Pretty snooty and pushy (Miami: how much, lawyers, Home Depot)

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Jmlacysr

The problem is we have a bitchin' place here. Plus it's 10 minutes to downtown and my son's work. It might make some sense to move to midtown or the 30's if we stayed around here or move to the island and increase that drive time.

There's also been some discussion about moving north like to FTL and having my son relo up there. I like the beach and vibe in Hollywood better than any beach so far in Miami and you can get more for your money up there.

At least we're here and there are worse places to live than the MiMo district. We needed to be close to downtown on the cheap to see if we even liked Miami and with a large dog. We have all that here.

Well, you did the right thing by renting first and exploring, to see if you actually like the area!

One option you might consider, if you get desperate down the road, is to help your landlord find a new tenant.

When I finally bought my house, I had time left on my lease. I did the Craigslist thing, showed the apartment myself, and found a new tenant for my place. It was a win-win for me and the landlord, who was happy he didn't have to pay commission to a realtor.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Well, you did the right thing by renting first and exploring, to see if you actually like the area!

One option you might consider, if you get desperate down the road, is to help your landlord find a new tenant.

When I finally bought my house, I had time left on my lease. I did the Craigslist thing, showed the apartment myself, and found a new tenant for my place. It was a win-win for me and the landlord, who was happy he didn't have to pay commission to a realtor.

He let you out without any fees or anything? I ask because I was thinking of jumping my lease early. Might try your strategy if and when the time comes.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

They have a new law in florida. You can break your lease now but you have to pay two months rent.

Link? Where are you getting this information from?

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

He let you out without any fees or anything? I ask because I was thinking of jumping my lease early. Might try your strategy if and when the time comes.

My understanding is that the landlord can do whatever he wants. He has several options including early termination. A smart Independent landlord would rather have a happy tenant and work with you but they can hold you liable for the full amount agreed. If they take you to court add court charges. If you are dealing with a big company,expect to pay the full amount that is owed.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

Brickell/Edgewater-Wynwood/Downtown Miami/south Beach send their regards! I think you should check for one of those areas.

Buddy of mine was down here and we went to a ice cream shop. He asks the girl behind the counter how does the raisin rum taste. To which she responds with "like ice cream". Being from up north he said "listen this is your career not mine, I shouldn't have to explain to you that you are to give the customer a sample when they ask".

I have a million stories like this. In Miami I walked into a shop at bayfront park, the greeter is saying hello how are you to ALL who enter in Spanish. White guy walks up, she says the Spanish thing and he turns around, walks out and then walks back in. He then says, "lets try this again, this time in English". She then says it in English with fury in her face. I walk in and I don't even get a hello.

On the flip side I have had some good experiences in Miami generally speaking. In broward too, but generally they are not natives (the nice ones).

. while we have terrible customer service, this sounds like a culture shock. You see what you are explaining here is a typical culture shock. Spanish culture here has influenced even the white and black natives,so when transplants move here they think they are in hell

People need to understand one thing if they are moving to Miami. Hispanics are direct, especially Hispanics from the islands. If you want to try the ice cream just say let Me try it, give me a sample. While the second girl should be greeting in English, it might had been a careless mistake. If you want someone to speak to you in English you don't have to be condescending. I would have told off that white person. If there is one thing that annoys Most Hispanics is sarcasm and condescending attitudes from some white people. Cubans are not sarcastic by nature, if something bothers them they will let you know. Double meaning is a white American thing.

[Jmlacysr]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

Brickell/Edgewater-Wynwood/Downtown Miami/south Beach send their regards! I think you should check for one of those areas. Also, trust me, I don't care if you are in Broward or Miami those attitudes are EVERYWHERE down here man. It is what it is.

I had a cellphone go south on me a few months back. Took it into a Sprint store in broward (near to where I was going to be for that day) and the lady tells me (there is water damage). I said WHERE, this thing doesn't even know what water smells like. I keep it in a case, with a glass protector (for the front). She then points to these two very small white dots that you need glasses to see and goes "right there". I said lady, do you see dried water droplets or discoloration on the back plate of that phone? She said no. I said yeah, no crap because that is NOT WATER DAMAGE. I was livid. Make a long story short they had to order me a new phone. They gave me a loaner phone which was a beat up old Motorola phone with scotch tape holding the battery in place. What sort of store has customer service like this?!

Buddy of mine was down here and we went to a ice cream shop. He asks the girl behind the counter how does the raisin rum taste. To which she responds with "like ice cream". Being from up north he said "listen this is your career not mine, I shouldn't have to explain to you that you are to give the customer a sample when they ask".

I have a million stories like this. In Miami I walked into a shop at bayfront park, the greeter is saying hello how are you to ALL who enter in Spanish. White guy walks up, she says the Spanish thing and he turns around, walks out and then walks back in. He then says, "lets try this again, this time in English". She then says it in English with fury in her face. I walk in and I don't even get a hello.

On the flip side I have had some good experiences in Miami generally speaking. In broward too, but generally they are not natives (the nice ones).

I can see these stories being very true. I think it's two things. Standards and the workforce.

In NYC, you walk up and meet people and receive a professional greeting. It comes standard there. Everyone is expected to act that way. Not so in Miami.

In Miami they have to man the workforce. I think they pick the lesser of the two evils when interviewing candidates. They need warm bodies.

Just being incompetent about your job is not a Miami exclusive but I have lesser of an issue when they are incompetent and don't have an attitude on top of it. At least be nice about what a buffoon you are.

But having said that, the Home Depot around me offers world class service. Who would have thought. I think it has to do with Management than anything else.

It's really interesting some of the personal encounters I've had here. Some delightful total surprises with strangers and others not so heartwarming.

I'm finding Miami is a city of extremes and by and large people are friendlier and more polite here than Dallas. I'm finding bigotry and suppression of the blacks here much less of an issue. Blacks in Dallas are angry, Blacks here seem more resolved to their under class status. I live in an area that's 65% black and have had no issues so far. The blacks here seem more educated as well and much easier to approach.

I like 99% of the Hispanics here. Warm and friendly with a sense of family and community. Better educated than the Mexicans we have in Dallas and I like Cuban food. My neighbord is making me black beans and rice today. I'll take him some Blackeyed peas and ham in exchange.

We tend to talk about all the bad things about Miami on here and less of the good. I think that's a mistake. I'm finding some very good things about Miami and better than where we came from.

I have a dozen of cool stories. Some funny like my landlord trying to get work done around my place and some just nice. Like they guy I met eating lunch at Checkers. Two total strangers just grabbing a bite then going about our way with good conversion in between. One black guy one white, no big deal.

Or how people knock on your door here. They barley knock at all. Or how when someone calls they ask if they are disturbing you in the middle of the day. When I asked why they would think that, they said" You might be taking a nap."

Or here's a good one. How the city is persevered by the locals. All those murals over on Miami ave would have gang signs all over them in Dallas. Not so here, even though it's a nasty area, the art work is preserved. They seem to have respect.

Here's a big one and hard to explain but here goes.

I went in that place called Art by God on Biscayne just to browse around. I was shocked how close I could get to the merchandise there. I could get nose to nose with a Woolly mammoth skull. Touch it close. In Dallas, that would have been behind ropes, Plexiglas with a guard not too far off. It's as though the shop owner knew nobody is going to be touching it, Miami people have respect.

I drove by a food bank one day and outside were volunteers handing out food. What struck me were the smiles on the faces of the volunteers. They were feeling good about helping the less fortunate and it's was tangible enough to feel it.

I walked into a dump of a grocery store around 79th near us1. The workers in there we lively, happy and cutting up with one another. It's was like a family and looked like everyone one was having a great time working there even though the conditions were deplorable by most standards.

I don't want to say all of Miami is great. I get it, parts are a hell hole and the dodgy seem everywhere. But it does have it's positives and particularly about it's people and I think these are often overlooked on this forum.

I'm finding the riches of Miami not on Fisher island but actually in Miami's people. The poor may be poor, but they are often better people than the rich snobs I lived with in Dallas.

I also find when I get down on Miami, I walk my dog and we go sit on the bay. After a few minutes, I know why I am here and the bad thoughts about Miami soon go away.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

I lived in NYC very briefly during the early 90's and black "angry" people was a new concept to me. In the country I grew up blacks tend to be extremely nice(probably like Mississippi nice) I was pleasatly surprised when isaw how approachable blacks were here in Miami. Yes some have an attitude but nothing compared to those up North. It has changed though, we have too many angry transplants now. However when I go back to New York I see the difference. I don't know what's worse. Sometimes I feel people are more racist up there, both white and blacks.

[gymbuff]

It never ceases to amaze me that people are not aware that Miami is largely HISPANIC. This didn't happen overnight, folks. Either learn Spanish right away or learn to deal with it.

[Jmlacysr]

Originally Posted by ♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥

Sometimes I feel people are more racist up there, both white and blacks.

It's part of the culture shock for us. We came here with preconceived notions based on our other city. Both of us are pleasantly suprised about the differences. We think it's a good thing.

You know Princ, we talk about things like neighborhoods, cost of living, the beaches and the hot women on here which is important but I think the intangibles are often overlooked. It's not anything that is measurable or can you quantify it. I think it has to come from your own known perspective and until you have a baseline of experience you have nothing to compare.

[Jmlacysr]

Originally Posted by ♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥

My understanding is that the landlord can do whatever he wants.

We would never walk on a lease unless it was some dire emergency which this is not. We just wish it was more convenient to things.