If you are living in an apartment bulding and your telephone jacks for bed-rooms and places other than drawing room are not working then please read on.

I moved to an apartment building on Markham Road about couple of years ago. As you might be aware that most of the apartments their are managed by desis and lived by desis.

Now when I moved I noticed that the telephone jacks are not working in the bed-rooms I companined to the property manager and he said that it is not responsibility of his and I should contact bell canada for necessary repairs. When I argued he said that I can show you the list of things he is responsible for and obviously telephone jacks were not part of it.

Anyway I thought that ok, I can manage with one jack only, instead of paying 30-40 dollars to bell canada. I tried to open the jack in one of the bed-room and fix it but it didn't worked. Later on one of the super came for some repair and he told my wife that he can fix the telephone jack in 20 dollars. Since I didn't wanted to get it fixed, i didn't accepted his offer.

Later on I came to know that the same situation is there in other apartments where my friends live. At that time I couldn't guess anything, but as the apartments are older it might not be working.

Recently I subscribed for Sympatico High Speed Connection in place of Rogers Hight Spped Connection and it was required for me to have the telephone jacks working, so that I don't have to put the computer in the living room. As I never trust our supers I call bell Canada, the guy came and to our surprise he fixed in it just five minutes!

You know what was wrong? From the main connection (the jack in the living room is main connection) rest of the cables were not connection. It was looking like some-one intentionally removed those.

After thinking for a while - whole picture became clear to us:

When the old tenant moves out, the apartment management has to do some work before next tenant comes in. During this time the guys who are working will open the telephone jack in the living room and disconnect rest of the lines so that you only have one working jack in the apartment. When you move in, you will complain to the manager. The manager will say this is not his duty and you have to contact bell canada, as you don't want to pay much you will not go for that. Lateron whenever the supers (the guys who disconnected cables) will tell you that they can fix it in 20 dollars.

And this way they will make money!

Though we are living in much less corrupted country - this kind of things happen!!

I am not saying that all apartments are like this. I was living in another apartment before and never had any problem.

Is it happening with you?

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A Proud Indian Canadian

greedy supers! this is reality

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Hurat Honani Murat!

hi,
nice awakening thing.
these are the small things one should keep in mind while negotiating a new rental lease with the super and if the super do not respond positive, its a good idea to call the rental company office, i suppose they are more concerned for all this stuff.

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Sunil Sharma, P.Eng.