Broadcrest Foothill Apartments or Broadstone Foothill Apartments, it's still a FAIL

Those who know me know that I use the tubes term "FAIL" very infrequently, but it's deserved in this case.

I work for a Fortune 500 company, and like any large company, we have a lot of processes. However, managers at my company realize that there are occasions in which a process has to be waived for the good of the company.

There is an apartment complex on Central Avenue in Upland, California which has been reported in the press as Broadcrest Foothill Apartments, but may possibly be Broadstone Foothill Apartments. Anyway, whatever the complex name, it is not a Fortune 500 company, but small companies have processes too. And understandably so, since you need to have a standard way of doing business.

Apartments usually have a requirement that a tenant give notice before vacating the premises, and that the tenant is responsible for paying the last month's rent. (Plus they'll try to tack on a "cleaning fee," bla bla bla, but that's another story.)

Anyway, Alice Ortiz lived in an apartment with her three children. Ortiz vacated the apartment toward the end of last year, and, following process, the apartment complex (Broadcrest, Broadstone, Broad-something) wants her to pay up.

There's only one slight problem.

You see, Alice Ortiz vacated the premises because she and her son were murdered on Christmas Eve.

The daughters have gone to live with their father, Carlos Ortiz, who lives in Ontario. And now Broadcrest/Broadstone Foothill Apartments is demanding that someone pay them $2,821.23.

Wait...it gets better. From the Daily News:

[Attorney Scott] Nord said apartment managers began seeking rent from the family in early January.

"I got a call from the landlord after everything happened, saying Alice didn't pay her rent," Nord said. "I asked, 'Have you seen the news? Her kids just lost their mom.'"

The apartment-management company followed up the conversation with a three-day notice to pay rent or leave, Nord said.

"So we had to get them out by Jan. 13, despite the fact that everything else was going on, dealing with the coroner, all these horrible things."

There's only one problem with enforcing process at inopportune times - someone is bound to complain about it.

I'm not sure whether it was attorney Scott Nord or father Carlos Ortiz who made the first complaint, but now Broadcrest Foothill Apartments' name is all over the place. (And if the name is wrong, you can be that Broadstone Foothill Apartments' name will be splattered also.) I originally heard this story on the Los Angeles ABC affiliate's morning newscast.

Oh, and it's in the International Herald Tribune also.

Even if it isn't Broadstone Foothill Apartments, at least one person thinks it is:

This morning on the news they said this community is trying to collect rent from residents who where part of the Christmas Massacre. Never rent from this community or the management which is Alliance. SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!

Oops...

[1:20 PM - SITUATION RESOLVED?]