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I wish I would have said that, it sums up living here.
One of the many stupid things that get's me is the 1/2 off and 2 for 1 specials. Raise the price to double, then offer 1/2 off. LOL, the whole place is insulting and ridiculous.
I have lived in Miami now for 5 years after having lived in many, many different cities and states as well as countries while growing up.
I lived on the beach, then on Normandy Isle, then Coconut Grove and now I'm near Kendall.
I do have to say that this city is the absolute worst place I have ever lived. The jaw dropping incivility here leaves me speechless quite often. I have never, in my life, experienced such attitude. I had people look down their nostrils at me because I didn't speak Spanish when I first got here. You have GOT to be kidding me. It's economically wise to learn English, NOT Spanish. And if you want bi-lingual people, that means that those who speak Spanish natively need to learn English, as well, it doesn't just go one way. And you better pay them for being bi-lingual, not this crap wage these people try to give out with a straight face.
The rudeness on the road, turning left from a far right lane and the driver flipping everyone off, the multitude of cars that run red lights, the horn blaring, (seriously, KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE HORNS!), the rip off artists at Deel VW, the rip off artists at other "mechanics", the check out help that acts like you're disturbing them when you bring your groceries to the checkout stand, the Postal workers who have serious attitude problems, the employees in any given store who refuse to acknowledge your presence and do NOT want to help you find a damn thing, the "me, me, me, me, me first!!!!!!!!! right now!!!!!" mentality, the laziness, the snottiness...I could go on.
This is the rudest city I have ever lived in.
What floors me is that we live in paradise. We have a beautiful ocean and beaches, we have the Keys not too far away, the Everglades just a drive away, hop in the car and you have amusement parks, fun things to do, go a little further and there's the amazing smell of citrus, there's history and more beauty but the people here, in this city, are filthy, obnoxious, loud and self centered.
When I first moved here, I thought it was going to be cool to meet so many different cultures, to learn from those cultures, to really embrace the differences but within six months, I was disgusted.
I did not come here an angry person but I have become an angry person and frankly, many people in Miami are the root of that anger. There have been some absolute gems along the way. I have indeed met some of the most giving, caring people here that I have ever met in my life but unfortunately, the 700,000 other idiots out there for each kind person makes this city not worth it.
For anyone thinking of moving to Miami, I highly, highly suggest that you try it out for six months before deciding to stay, permanently. If it works for you, great, come on in. If you find that it doesn't, you'll be prepared to get OUT as quick as you came.
I am working my tail off to save up money to get out of here, and while I will miss the beautiful ocean and I'll miss some of the beauty and fun that this state has to offer, I will not miss the incivility, as I said. This town is like living with monkeys in a zoo.
Miami is not special. Magic city...maybe it was at one time. I hear stories how it used to be great. People who lived here 20+ years ago said it was fabulous but that it's gone to hell in a handbasket now and they are sad to see how much it has changed, for the worse.
Some may not believe the OPs stories and may think the OP brought it all on him/herself but the OP is right when they say that this city is not honest, this city is not nice, this city is not helpful.
I would never, ever urge anyone to move here.
Your post is quite accurate and actually reinforces what many people feel about Miami Dade .. "a beautiful place filled with ugly people" .... I have a cousin who finally moved from east kendall .. which is a nicer area to Palm City just south of Stuart ( she is very happy now ) .. who has said many of the things you mention above to me countless times ... I live in Parkland .. so I do not see or feel the "Miami effect " except on the nightly news and on this forum .... thus I like it down here ... maybe I should just stay on the Broward forum and not venture south of Weston to insure my sanity ... LOL ??
Here's a new one, this was yesterday with the light company, FPL.
I paid the light bill last month, but here I have to do it differently. Once I make out my check, I take it to the UPS store to mail it so it doesn't get stolen from my mailbox. Anyway, I paid it but I get a termination notice in the mail on Saturday so I call them.
First, there is no way obvious way to get to a live person from the menu. Once I finally figured that one out, I was put on hold. The recording said if you want to leave a call back number we'll call you back in 1-2 minutes. I chose that option. I waited 15 minutes or so and no call back, so I called again. The recording said we are closed call back between 8-5. I looked at my watch and it was 3:00.
So I hung up and called back, but this time rather than try to get to billing, I chose the option to report a power line down thinking that I might get a live person this time, sure enough, I get someone and they transfer me to billing. The same "we'll call you back in 1-2 minutes" recording came on but I was smarter this time and waited. In a minute or two, I get a live person.
We reviewed the bill since I've been here. The only payment she said she showed was the $356.00 deposit I had to pay and my electric was due for termination in 3 days. I don't have anyway to check what's cleared my bank because my bank is in Texas and it's Saturday so I said fine, let me pay it and now.
She said she couldn't take credit cards that it had to be done through western Union. huh? The light company can't take a Credit Card? They took it for my deposit via CC because I was in Texas when I had them turn on power before the move here. Ok, fine, what about e-check. Yes, she said but that's an automated system. Not trusting that, I asked her if she would note the account that I'm putting a check in the mail TODAY, would she please not terminate the service, she said she could note the account but no guarantee it won't be terminated. I asked what's my other option, she gave me the name of a place on Biscayne to go in and pay it.
So what happened, I didn't pay it, the UPS store didn't mail it, the Forever stamp I had put on there wasn't forever after all? The US mail lost it, FPL credited it to the wrong account? Who knows, but I'll have to go in Monday stand in the line with the near homeless and pay it and then call my bank and see if I can find where/if the check cleared. Once I pay it, then I'll call FPL back to make sure the place on Biscayne got it right. I can't trust anyone here to get it anything right and I'm learning that daily.
So let's assume I didn't pay it at all.
1. The auto call back feature did not work
2. A closed recording came on during normal business hours
3. They sometimes take Credit cards
Living in Miami is a hassle no matter where you live and yes even FPL is 3rd world by modern standards.
There are places in the US where things just "work" the way you expect them and Miami's not one of them.
Totally agree with you. The lack of civility and in some cases, it translates to a lack of regard for human life.
GatorMama's advice is worth taking in (to anyone thinking of moving here), especially the notion of trying it out for 6 months. I will elaborate on that - if you decide to try Miami out, come with enough money saved so that you are free to leave, if it doesn't work out. Also, try to sign a 6 month lease, so that you're not tied in for a whole year (some landlords will do this and there are short-term rentals). Six months is usually enough time to figure out if a place is right for you, because the novelty of living there wears off sufficiently for you to see reality, without it being clouded. Just visiting Miami (or anywhere) won't give you a sense of how it is day-to-day.
JM, when I said "make the best of it", I said so for the sake of your own sanity. It's obvious that you are sick of living here and I don't blame you. I have days where I wish Miami would literally get swallowed up by a tsunami, or days where I'm so enraged by people in general here that I also end up becoming like them (especially on the road). Then on other days, I just don't care as I am more focused on planning our move away from here. Also, as much as I do try to treat others with kindness and respect, it's often very challenging to do so in a place where so many people will not do the same in return, or will quite shamelessly take advantage of such kindness.
I say make the best of it, because that's really all you can do, before leaving for good. You cannot change Miami or its inhabitants. Miami will continue to be this way long after you and I leave, but we will both live to tell the tale and have learned from our experiences here. As for me,
I go to work, come home and stay home. I at least have a nice apartment in a relatively quiet (but by no means drama-free) part of Miami. I seldom go out because I don't have the patience to deal with driving here anymore (I only drive when I have to).
None of us can make Miami right, individually. I do accept and respect the fact that many people do enjoy Miami and maybe they love the taste of the honey so much that they're almost immune to the bee stings? Miami does need a good kick up the ass when it comes to basic respect for other human beings, sensible driving and professionalism at work. A real crackdown on the god-awful driving would be a good start. The cops here seem to be very trigger happy when dealing with inner city crime. Why can't they be as aggressive with criminals behind the wheel, who are killing just as many people?
It boils down to the kind of people that Miami has been attracting for decades: people who are running away, people who come to party, people who come to scam Medicare, wealthy Europeans and South Americans and wealthy Americans from other states who buy condos to live in for 7 weeks of the year. Miami is a new city (in the sense of recent growth) and it is a transient city. Many who come are economic refugees and came here to make $$$ and to chase the American Dream, in a city that doesn't feel too "American", where you have no real need to assimilate. So it doesn't surprise me that there's little in the way of community spirit. Maybe in 50 years time, it'll be different, but only if people wake up and start taking responsibility. Miami will either improve, or it'll go back to how it was in the 70's and 80's. I personally hope it improves and diversifies, to the point that it does become a world class city. That takes leadership and sacrifice though and therefore, is unlikely to happen while people continue to elect such idiots (regardless of political party) to local government.
Last edited by Glasvegas; 01-09-2011 at 07:18 AM..
There is a reoccurring doubt on here about my stories being true. Let's set they record straight once and for all.
They are true and they have little to do with the block I live in. I have been all over this city, I know it pretty well. It doesn't matter where you go, it's all the same only to more or less of a degree. I live in the city of Miami, not a suburb and what I report here is based on those experiences.
The whole notion that this is fabricated is ludicrous. I was even called a troll and didn't even live here. Yeah, I live here, 33138 if you can trust I didn't made up my zip own code.
I've bared my soul on this forum. You know more about us that we do any of you. I invested time, money and considerable effort to come here and I left, friends, family, our dogs, my business and everything I knew to come to Miami by CHOICE. I wanted to love Miami and worked hard to get here and we gave up a lot, but the fact is, it's a difficult place to Love.
I have some stories that are not believable and I've refrained from telling them even though they are also true. They were unbelievable to us anyway, and here's a couple on the drug issue.
Everyone knows my son works retail in downtown and in sales. All the traffic is walk-in and he sees every kind of Miamian. Part of his job is finance. He say's people in Miami have better credit than people in Dallas. You might be interested in this part, when he looked at the stores who had customers with the best credit, it was Doral. He doesn't work in that store but he can see their numbers.
Anyway, back to the story. He asks as routine, what people do for a living. He said two people on two separate occasions told him they were drug dealers. He said they seemed proud of it and openly admitted it. That's pretty unbelievable to us, but that's just us.
One day I was in a convenient store and was upset about the overcharge. I looked at the guy behind me and expressed my indignation. His words verbatim. "You just need some weed and a couple of bittches". While I didn't disagree, I was surprised by his response. Now that's unbelievable...but like everything else I've said, that's a true story too.
One day I was in a convenient store and was upset about the overcharge. I looked at the guy behind me and expressed my indignation. His words verbatim. "You just need some weed and a couple of bittches". While I didn't disagree, I was surprised by his response. Now that's unbelievable...but like everything else I've said, that's a true story too.
That was really the most believable out of anything.
RE: FPL, you never checked your bill online? Not even pay it online, just CHECK to see if it was paid? https://app.fpl.com/eca/EcaController
If not that, why not check your bank account online?
I never knew UPS accepted USPS mail, either. They're two separate entities and UPS wouldn't be making any money off a USPS letter.
Why wouldn't you just put your letter in a blue USPS box on a street corner?
Either 1) Your stories are not true or 2) You just aren't cut out for life on your own.
There is a reoccurring doubt on here about my stories being true. Let's set they record straight once and for all.
They are true and they have little to do with the block I live in. I have been all over this city, I know it pretty well. It doesn't matter where you go, it's all the same only to more or less of a degree. I live in the city of Miami, not a suburb and what I report here is based on those experiences.
The whole notion that this is fabricated is ludicrous. I was even called a troll and didn't even live here. Yeah, I live here, 33138 if you can trust I didn't made up my zip own code.
I've bared my soul on this forum. You know more about us that we do any of you. I invested time, money and considerable effort to come here and I left, friends, family, our dogs, my business and everything I knew to come to Miami by CHOICE. I wanted to love Miami and worked hard to get here and we gave up a lot, but the fact is, it's a difficult place to Love.
I have some stories that are not believable and I've refrained from telling them even though they are also true. They were unbelievable to us anyway, and here's a couple on the drug issue.
Everyone knows my son works retail in downtown and in sales. All the traffic is walk-in and he sees every kind of Miamian. Part of his job is finance. He say's people in Miami have better credit than people in Dallas. You might be interested in this part, when he looked at the stores who had customers with the best credit, it was Doral. He doesn't work in that store but he can see their numbers.
Anyway, back to the story. He asks as routine, what people do for a living. He said two people on two separate occasions told him they were drug dealers. He said they seemed proud of it and openly admitted it. That's pretty unbelievable to us, but that's just us.
One day I was in a convenient store and was upset about the overcharge. I looked at the guy behind me and expressed my indignation. His words verbatim. "You just need some weed and a couple of bittches". While I didn't disagree, I was surprised by his response. Now that's unbelievable...but like everything else I've said, that's a true story too.
I believe you. You have to realize that Miami had a HUGE drug industry (I say industry, because it effectively was). If you haven't seen it already, watch Cocaine Cowboys, because it'll actually explain a lot, in terms of Miami's relatively recent dirty past. I can't even imagine to imagine how it was back then, but from tales I've heard from my wife's family, acquaintances and co-workers, most people either sold drugs or did drugs. Much of the Miami you see today was built on dirty money. I know Scarface was fiction, but I'm sure there were many Scarface type characters back then and still many wannabes now. So to get to the point, it does not surprise me that your son has encountered people who will openly admit to it, even today. As for the credit ratings, I read somewhere that Miami had the highest credit card debt vs. salary ratio in the country. I guess it depends though. I'm sure your son encounters many interesting characters in that line of work.
No city can go from being so bad and corrupt in such a short space of time. In 50 years time, Miami may well be a different place, so long as there's a major attitude adjustment along the way. Chicago went through the prohibition wars of the 20's, much in the same way that Miami went through the drug wars of the late 70's and early 80's. Chicago recovered eventually, but those scars take time to heal (maybe Miami just needs more time + the kick up the ass attitude adjustment). It also needs its citizens to acknowledge the problems and demand better leadership to fix them.
I do not doubt any of your experiences, but it might have been more tolerable for you if you'd found a place in Brickell, Coral Gables or Downtown. Miami is all about enclaves. If you can find a good spot and a home that is somewhat of a haven to escape to, the general problems and the stress won't be as hard to deal with. People here also tend to have very close circles of friends and are well connected in that sense (even when it comes to finding work). It's like an elite club, which as an outsider, can be tough to break into. This is why I've always said that in Miami, WHO you known is way more important than WHAT you know. So as a very shy, reserved and somewhat introverted person, I am basically screwed here, even with a BA in Finance and a plethora of experience.
I don't hate Miami at all though; I just realize that it's a poor match. Like I said, we cannot change Miami and Miami is what it is.
That was really the most believable out of anything.
RE: FPL, you never checked your bill online? Not even pay it online, just CHECK to see if it was paid? https://app.fpl.com/eca/EcaController
If not that, why not check your bank account online?
I never knew UPS accepted USPS mail, either. They're two separate entities and UPS wouldn't be making any money off a USPS letter.
Why wouldn't you just put your letter in a blue USPS box on a street corner?
Either 1) Your stories are not true or 2) You just aren't cut out for life on your own.
Along the same lines of what I was thinking.
For one, I always check my bank account to see if my checks were cashed (verifying payment of items), and to see if my ID has been stolen or some other unauthorized charge has occurred. It takes like one minute out of my day to do this.
Bill paying is one of the most basic things that someone does when they move away from mommy an daddy, I cannot believe how many people ********** simple tasks up, always the same excuses.
To the OP of this topic, how about auto bill pay? It comes right out of your account, plus, with auto pay you do not even have to put the deposit down.
This reminds me of back when I was in the military, so many people could not handle basic things, like understanding when their car payment was due, or why 19% interest on a car loan is a rip off, etc.
A real crackdown on the god-awful driving would be a good start. The cops here seem to be very trigger happy when dealing with inner city crime. Why can't they be as aggressive with criminals behind the wheel, who are killing just as many people?
I should share some of my cop stories and maybe I'll do that soon but on the traffic issue.
Statistically and according to a survey I saw from Allstate or State Farm, you're more likely to get in an accident in Dallas than Miami. People complain about the crazy drivers here, but we had maybe more of them.
We're accustomed to seeing nutso's do strange things on the road endangering peoples lives, and that's not new to us, but we do see a difference on how rude people are when driving here compared to Dallas.
We have seen less traffic accidents here than we normally would see in Dallas is our impression, with the same amount of crazies on the road. The general population of drivers are ruder here.
The bigger issues for us, is how people won't let you over. As new guys in town we're always getting in the wrong lane. With some coaxing in Dallas people would allow you to get in, not so in Miami, it's that all about me attitude that effects even the driving here.
Add that to the fact Miami has many no turn signs and some no turns on two ways streets and you can get an idea of our frustration at times. Just driving in the city can be a hassle for us, but it's not the amount of crazies, we're used to that believe it or not, and we're accustomed to long waits in congestion as well.
It's not the traffic we find objectionable here, it's the drivers unfriendly attitude among it's fellow drivers that's such a stark contrast from what we're accustomed. It's not a postive for living in Miami.
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