Unless I am expecting someone or a delivery, I don't answer the outdoor buzzer. Over the past few days, I had noticed that my buzzer was ringing at off times, like Saturday night at 11:30. So today I happened to be walking past the intercom when the buzzer rang and so I said "who is it?" and the person said it was "Gene from downstairs" (there's an apartment in the basement) and how he was given a front door key that didn't work and could I buzz him in.
So I did. Note to non-New Yorkers/non-apartment: this is very against what you're supposed to do. You are never supposed to buzz someone in who you don't know.
About two hours later, my doorbell rang... not the buzzer, but my acutal front door to my apartment. I didnt open it, but it was "Gene from downstairs" asking me to loan him my front door key so he could have a key made and how he would return it to me quickly. I didn't feel comfortable doing that, and told him so, and he got the very slightest bit angry and said, "Come on, Pat, I've known you for years" --news to me. So I told him to go to the management company which is less than 10 blocks away or see the super (who lives in the neighborhood).
He finally went away and I started thinking about it -- if someone gave me a key and it didn't work, I'd go back to the person who gave me that key.
I ended up calling the maagement company who took this situation very seriosly. They have no tenant named Gene and said there are cameras in the hall (which I had noticed a few weeks ago for the first time) and that if he came to my door again I should tell him to go away and if he didn't to call the police. Then I should call them so they can look at the film.
I told them I didn't know if it was someone's abusive boyfriend or a tenant that had been evicted or whatever.... despite all this, I do believe this guy lives here and is just too lazy to go through the proper channels to get a key. I can't say I'm afraid, but I just find the whole thing annoying.
And as I've been writing this, my buzzer rang again and I ignored it. Maybe I can train him to buzz someone else, not me.
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2 comments:
This is definitely scary. If there are cameras, why don't they look at the film for today? Particularly disturbing is the "Come on, Pat..." comment from someone you don't know.
Very disturbing. You did the right thing in calling management. All I can say is DON'T. Don't engage in further conversation, don't let him in the building, don't don't don't. Stay safe.
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