting. That is the safest thing to do. I actually think he's trying to start a fight so he has reason to kick me out. I have my phone charged, which he has no idea I even have, so am ready to hit 911 if need be. I also know I can take him down with not a problem if I have to. I have warm stuff here so I am inundating myself with blankets - use the hair dryer to heat under them and of course, Ricky provides heat under them, too. It's a tad warmer tonight than last night and with hopes it will stay warmer until I get out of here.

Already have the legal aid complaint filled out and ready to go - he has no clue of that either.

I agree - this is a little troll in the middle of a psychotic break down who thought he'd grab money from me, get me out and put someone else in. It is his scam for getting money and I believe I'm not the first. I will be the last though. His jig was up when he decided to mess with the wrong person. I still am not real hot on the idea of living outside at this time of year. If it were summer I'd already be gone and the money would either be in my hand or we'd be in court. Not sure what's going to happen, but he's going down with me if I hit the street.

Yeah Steve, I know that. I feel a lot safer with a cell phone that I can just pop open and call 911. Problem is - this was cheap rent and even at a refund for the time remaining, it's not enough for what I'm seeing out there right now. The cheap ones get grabbed fast. Putting some job aps in today and a product online. Have another product 1/2 done, so doing what I can to get the extra I need to do this smooth in as fast as possible. I don't care what happens to this place after I leave. It can collapse for all I care - probably best if it did, that way nobody else would get scammed.

Hope you're just busy on that other 1/2....