Hating our Villa (part 2) | ExpatWoman.com
 

Hating our Villa (part 2)

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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 08:18

So... yesterday OMG what a day!!!

We had JWFI come out and clean our aircon on Sunday, unfortunately the mould is in the ducts which they said requires more specialist cleaning and have given me a company to use (Sainservices - anyone used them?) so that was all ok, they also fixed some electrical problems with the lighting as well as our door bell. Sweet... although over 2.5k AED out of our pocket.

Then yesterday. Around 11am I was driving back from Meadows petrol station and my mobile rings. I pull over and answer it. It happens to be the agent. He says to me "Madam I have the manager (or someone) here from the maintenance company, he is sitting at my desk with me now"
Me: "Yes"
Agent: "He has said he has tried calling you but you wont give him a time to come to the house to see or fix the problems"
Me: STEAM COMING OUT MY EARS!!!!!!!!!!! I scream, yes scream down the phone at him "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!, NO ONE HAS BEEN AT MY HOUSE OR CALLED ME FROM THE MAINTENANCE COMPANY"
Agent: "He is right here ma'am he said you wont give him time to come to the house and he has called you many times"
Me: Screaming again "No no no no no, no one has called me from that maintenance company. I HAVE called them 3 times and no one calls me back!, I have had calls from my husband, landscaping companies, even you and people from Australia all called my mobile this past week and I do not have any missed calls from anyone!!!! My phone is working fine! He has not called me 'Mr Agent'"
Agent: "Ma'dam we will fix the problems you just need to give him a time, no one has given him a time"
Me: Screaming still... "Are you not listening to me Mr Agent, the maintenance company (name) has never ever called me, someone has been at our house every day since we moved in waiting for these people to come and no one has. I have had another maintenance company come out 1 day after calling them, 1 day!!! So he can't sit there and tell me no one has been home or I haven't let him come to the house... I haven't spoken to anyone other than the people who take the messages and say 'he will call you back'and never does. Your boss yesterday he never called back either!!!, I've had enough Mr Agent, if maintance do not come and fix the problems by tomorrow I am calling the police. I have already lodged the complaint with RERA and you are all going to be investigated"
................. I then hung up and called my husband in tears.

DH then called the agent back and said he couldn't really understand him, but apparently wants another e-mail with all the problems and that he would personally see everything is fixed. (YEAH RIGHT!) ... I got home still in tears and ready to rip someones head off. I never knew I had it in me to get so angry, I'm usually always the calm one in these situations and I have never screamed at anyone like this before. I was very shaken.

I got home, took photos of all the problems and wrote a big long letter detailing all the phone calls, all the emails, sent the photos, the email plus all other emails we've sent to the agent about these things and my husband sent them from his work email in hope that perhaps something will be done now because him being male, and also coming from a work email may get us somewhere.

Even just waking during the night and thinking about how I reacted has shocked me and I had the most wrestless night sleep. I know some would say "don't worry about it so much, don't be so stressed, this is typical dubai" ... but we came from such a nice villa to this cr*p, I'm hormonal (8 wks pg), have a 1 yr old and have guest arriving from Australia in 1.5weeks who wont have a bed to sleep in because the room they are meant to sleep in stinks from rotting wood and a burst hot water tank. So this for me is very very very frustrating. :(

Lets see where my husbands e-mail gets us this week. I'm already on the phone now to JWFI to come out and fix the toilets as I know they will come asap. The toilets seem to not keep the water in them and now with a stinky mouldy AC the house smells of sewage from the toilets. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Anonymous (not verified)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 19:23
Our shower water wasn't draining away as the floor sloped the wrong way, so they lifted the tiles and made a slight slope in the right direction. Still wouldn't drain away and when they came back to investigate the drain was blocked with all the c**p from lifting and retiling the floor as they'd just swept it all down the drain!
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 17:40
Sounds good :)
494
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 17:36
AAAhhhh ha ha ha hah a ha ha ha ha ha ha.... Huge belly laugh! You lot crack me up! Well we have 1 set of guys here at the moment who are actually (I think) taking the water tank down! I was told that they were only here to quote. Eh? He is constantly ringing the guy from the agent though (the manager now, not the agent we were dealing with initially) - he did ask me for $ to replace the tank, I was like "Umm ring the agent, we ain't paying, its the LL needs to pay". So far they have replaced all the leaking "sprayers"... so maybe they have had the go-ahead from the agent to do it!?
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 17:33
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? Lol...we had a foul, sewage smell in the downstairs loo at one of our villas. The plumber came and the first thing he asked was, "Is this the WC Sir uses?" He was dead serious... You see? It was my son who got the blame that time. They obviously think men have bad habits! :)
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 17:18
Aussiepup I really sympathise with all the problems you are having. Having to deal with the maintenance people makes a relatively simple problem so much more complicated. After we'd been in our villa for 3 years I noticed a bad smell down the side of the garden. We called out hitched & glitches and they looked in the pipes in the garden and found everything was not being washed away. They told me I was not flushing the toilet properly! They hosed the pipes and said everything is ok now and I asked if they were going to come out everyday to hose the pipes as they had done nothing to fix the problem. Eventaually, they sent someone who realised some tree roots were blocking the pipes and water flow.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 15:54
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? Lol...we had a foul, sewage smell in the downstairs loo at one of our villas. The plumber came and the first thing he asked was, "Is this the WC Sir uses?" He was dead serious... Am sitting at my desk having a good old laugh! Thanks... Reminds me of a conversation had with maintenance in one of the previous villas we lived in where there was a separate bath and shower, and the shower water wasnt draining away properly. The maintenance guy came in, ran the shower until it was almost overflowing the tray then said to DH and I with a dead serious face "The problem is the drain is blocked..." After a few seconds of us being literally speechless, he went on to point to my hair (I have long hair) and said "Its you, you are blocking the drains with your hair", to which my husband (who goes to the barber every couple of weeks to keep his hair ultra short) responded equally deadpan, "She doesnt use the shower, I do. She prefers to bath. Do you think maybe its my p*bes that are doing it?". Totally went over his head, but I had to leave the room as I thought I was going to wet myself....
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 15:33
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? Lol...we had a foul, sewage smell in the downstairs loo at one of our villas. The plumber came and the first thing he asked was, "Is this the WC Sir uses?" He was dead serious...
494
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 14:00
ahhh I'm so happy to have this forum and you lot to help me see light of the situation and give me a few giggles. Just had the guy come... just 1 and he wanted to see what the problems were. He was the guy that spoke to my husband last night. So in he comes I show him everything and he takes no notes and says "I have to get approval from LL and quotes". So now I'm sending him the photos that I took of everything because I'll be a**ed if he remembers everything to tell the LL that needs fixing. He has now gone. Everything still stinks. Why have a F****** maintenance contract plus a management agent for your property if everything has to be run past the LL to be fixed anyway!? I can understand having to get quotes for water heater and toilet cisterns but basically the only thing I think the LL needs to be approving is the repair / removal of the wardrobe stuff that has rotted. Everything is basic / general upkeep / maintenance. TwoKids All I can say to them is hope you dont get stuck in the mess we did with having to move very quickly. Be sure that problems are going to be fixed before you move into the villa, refuse to give them anything more than the deposit (if they need this to secure the place) until you see maintenance at the house fixing all the problems! I'm not sure of what else, because some of these (like the toilet smell and a/c) didn't really happen until we moved in. As for ACs you could always request they be cleaned and be sure to see receipts that the work has been done prior to you moving in?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 13:37
AussiePup see this thread http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=95806 We also had a mouldy and sewerage smell in our air cons in our kids bedrooms when we moved into our Meadows villa. I used the company that had been mentioned in the post above. They are very good, very professional and very tidy. They take before and after photos so you can see how dirty it was and they recommend getting this sort of clean done once a year. They are however not cheap. Important to note, they do not service the air con unit compressor or re-gas, they are strictly cleaning the vents and ducts etc. They even remove the vent covers and clean those.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 13:35
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? OMG I think I nearly wet my pants laughing at this!!! HA HA HA. You will after your 2nd child ;) Do you have any advice for people planning to move, to avoid your unfortunate situation?
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 13:34
As for maintenance... well 12.30-1pm has been and gone! Why am I not surprised that no one is here!? Are you sure you were in? :D
494
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 13:29
thx Clare1976, unfortunately they didn't do any of that cleaning before moving in :( JWFI has done some cleaning since but still stinks which leads me to believe the mould (it is really really old dirty mould smell) is still in the ducts so I will push for specialist cleaning or get it done myself anyway. Will try txting again simpleasabc. Hope you feel better soon. As for maintenance... well 12.30-1pm has been and gone! Why am I not surprised that no one is here!?
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 10:00
poor you, I have been following your thread and really rooting for you, and hoping things start happening to put things right. Just a small thing, but we found in our apartment, the air con vents that are above bathrooms don't generally work as well as others, and we find a smell can build up (esp if not used for a while). We were advised to keep extractor fan on in the bathroom whenever the air con is also on. We thought it a bit odd, but lo and behold in our new villa (moving next week, gulp) it's exactly the same - there is a smell in rooms where the air con is coming from above a bathroom, so keeping etractor fan on seems to help (having air con serviced and cleaned before we move in). The smell in our case comes from drip trays that needed changing, but it never completely goes away.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 09:57
well yesterday at 5.30 pm (after DH sending the email attached with Photos and a very detailed letter of chain of events / phone calls) he got a call at on his mobile from the maintenance people and said they would be here by 12.30-1pm today... waiting in anticipation... (not holding breath - although I probably should coz the stench is bloomin awful) Have faith........ :)
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 09:54
Sorry for not replying before, AP - I've a stonking migraine and have been lying still in a darkened room as much as poss in the past couple of days. No, I haven't had a txt from you, my no is: Zero five five three zero three eight five five three. Hope something gets done some time today (12.30 - 1pm more likely 3 - 3.30 pm, I'd guess :( )
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 09:24
well yesterday at 5.30 pm (after DH sending the email attached with Photos and a very detailed letter of chain of events / phone calls) he got a call at on his mobile from the maintenance people and said they would be here by 12.30-1pm today... waiting in anticipation... (not holding breath - although I probably should coz the stench is bloomin awful)
494
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 09:21
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? OMG I think I nearly wet my pants laughing at this!!! HA HA HA.
494
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 09:19
For the sewage smell check the toilet vent ( it is a long pipe that goes from the bathroom drain to the top of the villa) in one of my friend's place a magnificent huge place on the montgomery golf they had a similar issue and the top of this pipe was facing the central ac inlet. They felt they were living in the sewers this sounds very similar - if we turn on the AC in one of the rooms where the duct seems to be over that bathroom the entire house stinks even more. I have also been advised it could be a pressure problem because of that toilet vent and apparently there isn't anything to be done about it??
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:37
especially when they turn up at 3am :)
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:32
Yes but it's not Ramadan all year round and unfortunately the **** service doesn't just come in Ramadan. But it comes into it's own in Ramadan.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:29
Yes but it's not Ramadan all year round and unfortunately the **** service doesn't just come in Ramadan.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:27
From the other side of the coin, it s Ramadan, things are always painful and slow when you move it's how it is. Try getting anything done in some parts of europe in august same problems, life goes on.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:23
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? :D haha classic.....
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:21
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF?
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:19
Why are these houses all built so badly? because they are built by unskilled labour?
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:18
This villa is one of the most expensive one in emirates hills....they also had the slope of most shower trays in the wrong direction so water not draining and of course first rain no window had proper seals around and they also had a leak from the roof.....and they own the place. We had that too lol with the shower it seems to be the same problems in all new houses. Glad we only rent.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:16
This villa is one of the most expensive one in emirates hills....they also had the slope of most shower trays in the wrong direction so water not draining and of course first rain no window had proper seals around and they also had a leak from the roof.....and they own the place.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:12
For the sewage smell check the toilet vent ( it is a long pipe that goes from the bathroom drain to the top of the villa) in one of my friend's place a magnificent huge place on the montgomery golf they had a similar issue and the top of this pipe was facing the central ac inlet. They felt they were living in the sewers pmsl! That has to top the lot in the Poor Build Detail Awards! Guiness - why are they build so badly? a/ because people were falling over themselves to buy for buying's sake b/ because they can c/ because the workforce essentially doesn't know what it's doing d/ because there's a culture of covering your tracks rather than admitting a problem or a mistake e/ they were done in a rush, from design to completion f/ they were done with little thought for the end-user g/ because they were purely profit-driven ... I mean look, even now, when the bubble has well and truly burst, we, the end-users are still in a "suck it up", defeatist mentality. It seems it's just far to difficult to put your foot down at say "no, this is not acceptable" and even if you do, some other punter will come along and suck it up. <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 23/08/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 22:22
Why are these houses all built so badly? and why are they being sold for such an overpriced amount - considering the 'land' (well 'sand') is not even included in most cases?
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 21:42
Why are these houses all built so badly?
 
 

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