The donation goal has risen · 1:05am Oct 25th, 2023
Thanks a bunch to all of the people who donated. The GoFundMe hit its original donation goal just three days after posting. I was able to fill up on gas and pay what I owe in rent, plus I'll be able to cover a car insurance bill that's been due since October 1st.
But a new problem has arisen.
Weeks earlier I got a 30-day notice saying I still owe a certain amount. This sounded egregious at first becomes I could have sworn the other month's rent. I went to the apartment's office the next day and asked them what was going on. They had set up a new system that automatically deducts rent from my checking account, and I emailed them the bank statement from my banking app showing that a transaction indeed occurred. The office manager said she would talk to her boss about it, and I forgot about it for a few weeks.
Well, yesterday happened. I went to the office to ask how much this month's rent would be so that I'd know what to bring, and -- thankfully -- it hasn't risen yet. However, I was told that I still owe the $725 from the previous month, plus the late fee. My statements say that a payment was made, so obviously this is a fault of theirs, and all I have to do is provide proof, right?
So, I went to the bank today to withdraw the necessary amount and request my bank statements for October and September. Both said that payments the equivalent of what I normally owe were withdrawn from my account. I held in my hands the perfect proof. But, I had to be thorough.
I asked for a statement for August, and there it was -- nowhere to be seen. I somehow forgot to pay rent in August. How could this happen? Well, the aforementioned payment system is fairly new. As in, they just set up around the middle of summer. My guess is I assumed the money was withdrawn from my account, and I just forgot about it entirely. Combing through my statements, I realized why it didn't. The withdrawal only happens on the due date, and only if I have the required amount in checking. Which I didn't.
I asked the office manager if we could work out a deal where I pay it off gradually alongside what I'm already paying for rent, but there's another issue. The apartments are owned by a newer, stricter company than before, and they aren't willing to cut me any slack despite my situation because they want to make sure everyone is paying their rent in full. In other words, if I don't come up with this upcoming month's rent by the 3rd of November, they're going to mark that as a red flag.
So, I have no choice but to raise the donation goal. I raised the goal by $900, although the amount I owe is $870. This is because GoFundMe takes out a fee when a transfer occurs. If you want to help out, donate here:
Good luck!