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if you have kids do not move to "the makena"

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richard III
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if you have kids do not move to "the makena"

Post by richard III » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:32 am

Hi all:
I wish there is a debate on this, just to make some noise. I have just come from a bbq in the makena condo with the following result. We joined some friends with our 7 year olds, for a bbq. The kids brought their soccer ball to play in the grass, to our surprise, the guards came and just took the ball from the kids without even talking to us (the adults). When I went to ask for the ball I was told that it was forbidden for the kids to play in the common areas. No kidding, that was their answer. So when I enquired where is it stated, there was no answer, that they needed to talk to the tenant if I wanted the ball back. So I had to bother our friend to retreive the ball. To make the story short, he was told that they needed his unit number in order to impose a $50 fine,, so my response was to stick the ball where it fitted best, since I can buy two balls for that kind of money.
My point is that adults can take this kind of abuse, but kids!!come on, what kind of place is this. Would you want your kids to grow in a place like this? I can even buy the obsession they have with regulations here, but this is beyond belief. Just hope to make a point to all prospective tenants in the makena.....beware if you have kids. And a lesson to be learned, read the condo's regs before you rent. I can take the abuse of someone trying to screw me out of my deposit money...but my kids do not this this kind of insult.

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Post by Mad Scientist » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 4:04 am

OK Richard III

When and how do you want me to burn this condo ? :D

Seriously , the body corp that runs the condo is to be blame. Overzealous and outright stupidity by putting up those guidelines.

Don't blame the guard as he is carrying out his duty although a bit extreme I would say !!!

Well this is Singapore . Live and let live.
The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.Yahoo !!!

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Re: if you have kids do not move to "the makena"

Post by Nath21 » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 8:52 am

richard III wrote:Hi all:
I wish there is a debate on this, just to make some noise. I have just come from a bbq in the makena condo with the following result. We joined some friends with our 7 year olds, for a bbq. The kids brought their soccer ball to play in the grass, to our surprise, the guards came and just took the ball from the kids without even talking to us (the adults). When I went to ask for the ball I was told that it was forbidden for the kids to play in the common areas. No kidding, that was their answer. So when I enquired where is it stated, there was no answer, that they needed to talk to the tenant if I wanted the ball back. So I had to bother our friend to retreive the ball. To make the story short, he was told that they needed his unit number in order to impose a $50 fine,, so my response was to stick the ball where it fitted best, since I can buy two balls for that kind of money.
My point is that adults can take this kind of abuse, but kids!!come on, what kind of place is this. Would you want your kids to grow in a place like this? I can even buy the obsession they have with regulations here, but this is beyond belief. Just hope to make a point to all prospective tenants in the makena.....beware if you have kids. And a lesson to be learned, read the condo's regs before you rent. I can take the abuse of someone trying to screw me out of my deposit money...but my kids do not this this kind of insult.
I would have tried at least to ask the guard for his name and tell them you are going to file a police report for stolen ball. They have the right to ask you to stop but not to confiscate property. I would normally think this was a waste of police time but in a low crime country this is a big case. :wink:

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Post by teck21 » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:08 am

One hopes you are not expecting a better quality of security guards at condos apart from The Makena.

Not including the really nice ones like St Regis which I assume hire people with common sense.

Then again, this is a country where alot of people are unconsciously extremely miserable and do their best to make it so for others as well.

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Post by carteki » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 1:31 pm

I agree with MS here it is NOT THE GUARDS[\B] at fault here, but rather the Management Council. The guards just enforce the rules and they are not paid much to do so - you couldn't pay me enough for their job.

This is something that you need to take up with the management office. Ask them for a copy of the rule where it says that kids are not allowed to play with balls. If it exists - then the only way that can change is a 75% vote of the owners (or AGM) so probably think of moving. If it doesn't - then ask for it to be returned / replaced.

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Post by x9200 » Wed, 13 Oct 2010 8:19 pm

Definitely not the guard but if the management shows already this level of idiocy then likely the easiest way is inform the landlord of the intention to not extend the contract (if applicable) and state the reasons.
We had some serious problems with the condo management in our place making very difficult to receive any contractors or delivery and after some time the managing team was replaced. There must have been hundreds of complains. The regulations are still the same but people are different so the problem practically disappeared. Apparently there is a common misconception making some jerks thinking they manage people instead of serving them.

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Post by aargon » Thu, 14 Oct 2010 8:29 am

I think it also depends on the experience of the guards. Some of the more experienced guards at our condo are pretty flexible, but we recently had a new guard join the ranks. As nice as she is, she follows everything to the letter of the law which can be a little irritating eg I wanted to cancel my BBQ pit booking and re-book to a different time slot - new guard made a big fuss saying it wasnt allowed, so i asked her to call her manager who was one of the more experienced guards - problem solved :)

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Post by QRM » Thu, 14 Oct 2010 9:23 am

Our old and current condo has the no ball rule. The guards turned a blind eye to a three year old with a beach ball, but then a bunch of older kids took the piss and kicked a dirty ball, all along the white wall of the main lobby and they punched a ball size hole in the ceiling, Cameras were installed to see who was doing it, and the big patch of grass that was used as an impromptu football field next to the pool was filled with trees. Now it is strictly enforced.
Which if you ask me is great, how many time have I been by the pool with a wobbly toddler and a ball/frisbee/water powered rocket, comes flying past knocking stuff off the poolside table. I did pick the ball up once and chucked it in the middle of the pool.

The rules have to be there if only to keep parents in check, I was at Dempsy hill the other day it was crowded and full of cars. A group of parents just chatted away while their kids were kicking a football in the road way, and not batting an eye lid when the ball was bouncing off the parked cars.

I was just hoping the ball would hit my car so I can give them an ear full and a bill to buff out the scratches. Probably the same parents of the kids that messed up the lobby.

edited to correct my singlish
Last edited by QRM on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 4:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post by x9200 » Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:11 am

I assumed we were talking about a situation where the rules are just to have some rules regardless how reasonable they might be in a particular situation.
If there is a serious risk that kids may damage something then of course some rules should be enforced but the problems too often are not the kids but the parents who supposed to look after them.

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Post by BigSis » Sat, 16 Oct 2010 10:18 am

Condo management are notoriously narrow minded. There is probably some kind of 'no football' rule at the Makena but it was no doubt brought in to being by a bunch of rowdy teenagers kicking a ball around rather than a bunch of 7 year olds but the guards are too jobsworthy to be able to spot the difference.

At our place the residents used to moan constantly about the teenagers playing football on the grass and the teenagers used to moan about the fact that there was a putting green there that nobody used and yet they wouldn't turn it into a football area for them.

Eventually they turned the badminton courts into a 'multipurpose' area which is now mainly used for football and yet the putting green is still there, doing nothing - I've lived here for 8 years and seen one guy using it only once in that time. The football area is only able to be used by one group at a time though and so it's usually the teenagers who hog it and the smaller kids still play football around the common areas.

I suppose the management, in their wisdom, think that the putting green looks nicer now than if they put up high fences and made it a football area despite the fact that nobody's interested in using it as it is and loads of people would use it as a second football area :roll:

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Post by x9200 » Sat, 16 Oct 2010 10:33 am

Putting green simply SOUNDS good. We have one. Never seen anybody using it neither.

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Post by poodlek » Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:05 am

BigSis wrote:Condo management are notoriously narrow minded. There is probably some kind of 'no football' rule at the Makena but it was no doubt brought in to being by a bunch of rowdy teenagers kicking a ball around rather than a bunch of 7 year olds but the guards are too jobsworthy to be able to spot the difference.

At our place the residents used to moan constantly about the teenagers playing football on the grass and the teenagers used to moan about the fact that there was a putting green there that nobody used and yet they wouldn't turn it into a football area for them.

Eventually they turned the badminton courts into a 'multipurpose' area which is now mainly used for football and yet the putting green is still there, doing nothing - I've lived here for 8 years and seen one guy using it only once in that time. The football area is only able to be used by one group at a time though and so it's usually the teenagers who hog it and the smaller kids still play football around the common areas.

I suppose the management, in their wisdom, think that the putting green looks nicer now than if they put up high fences and made it a football area despite the fact that nobody's interested in using it as it is and loads of people would use it as a second football area :roll:
We have a large (maybe 50'x25') patch of grass that looks like a putting green but is surrounded by signs that say "No stepping, No playing, No balls, No pets" It's clearly just for looking at. I just figured they had a pre-conceived notion about North Americans all wanting a pristine lawn to be proud of.

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Post by Dolph » Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:48 pm

Yes, but at least the guards here (at The Caribbean) have the sence to let the kids play there anyway. I see ball games being played there on a daily basis.

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