What is Wrong with these People??

[travelover]

I also see plenty of these misspellings on this site every day

10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling - The Oatmeal

My pet gripe is interchanging principle and principal. Next is your and you're.

And get off my lawn!

 

[Alan]

My pet gripe is interchanging principle and principal.

A few years ago we had a new member who was handing out financial advice, and one of the responses from a member pointed out that if he really was knowledgeable about finances that he would know the difference between principle and principal.

 

[Nemo2]

My pet gripe is interchanging principle and principal. Next is your and you're.

I'm a then & than kinda guy myself.......plus loose & lose......plus others.

 

[travelover]

A few years ago we had a new member who was handing out financial advice, and one of the responses from a member pointed out that if he really was knowledgeable about finances that he would know the difference between principle and principal.

What would a financial adviser know about principles? (JK)

 

[Nords]

A more common worry among my friends is what to wear to the ballet or the opera after having a wonderful dinner at a world class restaurant

I'd be more worried about being invited to the ballet, opera, or a world-class restaurant.

I enjoy it, but I don't understand it unless we are still a big slice of their target demographic.

That's funny, I've noticed it too. The music that was controversial/rebellious when it first came out (and we were all younger) is now mainstream, even elevator muzak. I laugh when I see 20-somethings wearing The Beatles and Led Zeppelin t-shirts too, what's up with that?

I think it's all coming back in style because the tunes are on TV commercials.

Besides, "Stairway to Heaven" has turned 41 years of age. It's practically a Golden Oldie!

That's not the point. How would you feel if you went to look at someone's car for sale and when talking to you they were picking their nose? My point is inappropriate is just that.
I am surprised by the number of people here that think this slob behavior is just fine.

My point is that I see no reason to pay extra rent for highly-pedigreed staff (whether they pick their nose or not) and PhD-level English grammarian communicators. AFAIK he's not planning to date them.

It's a freakin' apartment-- rent it for the location and the quality of the construction and maybe for the swimming pool, but who cares about the public-relations skills of the front office? So as long as he can negotiate the lease and put the rent on autopay, why give a hoot how badly they text on autocorrect?

As for the nose-pickin' auto dealer, I specifically seek sellers like that. Their antisocial behavior drives away the customers, so I can buy the vehicle at a discount. Once I drive off with the car, I'll never see them picking their nose again-- so there's no reason to care about the behavior.

When we bought our "dream house" it was held in trust by the brother-in-law of the parents who'd died three years ago. Four generations of family/cousins were squatting here. The place was a pigsty at its first showing of its second time for sale, and it had actually been taken off the market the first time because it was even filthier. The sellers were so obnoxious to deal with (pit bulls included) that we bought it for 15% below market. On the day we were moving in, one of the family (a recently-paroled ice addict) was still moving out. We walked around a corner and interrupted him as he was... well, "saying goodbye"... to his girlfriend on the floor of the familyroom. We mentioned it to the seller, who threw in a free carpet-cleaning just to keep the issue quiet.

The house had a lot of problems, but it was a diamond in the rough and just needed sweat equity. I have to admit, though, that even after the cleaning my spouse could never look at that part of the carpet in quite the same way ever again. Today the carpet has been replaced with ceramic tile, so she's over it.

Maybe OP should tell management that he's been having such a hard time working with the staff that he wants to sign a 15-month lease at a discount.

 

[JustMeUC]

I'm curious about your frustration with this particular point (no signature on an email). Are you unable to clearly identify the sender of the email from their email address? Is it like arg145@apartmentcomplex.com or something and you don't know their name? Or custserv@apartmentcomplex.com?

I ask because I don't usually sign my emails since my name (to some extent) is usually in my email address. And if you get into a long reply chain, having 1 line messages with 8 lines of signature makes for messy correspondence IMHO.

They all 3 reply from one email address: mailbox@apartment.com

The problem was that I had been having an ongoing conversation on Wednesday with one of the 3 about hooking up cable and was continued it an hour or so later only to get a reply which consisted of

"huh" nothing more nothing less.

I then wrote back "what do you mean "huh""?

and they wrote me back "I don't know what u talking about" still not signing their name.

I then explained that "I was wanting to know if you found out the answer to the cable question"

to which they replied "dont know about that" still not saying who it was or why they did not know about it.

I then asked "well when do you think you will find out"?

to which they replied "find out what"?

I sent back another email saying "when will you find out how far in advance I need to call to set up cable/internet"?

and they said "oh you need to talk to ____ about that"

I wrote back "I thought that is who I was talking to"

I get "nope, she left" (and I still have no idea who I have been corresponding with)

Haha, I know you jest, but should you wish to come visit in about 14 months, I will be glad to show you around.
I live in Polanco.

BTW, I am a woman, not a man and I have no fear of the Opera!

 

[FUEGO]

They all 3 reply from one email address: mailbox@apartment.com

Got it. Yes, that would be extremely annoying, so I understand the need for a signature of some sort. And the conversation (or convo as my cohort of 20- and 30- somethings call a conversation) sounds like a comedy skit! I think I would switch to a phone call to clear things up, or specifically request they identify themselves by name when conversing by email.

The brevity of the messages do sound like they were typing on a phone or tablet. And they sound like they really don't care to actually resolve your issue. Probably because they are too busy playing on their phone...

 

[obgyn65]

I try my best to spell words correctly in my posts and to check my grammar before posting. As mentioned a few times before, my mother tongue is not English so please do not hesitate to correct me if you see any mistake in my posts. Thank you.

 

[haha]

Haha, I know you jest, but should you wish to come visit in about 14 months, I will be glad to show you around.
I live in Polanco.

BTW, I am a woman, not a man and I have no fear of the Opera!

Very kind offer, thank you! I looked back at some of your posts, and see I have been behaving too often like the smart alec I sometimes can be. If I had known I was speaking to a woman I would have dialed in my "communcating with a woman" module and been a lot more respectful. My apologies.

BTW, I am sure you know many male opera lovers. I am one too.

Ha

 

[Bestwifeever]

They all 3 reply from one email address: mailbox@apartment.com

The problem was that I had been having an ongoing conversation on Wednesday with one of the 3 about hooking up cable and was continued it an hour or so later only to get a reply which consisted of

"huh" nothing more nothing less.

I then wrote back "what do you mean "huh""?

and they wrote me back "I don't know what u talking about" still not signing their name.

I then explained that "I was wanting to know if you found out the answer to the cable question"

to which they replied "dont know about that" still not saying who it was or why they did not know about it.

I then asked "well when do you think you will find out"?

to which they replied "find out what"?

I sent back another email saying "when will you find out how far in advance I need to call to set up cable/internet"?

and they said "oh you need to talk to ____ about that"

I wrote back "I thought that is who I was talking to"

I get "nope, she left" (and I still have no idea who I have been corresponding with)....

I have to say I'd be very nervous that the communication would continue to fall apart and I'd show up to no apartment (and no one to blame/contact to resolve it). Are there other apartment options for you?

 

[growing_older]

Nope, look it up.

Yes, I do know that. We had a lovely thread-jack going on where "grammar police" were complaining about various offenses, and the complaints were just as guilty as the posts they complained about. I was hoping that if you were going to complain about misspelling that you would at least misspell your complaint. Oh, nevermind.

 

[Original Wally]

You can always directly ask... "with whom am I communicating?". THEN address your e-mal to that person

 

[Bestwifeever]

Yes, I do know that. We had a lovely thread-jack going on where "grammar police" were complaining about various offenses, and the complaints were just as guilty as the posts they complained about. I was hoping that if you were going to complain about misspelling that you would at least misspell your complaint. Oh, nevermind.

Good one, GO--the grammer )) police would approve.

 

[JustMeUC]

Very kind offer, thank you! I looked back at some of your posts, and see I have been behaving too often like the smart alec I sometimes can be. If I had known I was speaking to a woman I would have dialed in my "communcating with a woman" module and been a lot more respectful. My apologies.

BTW, I am sure you know many male opera lovers. I am one too.

Ha

No apology needed! I can be one myself at times. Its funny, I must come across on the web as a man because most people seem to automatically refer to me as a he.

I have found that most people, men and women, seem to think the opera is about as enticing as to going to the dentist! However, I have found those that seem to detest it the most have never actually BEEN to the opera.

 

[travelover]

.... I was hoping that if you were going to complain about misspelling that you would at least misspell your complaint. Oh, nevermind.

Sory about that.

 

[lhamo]

I wouldn't be concerned about the tone of the messages in and of itself, but the fact that there seems to be rapid turnover and no guidelines for communication on the part of management staff is something I would be worried about in an apartment rental situation. Nords makes good points about the relative discount value of poor social skills in a seller/buyer context, but this is different -- you won't be able to walk away from these people once you sign the lease. Presumably the people handling the rental arrangements also have oversight for the management of the apartment complex? If so, do you have confidence that any problems in the complex and/or your individual unit will be handled promptly and professionally? And do you really want to live in an environment where the majority of the tenants are likely as casual about things as the management seem to be? Young, unencumbered, probably immature and possibly with decent cashflow could possibly equal a lot of partying, etc. Have you been by the complex at night to see how quiet (or not) it is? Personally, I am not a fan of thumpa thumpa bass under my bedroom and breaking bottles in the alley at 2am, and if it were me I would seriously consider looking into other options. Management staff who handle themselves and their communications in a professional way in the context of the rental process would probably tend to manage the complex in the same way. What you have described would have all my "buyer beware" red flags waving vigorously...

lhamo

 

[NeverBored]

My 28-year-old DD works in the leasing/customer service field for one of the largest apartment complex companies in the US. That type of communication wouldn't be tolerated. Every employee on-site is in uniform (hers is black suit, white shirt, close-toed shoes, etc), and they are regularly "shopped" and written up for their level of service. They have individual email addresses.

Interestingly, they also rent to that 20-something demographic.

So I think the owners of this complex really don't care much about customer service. I'd run another direction. Imagine the email you'd get when your plumbing is backed up.

 

[Lazarus]

I wouldn't be concerned about the tone of the messages in and of itself, but the fact that there seems to be rapid turnover and no guidelines for communication on the part of management staff is something I would be worried about in an apartment rental situation. Nords makes good points about the relative discount value of poor social skills in a seller/buyer context, but this is different -- you won't be able to walk away from these people once you sign the lease. Presumably the people handling the rental arrangements also have oversight for the management of the apartment complex? If so, do you have confidence that any problems in the complex and/or your individual unit will be handled promptly and professionally? And do you really want to live in an environment where the majority of the tenants are likely as casual about things as the management seem to be? Young, unencumbered, probably immature and possibly with decent cashflow could possibly equal a lot of partying, etc. Have you been by the complex at night to see how quiet (or not) it is? Personally, I am not a fan of thumpa thumpa bass under my bedroom and breaking bottles in the alley at 2am, and if it were me I would seriously consider looking into other options. Management staff who handle themselves and their communications in a professional way in the context of the rental process would probably tend to manage the complex in the same way. What you have described would have all my "buyer beware" red flags waving vigorously...

lhamo

+1

 

[Amethyst]

Its funny, I must come across on the web as a man because most people seem to automatically refer to me as a he. .

I get the same reaction in other on-line forums, where I don't use a feminine avatar or handle, as I do here. I don't know what causes this; maybe there is still an assumption that people who post on-line are mostly male?

Amethyst

 

[deserat]

I wouldn't be concerned about the tone of the messages in and of itself, but the fact that there seems to be rapid turnover and no guidelines for communication on the part of management staff is something I would be worried about in an apartment rental situation. Nords makes good points about the relative discount value of poor social skills in a seller/buyer context, but this is different -- you won't be able to walk away from these people once you sign the lease. Presumably the people handling the rental arrangements also have oversight for the management of the apartment complex? If so, do you have confidence that any problems in the complex and/or your individual unit will be handled promptly and professionally? And do you really want to live in an environment where the majority of the tenants are likely as casual about things as the management seem to be? Young, unencumbered, probably immature and possibly with decent cashflow could possibly equal a lot of partying, etc. Have you been by the complex at night to see how quiet (or not) it is? Personally, I am not a fan of thumpa thumpa bass under my bedroom and breaking bottles in the alley at 2am, and if it were me I would seriously consider looking into other options. Management staff who handle themselves and their communications in a professional way in the context of the rental process would probably tend to manage the complex in the same way. What you have described would have all my "buyer beware" red flags waving vigorously...

lhamo

+1 - I also agree that when conducting business, there should be a modicum of formality...I'm a bit old-fashioned, but I always reply formally (Mr, Ms so-and-so) before moving to informal. When you travel worldwide, you find that most cultures are not as informal as the American culture. Formality can also convey that you are not "buds -dudes, etc" and that there is such a thing as 'too much information.'

I was intrigued by Nords approach, however, I would be much more uncomfortable. As you say you will be there for 15 months, it would be a shame if your were miserable or had to deal with management 'headaches' during that time.

 

[Keim]

I would be sorely tempted to forward this conversational synopsis to the general manager, with a note that I was looking elsewhere as I had serious qualms about the professional ability of their staff. If they can't handle these simple details, how will they be in other more important areas? Security? Maintenance?

They all 3 reply from one email address: mailbox@apartment.com

The problem was that I had been having an ongoing conversation on Wednesday with one of the 3 about hooking up cable and was continued it an hour or so later only to get a reply which consisted of

"huh" nothing more nothing less.

I then wrote back "what do you mean "huh""?

and they wrote me back "I don't know what u talking about" still not signing their name.

I then explained that "I was wanting to know if you found out the answer to the cable question"

to which they replied "dont know about that" still not saying who it was or why they did not know about it.

I then asked "well when do you think you will find out"?

to which they replied "find out what"?

I sent back another email saying "when will you find out how far in advance I need to call to set up cable/internet"?

and they said "oh you need to talk to ____ about that"

I wrote back "I thought that is who I was talking to"

I get "nope, she left" (and I still have no idea who I have been corresponding with)

Haha, I know you jest, but should you wish to come visit in about 14 months, I will be glad to show you around.
I live in Polanco.

BTW, I am a woman, not a man and I have no fear of the Opera!

 

[HFWR]

I would be sorely tempted to forward this conversational synopsis to the general manager...

thk u 4 ur txt IL look n 2 it

 

[boatfishandnature]

Well, I aint even axing what de lowist comen denumerator be for what U would be finally like "this isn't so gr8 as I 1st imagined"

Also, remember that there are more people speaking English as a second/third/fourth language than those who speak it as their native/only tongue. I've heard that English can be very difficult to learn, given the (relative) many nuances and inconsistencies with pronunciations. Adding in things like "hope 2 C U soon" can be even more of an obstacle for communication, whether a true barrier for non-native speakers, or even just very irritating for those who expect proper usage (or, as the case is more and more, just even an attempt at proper usage).

And I sure hope that if someone ends with "hope to C U soon", as they type with 2 fingers and look for the "C", hopefully they don't accidentally mistype by one key, considering that the "F" key is right by the C key, given the lack of proofreading that many people use in business communication...

(Hope this was not too difficult to decipher...)
But great point about these extreme phonetic abbreviations being a barrier to communication with people from another country.