Sunday, March 11, 2018

Locked Out Call

Yesterday afternoon/evening, just as I had set my computer up for a night of genealogy research, there was a knock at the door.  Both cats ran and hid in Beatrice's room, under the bed.  I opened the door and was surprised to see a neighbor, Sonia, who lives across the parking lot.  She was out of breath and carrying a shopping bag.  I invited her inside...  She had been shopping at the Goodwill Thrift store, for clothing and a charger for her lap-top.  She had left her phone and coat in her car, taking only her wallet and her keys inside.  She discovered she had lost her keys after she checked out.  She spent more than an hour, searching for her keys, and retracing her steps through the store, after she reported losing the keys to the manager and cashier.  Another shopper gave her a ride back to the apartment complex, seeing how upset Sonia was.
   We looked at Sonia's apartment from our balcony, and saw that her balcony door was open (she's also on the second floor).  She had figured she'd make a quick trip, and had left the door cracked to get fresh air inside. We sat her down, got her a glass of water, and called the Maintenance Emergency number.  Sonia spoke with a call-center person, and told them it was an emergency - she had lost her keys and, yes, she was ready and willing to pay the $50 fee for an emergency lock-out request.  She was told the maintenance person on-call would be contacted immediately.  We gave my phone number as the contact, since her phone was locked in her car.
   We called every 30 minutes, and spoke to two separate supervisors for the call center (which is based in eastern Virginia - and not Colorado, where we live).  We discussed other options available - calling a locksmith, or getting someone with a tall extending ladder to come, so she (or someone) could climb up to her balcony and get inside.  She had another set of keys inside, so things would be OK.  We had also called the Thrift Shop, and were told that (a) her keys had not been found, and that (b) her car was no longer in the parking lot.
   Sonia had arrived at about 5:20; we made the first call for a Lock-Out at 5:30.  At 9 pm, another neighbor drove Sonia back to the Thrift Store and her car was where she had originally parked it, and everything else was also where she had left it.  When she returned to my place, she called her daughter, who lives more than an hour's drive away.  Her daughter agreed to bring an extending ladder to see if they could access the balcony.   The ladder was too short, and while they could reach the bottom of the balcony, they could not climb up and over the side...
   Sonia left our apartment around 11 o'clock last night, leaving with her daughter.  They had decided to call a locksmith, but were told there was a 4 to 6 hour wait time.  I don't know if Sonia stayed in a hotel, or at her daughter's.  When we got up this morning, Sonia's balcony door was closed, her curtains drawn, and her car was in it's parking place. 
    I feel like a good neighbor - we fed her, gave her several options of drinking items, and loaned her a coat.  I (sort of) feel bad for not offering her a place to sleep - but she could only have slept on either the floor, or Bea's old sofa.  I felt she was in good hands with her family....  (By the way, Sonia is in her 60s and is supposed to take prescription medicine 4 times a day.  I know she missed her times for two doses, while she was with us.)

  But, you know, my telephone still has not rung with a call back from the Maintenance person on call....  And we kept watch on the parking lot after the first call, and no one came....   I wrote a letter of complaint to four people who manage our apartment complex.   I'm waiting to see what kind of response I get.

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