The MoFo Support Group

Depression is a serious illness It kills people sorry to hear about your friend so sad take care of yourself mate

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This is really a form of venting (so sorry) but I have a hard time rationalizing the recurrence of "bad luck" surrounding my eviction.

First, I had this mental list of potentially "good" proactive things that were going to happen or which I was going to undertake after my father died earlier this year... all of which have been crushed by being evicted. I'd list them here, but no one in their right mind would believe that so many ironies could surround one event. I keep thinking I came "this close" to actually having the semblance of a "life" ... but for one event of fatefully bad timing.

So rather than list what could have been, I'll talk about what has happened.

I got a storage unit (okay, that was good) and the plan was to start moving things in my car (a mini-SUV). Almost every week my car's had a problem and been in a shop. I just got it back a couple days ago (after the ABS light came on and nearly $900 in further repairs), so I loaded it up with some large items only to find the rear hatch would not open - it was in perma-lock position and I could not unload my stuff into the storage unit.

When I got home the hatch opened (a completely wasted trip to the storage), but now I find it only works randomly, so I removed the hatch panel, but the mechanism will require professional repair (estimated $400). Ironically, it's part of the same assembly as the rear plate lights which Ford charged me over $60 to replace & install. So I call Ford, explain I paid nearly a grand and there's this new problem in the same area that they worked on - of course there's no way to prove the problems are related, so they're going to charge me for a new assembly. BUT - they can't look at it for over a week because they are backed up - so my car will be in the shop 2 days before the big move and I have no way to get too and from the service center.

Getting a moving company was an absolute nightmare. Every company is absolutely booked for the end of month and I have to be out by the end of July. Luckily, I got a little miracle as the only local company was able to squeeze me in on Thursday as a second move of the day for that truck & crew. It's the ONLY day they can do it. Coincidentally, their truck has to end up at the same storage facility I'm using (which is one of the reasons I desired this company - they're local and work with my storage facility). Now get this - I JUST got an email from my storage facility saying there will be limited access to units from July 22 until August 18th for painting, and vehicles may be turned away!!! So, on the ONLY day my move can occur, by the ONLY company available, at the ONLY place to put everything I have - my moving truck may be told to turn around and leave. What would I do then?

Now, the one day I couldn't schedule a move was July 29th - that's because I have to go to a memorial for my cousin who was found dead in her home in Florida 2 weeks ago (I kid you not.)

Today I called to close my cable account - they told me there was a $90.00 "termination fee."
I told the guy I wouldn't be paying it. He said, "Yes you will, it's part of your contract - it's on your monthly statement." I said I never agreed to a termination fee, I pay for services rendered and due to no decision of my own I was being forced to cancel services. He said, "You still have to pay it, it's a contract and you agreed to it by paying your bill every month." I told him I never agreed to any such thing and he could charge it to my landlords if he wanted to since they were evicting me. He said, "No, we will be charging YOU." I told him I will not pay it, I've been a customer for over 30 years without ever so much as an late payment, and will be returning his company's equipment to the local office by the end of the month. He said, "Fine - what forwarding address should we send the bill for the termination fee to?" I said, "None. I don't have a forwarding address and I won't be paying any fee - I've paid you every month for over 30 years with ever increasing rates and exorbitant fees."
He said, "In that case the bill will be applied to your name and will be issued to you wherever you're located by a bill collection agency."

There's SO MUCH MORE, but I can't go on right now.

Oh - forgot to add - last week while should have been packing moving - had to take my mom to lab test (where her urine sample opened and spilled all over everybody and which I had to clean up).
After, she wanted to get lunch - I warned her that most times we go out to eat she gets her recurrent stomach problems, and since we planned to go shopping afterward then eating first probably wasn't a good idea (and I'd get her something nice at ShopRite to make her at home)... But no, we had to have brunch at a diner. Sure enough, by the end my mom was too sick to go shopping, so I took her home and she puked for the next three days.

Four more days I'm supposed to be packing, planning and moving (calling banks, post offices & utilities to close accounts), but no, I'm cleaning up puke. The next day I had to go do all the food shopping we'd planned for the previous day, then get back, clean, do laundry, prepare dinner and clean up - not getting to my home until late.

So on Monday I had to take her to another Dr. (another day intended to get moving chores done)...

Now my oldest brother who lives with her could possibly take her, but he's mentally ill - we'd need an entire book on him. Being completley alone would be easier than knowing there's someone who could help, but can't or who should help but won't because things like driving beyond the town's limits makes him too "nervous" to function and he begins to have "break downs."

Oh, but wait, I totally forgot - when my car was in the shop last week getting it's $900 of repairs, I borrowed my mom's car with the intention of making store runs and taking small items to storage. Turned out, by driving it, I flattened all four tires as they were so dry rotted from disuse that they all went flat. So, now had to make arrangements to get my mom's car to a shop for 4 new tires (those were put on Tuesday for $540!). In the meantime, Monday - have to take my mom to the Dr., her car's tires are flat and I've got one with a broken hatch so I have to try to remember NOT to lock the doors from now on (because the hatch may never unlock again).

So we were lucky, this Dr. only made her wait 3.5 hours this time. No joke - this Dr. has never had a less than 2 hour wait, but one day last year she made my mom and I wait 5 hours for a 5 minute office visit wherein the Dr. took my mom's blood pressure. This is a blood pressure doctor who makes elderly people with blood pressure problems wait 5 hours??? No wonder she has so many patients, and I think I've discovered a cause for their high blood pressure!!!

Once returning back to my mom's house I had to put her to bed, do loads of wash, prepare dinner and didn't get "home" till after dark - so yet another day when no packing or moving got done.

Now add this post to the former one and... believe it or not, there is still more to come... and I swear I am not making this stuff up.

@Captain Steel

I'm sorry that you're going through such a rough time, and I hope everything works out okay for you. I also hope that your Mom is okay.

Do you have any local friends or neighbors who might be able to help you move? Maybe you can call the storage facility and ask them when the best time would be for you to get there so they won't turn your truck away when you get there?

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OPEN FLOOR.

@Captain Steel, get on the line with a supervisor at the cable company. Don't waste your time with anyone else.

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Thanks so much.
I read online that you should always ask to speak to the "retention center" to refuse termination fees.
(There shouldn't be any such thing - it's unethical.)

It's like if I cut someone's grass and they pay me, then say they won't need me for the winter months and I say, "Oh, well I'll need to charge you a termination fee for my bi-weekly services" WTF?

Anyway, I'm in a good mood today because several worries are now moot (for now anyway).

The landlord now says they have some delays in their own plan and offered me another month.

This is good.
BUT in early July I had called them (thinking something like this might happen) to confirm their plans - at that time they said they planned to go ahead, so I went ahead and got a moving company and arranged cancellation of utilities.

Today, after I got the news of another month's extension, I un-cancelled the utilities, called the cable company and cancelled the movers.

The only bad thing is I will now be paying rent on a storage unit to retain it (and since I already moved some things into, and since the storage facility claims it's their "last" large unit) and the rent on the house.

Retention Center sounds very 1984.

@Captain Steel

I'm glad to hear that you got an extension, even if it's only a small one. As long as you're paying for the storage unit anyway, maybe you can use the extra time to move your stuff there gradually over the next few weeks, rather than having to hire movers at the last minute.

Didn't really want to make a thread, so I thought I'd post it here.

As some of you know I've been in intensive therapy for the last year, I feel that it's done me some good (I don't know that I'd have made this post beforehand) and I was planning on coming back afterwards. Maybe not like I posted before, but properly. However, at the end of May I became ill. I thought it was a virus, but it turns out it was the first part of a Subarachnoid hemorrhage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subarachnoid_hemorrhage

I was in hospital for 5 weeks and nearly died. I've been home for two weeks now and this is the first chance I've had to tell you guys. Apart from some problems with short term memory there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage and they say that might come back too with time and practice. Fatigue is the main problem, along with headaches and anxiety, but again those are things which should improve and ease off with time.

I'm getting tired now, so I'll leave it there. I'll be happy to answer any questions and reply to PM's at a later date. I'm sorry to those who I'm close with that this is the first you're hearing of it. I've just not had the strength to get to you guys first.

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God, that must suck. Stay strong Honey.

Be well HK. Mofo sure does miss you. One of the problems with a forum is it is impossible to convey how sorry I am to hear about this. You will be in my prayers and I hope to see you back around the forum soon. You are dearly missed. Take care of yourself.

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Letterboxd

HK! blimey, thank goodness you're ok. I've missed you but just thought either I've not been seeing you as I'm not posting much, or you were just having a little break. Hope every day gets better for you - love and hugs xxx

Rest up dude. Hopefully you heal quickly.

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Holy hell HK, take care of yourself. That must have been a terrible ordeal. Sending thoughts for a speedy recovery.

Yeah, get well HK. Really appreciate you taking the time to update us, regardless.

OMG Honeykid I didn't know about that. You've been missed...get well soon and come back.

I don't think you and i have spoken yet, but wish you a speedy recovery anyway. I've known people to recover from this, it takes time and patience but it can be done. Take care.

Thank you all for your comments and kind words. I'm having to take thing slowly and learn a new skill... Listening to what my body tells me. I've always been lead by my head, so it's quite frustrating thinking of things to do and people to see and then only make it for about 5 minutes before getting too tired and having to stop. I'm working on a new timescale and I have no real concept of how it works so I'm fumbling my way through things atm.

Really sorry to read all has not been well with you HK, hopefully rest and relaxation will provide as speedy a recovery as possible. Do take care and get well!

wuv you, @honeykid

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