Help for disabled friend...

[tutusue]

I just received a phone call from a good friend asking for help. She needs to know what government agency to call to report a serious problem with the condo building where she rents in Waikiki.

Both she and her husband have medical challenges and are not able to walk up and down stairs. They live on the 17th floor and now both elevators are out. He's stuck on the 17th floor as are her medications. She's stuck on the first floor. The elevator company walked off the job. Evidently a special part is needed that will take 6 weeks to get. This is not related to the public housing elevator problems reported here. It does involve the same elevator repair company, however.

Their finances don't allow for a hotel room. I told her to talk with the condo's resident manager and request that the association put her up in a hotel tonight. Still, she needs to notify the appropriate government agency.

Do any of you have ideas about who to call...especially after hours?

Many mahalos.

[LikaNui]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

WOW. I'd call the Attorney General and the Mayor tomorrow... and the news media for sure. But for now, call the Red Cross or talk to your local Fire Department. Also, maybe the Visitors Aloha Society would have suggestions.
Also, try calling the managers of some of the bigger hotels. The Outrigger chain is known for helping in situations like this.
Please keep us posted, and best of luck!

[1stwahine]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

The Hawaii Disability Rights Center should be called asap!
http://www.icdri.org/legal/HAWAIIPADD.htm

As LikaNui said, call the Media!!! Call 911 and get medical attention asap!!

This is a MAJOR STORY!!!

Auntie Lynn

[tutusue]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

Thanks LN and Auntie. I passed along the info. My friend is in her apt. now and completely stressing over how she's going to get to work tomorrow. I'm stunned at how she got there. Apparently one member of the elevator repair team stayed behind yesterday, planted himself on the roof of the elevator and is operating that one elevator as best as he can, manually taking the elevator up and down and opening the door. It's a long process. Turns out he's still on the job...over 24 hours straight. My friend aptly noted that the guy can't continue ad infinitum and she has no idea if another repair person will replace him.

This situation has given me a whole, new perspective on now living on the 19th floor. I've never lived higher than the 2nd floor. My Makaha unit is on the 2nd floor. The office I just moved out of was on the 2nd floor. A previous condo in Hawaii Kai was on the 2nd floor. I've been thru hurricanes and earthquakes...all no higher than the 2nd floor! I've always had easy access in and out of my unit...dark, but easy! Now I need to plan for the 19th floor and my daughter has to plan for the 36th floor...17 floors above me. I think my hurricane kit becomes even more important than ever because it won't take a hurricane to confine me to my unit. It can take something as relatively "simple" as an extended power outage.

[cynsaligia]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

I just received a phone call from a good friend asking for help. She needs to know what government agency to call to report a serious problem with the condo building where she rents in Waikiki.

Both she and her husband have medical challenges and are not able to walk up and down stairs. They live on the 17th floor and now both elevators are out. He's stuck on the 17th floor as are her medications. She's stuck on the first floor. The elevator company walked off the job. Evidently a special part is needed that will take 6 weeks to get. This is not related to the public housing elevator problems reported here. It does involve the same elevator repair company, however.

Their finances don't allow for a hotel room. I told her to talk with the condo's resident manager and request that the association put her up in a hotel tonight. Still, she needs to notify the appropriate government agency.

Do any of you have ideas about who to call...especially after hours?

Many mahalos.

legally, your friend may be in a position to end her rental agreement without penalty. the landlord has an obligation to make sure the place is fit to live in and satisfies various building codes. if the landlord fails to perform duties which make further use and enjoyment exceedingly difficult or impossible, then the landlord has "constructively evicted" the renter. if this is the case, once the landlord has been notified of the problem and has had a reasonable amount of time to remedy the problem, then the renter can abandon the premises and stop paying rent.

the department of commerce and consumer affairs also has oversight re landlord-tenant issues. have your friend call the landlord-tenant line at the dcca at 586-2634 between 8:00 and 12:00 p.m. ASAP. here is a link to the dcca's L-T page, which includes the L-T code and the dcca's handbook.

[LikaNui]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

The guy who stayed to run the elevator is, simply, a hero. And in my opinion, and admittedly without knowing all the facts, it seems to me that the elevator company's actions may well have been criminal.
I want to know how this was allowed to happen, and how to prevent it from happening again.
I'd hate to see this story fade into obscurity overnight, and I'd love to see the media jump all over it. We here at HT made a difference before, with the Mayor Wright's Slippah Team (courtesy of Auntie Lynn), and I humbly suggest and hope that we all step up to the bat on this one.
Personally, I'm going to cut-and-paste both of TutuSue's posts into an e-mail that I'll send to every media, judicial and political contact that I know, and also to a whole lot that I don't know. I hope some of you will do the same. Even if you just know one or two media or political sources, that would help.
(TutuSue, it would be a huge help if you'd let me know the name of the condo and the name of their management company. Please feel free to PM me if you'd rather not post it publicly.)

[1stwahine]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

I'll do the same with my contacts TutuSue!

Let's get the ball rolling!

Emails went out.

Auntie Lynn

[tutusue]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

[...]the department of commerce and consumer affairs also has oversight re landlord-tenant issues.[...]

Thanks ericncyn...I passed along your info.

The guy who stayed to run the elevator is, simply, a hero.

AMEN!

[...](TutuSue, it would be a huge help if you'd let me know the name of the condo and the name of their management company. Please feel free to PM me if you'd rather not post it publicly.)

Check your PMs!

[...]Emails went out.[...]

Mahalo to all of you for your help. My friend is overwhelmed by your generosity of time and interest. I thank you, too.

[Vanguard]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

The guy who stayed to run the elevator is, simply, a hero.

I completely agree. I hope he gets some nice media recognition, along with this issue.

[Ms_Aloha_Nui]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

AARP is good also......

Call the Mayor's office and talk to Bill Brennan or Isaac Hokama.....

[LikaNui]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

Check your PMs!

Got it earlier and acted on the info you gave me... thanks! I sent you a PM just now with more details.
Bottom line is that thanks to Tutu's info, this situation is being handled at some very high levels by folks who can really shake up this particular tree. Now we'll have to see what actually happens.
Stay tuned...

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

I completely agree. I hope he gets some nice media recognition, along with this issue.

Wouldn't hurt if his empolyer gives him a bonus and a commendation for his file, too.

You folks are amazing when motivated. (Okay, you're amazing even when NOT motivated, I'll grant you that.)

[tutusue]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

AARP is good also......

Call the Mayor's office and talk to Bill Brennan or Isaac Hokama.....

Many mahalos. I've given your info to my friend.

Got it earlier and acted on the info you gave me... thanks! I sent you a PM just now with more details.
Bottom line is that thanks to Tutu's info, this situation is being handled at some very high levels by folks who can really shake up this particular tree. Now we'll have to see what actually happens.

Stay tuned...

You're amazing LN. You're like a pit bull when it comes to advocacy for the underdog! BTW, I mean that as a great, big compliment!

Auntie also went to bat. She cc'd me a mass email she sent. Thank you, Auntie.

Wouldn't hurt if his empolyer gives him a bonus and a commendation for his file, too.

You folks are amazing when motivated. (Okay, you're amazing even when NOT motivated, I'll grant you that.)

HT ROCKS!

I hope the condo's assoc. of owners rewards the HERO handsomely.

Wed. morning update:
My friend and her husband were both unable to get to work this morning and have lost income for the day. The HERO elevator guy stayed on the job until 1am, or so, this morning, left to get some sleep and returned around 6:30am to help the residents. That was too late for my friend's husband to get to work on time. My friend had already found a replacement for the first half of her shift so she will go to work late. While waiting for the elevator she is calling all of the resources provided by the HT heros! As an aside, her employer has been most unsympathetic and unaccomodating. I just don't get people like that. Anyway, my friend, on behalf of all the affected residents, sends out her most heartfelt mahalo to everyone on HT for caring. She truly is overwhelmed by it. So am I...altho' I'm not surprised!

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

The guy who stayed to run the elevator is, simply, a hero. And in my opinion, and admittedly without knowing all the facts, it seems to me that the elevator company's actions may well have been criminal.
I want to know how this was allowed to happen, and how to prevent it from happening again.

It seems like Hawaii Vertical Transportation always has some excuse for leaving their elevators inoperable for weeks at a time. The state department of commerce & consumer affairs (DCCA) should definitely be notified, as well as the Better Business Bureau. If this outfit is incapable of carrying out its contracts, they shouldn't be allowed to do business in this state. Ultimately, that is the only way to prevent this situation from happening again.

Of course, there is a reason why HVT won the bids of so many contracts in the first place. They were among the cheapest. More established companies like OTIS charge more. But sometimes, you have to pay a little more if you want quality, reliability, and better service. Hopefully, condo owners/tenants remember that truism when their maintenance fees/rents are increased to cover the additional costs of paying for a grade A elevator company.

[LikaNui]

Re: Help for disabled friend...

You're amazing LN. You're like a pit bull when it comes to advocacy for the underdog! BTW, I mean that as a great, big compliment!

I won't accept the "amazing" part, but the pitbull and advocacy part is probably true... as a couple of former HT flamers learned to their dismay. (I won't be tiny and mention any names. )
Anyway. I've already heard from one newspaper and two TV stations, and all of them are very interested in pursuing the story.
Check your PM, TutuSue.

EDIT: One of the people I contacted was Ian Lind, and he now has the story at this link on his highly-read and highly-regard blog. Interesting reply from one of his readers, too.