A man from Charlotte, North Carolina tells a local television station that bed bugs have infested his upscale apartment. Worse, when he reported the condition, the building’s management told him that he’d have to pay to have the problem addressed. As in over a thousand dollars’ worth of addressing.
Tommy Brown told WBTV that when he was looking for a place to live three years ago, he specifically chose to live in the Quarterside Apartments, a high-end complex, because he wanted to avoid just this type of situation. When the bed bugs started appearing, however, Brown began to regret his choice.
“It was worse than my worst nightmare,” he says, going on to describe how he discovered the presence of the bugs while watching a sporting event on television. Turns out a pair of the nasty critters decided to angle for front row seating. On Brown’s arms.
Naturally, Brown got in touch with building management. They dispatched an exterminator who determined that the two insects in question were indeed bed bugs. And that they represented the very tip of an iceberg of an infestation that involved thousands of other bed bugs.
According to Brown, Quarterside told him that he would have to pay $1,200 to get rid of the bugs or risk the possibility of eviction.
Brown countered by declaring that the bugs had actually come from his neighbor’s apartment – who had recently moved out of the complex. Brown told WBTV that he could vouch for the bugs as belonging to his neighbor because he had seen them with his own eyes.
Quarterside maintained that Brown’s apartment was the only one infested. However, the television station says that management gave Brown a bed bug agreement to sign after the problem had been reported. And that Brown’s apartment number, as well as the number of the unit next door, were both listed at the top of the agreement.
The station called Quarterside, but was unable to get an answer from anyone there. A group that owns Quarterside then called the station and reportedly said that Brown’s apartment was the infested one, and that the neighboring apartment had been treated because it was close to Brown’s. The company provided documents that said that Brown’s apartment was the only one where bed bugs were found.
In situations like these, it only makes sense to protect yourself before problems arise. Give us a call and find out how we can help provide you with peace of mind where you live. Or are considering living.