Day 8 the hot water saga continues

Despite the promises, hot water has not been forthcoming. The plumber/electrician & his 2 apprentices arrived to install the fans this morning but when I asked him about the HWS he didn’t know anything and said I had to call Jorge. These people seem to change their stories every day! Not having Jorge’s number I phoned Arturo who was with clients and promised to call me back as soon as he had spoken with Jorge. After 4 hours I phoned Arturo again, he told me that Jorge had said he would fix it. I got Jorge’s mobile number and by this time I was starting to get pretty cranky. He asked to speak with Alberto and then said that the part he needed would cost 800 pesos and if I paid it, it would save time and it could be fixed immediately. I told him I had no intention of paying out money for something which was not my problem, he spoke with Alberto again and now who knows what‘s happening. When I asked Alberto he just shrugged & rolled his eyes. (Shades of Italy here?) I’m tired of being in the middle, and so is Arturo, who has promised to call me when Jorge arrives in the office so we can thrash it out. In the meantime it’s not looking good for hot water tomorrow!

At around 6, which is the time Arturo says Jorge often comes into the office, I decided to wander down, I could do some other things on the way there & back. Arturo was alone in the office and I could see he was getting frustrated with this whole situation as well, he had been thinking of leaving this agency anyway and this might be enough to push him over the edge. He’s a really nice guy, seems very honest (probably too honest to be a RE agent) and doesn’t like this double dealing. Jorge on the other hand, is an older man, good talker, slippery as they come, and knows every trick in the book to avoid committing himself. Or says he will do something and then conveniently forgets.

I told Arturo, the poor guy, that I wasn’t leaving the office until the hot water situation was sorted, so he’s better get on the phone to Jorge now and find a solution. I offered 2 suggestions - either we steal the part required from one of the other apartments (only 2 of the 6 are currently occupied), or else they give me the keys to another apartment so I can have hot showers there. Jorge agreed with the first, and so Arturo phoned the plumber who said it wasn’t such a good idea. He suspects that the heaters in all the unoccupied units will be burnt out, as the caretaker had turned on the electricity without turning on the water tap. So if he removes one and it doesn’t work, he will need to remove another and so on, with a charge for each one, and if none of them work it’s back to square one anyway. He says it’s better just to buy the new part. In the end Arturo agreed to pay for the part for which he can reimburse himself next week, and Jorge for the install. I did feel a bit bad for Arturo, it’s less than $70 and I could have paid it, but I suspect I’d have Buckley’s chance of getting the money back. And then if I start like that, it will be expected for all the other repairs.

By Mexican law the developer is responsible for all repairs & maintenance for the 1^st year after I take over, so he theoretically can’t get out of doing them, but it could certainly drag out for ages. I guess that’s also assuming that he isn’t bankrupt before then!

So I now have an appointment with the plumber at 9am and hopefully by around 9.30 I will be able to have a hot shower. Assuming he arrives on time….