Saturday - night
I've just been resting and trying to get past whatever this is. Lots of sneezing, nasal pressure, sore throat. Wouldn't have thought I'd get sick so soon after just getting over something else. This isn't the same as what I had previously.
Was invited to go to Longview and eat over at a new seafood place. Sure, why not? Been stuffed up in the house for a few days and there is no physical exertion to sit in the back seat and cruise along.
Well, we're sitting there eating dinner when the phone rings. It's one of the new people of whom I've had long conversations with advising me that the "first lot when you come in on the right, the pedestal has been flattened to the ground and water gushing everywhere".
Panic. At first anyway. Water gushing? I wonder why no one else told me about this? Can't see that lot on the video surveillance, I would have to install a camera down at that end to see any of that. Well, gonna finish the meal regardless. Not going to make everyone rush through dinner, if the power was out on that side of the park guaranteed people would be calling me.
When we got home and I was finally able to get over there, yup, that thing was flattened almost all the way to the ground. Destroyed. But, it didn't do any damage to the wires or the circuit breakers for that matter. Amazing. I could see where a tire had hit some 2 plus feet off the ground. It was obvious what had happened. Overnighters. Came in the wrong way and tried to turn into the lot going the completely wrong angle. There is no way a person could maneuver a trailer that long - 43 feet - around a turn that sharp without running over that pedestal.
Just impossible. Even driving into the grass area and getting as close as possible to the trailer on the next lot, it's just too long and probably a large dually pulling it. There is a sign there for RV's in case they try to come in the wrong way: "EXIT ONLY". It's highly visible and right there where the park driveway meets the main driveway.
I think what's maddening is the fact that they didn't bother to tell me. The didn't fess up to it. That trailer would have been up off the ground running over that thing and then falling back to the ground. They would have known about it and more importantly, they must have left as soon as they did that. I just sent them an email. It wasn't asking if they had done it, it was an itemized list of the costs to fix the thing and I set it at $800. Those pedestals are expensive plus the extensive amount of labor to dig the thing out of there, turn off the power to that side of the park, unhook the huge gauge lines, get the smashed one out of the way and then install the new one.
It will likely take hours worth of work to do all of that. That lot is shut down until it's fixed. Fortunately, there aren't any reservations for it for I had only left a few nights open for it, I am expecting people to move in there. Well, I was. I have another lot that came open those people can take instead. I do have some reservations 6 days from now, but those are both for back in lots.
There was no water line damage. The faucet was on a small trickle, nothing damaged about it. Thankfully. I envisioned a lake full of water on that lot and a huge water bill. That is not the case at all, but I'm still facing over $400 worth of replacement pedestal. It's not that a person made a mistake, even with the signs and the obviousness that you can't make a turn like that. It is what it is, some people just don't have any business pulling a 43 foot long trailer, there are lots of newbies out there that have no experience with them.
It's the fact they they are trying to get away with it, never reporting it, just..screw you, we're leaving, c'ya later sucka. As I said, I sent them an email a few minutes ago detailing the amount they owe me and how would they like to go about paying for it? I don't necessarily expect a reply and if they do, they are going to probably deny it. If they have no morals to even tell the park that they destroyed the pedestal, there is nothing causing me to believe that they are going to fess up to it. But, it has to be them. There has been no one else in that lot since the last people that were in there and I was just out there cutting a felled tree up into small pieces. That pedestal was fine.
So, I will probably end up eating it. Which will in turn cause me to want to get cameras on that end. 8 months and this is the first time anyone has done anything like this, hopefully won't encounter it again. Or at least, not any time soon. What else am I supposed to do? With a sign out there put up specifically for that purpose - you can't come in this way, if you do, you're either going to have to go to the end of the driveway where there is a huge turn around or go back to the street and get turned around. It's just crazy these people thought they could make a turn like that.
Well, there is a company that I have bought from before with a really good price. I'm going to call them Monday morning and see about getting it sent out expedited. A lot without power is a useless lot. I'm going at this with the thought that they aren't going to pay. I've been informed by other park owners that they would charge their card on file and make them eat it. I'm like, uhhh, that sounds like a recipe for a lawsuit or even police involvement if they don't agree to pay for it. And then someone else came along and said yes, they would charge their card for it but expect a lawsuit.
Well that doesn't make any sense. The money you are out for attorney fees will be far more than just eating it, buying the pedestal and moving on, don't you think? And what if you don't win, then you're out even more money. I mean, if I had verbiage in the rental that "any damage caused be you will be charged to your card with or without your approval" I suppose I could somewhat get away with it, but how do you think a potential customer would feel reading that disclaimer before they push the send button to make the payment? Yea, I'd steer clear of that place with the thought that this place could just make up a bogus charge and hammer you with it.
Oh well. It's late, I got home over an hour ago but I've had to sit here and calm my nerves a bit. The idea that people that obviously have plenty of money would do that kind of damage and try to get away with it was unnerving. How does your conscience work when doing something like that? I would have reported it to the management and expected to have to pay for it.
Enough.
