Author Topic: Why is the world overflowing with --bags of cream-filled twinkies--? (Read 1956 times)

shmokes · « **on:** June 12, 2009, 02:43:45 pm »

I'm looking for a furnished place to rent for 3 months and it seems there are more scams on Craig's List than legit ads. It's so difficult to tell on some of them that I have to pass them over just in case. People suck.

shardian · « **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2009, 02:49:06 pm »

Quote from: shmokes on June 12, 2009, 02:43:45 pm

I'm looking for a furnished place to rent for 3 months and it seems there are more scams on Craig's List than legit ads. It's so difficult to tell on some of them that I have to pass them over just in case. People suck.

Craigslist is approaching useless status faster than myspace.

ChadTower · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2009, 03:07:16 pm »

Where are you looking to rent? In France? You'll need to hire someone local to do it for you. Trying to arrange a rental internationally via craigslist may as well mark you instantly.

ChadTower · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2009, 03:22:41 pm »

Quote from: pinballjim on June 12, 2009, 03:19:59 pm

My in-laws rent out their place short term via Craig's List.

I'm not saying there aren't honest people doing it... but good effin luck finding them among the scammers.

And is their place on another continent?

shmokes · « **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2009, 04:21:29 pm »

Chad is more or less right. The problem is, through the agencies not only do I have to pay a hefty agency fee (think ~$1000), but the places rent for $200-$1000 per month higher than on Craig's List. I had one that seemed pretty legit, but I just traced the origin IP in the header of his email and it's coming from Brussels. It's not entirely impossible that a guy in Brussels would be renting out a place he had in Paris, but it definitely casts a shadow on it. I've found one via Craig's List that definitely is not a scam cos the girl replied to my inquiry with, "I would be happy to rent the room to you. Give me a call when you are in Paris and you can come see it." But that does me no good, cos I start work the day after I arrive. I really need to have my ducks lined up before I get there.

It's so frustrating. People seriously suck. They ruin the world.

p.s. I actually have an acquaintance living there whom I would trust to set everything up for me, but she was just a roommate for the two weeks I was there a couple years ago. So if I find something through Craig's List that seems totally legit I'll get in contact with this girl to make all the financial arrangements face-to-face. But we're not good enough friends for me to ask her to truck around the city on a wild goose chase of apartments that do not exist.

ChadTower · « **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2009, 04:29:11 pm »

Quote from: shmokes on June 12, 2009, 04:21:29 pm

But we're not good enough friends for me to ask her to truck around the city on a wild goose chase of apartments that do not exist.

Maybe she'd do it for a much smaller fee than the agency would require?

shmokes · « **Reply #6 on:** June 13, 2009, 06:12:22 pm »

Yeah, maybe. For someone planning to be a lawyer I have an absurd aversion to proposing bargains to people. I automatically worry about them feeling that I am trying to take advantage of them or somehow give them a bad deal.

ChadTower · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2009, 08:37:38 pm »

Quote from: shmokes on June 13, 2009, 06:12:22 pm

I automatically worry about them feeling that I am trying to take advantage of them or somehow give them a bad deal.

Erm, you're going to be a ---smurfing--- lawyer. That's what they do.

shmokes · « **Reply #8 on:** June 14, 2009, 10:29:59 am »

Please refer to the sentence directly before the one you quoted.

patrickl · « **Reply #9 on:** June 14, 2009, 12:57:16 pm »

In Paris they have to be hurting from the crisis too. I would assume they'd have trouble renting out furnished appartments.

If you manage to trace back the owner you should be able to do a deal. Often the owner will have the place for rent through their own website as well as through one or more agencies.

BTW for the mail coming from Brussels, it's could be his "holiday" place, so he might really not live there. Especially if you find the owner. I "know" lots of Dutch people with houses in France, Spain, Italy, Switserland and Bulgaria etc, but they tend to be in coastal regions in the south of Europe or in ski resorts. Nothing near Paris. You get the key from a manager in the country of destination, but they usually reply their e-mail from the Netherlands.

RayB · « **Reply #10 on:** June 14, 2009, 04:47:04 pm »

Your employer should be putting you up in a hotel for a few weeks, then you can look for a place when you're there.

shmokes · « **Reply #11 on:** June 14, 2009, 06:24:48 pm »

Would be nice. It is not the case, however.

ChadTower · « **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2009, 09:11:59 pm »

Quote from: shmokes on June 14, 2009, 10:29:59 am

Please refer to the sentence directly before the one you quoted.

Needed more emphasis. People are going to assume you intend to rip them off because you will. That will be your job.

shmokes · « **Reply #13 on:** June 14, 2009, 09:21:15 pm »

shmokes · « **Reply #14 on:** June 14, 2009, 11:45:26 pm »

What??? French women won't give me the time of day. Italian women, on the other hand, swoon at the sight of me.

Who can explain these things?

BTW, I hope you never try to headbutt me. Your fat ass would probably fall over and crush me.

patrickl · « **Reply #15 on:** June 15, 2009, 06:59:12 am »

Quote from: shmokes on June 14, 2009, 11:45:26 pm

What??? French women won't give me the time of day. Italian women, on the other hand, swoon at the sight of me. Who can explain these things?

French women only act "hard to get".

Malenko · « **Reply #16 on:** June 15, 2009, 07:34:10 am »

back to the subject line:

because its easier to be a ---meecrob---.

ChadTower · « **Reply #17 on:** June 15, 2009, 07:59:12 am »

French women could use a ---meecrob--- most of the time.

shardian · « **Reply #18 on:** June 15, 2009, 08:54:44 am »

Quote from: RayB on June 14, 2009, 04:47:04 pm

Your employer should be putting you up in a hotel for a few weeks, then you can look for a place when you're there.

I learned this lesson from a place I was doing temp work with while finishing my last college class. I was telling my boss about an interview I had that was 6 hours away. She asked if they were putting me up and paying my travel expenses. I said no of course - why would they do that? She explained that it is a common business courtesy. You don't want to work for places that don't extend that kind of courtesy. She was right.

That being said, if this is a temp internship then all bets may be off. If they are taking you in with even the remotest possibility of you committing to them full time after graduation, then standard travel/accomodation courtesies should apply.

Also of note - the place I worked mentioned here also held local apartments that were supplied to workers who were brought in from out of town/country. Even the summer college interns were offered these apartments. I lived in one for 3 months after I got married.

ChadTower · « **Reply #19 on:** June 15, 2009, 09:25:13 am »

OTOH, I've worked for several major corporations that would laugh in your face and hire someone else if you even asked for that.

RayB · « **Reply #20 on:** June 17, 2009, 02:35:57 pm »

Then you should laugh right back.


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