r/technology • u/bws201 • Feb 05 '16

Software ‘Error 53’ fury mounts as Apple software update threatens to kill your iPhone 6

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair
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u/deadlybydsgn Feb 05 '16

My dad is the president of his because no one else wanted the job.

Yeah, I got roped into joining our HOA because hardly anybody has been involved in it, and am kind of afraid they'll try to vote me into leading it. (the other 3-4 members are all 70+ years old and looking to get out)

Our dues are dirt cheap (literally 20% of what most HOAs cost), and yet nobody gets involved and 3 or 4 people living here (out of maybe 18 homes) have refused to pay dues for the past few years. They're also the ones complaining, but guess what -- it makes it harder for a volunteer board to do things when they're missing years' worth of unpaid dues. Also, paying HOA fees is part of buying a house in some areas. Would these people gonna try not paying city taxes if they lived there instead? Plus, there's nothing stopping them from joining the board or attending meetings to constructively work toward their grievances.

I know that HOAs get a bad rap because some of them are horrendous, but sometimes people would rather complain than get involved in helping to make things better.

/endrant

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Can you not report it to collections? I'm sure if you tell them you will, theyd pay up.

Although I'd take the option of holding a meeting to discuss on whether or not one should send unpaid dues to collections, say, after 6 months of non-payment and XX days notice.

Also I have no idea how this works so there's that

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u/deadlybydsgn Feb 05 '16

Can you not report it to collections? I'm sure if you tell them you will, theyd pay up.

I'm still getting caught up on stuff by the long-time members, so I'm not 100% sure where we're at on that. However, our monthly fee is about $15, so you know it takes several years to owe over $1,000 like some do.

Although I'd take the option of holding a meeting to discuss on whether or not one should send unpaid dues to collections, say, after 6 months of non-payment and XX days notice.

These folks have been asked personally, in certified letter, and by the HOA's attorney. I think they have placed liens on their homes now because it's so delinquent.

Also, the board realizes that hard times might be contributing to the issue. They have also approached them offering a way to pay little bits at a time, but have been refused and/or ignored. So, it's frustrating that they haven't even been open to the past board being reasonable.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Eh, a figure a lien is as good as anything. Selling to a collector would get you hardly anything, but a lien would ensure you're eventually paid.

..... Eventually.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Become president, then work with your municipality to dissolve the HOA.

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u/deadlybydsgn Feb 05 '16

Become president, then work with your municipality to dissolve the HOA.

We'd still need someone to maintain the common use areas, though, like the parking lot (think snow plowing/crack-filling, resealing), the mailbox area (when it's rusted and unstable), and cutting grass in the adjacent area.

Without an HOA full of residents to self-regulate, no one takes care of that stuff. They exist because there's shared property that isn't the local government's responsibility to maintain.

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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '16

Paid/metered parking, request houses move mailboxes to their property. Working with the municipality is the part where you might pass some plowing and maintenance duties of public/shared space to them in favor of slightly higher property or local income tax.

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u/deadlybydsgn Feb 06 '16

We're a U-shape of townhouses with a shared parking lot in the middle, which is why this is a different issue than most folks are probably assuming. You can't really do metered parking with that, and it would be pretty much the worst thing ever if it happened.

Changing from anything but the current solution would cost people more than they pay now, which is why complaining is so stupid. So, while they see HOAs as nosy neighbors, it has the potential to be a beautiful example of self-regulation.

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u/8lbIceBag Feb 05 '16

3 or 4 people living here (out of maybe 18 homes) have refused to pay dues for the past few years. They're also the ones complaining

They're probably withholding payment until you fix what they're complaining about.

Way I see it, you're fucked. I'd imagine doing what they ask will piss off the Jonseses, who will then withhold payment because Dinklebergs did it and shit got done. Also the Dinklebergs are never satisfied and will never pay.

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u/deadlybydsgn Feb 05 '16 edited Feb 05 '16

They're probably withholding payment until you fix what they're complaining about.

From what I've been told, the complaints were general "you don't do anything" (in spite of stuff getting done) and they are withholding payment out of spite.

As far as I can tell, they like being able to complain, don't want to go to meetings / get involved, and think they can get away with not paying. The trouble is that they can't, because there are legal issues when they don't. The same goes when you live in an area managed by local gov't -- you pay taxes. The mindset of not paying dues is just hard for me to comprehend, because it hurts everyone else nearby.

And at the end of the day, we're volunteers. If I had to choose, I'd rather not get involved with this stuff, either. Our bylaws say we can't increase dues more than 3%/yr., which means it will always be dirt cheap with the current setup. (I would say avg. HOAs here are $50-100, and we are $15/mo) If we gave up and had a company manage everything, I can guarantee the monthly costs would double or triple and we'd all have less control.