A rotten return

[fpb]

I had to go down to Rome again, stay longer than I had expected, and suffer both from scorching weather and from a number of business disappointments. But the worst thing happened when I came back. I found the lock changed on my door and the door shut. I had to break it down. INSIDE the locked door (!), I found a note that some of my neighbours had worried about my absence and called the police, who had broken down and changed the locks.
I printed twelve copies of the following note and posted them to all my neighbours:

TO MY NEIGHBOURS

Having come back from an unplanned journey, I found my door locked and unopenable. I was forced to break it down.

INSIDE, mind you, I found a message stating that some neighbours had become concerned at my absence. As a result, someone had forced my door and replaced the lock without my consent.

This is going to cost me money to repair the door, discomfort while it is done, and even some danger as long as I cannot lock it. I can afford none of these.

I am NOT grateful for the concern of whoever took on themselves to take this initiative. Indeed, I prefer not to know who it was, so if it is you, please do not let me know. I would take it ill.

Sincerely,
The tenant at 300b


Now I am concerned I may have gone too far, but really, the eff-up was too grave and damaging not to react in some fashion.

Comments

[un-crayon-rouge.livejournal.com]

WTF! Unbelievable! I cannot fathom a neighbor who would call the police when another neighbor is absent for what, a week? A month? Hell, even a year, it's your apartment, as long as you're paying the rent and there isn't a major accident like water or gas leak, you can leave for however long you effing want! What surprises me the most is that the police even went along with that.

Anyway, *hugs* That sucks.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Well, it does happen that old people die alone in flats and the police have to break the door down to find the body. But I am not quite that old, and what I find outrageous is not so much the cops coming in as such, as the way that the lock was left changed with no way for me to understand what happened UNTIL I had broken down the door. Now I have no idea who will pay the repairs.

[un-crayon-rouge.livejournal.com]

I would think it's the police's responsibility, but something tells me that's not going to happen...

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

Yes, really the police are ultimately responsible for the damage in this case. It's probably worth at least minimally pursuing.

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

At the barest minimum, someone -- the police, or failing that, your neighbors -- ought to have put a note in your mailbox explaining what had happened. For that matter, where was your landlord in all this?