I pit inconsiderate people on Craigslist

The BBQ Pit
1

I’m in school in Philadelphia, and scored a summer internship in Chicago. So now I’m trying to arrange my housing for the summer. I have two major goals:[ol][li]Find someone to sublet my apartment in Philadelphia for two-and-a-half months. (Check. See below.)Find someone who will sublet their apartment in Chicago to me for two-or-so months. (Not-check. See below.)[/ol][/li]Starting with step one, I posted ads on Craigslist for my place. I included a thorough description without flowery extraneous language. There were pictures. There was a clear procedure for getting in touch with me through e-mail. It was a great ad.

I started getting e-mails immediately. Each person who e-mailed me got a prompt response (within an hour or so), individually tailored to that person. Even if the person’s e-mail was one line (“im intrestd in yr apt. mor pics plz?”), I would write a couple paragraphs discussing start and end dates, setting up a viewing, answering any questions s/he had, etc… Of the 15-or-so e-mails I got, probably half never responded to my return communication. Of those who did, I finally found someone to take my place. The minute we solidified an agreement, I took down my Craigslist ads, and sent out a brief e-mail to everyone who had contacted me, telling them that the apartment was taken.

In short, I was an exemplary Craigslist user.

Then came the time for ME to find a place. There weren’t a lot of good ads on Craigslist Chicago: most are missing crucial information like the timeframe, the number of bedrooms, whether it’s furnished, or whether there are roommates involved. But every few days, a good-looking one pops up. Whenever one catches my eye, I write a brief but pithy e-mail, introducing myself and requesting more information. I always provide both a phone number and an e-mail. I’m always polite but brief, with no typos and with proper grammar and whatnot.

And guess what? NOBODY FUCKING RESPONDS! I’ve sent out a dozen e-mails to Craigslist ads, and nobody has the decency to get back to me. No calls. No text messages. No e-mails. Not even “sorry, it’s taken.” And their ads don’t get taken down, so they still pop up on searches. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Listen people, if you’re going to put up an ad, take the time to respond when people get in touch with you. Jerks.

2

(M.E.) Which section are you looking in? There are separate sections for shared arrangements (i.e. people looking for a roommate) and rentals. Most of the latter on the L.A. craigslist are posted by property management companies and they almost always include a phone number in the ad. (even a lot in the roommates section have phone numbers)

If there is a number posted they are probably expecting you to call.

3

Oh jeez - that reminds me.

Whenever they post a phone number in their ads, I always call that instead of e-mailing. I always get voicemail. I always leave a cheerful, articulate, concise, informative message. AND THEY NEVER FUCKING RETURN THE CALL!

“Sublets/Temporary” It’s only for two months, you see. And ideally, I don’t want any roommates. But some ads say “3BR” but are priced like one-bedrooms. Does that mean it’s a great deal, or does it mean there are roommates? Nobody fucking knows the important stuff to put in ads. They’ll tell you about the great coffee shop around the corner, but won’t say what they’re charging.

4

It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Sometimes I think the people posting are terrified that, somehow, at some point in the future, Craigslist will track them down and force them to pay for their post, per word.

5

Suggestion: find a shitty motel with a weekly rate, or one of those extended stay places.

6

First, to the OP:

I’m not sure what you’re studying in Philly, or what your internship in Chicago is all about, but is it possible for you to find a sublet that way, by getting in touch with people in the same field?

A few years ago, i needed to spend a couple of weeks in Chicago to do some research. I was in grad school in Baltimore, and my field was history. Knowing how often grad students need to get out of town over the summer, i sent an email to the History department at the University of Chicago, asking them to forward it to their Grad Student email list. In the email, i asked if any of the U. Chicago history grads were going to be out of town, and would sublet their apartment to me.

I got three offers, and ended up with a nice one-bedroom apartment in Hyde Park that cost me $250 for two weeks.

I did the same thing a year later when i needed to go to Sacramento, except that time i got free accommodation in exchange for looking after the homeowners’ cats.

You might see if you can try something similar.

On a more general note:

I’ve come to the conclusion that a very high proportion of Craigslist users are mouthbreathing idiots.

I was looking to buy a bicycle, just a relatively cheap one to get around the neighborhood, so i looked on Craigslist. There are thousands of ads for bikes in San Diego, but maybe one ad in every hundred gives information about the bike’s size.

Look, i know that a concept like “standover height” might be a bit too hard for you morons to grasp, but at least tell me the official frame size, or tell me how tall you are, so i have some idea if the bike is suitable for my 6 foot, 200 pound frame, or if it would be better suited to my 5’3" wife.

And don’t get me started on electronics, especially cameras. Look, asshole, just because you paid $1,500 for that camera kit 18 months ago does not mean that it is now worth $1,100. I can buy the exact same kit from a reputable dealer, brand new and with a full manufacturer’s warranty, for $850 including shipping.

7

A picture is worth a thousand words. I’m selling some bike parts on craigslist so I posted a link to a Flickr page. It really cut down on the questions.

Search for Moots in Chicago if you want to see.

8

Could have been worse. You could have been advertizing erotic massages on Craigslist-Boston.

9

Aye, that’s what I came to say.

10

No advice really - but I feel your pain.

I really don’t get why people wouldn’t take the extra 30 secs to make a clear description of whatever it is that they are selling. And fer fuck’s sake, use a spell checker if you suck so badly at spelling that I can’t decipher what it is you’re trying to say.

Oh, and for all the potental ad posters out there - if you put
L@@K!
in any part of your title, or do the
//////////////TITLE OF YOUR CRAP////////////
nonsense, I will not open it. That just pisses me off for some reason.

Oh, here’s another one.

“Asking $500, but will consider any offers over $400”

Gee, I think I’ll offer you $475! If you want $400, ask for $400.
GET A BRAIN, MORANS!

11

See, whenever I have to put up the spare room in my house for rent on CL, I make a long listing, full of pictures. Sure, maybe I blabber on and maybe that turns people off, but you know what? I would never ever rent a place where the ad just says, “1br 1bth $811 mo” with no descriptions, no pictures. I think particularly when you’re renting a room in someone’s house, you want to know who you’ll be in close quarters with. I figure a little expository writing about the house gives some insight into my personality and my existing roommate’s. And, you know what? It worked. We found a fab roomie who said she was thrilled to finally find a posting on CL that didn’t look like it was put up by a serial killer. :stuck_out_tongue:

My CL complaint is similar to yours: why the fuck would you put up an ad then not respond to anyone?

Seriously: I get if the item is sold or whatever, but if I send a short-but-polite email asking a question or two, it behooves you to respond to me. Seriously, I have cash and a truck. I’d like to buy your table. Worse yet, I know most of these items don’t sell, because I’ll see them up week after week after week.

I can’t tell you how many dining table sets I’ve emailed about- seriously, well over 40. I’ve gotten. . . let me check my email. Oh, I’ve gotten 5 responses. Five.

12

Uh, that was a joke, right?

13

Yes. Sign held by guy protesting anti-war protest.

14

I hope that was intentional…morons…heh.

15

I think that a lot of spam filters weed out craigslist messages, and a lot of idiots are too, well, idiotic to check their trash.

16

mhendo, great advice. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to use it: my area of study isn’t really intimate enough to allow me to solicit help from Chicago schools’ programs. But definitely a brilliant solution for a lot of people.

And mischievous, you might be right about spam filters. I hadn’t thought of that. And you’re also right that it’s an explanation but not an excuse. They’re still inconsiderate jerks.

17

Okay, I’m wincing a bit.

I put up an ad advertising a place and haven’t been responding to people. I think I have a renter, but it’s not a done deal. So, I’m not entirely sure what to do. If the deal falls through, I’ll start looking again, if it doesn’t…well, I’ll have to pull the ad. I’m hoping this will be solved soon, so I’m just waiting. I guess I could e-mail people saying that I think it’s taken. I’d just rather give one definitive answer and be done with it though.

Although, one of the sites I’ve posted on is a university-based website, and damned if I know how to get the ad down. I might just let that fizzle out.

18

See, i just don’t understand what’s so hard about composing a short paragraph explaining the situation, and then sending it to whomever replies to your ad. Put the paragraph in a text file, and just cut and paste it into each email. That way you only have to type it once. What does it cost you? A few minutes? And it saves those people a whole lot of waiting and frustration.

19

Ugh, Craigslist. It’s nice, but if it’s not the flakes, it’s the people who try to undercut you by ‘forgetting’ a few bucks. I was trying to sell some old car speakers along with some other odds and ends. They were functional, but not fancy. I was asking $20 for the pair. After studying them like they were the Hope Diamond the guy ‘only had $8 on him’ and wanted to know if I’d accept that. I said sure… for one speaker. He left empty handed. WE’D ALREADY AGREED ON 20 #^(#&^@!!! AHHH that was cathartic.

20

Yes! For heaven’s sake, send everyone an e-mail. Just be honest: “I’ve got someone who’s interested, but if he falls through, you’re Xth in line. I’ll be in touch.” No need for a fancy song-and-dance. Keeping everyone in the loop takes you ten seconds and saves them hours of grief. Also sets a precedent for good communication down the road when this person is living in your apartment.