The Travel Chica

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The Cruella Conclusion: Lawyers, Lies, and Taxes

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Remember Cruella?

Photo of Cruella

Finally, the saga comes to an end… sort of.

A few months ago, I wrote about my evil landlady Cruella.  I then shared her bizarre rules and how she was monitoring my toilet paper usage.

The last thing I wrote about Cruella was how she kicked me out and changed the lock only 2 weeks into my 1-month contract.

Now I am concluding the story.

Read on to find out what happened when I went to pick up my stuff, about the rental company’s reaction, and how I got my revenge.

The Next Day

I had to wait until 10am the morning after Cruella kicked me out to find out if she stole anything from me.  I went to the building administration office, still feeling confused and a little in shock.  It was strange to be back in the building, and I had to fight the urge to go up to Cruella’s apartment and let out all of the frustration from the past two weeks.

I quickly looked through the bags and breathed a sigh of relief that everything appeared to be there.

Next it was a matter of the deposit.  Cruella had told my rental company she was leaving my deposit minus 200 pesos (US$50) at administration too, and I was hoping so much that was true.  A full month rent is a big deposit for a 1-month lease.

Cruella told the rental company that she kept the 200 pesos because I broke something in the closet.  This was a lie, but apparently this woman wanted to squeeze every bit of money out of me that she could get.

I explained to the woman in Spanish that Cruella kicked me out for no reason.  She was not told a reason either.  The woman gave me an envelope with the deposit and asked me to sign something indicating I received the money.

I was not signing anything.

I explained to her that Cruella still owed me half of the rent, since she broke the contract.  She offered to call her for me.

My Phone Call with Cruella

She got Cruella on her cell phone and handed the phone to me.

Cruella is fluent in English, but she immediately went into rapid Spanish. I told her several times that I could not understand Spanish well over the phone and to either speak slower or speak in English.

Apparently, Cruella had forgotten how to speak English.

How convenient.

Click.  She hung up on me.

I told the woman that I could not understand anything Cruella said and how she refused to speak English to me.  She looked at me with sympathy, maybe realizing that I was the one being wronged in this situation, and said, “She speaks English.  She used to live in London.”  I knew this of course, but I was happy this woman was also seeing this evil side of Cruella. 

Que perra! is what I was thinking, but I was being polite.

The woman called her back for me and spoke to her on my behalf.  When she hung up the phone she said that Cruella’s lawyer would be in touch.  I laughed for the first time since being kicked out.

Really, crazy lady?

You think that the lawyer threat is going to scare me when I have done nothing wrong, and you have broken the contract?

I am not stupid. I am pretty sure we invented the lawyer threat in the US.

The Rental Company

The owner of the rental company also was given the brush off and told to speak with Cruella’s lawyer.  Of course, days passed without being able to reach this lawyer.

I have had mixed feelings about what to write about the rental company Spare Rooms BA.  I thought that they should take responsibility and pay me the money Cruella stole because they arranged this transaction.  They could then continue to pursue Cruella for breach of contract.

But I have to own up to something.

I signed the contract, making an assumption that Spare Rooms BA would be responsible and never asked what would happen in a situation like this.  Of course, I could not have predicted this scenario, but I should have asked more questions.

I found out later that Spare Rooms BA had never actually rented Cruella’s apartment before, so she must have been using different rental services for the past 7 years.  This is a simple question I could have asked that might have made me listen to that initial gut feeling.

I also found out that Spare Rooms BA just facilitates the transaction between the tenant and landlord, and they do not take responsibility for something the tenant or landlord does in breach of the contract.  This was not written into the contract I signed, but I later found a statement 2/3 of the way down the Legal Notice page.  The Legal Notice page is not easy to find, since it is a link in the footer of their website.

What has Spare Rooms BA done to right this wrong?

The day I was kicked out, Spare Rooms immediately refunded the administration fee that I paid for using their service.  After several days of back and forth trying to reach Cruella’s lawyer, they also refunded US$60 of the rent, which I assume is their commission from the rental transaction.

I truly appreciate that Spare Rooms BA gave me this money back. I definitely deserved it, but it would have been easy for them to not give me anything back and wipe their hands of the situation.

From living in the US, I have this expectation that businesses will sometimes take a loss to maintain a happy customer.  I have to remember I am in Argentina now, and customer service standards are different (and sometimes non-existent) in Latin America.

My Sweet Revenge

For those of you who know me, you know that I do not like to be taken advantage of, especially when the action is so blatantly wrong (and breaks the law).  You may have been wondering how I would get my revenge.

Well, I like to think I am a good person, and I was not going to do anything I might be ashamed of one day or could get me thrown in jail like kidnap her dog and hold it for ransom.

Yes, this really was a suggestion.

As I told more and more people who live in Buenos Aires about the situation, I got lots of support.

Argentines and expats were angry that someone would take advantage of a foreigner like this (Buenos Aires already has this bad reputation).  So they were more than happy to offer a little of their “local knowledge” about how to get back at this woman.

Argentines are afraid of their tax agency just as much as Americans are afraid of the IRS.

The last thing anyone wants is to go through an investigation.  Many Porteños do not pay their taxes because they run home-based businesses or have a little something on the side.  But they are also afraid because being investigated by AFIP (Federal Administration of Public Revenue) is no picnic.

So I went to the AFIP office and filed a complaint against the woman for breach of contract and stealing my money.  Then I let them know that she has two home-based businesses, renting a room in her apartment and selling dulce de membrillo, and that I hoped she was diligently paying the appropriate taxes to the government.

The economy in Argentina is struggling, and I would not want the people who rely on government-funded programs to suffer because this woman isn’t paying her taxes.

Photo of AFIP office

Note that filing these two documents required trips to three different AFIP offices. Luckily, I do not have a “grown-up job” and have all the time in the world.  Plus, government offices will not make photocopies for you, so there were additional trips to run down the street to the nearest copy shop.

The different departments within AFIP do not seem to know much about what each department does or their processes.  But I have to say that all of the employees I talked to were incredibly helpful.  Maybe my Spanish isn’t so bad if I was able to file official documents within the Argentine bureaucracy.

My final words to Cruella…

Enjoy the investigation.  I hope whatever you bought yourself with my money was worth it.

Comments

  1. I went through a similar situation, but in Germany. After a year in the apartment, I was expecting my 2 months of deposit (1200 euro). The landlord told me that they pay atthe end of the year, so I waited. After six months, I didn’thear back from them, andtried getting in touch. They never answered to my phone calls, emails or messages. It went like this for another year.
    At some point I hired a lawyer and waned to sue her. I did. She reappeared with documents stating that she’s notgiving me back any money because the xtra costs for cleaning were higher than my deposit… And she even dared to ask for another xtra 600 euro (after 2 years!).
    We won the case, of course, and she had to pay back the full deposit, and pay forthe lawyer. It was so much worth it!
    Katherina recently posted..Photo Essay: The Secrets of Dalt Vila, Eivissa (Ibiza)

  2. Fantastic! I am glad you finally figured out how to get revenge on this “c-word.” You have time and a laser-sharp focus on your side, while she clearly has much more to lose. I hope the AFIP investigation includes a body cavity search.

    On an unrelated note, I hope to see you back here during your visit! I’ll answer your email shortly.

  3. Good on you for getting after her. The Mexican in me would have done the same (and a lot more), but you did the right thing by playing it cool. If it were me, I’d have a new dog that would probably be happy to have been rescued from “Cruella.” I might have even taken that lovely painting of her with the dog and used it as a dartboard. As much as I like “membrillo”, I’m not sure I would have taken any of that! hehe!
    Jose Luis & Natalia (Viajecin) recently posted..Ms. Madeere Pehrsone Alspace Dies in Buenos Aires **

  6. @Stephanie, As you can see, Jose Luis does not like to be taken advantage of either. He read your Cruella posts aloud, adding “Law and Order” sounds. It gave us a good laugh this morning. Glad the situation is over!
    PS: I did not like going to the AFIP offices at all. Good way to get back at Cruella.

  10. The fantastic thing about what you did is that you are also safing future renters the heartbreak you lived, and that this lady will be forced to assist others through the taxes.Win!

  11. I hope that the agency will at least allow her the opportunity to totally freak out as she ponders who dropped a dime on her. Pardon my french, but it is simply karma coming back around to bitch slap her.
    Renee recently posted..Be your own hero

    • I did actually call her and tell her I was going to report her to AFIP if she didn’t give me my money. Note that I had already reported her at this point but was hoping this might scare her into giving me my money. This time she pretended that she didn’t understand me in Spanish.

      If she had given me the money back, it would have truly been the ultimate revenge.
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Graffiti Art in Buenos Aires – Off the Beaten Path

  12. Good on you for the revenge. She totally deserves the investigation and I also hope that they get her! It’s always the same with these landlords I also had this problem with a turkish landlord. He took half of the deposit because the carpet was dirty. I told him to give me the keys again and cut out a hole and replaced the dirty part. Still didn’t got my money back!!!

  14. Good go Stephanie!
    Attaching a government agency to take your revenge was a great move – if you get nothing back, at least you know that the move get the government agency to investigate has to be a nightmare- and brought on by you!
    How sweet of a nice American girl doing this to a con in Argentina!
    That’s the way to go, girl!
    Cheers,
    John D. Wilson
    John Wilson recently posted..Central America is done, finished and terminated – the Pan-American Highway ends

  15. Hello…my name is Angelina and I am a member of the expat community in Buenos Aires. As well, I run a prominent blogsite “Making the Same Difference” on all things Argentine.

    I am a personal friend to the woman who runs sparerooms BA and I REALLY want to thank you for putting your emotions and focus in the right direction in the article. Val felt (and still feels) terrible about what happened to you. She never saw this coming and it seems obvious that this woman who you stayed with knew the law and worked it to her advantage to milk as much money out of you as possible knowing that Spare Rooms couldn’t do a thing.

    This really was a first for Val and Sparerooms…they never saw it coming and I am glad that your article put a positive spin on your personal dealings with their company. They have one of the best reputations in Buenos Aires and it would break my heart if the selfishness of one woman caused them a bad rep.

    If you are planning another trip and you want some consultation, I encourage you to talk to me, come to my website, or I can point you in the right direction. I know Buenos Aires very well and I have lots of connections and would be able to show you to others that can help you the next time around.

    Once again, thank you for focusing your article in the right direction despite the anger and raw emotions you must have felt. CHEERS!
    Angelina Khoo recently posted..Chili Experts and Chilly Expats

    • Angelina, I appreciate you taking the time to reply to this post. I really do feel that Val was 100% genuine and honest with me throughout this ordeal. I am sure she felt her trust was violated as well, since I got the impression that she personally knew “Cruella.”

      I have to say that having a personal reference from a previous renter or going through a reputable agency is the best route to avoid being taken advantage of as long as that agency has rented that person’s apartment previously.

      I will be sure to take you up on the offer if I need some renting info in the future. Thanks!
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Graffiti Art in Buenos Aires – Off the Beaten Path

  19. Wow! So frustrating…there is always that nervous moment when you hand over a lot of cash for rent…in Thailand I had to fork over two months rent plus the first month—it all worked out just fine but it’s stories like this that make it stressful. To be fair there are likely a number of Western expats who have done their fare share of the screwing over, but anyway, sounds like she is going to have her hands full now with that investigation!

    • I know I got off easy in this case too. I am actually surprised she gave me most of my deposit back. She probably thought that would be enough to prevent me from trying to get the rest back.

      Unfortunately, you are probably right that there are some expats that are screwing people over too.
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Tango Is Not for Me

    • Thank you. It was actually more stressful living with the crazy old bat than dealing with getting kicked out. Luckily, I had met Ayngelina and Rease at that point, so I had friends to help me see the humor in it and move on.
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Tango Is Not for Me

  22. Congratulations Stephanie on getting your revenge on this evil landlady. I too have had my fair share of situations where I have been ripped off by people. As a Buddhist, in our tradition we have a saying “just because somebody throws a bucket of dirt in the ocean, it doesn’t make it dirty”. Don’t let your experience allow you to lose faith in the goodness of people on account of one greedy deluded person.

    • That is some good advice, and I hope I can remember it. I think I still believe in the goodness of people. I just know to be more diligent (and ask a lot more questions) before making a decision of this much importance in the future.
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Tango Is Not for Me

  23. The best part about this story (besides the fact that you completely kick ass) is the photo of Cruella, which just somehow seems to wholly embody the kind of person that she is. It’s just the perfect accent to this whole saga. May she be the last evil landlord you ever encounter! Happy (and safe) travelling!
    amanda elsewhere recently posted..Roadtrip to the Taj Mahal

  25. Good for you, I hope it costs her a million times more dealing with the tax man as opposed to just returning your money!!

  27. Ha! When I read about the lawyer threat being thrown at an AMERICAN I had to laugh. I’m sorry to say it but you’re unpleasant experiences with this, eh…lady have kept me thoroughly entertained :)

    And now the story is over :(
    robin recently posted..Nada

  30. Wow, sorry to hear about your nightmare of a living arrangement. Nothing like being held hostage to your money in a foreign country!

    On the plus side, your story made me feel even better about the two apartments we rented in Buenos Aires!
    Arlo recently posted..PVX: McDonald’s in South Africa

  32. This is a wild story. Loco, in fact. Sorry to hear that you’ve gone through this. Cruella (great name, btw) sounds awful. And I hope she gets what she deserves. Good for you for doing what you did!!!

    PS: Does she have a sister named Biotchella or PMS Queenella? I lived with an Argentine woman in Quito 15 years ago who was also a monster. A narcissistic Jeckyll and Hyde with other sorts of rules…she .threw me out, too!
    Lisa @chickybus recently posted..‘Would You Rather’ Game–for Travelers

      • Yup–very similar! She didn’t have an evil dog, but she had two bratty sons and a drinking problem….and was pretty volatile. She kicked me out because one day, when she tried to get more money of out me (by saying–“You haven’t been paying your share.” Of course, it was exactly what we’d agreed to.), I asked her if she’d been drinking. She reeked of liquor. She freaked and said, “That’s it–get out.” I had until that night and it was awful. Will never forget…. Cruella’s sister perhaps or cousin…. Landlord spawn, for sure!
        Lisa @chickybus recently posted..1-Year Blogoversary and Oh Yeah, My 7 Links!

  33. I’ve been dying to know how this ended since the first five minutes I met you!! You were pretty pumped — glad you channeled that energy into handling in this way. Next!

  34. I have to smile during this whole story & actually LOL. I thought it was so hilarious when Cruella (or her funny sister) wrote on your site LOL You have learned many life lessons. I remember when you were at OSU & a roommate took advantage of all of you. You wanted to take her to the better business bureau in another state. Don’t get on the wrong side of Stephanie : ) I always thought you should be a lawyer.

  35. SO awesome that you found a way to get back at her. That’s amazing. I hope that they take action against her. Nothing makes me angrier than when people take advantage of foreigners.
    Kyle recently posted..Lovebirds

  36. Niiiiice work! I saw this post in someone else’s comment section and I knew I had to find out the conclusion to this crazy story. The important thing is that you didn’t do anything you regret. And yeah, your Spanish must be good if you can file form in a government office. Two things to be happy about :)
    Claire recently posted..My 7 Links: I’m One of the Cool Kids Now

  37. Hahaha wow, GREAT story! You know, it seems like the worse and shittier the ordeal…the better the story lol.

    So thank you for suffering for our entertainment Stephanie :)

  40. If you’re in the mood for another charge against Cruella try the sanitary food control office of Argentina (SENASA is the equivalent of the American FDA):

    http://www.senasa.gov.ar/indexhtml.php

    Or you can also try the food sanitary control of the national ministry of public health:

    http://www.anmat.gov.ar/Alimentos/Alimentos.asp

    They have a phone number you can call and place an investigation order against her, it will help if you have any idea where she sell all her sweets and if you have photos of the dog near the sweets.

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