Cannot open gate for visitors, HOA not helpful - HELP! (San Antonio: apartment complex, new house)

[trekbiker]

I'll try to make this long story short. I'm so pissed and frustrated right now, and I feel like don't have anywhere to turn to.

So I just moved into my new home in a gated neighborhood. Love it here, except for one nagging issue. When I have visitors come over to my house, I cannot open the gate for them. Here is the way this is supposed to work: a visitor drives up to the gate, punches in a code that calls to my phone number (cell phone), and I press "9" to open the gate for them.

But it doesn't work. It's been 2 months since I moved in, and I have had to drive out to meet them at the gate and have them follow me in. I still have to do this.

So I went to the HOA's office (which is really a rec center office) to meet with the lady who answers "general inquiries". She said that I need a "dedicated landline" in order to open the gate. That pissed me off because that would mean that I am being forced to buy a landline.

But anyway, I called around (AT&T, Verizon, Vonage, Basic talk, etc) and asked if they could set up landlines at my house, and they all said no, dedicated landlines are "no longer supported" and can only do "digital" landlines or VOIP.

Then I went back to the lady. She told me it has to be a dedicated landline and that digital/VOIP won't work, and I was practically yellling "but dedicated landlines don't exist anymore! I called everywhere and no one will do it!" She shrugged and said, "I don't know what to tell you. People come in and set up their phone with the gate all the time and they have no problems."

So I called the management company that used to manage the subdivision, and asked them what landline company they used. Well, they told me that the gate SHOULD work with my cell phone and that they do it all the time. No need for a landline!

Back to the HOA lady with the ammo. Told her no landline is needed! She said, "that's not true. It *may or may not* work with a cell phone, it needs to be a local number not a long distance number. The gate is not set up to take long distance calls." But my phone number is a 713 number?!?!?! How in the F is my 713 number a long distance number!!! I live in Richmond, TX and we all have 713, 281, and 832 numbers.

Whenever I actually try the gate entering the code myself, it rings once then the voice comes on and basically says "you need a 1 or 0 in front of the phone number". I tried telling the HOA lady to put a 1 or 0 in front of my phone number, but she refused, saying it's not set up for long distance calls.

What should I do? I'm TIRED of going out to meet visitors at the gate to let them in. I want that stupid lady FIRED from her job. I want to meet with the HOA board of directors to complain, but the lady refuses to give me ONE NAME saying "that's personal information, I can't release it. I'll talk to my boss and she'll reach out to you." But nope, I hear NOTHING.

I'm so angry, I'm ready to go into her office and let 'er rip. What should I do? I feel like I have no recourse. But there HAS to be SOMETHING. Please help!!!

[TexasTony]

I am not sure if it will work for you but we signed up for free google number online . I think you can select area code and available numbers for free. It works like a charm for us. No additional fees required. Just forward that number to your phone. Works for our gate code.

[Bike4Life]

Geez, sounds like an incompetent hard-head instead of looking for a solution. Don't visitors have a 9-key to enter the code? I would just tell everyone the code to get in.

[jasonamd]

You can still have long distance calls within the same area code. It would depend on where your cell # was originally set up. If it wasn't in Richmond then it could very well be a long distance call.

[trekbiker]

Originally Posted by Bike4Life

Geez, sounds like an incompetent hard-head instead of looking for a solution. Don't visitors have a 9-key to enter the code? I would just tell everyone the code to get in.

Yes! This person is so unhelpful, I want to start a petition to get her fired.

We do have a code, but when our visitors enter our code, it doesn't ring my phone so I never get to press "9".

[trekbiker]

Originally Posted by jasonamd

You can still have long distance calls within the same area code. It would depend on where your cell # was originally set up. If it wasn't in Richmond then it could very well be a long distance call.

Ugh. Then I should try TexasTony's suggestion of setting up a google voice number local to Richmond, and have it forward to my phone. I will try this tonight or tomorrow

In case that doesn't work, then what should I do?

[trekbiker]

Originally Posted by TexasTony

I am not sure if it will work for you but we signed up for free google number online . I think you can select area code and available numbers for free. It works like a charm for us. No additional fees required. Just forward that number to your phone. Works for our gate code.

Do you have to press 9 or some number in order to open the gate for your visitors after they dial the gate code? I was wondering if pressing 9 from your phone works even with call forwarding?

[Bike4Life]

Originally Posted by trekbiker

Yes! This person is so unhelpful, I want to start a petition to get her fired.

We do have a code, but when our visitors enter our code, it doesn't ring my phone so I never get to press "9".

That's too complicated. At my sister's gated community in San Antonio, I just entered the 5-digit code and the gate opens right away. People need to keep things simple.

[trekbiker]

Originally Posted by Bike4Life

That's too complicated. At my sister's gated community in San Antonio, I just entered the 5-digit code and the gate opens right away. People need to keep things simple.

I had that at my old gated apartment... there was a general 4-digit code that opens the gate to anyone who knows it. You could also enter another code to "call" someone and they buzz you in. So you had 2 options to go into my apartment complex.

In my new house/subdivision, I don't know nor was I given a general code to open the gate rather than the option of having to enter a specific code for a specific person. They probably don't have that for "security reasons"

[Whyrallnamestaken]

I used to live in a gated apartment complex. You dial from the gate key pad and I answer my landline and press 9. Gate opens. They also had a code that would open the gate without having to call someone. As far as I know that code was the same for years.

Then, we started having lots of break ins. The police suggested to Management that they remove the code on the gate and also to permanently close one of the gated entrances in the back of the property. You can carry a lot more loot if you can bring your car inside!

The problem with the code, is everybody gives it out and eventually the wrong person gets it. So to be safe, the HOA probably won't add a code that you can punch in order to open the gate. Next thing you know, somebody will give it to the delivery man, the plumber, etc. Who knows where they write the code down and who has access to it.