'Send us a check': Landlord refuses to take $0.02 payment in cash, tenant maliciously complies

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    Font - Apartment manager "doesn't take cash" for $0.02 bill. Malicious compliance ensues. MOC In 2019 I moved from an apartment complex in Celebration, Florida, to a condo. As usual, when you move out of an apartment, you get a final bill, which includes your last month's pro-rated rent, deductions for damages, security deposit refunds, and the like. We paid it. The next month I get a call from my wife who says we've got a follow-up bill in the mail from the apartment management company, for $0.
  • 02
    Font - My wife prints out a copy of the bill. I grab two cents from the change jar. The apartment complex is on my daily drive, so I swing by the office. I walk in and tell the manager that I want to pay my last bill. I say "It's two cents. Here's the bill, and I have the two cents if you want it." The manager says "We don't take cash." Nothing else. There was an awkward pause.
  • 03
    Font - I say "I don't expect you to take cash. I expect us both to have a laugh about how silly computer systems are, and for you to write off the two cents, because it'd cost you more to process the payment." She says "I'm not going to do that." Again, awkward pause.
  • 04
    Font - I say "So you want me to write you a check ... for two cents. And mail it? And you're going to process that check?" The manager says "Yes, send us a check and we'll process it." and then WALKS BACK INTO HER OFFICE to end the conversation. So I go home and set up an automatic, monthly bank payment to my apartment complex. For three cents.
  • 05
    Font - And then, because I'm a programmer, I write some code to send a letter once per month, saying "I'm so sorry - I've overpaid my bill. Please send me a check for the overpayment." And I use an online service that sends post cards in ridiculous sizes - up to around 18"x24", figuring that'll be my escalation strategy.
  • 06
    Font - The first of the next month, I get a call from the apartment company's regional manager. After introducing himself, the next two minutes were the most sincere, "Oh god, we made a mistake - please don't do this, we'll never contact you again" apology anyone could've hoped for. I stopped the mail and never heard from them again. Did I spend several hours on MC for two cents? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
  • 07
    Font - EgberetSouse ATT sent me a $0.03 bill. I sent them a check for $0.07 and began hounding them for my refund. 8.6k lentesta OP. CO If I didn't already have a twin, I'd bet we were separated at birth. Reply Share 5.4k lisa_37743 Reply Share 1.5k I just want the name of the postcard company. That's useful ... lentesta OP 1.5k Reply Share I believe it was though I haven't checked in a while. They have an API as well. Reply Share ●●●
  • 08
    Font - theNaughtydog S A long time ago I bought something at Sears using my Discover Card (which Sears owned at the time). I wasn't happy with my purchase and returned it the next day but my bill had cycled (with a $0.00 balance) so of course I ignored it. The next month I got another bill for $0.00 and had a nasty note about being late and paying right away. I assume that there was some sort of rounding error (ie the interest was less than 1 cent) so the bill rounded down to zero but was non-ze
  • 09
    Font - notme8907 Decades ago my husband went into collections over 11 cents. He had no idea how it happened. He just received a letter out of the blue and called the phone number. Obviously, at some point, he called the entire action ludicrous and was told, "Sir. Eleven cents is a lot of money." Reply Share 47.3k 7.3k
  • 10
    Font - ChocolateBananaCats My sister and brother-in-law moved to another state. For 5 years my brother- in-law got a monthly bill from the tollway here for 5 cents. Once when we were visiting them in their new state my brother-in-law gave me his latest bill and asked me to go by their office when I got home and pay it in person. When I went to pay all I had was a dime and they couldn't give me change. After that, my brother-in-law got a monthly statement with a 5 cent credit. After a year of tha

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