Somewhere between the time I left to report the damage to the power main switch by my roommate Santa Clara Police Department yesterday and the time I returned home, a notice was left on my doorknob, indicating that the City of Santa Clara—apparently—replaced the broken components, and electric service could be restored:
This was a surprise, considering that two days ago, I was informed personally by a representative of the city that the entire electrical panel would have to be replaced at the cost of $1,500, and, that, until that was paid, the electricity would remain off.
This clearly was untrue, as it appears that the only part that was replaced was the broken switch:
After flipping the switch, the power was restored, and I was able to move all my food back into the apartment, and start cooking (and, therefore, eating) again. I was also able to charge my laptop and cellphone, without having to sit at McDonald's with a power cable running from behind their TV to my laptop sitting at my table.
At the Santa Clara Police Department, I was told that I could only make a witness statement because I was not a victim to the act of vandalism by my new roommate. I expected as much, and was content that I was able to at least report what I saw.
Still this was not a complete waste of time, even when considering that no $1,500 bill was presented to anyone, and that the power was restored by the time I got home. After all, I don't want another landlord claiming that I damaged property that I did not, as my former landlord did.
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| A notice indicating that electricity could be restored by flipping the newly replaced switch |
This clearly was untrue, as it appears that the only part that was replaced was the broken switch:
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| The entire panel did not get replaced; rather, only the switch |
At the Santa Clara Police Department, I was told that I could only make a witness statement because I was not a victim to the act of vandalism by my new roommate. I expected as much, and was content that I was able to at least report what I saw.
Still this was not a complete waste of time, even when considering that no $1,500 bill was presented to anyone, and that the power was restored by the time I got home. After all, I don't want another landlord claiming that I damaged property that I did not, as my former landlord did.