u/CorrectGarbage365

I usually work nights and do quick touchups with my electric mower so as not to disturb the neighbors. I hit a nearly totally invisible black sign. There is no public right of way where it was placed. I have checked with the City of Athens and they also do not permit placing signs in the right of way. It is possible that the black sign blew or came dislodged from the stake, but I remember first hearing the sound of my mower chewing up plastic and then a BANG when it hit the extra reinforced stake. I could have been injured. My mower was also totally non responsive, after making a high pitched whining sound then shutting down. The metal stake was tangled in the blade and had also blown through the composite sidewall. I can't get the mower to turn on anymore. It has either blown multiple internal fuses, shorted the motor, burned out the mower, or any combination. It is also out of warranty.

I called the number on the sign, at 12:14 am, a few minutes after I figured out what happened. I expected, like any reasonable person, to get a voicemail option after hours. Instead, a woman answered the phone and set the tone, yelling at me "IT'S MIDNIGHT WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT" or words to that effect. I admit that at this point, I responded with a rude summary of what had just happened. I also maintain that it was totally understandable considering that a $935 (paid at the time for a full kit, the Ego Select Cut self propelled mower is now on sale for $650) piece of property had been destroyed by hitting something that never should have been there.

It's also not my fault their phone system is configured to route calls after hours.

She told me they didn't owe me anything and hung up. I dialed the office number again and yelled a few choice words, then ended the call myself. I then used my facebook account to tell my story on both local facebook groups and in the form of reviews against Century 21 real estate pages in Athens, since I didn't know which one exactly was responsible, I used the criteria of "Century 21" and "Athens," figuring that this would motivate non-responsible parties to encourage the responsible to get things sorted out. I also used the Century 21 complaint form to detail what happened, and used a number that I don't give out inside Athens. This comes in later.

The facebook posts in groups got a lot of attention and replies, including a lot of realtors from other agencies who defended placing signs without permission.

Chad contacted me over text to that number and facebook messenger and asked me what he could do to get me to take the reviews down. I said I wanted a written apology from the lady who answered the phone. I didn't even ask for a repaired or replacement mower. He has refused to do even that. He kept messaging me on Sunday until I asked him to chill out and for both of us to enjoy our afternoons and to get together on Monday. Then I started getting blocked number phonecalls on the number I provided in the online complaint form. The few times I answered them on speaker, I had witnesses.

It was a male, sounded fat, who called me a "pussy" and a "coward." On the earlier call that I answered, I just heard breathing and what sounded to me, in my opinion, like a handgun slide being racked. I am getting records on who called with that blocked number. I called Chad back and demanded this stop. It did not stop. He equivocates me calling a business number and being yelled at for calling it, to my request that he leave me alone on Sunday. He also said a message with less than 300 words, was "long." It was at this point that I realized I was not dealing with a sharp person, that further discussion was a waste of my time, and I was puzzled as to how he came to be in charge of a real estate franchise, until someone filled me in that he inherited it. The sign placement is on a very heavily trafficked corner, if not the most, on the south side of town. It is obviously very desirable for bandit sign placers and I have continually had issues with people, including Century 21, placing signs without permission. Up until now the signs were easy to see day or night.

I am in the process of getting the blocked calls unmasked.