Adulthood annoyances vs. good people
Mar. 22nd, 2016 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterMoving three times in the past two years has created some interesting situations. For one thing, I'm feeling extremely well-oriented to academic workplace requirements. But for another thing, taxes.
I was highly relieved to discover that the reason why I haven't gotten a W-2 from Berkeley is because they didn't cut the first check until 2016. Hurrah-phew, one less state where I need to file state income taxes. Tracking down the one from the Aggies was not so easy. Theoretically, if I had rememberd all the relevant numbers and passwords, I could have logged in to their HR system to find an electronic copy and see why the paper copy didn't reach my mailbox. But they made me surrender my ID, so it took a while to remember that I probably had typed out that ID number somewhere on a copy of a form saved to my laptop. That doesn't help, though, with trying to remember a password from two institutions back, so then I clicked the "e-mail me a temporary one" button, which sent an e-mail to the defunct institutional Aggie e-mail address (this has also been a problem for reviewing manuscripts). Brilliant.
Fortunately, the HR person working in my former department there is an absolute saint, so one quick phone call later and I am all set. On that front.
Then I gave in and paid Lincoln Electric the $5 they claim I still owe them after shutting off my electricity and paying the last electrical bill in full for the Lincoln apartment. I couldn't resist adding a little "WTF?!" note, though.
Sorting through those bits and pieces reminded me of another adulthood annoyance, however, which is that the rental manager from Lincoln never did return my deposit. I wasn't optimistic on that front and probably should have just sent in my 30-day notice without paying the last month's rent, but for some reason it felt important to do things by the books. It's frustrating, though, to have little to no leverage, especially considering the sorry condition of that apartment building. At least I no longer have that lingering cough from breathing mildewy air all the time.
I was highly relieved to discover that the reason why I haven't gotten a W-2 from Berkeley is because they didn't cut the first check until 2016. Hurrah-phew, one less state where I need to file state income taxes. Tracking down the one from the Aggies was not so easy. Theoretically, if I had rememberd all the relevant numbers and passwords, I could have logged in to their HR system to find an electronic copy and see why the paper copy didn't reach my mailbox. But they made me surrender my ID, so it took a while to remember that I probably had typed out that ID number somewhere on a copy of a form saved to my laptop. That doesn't help, though, with trying to remember a password from two institutions back, so then I clicked the "e-mail me a temporary one" button, which sent an e-mail to the defunct institutional Aggie e-mail address (this has also been a problem for reviewing manuscripts). Brilliant.
Fortunately, the HR person working in my former department there is an absolute saint, so one quick phone call later and I am all set. On that front.
Then I gave in and paid Lincoln Electric the $5 they claim I still owe them after shutting off my electricity and paying the last electrical bill in full for the Lincoln apartment. I couldn't resist adding a little "WTF?!" note, though.
Sorting through those bits and pieces reminded me of another adulthood annoyance, however, which is that the rental manager from Lincoln never did return my deposit. I wasn't optimistic on that front and probably should have just sent in my 30-day notice without paying the last month's rent, but for some reason it felt important to do things by the books. It's frustrating, though, to have little to no leverage, especially considering the sorry condition of that apartment building. At least I no longer have that lingering cough from breathing mildewy air all the time.
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; '
Date: 2016-03-22 08:26 pm (UTC)i once fought added billing on principal, proved my point and finally told them to F-off and i was never going to pay, they never called me again.
i now have a 'normal' account with them, because, who doesn't need electricity?
Re: ; '
Date: 2016-03-24 12:01 am (UTC)I suppose I could have contested this one, but in this case I'm okay with just having added the "SRSLY?" note to the thing.
Re: ; '
Date: 2016-03-24 12:24 am (UTC)it takes too much precious energy to contest the "stupids" that's what i call them..
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Re: ; '
Date: 2016-03-24 05:51 pm (UTC)Re: ; '
Date: 2016-03-25 01:09 am (UTC)cell and cable providers are also private broadcast communication, whereas the old phone companies were often a public utility. maybe therein lies the difference in ethics..
no subject
Date: 2016-03-23 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-23 08:52 pm (UTC)Shady landlords make me so sad, probably because I had such a fantastic landlord in Arizona who really cared about making the community a better place.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-25 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-28 04:41 pm (UTC)