The Day Disaster Struck
Trip Start
Aug 06, 2008
1
11
17
Trip End
Sep 20, 2008
Oxford,
England,
United Kingdom
Saturday, August 16, 2008
After having to jump hurdle after hurdle and cut more red tape than we had ever imagined, we had made it. Having dealt with the problems of not having jobs, not having bank accounts, not having a permanent address, the rush to get off the street, the lack of availability due to students returning for university, the endless viewings, the constant travel about the city, not having national identity numbers (sin card), the financial tolls of living in hotels, and countless other small obstacles, it was all coming to an end. The stress and emotional strain of the experience was getting to us but we had found ways around everything that stood in our way and finally achieved our goal. We had almost been knocked down countless times but somehow found a way to stay standing no matter how many hurdles they threw at us.
While on the bus our phone suddenly rang and it was Daniel (letting agent). My heart sank as we were not expecting a call and after having to deal with so much to this point something told me that this was not going to be a happy phone call. Scott began talking with him and you could tell by his face something had gone terribly wrong. My fears were confirmed when he hung up the phone as disaster had struck. With how careful we had been and daily phone calls making sure everything was going to plan one last hurdle was about to come our way. Only this time the hurdle was too tall to get over.
The final hurdle could never have been foreseen. After rushing the employment, credit, and reference checks we thought we had covered everything. The only thing that remained was to sign the legal documents and tenancy agreements the problem was that they were at the legal department which was separate from the letting agency. The real problem was that they had installed a new alarm system the previous week and somehow during the night the alarm had gone off. Due to the nature of the building and the fact it was a legal department when the alarm goes off it locks down the building denying entry to anyone. The only person with the codes to the building had gone on holidays and would not be returning for some time. The engineers for the alarm company could not make it out until late Sunday at the earliest and the letting office was closed on Sundays. So with our tenancy agreement and legal documents locked in the building there was no way we could get them or sign them. Without them they refused to release the keys.
Emotions boiling and rage pumping threw our veins we were ready to lose it. We had chosen this company and flat on the notion that we were to gain possession on Saturday and had other places where we could get possession on Friday. The flat however was much nicer so we opted to wait the extra day as it would be worth it in the end. Our real problem was that our financial situation was getting tight as we had lost half our money due to exchange rates when we first moved over here. Having spent a lot of money on hotels and food we were running low and possession date was our main concern. We were at the end of our leash and would be very hard pressed to last another two days with no home. We tried suggested everything we could think of to get the keys, leaving our passports as collateral till Monday or signing temporary documents till Monday but they were not budging. There was no way we would be able to get the keys and would have to wait till Monday and spend another two days homeless.
We were not ready to put up with this. While it is not there direct fault or ours we were the ones that would have to take the financial toll for the legal department being locked down. We returned to the guest house where our bags were stored and luckily were able to get into one of the last two rooms remaining. It was only a one bedroom but they said they would get a temporary cot brought in and even gave us a deal on the room. We had gotten the email address of the manager and began writing up a lengthy email explaining our situation and how we felt at the time. To sum it up we wanted to bring the manager up to speed on the situation but didn't want to come out screaming and yelling. So we wrote it in a way that praised them for everything they had done for us but we felt robbed with the current situation. While it's not directly their fault we felt that in this situation that responsibility falls on the business and not the consumer for this situation. We are going to fight for reimbursement for the money we had to spend on living for an additional two days or else some of the admin fee's waved as it's just not fair that we take the financial burden of this situation. We had signed application forms earlier in the week with a move in date of Saturday and it's a binding contract in our opinion. We don't know what will come of it but were hoping they will do something for us.
So with hearts crushed we spent the rest of the day and night just watching TV and trying to not consume our thoughts with the situation till Monday when something could be done. So fingers crossed and our hopes high that Monday it will all be sorted out and we will finally get our keys we went to bed. Just another hurdle in the long line only for the first time it finally knocked us over and we were unable to overcome it. Hopefully Monday will bring good news and we can finally get on with our trip and put our feet on solid ground.
