Santa Barbara Scam

Hello peoples, it's been a crazy week.  Santa Barbara has been a rough transition, to say the least.  Let's start from the beginning.

Esther and I ventured out on Black Friday to Santa Barbara, where I started work the Monday after.  I wasn't too worried about time, for I had pre-paid for a beachfront condo I found on craigslist.  Spending some time in Los Angeles with friends over the weekend, we had a joyous time being epicurious.

Sunday morning rolls around and we grab a boba milk tea on the way up 2 hours to Santa Barbara.  The drive was beautiful.  The Santa Barbara beach faces south, sort of like a gulf in this small city.  We drive up to the gated community's gate booth, showed my receipt, and rolled on in with key in hand.  Taking multiple trips to unload all my junk in the condo, we anxiously rushed to get out before the sun set.  The beach was a 5 minute walk away, cold from the southern wind, and busy.  Getting our feet wet, taking pictures of the sunset, it was a perfect day.

We left the condo to grab some groceries at Trader Joe's nearby.  Spending nothing more than $100 for a month's worth of groceries for 1, we happily drove home.  To our dismay, there was a new security guard at the gate booth.  I showed him my car pass and told him I didn't have an automatic key to open the gate.  He started questioning me- overly questioning me- and then told me to come into the booth.

When I walked in, he told me to explain how I got the info for the condo.  I proceeded to tell him craigslist info.  He said he never received a notice from the homeowner about a new renter.  The owner had just bought this property.  We called the home owner, no answer.  Left a message- hopefully she'll call me back.  He was convinced it was a scam- giving me quite a scare.  Esther came in, I proceeded to explain to her his suspicions.

He was convinced.  We weren't allowed to stay.  We were to grab our things and leave or he would turn us in for trespassing.  We drove straight to the condo, sat in the car, and silence cut like a knife.  Then I couldn't handle it anymore.  What the hell are we going to do?!  I don't have a place to live.  I am out a $h!t load of money.  I start work tomorrow.  What am I going to do?! It's 8:30 pm and we're stranded.

I couldn't think.  Esther said she would make some calls.  I channeled my energy into packing.  Packing quickly, filling up water bottles (we didn't know when we would get fresh water again), Esther gave me some choices of where to stay.  Extended Stay America it is.

We left the key with the gate man.  He felt so sorry for me.  I felt like I'd been used and abused.  We drove in the pitch black to the motel.  Unloading a good portion of my luggage in the single bed room, I was exhausted.  I could think of nothing but to call my boyfriend to talk.  I wanted so bad to cry, but the tears never came.

Esther, thank god, has such a good head and heart.  She took her last day of vacation to look for furnished apartments for me.  Making good headway, I was trying to get things squared away with the living situation while on my first day of work.  Absolutely exhausted, Esther came to pick me up after work so we could drop her off at LAX to catch her flight that Monday night.  LA traffic lived up to it's reputation as we chugged down the freeway.

On my way home, I finally told my parents.  They were worried, but I reassured them I had places lined up to look at tomorrow.  I got so distracted I missed my exit and took the long way back to the motel.  10:00 p.m. and hungry. No dinner. No energy.  No Saul to talk to.  Time to sleep and hope the hunt tomorrow goes well.

Visit after visit, there were a lot of nice places; however, it's so damn expensive to live here.  Do I want to spend greater than $2000 on a furnished place???  I was starting to lose hope.  I didn't feel invested and there's no incentive for me to even stay in this city, even if I breach my contract.

A bunch of coworkers offered me to stay at their place.  One was recently married in a little apartment... didn't want to intrude.  Another had to ask her boyfriend if it would be okay.  Another had cats.  Then, in the last 30 minutes of work on Tuesday, my single traveler coworker offered me her couch.  It's spacious, plenty of space to store my stuff.  She was staying for only 2 more weeks, so I can stay with her until she leaves.  I absolutely loved the guest house.  At $1800/month, it's pricey, but for the space, area, etc. it's a pretty good deal... but I wasn't set on staying yet.

Now, I'm here and I've decided to give it a go.  I'm going to give the city a chance, the job a chance (for me to change it, that is.  That's a whole other story) and to forgive myself for making such a foolish mistake.

Things to remember about craigslist:

- Never send that much money.  A small deposit to reserve this space is enough.
- When visiting a new place, just pay for a motel for a couple of nights... it's worth seeing the place in person.
- It doesn't matter how kind they are on the phone, via email, or what tight situation they're in.  It's your money, you have the power.
- Don't take risks just because it's an expensive place with very limited furnished places.  In fact, don't take online risks with money, period.

Things to note about this experience:

- Esther is an amazing friend.  Never forget that.
- Reach out to future coworkers for help with housing.
- Missing the boyfriend more and more :(
- There are still really great people out there, even if scumbags try to steal your money
- Take this experience and use it as a stepping stone

And I'm living happily ever after.  Nice apartment, great city, fabulous coworkers, and... still working on work in making it better.  :P