Some people can be the weirdest when it comes to money and this apartment manager is one of those people.

Check out how this programmer leaves the manager in shock.

Apartment manager “doesn’t take cash” for $0.02 bill. Malicious compliance ensues.

In 2019 I moved from an apartment complex in Celebration, Florida, to a condo.

As usual, when you move out of an apartment, you get a final bill, which includes your last month’s pro-rated rent, deductions for damages, security deposit refunds, and the like. We paid it.

But something unexpected happen!

The next month I get a call from my wife who says we’ve got a follow-up bill in the mail from the apartment management company, for $0.02.

We’re both in the tech field, so we laughed that this company’s IT department didn’t catch the edge case of spending $0.50 in postage to collect $0.02 in revenue. But it happens.

That’s so funny!

My wife prints out a copy of the bill. I grab two cents from the change jar. The apartment complex is on my daily drive, so I swing by the office. I walk in and tell the manager that I want to pay my last bill.

I say “It’s two cents. Here’s the bill, and I have the two cents if you want it.”

WHAT?

The manager says “We don’t take cash.” Nothing else. There was an awkward pause.

I say “I don’t expect you to take cash. I expect us both to have a laugh about how silly computer systems are, and for you to write off the two cents, because it’d cost you more to process the payment.”

She says “I’m not going to do that.” Again, awkward pause.

He wasn’t sure if he was hearing right!

I say “So you want me to write you a check … for two cents. And mail it? And you’re going to process that check?”

The manager says “Yes, send us a check and we’ll process it.” and then WALKS BACK INTO HER OFFICE to end the conversation.

So I go home and set up an automatic, monthly bank payment to my apartment complex. For three cents.

He got a clever idea.

And then, because I’m a programmer, I write some code to send a letter once per month, saying “I’m so sorry – I’ve overpaid my bill. Please send me a check for the overpayment.” And I use an online service that sends postcards in ridiculous sizes – up to around 18″x24″, figuring that’ll be my escalation strategy.

The first of the next month, I get a call from the apartment company’s regional manager.

After introducing himself, the next two minutes were the most sincere, “Oh god, we made a mistake – please don’t do this, we’ll never contact you again” apology anyone could’ve hoped for.

That ought to do it!

I stopped the mail and never heard from them again.

Did I spend several hours on MC for two cents? Yes.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Thinking of messing with a programmer?

Think again!

Let’s find out what folks in the Reddit community think about this story.

This person loves the story and what the programmer did!

This person shares his experience with a company with such minor transaction policies.

This person thinks the guy is smart.

This person shares their sister’s story.

This person shares an old story.

This person shares a petty revenge story.

Score one for the good guys!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.