Does this ever happen to you

[Quynh-Chi Nguyen]

I mailed a check in for the HOA for that particular month (usually I do the auto payment via the bank). I called the office and they said they didn't get it and if it passed a certain date then I will get a late fee. They said it must have been lost in the mail. So I hand deliver a check with a note telling them not to cash this check #### and use this one only because I am going to stop the payment (they suggested it). Fast forward to last week. I got an invoice state that the check bounced and I have to pay for the fee. I went to the bank and they said the checked was process then stop so they charge me. I went to the PM and she said that she collects a lot of check so she wouldn't know which one to stop. I told her what about the note I sent in the envelope, she said it doesn't matter .... phone call or note, she won't be able to follow through ... I wish I can slap her. Is that the PM operate?

[Linda Weygant]

Unfortunately, it sounds like you've got some pretty unrealistic expectations of the property manager.

HOA property managers deal with thousands of incoming payments each month. The vast majority are automatic and run through their systems without a hitch. That said, there are still an unbelievable number of checks that come in that have to be hand processed and posted.

Asking for a special treatment of holding this in case of that and then figuring out which check to deposit.... yeah.  I'm sorry, but that is highly unlikely to go through without a problem.  The PMs mistake was in saying they could accommodate your request when they probably knew they couldn't.  

As for asking for a refund on a pre-payment when you still own in the complex - also not going to happen.  Just let the prepayment ride on the books in order to use it up.  The only time you'll get refunded on a prepayment is when you sell.

In the HOAs where I am on the board, our property management company is responsible for something like 20-25 communities which represents something on the order of 5000 homeowner accounts.  

If you were tasked with the same request, how would you handle it?  

Remember - for an HOA property manager, YOU are NOT the customer. You are the commodity. The HOA board is the customer. While customer service issues can affect whether or not the board keeps the property manager, the PMs job is to work with the board to maintain the community, oversee repairs and maintenance and collect dues.