Thursday, October 22, 2009

And The Italian Job Is...CLOSED!



After weeks of wrangling with a co-op board, assuring the client that she would get in when she was ready to cut bait, finally getting a meeting last night and handing off keys an hour ago, she's moving her suitcases out of the hotel and into her new place. 22 days after her lease was supposed to start.

I only get frustrated in the absence of logic, and there was very little when dealing with this particular co-op board. When it comes to getting someone into a unit for rent, there is no need to ignore phone calls, e-mails, or otherwise give people the runaround. Apart from being passive aggressive, it creates needless tension between everyone involved, even the people who are supposed to be on the same side.

I find that it's always better just to be accommodating, even if it's slightly inconvenient or may involve breaking a sweat. Need something brought to your office? Three times in one week? No problem. Need to bend policy a bit to get someone in early when they're moving from another country? What does that cost? Nothing. And it gets things done quicker, which makes everyone happy. To quote Les Miserables, "Glad to do my friends a favor, doesn't cost me to be nice."

But this in New York, and nice is not part of the natural habitat, nor do I expect it to be. I'm more amazed at what lengths people will go to in order to be a pain in the ass, and often for no reason other than a low-grade power trip. I've said it before: the crapper the building, the crazier the co-op. It never fails.

...and now somewhere in this town there is a $6 bottle of wine with my name on it.