A Warning Chime

February 6th, 2013 · 118 comments

Adriana in Playa Del Rey, California said her husband found this note from a non-wind chime enthusiast taped to their outside of their condo building. “I personally love all the exclamation points,” Adriana says — “especially the cheery ‘thanks!’ at the bottom.”

CHIMES. Third Floor Front Over the Garage. People have lived here 10-20 years but now have to hear your chimes all day and night! Take them down or we will get a class action lawsuit against you and the Homeowners association! We can't stand it anymore! Have consideration or we will see you in court and get a court order! Thanks!

related: Hello, 911? My neighbors are loud walkers!

FILED UNDER: California · neighbors · noise · not-so-veiled threats


118 responses so far ↓

  • #1   ckk66

    Ugh. I think I would buy 5 more chimes just for them threatening legal action instead of just asking.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 1:40 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #1.1   JK

      Even if they had just asked, I’d still leave ‘em up. People aren’t entitled to absolute silence. They’re not in a retirement village, and this is not loud rock music. How windy could it possibly be? I doubt they’ve asked that many people if it’s annoying before they went and threatened a class action lawsuit. If it’s not prohibited by the HOA and doesn’t violate a noise ordinance, I say let’em sue. They’ll probably end up having to pay attorney’s fees too. If they decide to move, good. I’m sure the HOA likes it when people clean up trash in the area.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 2:13 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.2   Megan

      I’ll have you know, JK, that it’s been plenty windy in LA recently. I know because my neighbors have crapph wind chimes up and it drives me batty when I try to sleep. My fiance and I have seriously considered taking theirs down and trashing them.

      Although this dude didn’t need to threaten legal, I’m feeling what he’s saying. Wind chimes in closely packed areas should be outlawed.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 2:34 pm   rating: 92  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.3   JK

      Double paned windows, in addition to being energy efficient, will shut the noise out. It’s not their fault you’re too touchy. I’ve lived in a closely packed area. If anything, it makes even less sense to expect quiet.

      PS. Why are you thinking about breaking the law and committing vandalism when you have the opportunity to part of a super exciting class action?

      Feb 6, 2013 at 4:01 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.4   ninjaduck bang

      This asshat notewriter has no grounds for a lawsuit. MAYBE he has grounds to file a complaint, but he certainly can not SUE.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 4:04 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.5   Trekkie Gal

      JK – If you live in an apartment or condo building, you don’t really have a say in what kind of windows you have. Usually, they are not double-paned, and there is nothing you can do about it.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 4:42 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.6   JK

      1) Wind chimes are awesome.

      2) If you want to think about it in a what you don’t have a say in kind of way, if the rules/ordinances allow it, you don’t have a say in the person’s wind chimes. If it’s really all day, every day, sue them for nuisance but be prepared to prove it. Record the chimes. If it’s incessant, y0u might win. I bet they won’t though.

      3) I googled Playa Del Rey, CA to see what we were talking about here. Besides the fact that I first spelled in Plana Del Rey and got accosted with info about Lana Del Rey (ugh), once I made the correction I saw that it’s considered a beachside community, residential properties, 8,600 people. Looking at it, I’d expect a pretty laidback situation. There’s a tightly packed area called The Jungle it says, we’re talking an HOA and garage so surely it’s not there right? Even if it were, there are either rules or there are not. Based on the pictures, I see it as a wind chime-y kinda place.

      4) A lot of apartments will make allowances for certain changes if you put things back when you leave (as mine did with screens around the deck) or you can offer to have the windows installed and in exchange they might mitigate rent costs for a little bit. Negotiation is often possible. Especially if it saves them money. It’s hard to know if that’s the case here.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 6:37 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.7   BrianH

      They would be forced to take them. Most HOA’s and municipalities have rules or ordinances governing noise after quiet hours typically 10p.m.

      So they could be fined by the police and then get weekly fines for excessive noise.

      Of course the best way to handle it to first ask nicely to have them taken down then go from there. If the note was the first notice then that’s the wrong to start dealing with the situation.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:07 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.8   yay windchimes

      maybe you could try asking them politely to take them down or place them in a less windy spot before destroying their property, you fucking asshole.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:48 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.9   Jdaniel

      LOL. Folks, for what it is worth, as a retired Officer of the Court, let me assure you that there are a legion of attorneys who have made their FORTUNES by SUCCESSFULLY suing people who said that they could not be sued.

      Any person, anywhere, can be sued for anything, at anytime, and win.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:25 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.10   Wait..what?

      Hey Megan? I think children should be outlawed in close packed areas. They are much more annoying than wind chimes.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 11:53 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.11   Beatus Mongous

      If you find wind chimes irritating, you have much bigger personal problems and need to see a psychologist.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 12:39 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.12   Megan

      I guess it’s hard to detect sarcasm or other tones of voice on the internet so I’ll let you guys slide who think I was serious about outlawing wind chimes.

      Seriously, though, they really are super annoying. No – kids aren’t annoying, they’re just kids. Wind chimes, you can choose if you put them up or not. So just resist the temptation. Put on a wind chime CD or something. I’m sure there are alternatives.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 4:21 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.13   Nunavut Guy

      Well to be fair I did make them out of that used pipe organ I bought at the last church bazaar.

      Guy who owns the wind chimes

      Feb 7, 2013 at 7:10 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.14   JK

      This is totally circumstance and location dependent. The fact is there’s probably not a ban on wind chimes so they have to prove nuisance. There are elements to nuisance that a judge will go through and the sue-er has to prove each part. Doesn’t sound like they went to the HOA first and if there was anything to be done, wouldn’t the HOA be the first group to complain to? If the HOA feels it’s fine to have the chimes, get them to testify in the case on behalf of the chime owner saying the ownership is fine by them and maybe results of their internal investigation into the possession/noise of the chimes. I find it hard to believe a judge is gonna ignore that opinion when it comes to determining whether the neighbor’s just being frivolous. Not sure why we’re just assuming this person isn’t just a litigious neighbor. Maybe it’s a bluff and nobody else minds the chimes.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 10:51 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.15   FeRD bang

      Wait, is Megan (in #1.12) implying that people with kids didn’t choose to have them? Seems to me they’re as much a choice as wind chimes! (Though a far less understandable one.)

      And kids are definitely annoying. Even though they’re just kids. Heck, in large part because they’re just kids.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 11:25 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.16   Vega

      Do “quiet hours” typically mean absolute silence? I’m seriously asking because I thought those laws had decibel-limits attached so as to be enforceable in reality.

      If a baby crying for hours in the middle of the night doesn’t violate the noise ordinance, I don’t see how windchimes could be loud enough.

      Feb 8, 2013 at 12:21 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.17   MayaGold

      Yeah, children ARE A CHOICE and ARE ANNOYING.

      Just because you’ve had the misfortune to breed (congratulations, you’re fertile woop-ty fucking doop) doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer.

      I’d rather be surrounded by 100+ wind chimes than 1 screaming baby, so until someone bans babies, i say ‘mon the ‘chimes!

      Feb 8, 2013 at 4:13 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.18   Tosswinkle

      Right on! Marry me, MayaGold. But we won’t have kids.

      Feb 8, 2013 at 5:57 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.19   shepd

      I ya’ll think windchimes sound awesome, then you won’t mind my outdoor speakers playing dubstep all night long.

      Don’t worry, I love the sound of dubstep, so I’m sure you will too. With my electronics skills I’ll make sure to exactly match the SPL of your windchimes so we can be fair to each other and we can both get identical fines.

      If you happen to be under 25, I can be nicer to myself and just install a mosquito device.

      (Don’t worry, I start off a lot nicer than the notewriter did)

      Feb 9, 2013 at 12:22 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #1.20   Ivona

      Windchimes can be very annoying, especially in very windy weather. They’re not unlike music playing constantly within earshot. I disagree with the way these people conveyed their message, but the request itself is entirely reasonable.

      Feb 10, 2013 at 10:20 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #2   Ash

    You know, I’d be more apt to take them down if someone came over and asked nicely. This would tempt me to go out and buy nine more. I feel like sucking up your pride/dickery and asking is significantly cheaper than court fees, but hey, that’s just me.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 1:42 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #2.1   EmptyJay

      And it’s going to be a CLASS ACTION lawsuit, no less!

      Feb 6, 2013 at 2:05 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #2.2   H for Toy

      And when the judge asks what measures were taken to address the situation before coming to court, they can let him know they sent a note.

      “No, your honor, we don’t have a return receipt. But here’s the web address where our sloppily written, exclamation-point-riddled note has been posted.”

      Feb 6, 2013 at 2:47 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #2.3   Jdaniel

      They can kiss goodbye their $300 Civil Case filing fee at the end of that first hearing.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:32 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #3   m9

    you know what this note needs? it needs MORE COWBE… err.. i mean, CHIMES!!!

    Feb 6, 2013 at 1:45 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

     
  • #4   LC6

    Why does everyone threaten lawsuits today?? What’s wrong with asking nicely? Just to be a bitch, I’d add a few more windchimes, too, and make certain they were the long, loud ones. Or cowbells like the PP suggested, lol

    Feb 6, 2013 at 1:50 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #4.1   ninjaduck bang

      Totally know what you mean. But if this person behaved like an adult and politely asked before threatening with a law suit (in this case grounds for a lawsuit are not possible, unless they got some shady lawyers and a shady judge) e would have no source of entertainment today.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 4:02 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #4.2   MayaGold

      Yeah, someone in our stair posted a snarky note about noise, and threatened to have the offender’s HMO licence revoked (which you need if more than 2 unrelated people are living in a rented property) – i’d been away, but my flatmates assured it was probably about us.

      I responded with some incredibly mature scribbles on it that essentially told them to fuck off (one complaint does not a HMO revocation make, plus we were moving out anyway).

      If they’d written a polite note, or even better knocked on our door and asked, we would have been sorry and tried harder to be quiet. Instead i took to deliberately slamming the door and stomping in the stairwell!

      Feb 8, 2013 at 4:19 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #5   bmack

    Mt neighbor has a backyard filled with wind-chimes, most of them pretty loud and annoying. I didn’t bother asking her to muffle them, I just went out and found the BIGGEST one I could, and hung it from a tree closest to the deck she sits on every morning for breakfast.
    If I’m annoyed, the entire neighborhood will be annoyed

    Feb 6, 2013 at 2:24 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #5.1   pc load letter

      Had Mr. Oldster asked nicely, with no exclamation points, the recipient would just consider the note that much more PA, and be just as self-righteous.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 2:45 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.2   timimus

      If your neighbour’s such a fan of wind chimes already, I suspect that you’re annoying yourself rather than them. They’re probably relieved that, far from being annoyed by their chimes, you’re on team windchime.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 3:06 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.3   kermit

      Sorry, but I have to agree that not all wind chimes are created equal – especially if it’s Etsy / home-made crap. These are pretty much just some spare bits of metal pipes strung to a baby mobile / twirly thing.

      There’s one in my neighborhood sounds like somebody’s banging on giant metal pipes when the wind is blowing. There’s nothing remotely musical about it. It scares the birds and likely annoys the living daylights out of people that walk by.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:01 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.4   FeatherBlade

      Oh, yes. If wind chimes aren’t tuned they just grate on the ears.

      The tuned ones on the other hand…. nothing more soothing on a hot summer day than to take a nap in the shade while a gentle breeze makes the chimes play you a lullabye.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 12:25 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.5   Beatus Mongous

      Kermit, I want one of those.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 12:48 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.6   kermit

      I’m pretty sure you can make one for free, Beatus. Just go to the garbage dump and pick up some pipes and a baby mobile. Get some string to dangle everything together, and presto – your very own noise machine.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:21 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.7   bmack

      Don’t get me wrong, some chimes are pretty and sound nice – my neighbor’s are the Christmas Tree Shoppe (one step above a Dollar Store, for those of you who don’t have them) under $10, made in Korea specials… tingy, ugly and annoying !

      Feb 7, 2013 at 8:11 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #5.8   FeRD bang

      Hey, now! That’s not really fair.

      At least dollar stores give you value. Christmas Tree Shoppe crappe hath not a whit with whiche ittesylfe to redeam!

      Feb 7, 2013 at 11:30 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #6   me

    Ugh — I am Team Note Writer, wind chimes are the ABSOLUTE WORST!

    Feb 6, 2013 at 2:28 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #6.1   lol

      you’re….team threaten to sue someone first in a long note instead of a polite request that they’re loud and to take move them or take them down?

      you deserve to lose your case. which you will.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:56 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #7   Lisa

    I don’t mind my neighbor’s chimes, usually, but when it’s crazy windy (as it tends to be this time of year), I do wish they’d take them down. What is usually a pleasant sound (these are the big, expensive “tuned” chimes) becomes downright cacophonous.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 2:57 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #8   cowsaysmeow

    Heh…this reminds me of when I was a teenager living in L.A., and one of our neighbors asked my mother to “Please turn down your wind cylinders!!!” In fairness to him, the Santa Ana winds were in full effect…putting a rubber band around the chimes didn’t stop him from blasting Frank Sinatra on Sunday mornings though. :/ Then again, we never asked him to turn it down. Oh well, we still get a laugh out of it.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:15 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #8.1   Jami

      I’d take Frank Sinatra over the heavy violence filled rap “music” that my neighbors tend to blast.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 8:57 am   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #8.2   Kimberly

      I bet every neighbor that has EVER lived next to my grandpa has the same complaint about Frank. Boy, does he love himself some Frank.

      Feb 8, 2013 at 10:24 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #9   KittenPlaysTheViolin

    I’m on team notewriter. What’s the point of windchimes? Unnecessary noise is just that – unnecessary. I get that other people might like it, but go get a windchime mp3 instead of torturing everyone around you. Windchimes are simply obnoxious and rude unless you live in the country. Personally, I would have just smashed it on the ground and left no note whatsoever.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:26 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

    • #9.1   ninjaduck bang

      I can understand if someone has more than 2 windchimes and it is extremely windy, but I think suing someone rather than asking them to take them down or move them is a bit ridiculous. HOA’s can FINE you, but they can’t sue you. I had windchimes growing up, but we only has one and we took them down on windy nights.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 3:59 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.2   Poltergeist

      Oh really, you would have done that? You would have thrown a fit like a stupid child and smashed your neighbor’s property? They’ll go out and buy more of whatever you broke, and you’ll be branded the crazy neighborhood bitch.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 6:28 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.3   lol

      I hope someone trashes your stuff, especially anything that makes the slightest noise.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 10:01 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.4   Nunavut Guy

      And makes foreleg windchimes out of your outdoor cat.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 7:17 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.5   Vega

      “Personally, I would have just smashed it on the ground [...]”

      You’re such a special snowflake that you consider something I’m doing on my own property rude to the point that you feel vandalism is justified?

      How about you get off my lawn, Kitten.

      Feb 8, 2013 at 12:39 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #9.6   KittenPlaysTheViolin

      Yes, my methods are not quite PA. Just plain ol’ aggressive. It’s simpler that way.

      Feb 8, 2013 at 9:01 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #10   pooham

    One set of windchimes? Chill out. It could be worse: barking dog, booming bass from a stereo, loud rumbling of a “Pay Attention To Me!” Harley, my mother repeating the same story about the price of chicken every 8 minutes…

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:27 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #10.1   H for Toy

      I got boneless, skinless breasts on sale for $1.99/lb the other day.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 3:34 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #10.2   lee

      Your mother and my father-in-law would get along famously.

      Whenever we visit the in laws for a meal, we are treated to the price of every item on the the table (“the cauliflower was so cheap”), and as a bonus, we are also told how the meal was cooked (“it was SO easy”).

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:23 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #10.3   juju_skittles

      Throw in a story about a great parking spot and I’m coming over…

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:50 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #10.4   Jdaniel

      Congratulations “H for Toy” on your good deal. I doubt you could have found DD implants for that price.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:45 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #11   fuzzbutt

    I have 2 sets of chimes. I am libel to hang 4 more sets now.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:35 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #11.1   H for Toy

      I hear you can be sued for libel as well.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 10:43 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #11.2   Snicklefritz

      Yes, but you’re only liable to get sued most likely for slanderous libel.

      But who knows, I could be lying.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:19 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #12   Would Prefer Chimes

    I would welcome the chimes! In the park across the street from my window the city has built an “art installation” that consists of several massive organ style pipes…Every time so much as a breeze blows through the park it sounds like eight tubas engaged in an epic civil war!

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:47 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #12.1   Snicklefritz

      It’s still got to be better than listening to my neighbor’s dogs barking at all hours of the day and night.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:22 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #12.2   FeRD bang

      Epic Tuba War will now be the title of my autobiography.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 11:33 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #13   ninjaduck bang

    HOA does not have the authority to a “Class Action Lawsuit” over wind chimes. If the recipient of this note threw wild loud orgies every day of the week, the police had been contacted each time, and several complaints filed, that would be a different story. But this complainer has no authority what-so-ever to DEMAND the removal of the wind chimes, they have every right to confront the offender or complain to the authorities.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 3:52 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #14   George Marasco

    This could have been written by me, I’m sorry to say. I loathe the sound of wind chimes with a white-hot passion.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 4:57 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #15   Ely North

    Couldn’t agree more with the note-writer. Wind chimes sound like angels retching.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 5:07 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #16   Teri

    I’m on team windchime. I like the way they sound, and quite frankly the cars and kids in my neighborhood make much more unpleasant and unnecessary noise than they do. For example – just a few houses down the street from me, the parents of some of those shrill, shrieking children think nothing at all of letting their kids sit in their car in front of the house and honk the horn incessantly. They think it’s cute and have been doing it long before I hung my windchime. These same people are incapable of coming or going anywhere in their car without honking the horn for the length of the block themselves. I dare them to say one word about my chimes.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 6:01 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #16.1   Purr Monster

      I agree. Some of the kids I know scream like banshees. What about people who are too lazy to get out of their cars and ring a doorbell, and honk instead? One neighbor had a parrot, and let me tell you it was plenty fooking loud. Also, I work in a building which has an air horn located 500 feet away to alert local emergency responders to accidents. Sometimes I can’t even hear myself on the phone when it goes off (usually multiple times per day). While I understand the need for it, it’s plenty annoying. There are worse things than wind chimes.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 8:48 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #16.2   Dot

      Even if there are still worse things than windchimes, it doesn’t necessarily mean I want to hear them. While this note is P.A, if someone writes a polite note or asks nicely, I think it would be kind of a jerky thing to leave them up knowing they bother your neighbors. Just like neighbors who let their kids scream or listen to loud music late at night, urban living would be nicer if people didn’t ignore or try to annoy the people around them.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 10:05 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #16.3   shepd

      One person’s shrill, shrieking children honking the horn are another person’s special windchime (sorry–snowflake).

      Feb 9, 2013 at 12:28 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #16.4   Kore

      Sadly, my neighbors with the screaming children/honking car are also the ones with the windchimes. They suck.

      Feb 11, 2013 at 2:20 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #17   scott hall

    Is this guy joking or just American?

    Feb 6, 2013 at 6:10 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #17.1   Purr Monster

      I’m American. I love wind chimes. My English husband can’t stand them.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 8:42 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #17.2   Nunavut Guy

      Are you joking or just married to an Englishman?

      Feb 7, 2013 at 7:23 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #17.3   Purr Monster

      My husband would say I’m joking. But then he’s always taking the piss.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 7:28 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #18   Poltergeist

    What kind of giant pussy threatens a class action lawsuit over wind chimes. America’s legal system already has enough problems without people making a mockery of it.
    Maybe I’ll sue my neighbors because their dog sometimes barks, or I’ll sue the people down the street because I think their garden gnomes are ugly. Then they can sue me back because my statue of the lady with the exposed breasts is damaging to the fragile psyches of small children.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 6:33 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #19   Lauri

    One of the main reasons I bought a house was that I could not stand the inconsiderate noises of other people while living in an apartment. Doesn’t matter what the noise is, it’s the fact that you put your enjoyment of stuff you could easily do quieter above my right to quiet enjoyment of my home. Right up there with having to breathe in someone else’s cigarette smoke. People doing nothing wrong being abused by inconsiderate people will never make sense to me.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 6:48 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #20   anotherfool

    Some people have high sensitivity to noises. Migraineurs, autistics, people with various other brain differences feel noise like an icepick driven into the forehead (and are among the least likely to able to afford 10 acres in the country, where drunk ATVers would probably circle the property all day anyway). Pro-windchime people, or “let’s play music loud enough for strangers to hear” or “it’s a nice day so I’ll make all my shouting cell phone calls out on the deck” types making needless noise is the equivalent to smoking in public or pouring on the cologne if you’re an elevator operator. Alternatively, you could develop some sensitivity to other people, who may not be exactly like you, have exactly your tastes, or exactly your brain structure, or enjoy the noises you enjoy, who in fact may be worse than “irritated,” may end up sick in bed or have to take dangerous drugs or experience a violent outburst or epileptic seizure because of your noisiness. Google health effects of noise pollution for more.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 7:10 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #20.1   Poltergeist

      Hey drama club, when was the last time you heard of somebody having an epileptic seizure because of their neighbor’s wind chimes. Maybe I shouldn’t have my television visible from a window because there’s a chance that somebody will walk by, see the flashing lights, start convulsing, and crack their head open on the sidewalk. Maybe I shouldn’t attempt to have a friendly conversation with anybody because there’s a chance the person might have Asperger’s and I’ll have made them extremely uncomfortable.

      If you really are so sensitive to noise that wind chimes will make you sick (frankly, I’m not sure how you could function if that were the case considering the world is filled with constant noise much worse than wind chimes), then talk to your neighbors about your condition rather than leave an idiotic note threatening legal action.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 7:34 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.2   High-Larry-Us

      I’m freaking crying from laughing so hard at Poltergeist’s response. That is exactly what I was thinking, and I imagine the verbal delivery to be quite dry, much like my own sense of humor. Loved it.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 9:16 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.3   anoano

      Poltergeist is fucking awesome.

      Feb 6, 2013 at 10:11 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.4   JJ

      Actually right after I moved into my first apt my epileptic (now ex) boyfriend had a seizure from the windchimes the previous tenant from next door had left up next door (it was a duplex & both were empty at the same time because spring semester had just ended). To be fair, it was a pretty windy day & he was already having problems, but the extra stimulation from noise pushed him into a seizure before I could grab his meds. I don’t know how common it is among epileptics because he had a more severe case, but for him enough visual (like reading) or auditory stimulation actually induce seizures by themselves or a very small amount could push him into one if he was already on the edge. But if something like this was the case the notewriter shouldn’t have been such a douche canoe about it. Class action lawsuit over windchimes, seriously?! Geez, novel idea, how you just politely explain what the problem is? Drama llama!

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:17 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.5   Jdaniel

      Wow. I think some of ya’ll must put a pillow over your partner’s face before their orgasm. You just can’t stand to see anyone enjoying themselves…

      Feb 7, 2013 at 2:59 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.6   The Elf

      Only when he asks.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:44 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.7   kermit

      Interestingly enough, I have yet to encounter ONE wind chime owner that actually hangs around their wind chimes to “enjoy” them.

      Feb 9, 2013 at 11:36 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #20.8   The Elf

      I do.

      Feb 11, 2013 at 2:13 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #21   ZB

    Why would they not just chop the wind chimes down in the night like ordinary disgruntled and self righteous people? Obviously these are some class A(ction) weirdos.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 8:02 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #22   katie

    I always found wind chimes to have a very soothing, pretty, delicate-like ringing sound. They’re like the occasional ring of a triangle. As someone who lives across the street from a family whose son plays drums in the garage with the garage door open, I would be delighted to hear something like wind chimes. Obviously, they should be taken in when it’s too windy out, but when there’s a slight breeze or a calm day with the occasional chiming sound, it’s great. I think you would also have to be careful about the type of chime you had, some make loud cowbell like noises, and some have like ten chimes on a metal loop and can sound more like metal clinking than music. So there are certainly things to consider, but they’re still great to me.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 9:09 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #23   Jami

    I’m team wind chime. The good ones sound pretty. Like fairy music. Or Rufus Sewell’s voice.

    But seriously, I’m mostly team wind chime because the note writer is an immature buttmunch that reminds me of our neighborhood trouble maker. I think I’ve mentioned him before. He’s the one who’s a contractor that hates that no one in the neighborhood hires him. So he goes around and reports people for untrue violations. Like the guy who had a couple of bikes he was going to repair next to his garage for a couple of days. This putz told the code department he was “storing broken bikes in his front yard for a month.”

    Feb 6, 2013 at 9:41 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #24   Jomba

    Everyone should just toss the windchimes. At least a third of the people here saying they like wind chimes only profess to “liking” windchimes because they make “less noise” than something obnoxiously loud they put up with currently. That’s like saying you like a headache because it’s not a migraine. It is random noise, in my opinion unecessary, and by the very nature of what it is, must be outdoors to function properly. Outdoors in public space where it may bother others. Writing a shitty note about the windchimes isn’t the answer, but if I asked someone nicely to take them down because I didn’t want to have to choose between living stuffily in my house with every window nailed shut or going bonkers with the windows open, and they decided “nahhh let’s bother this person some more” instead….

    Well all your windchimes are now marked. Marked!
    Thankfully I have never lived near anyone that has windchimes, or at least windchimes that were noisy enough to hear. I put one outside once, and promptly took it in and nailed it to the wall after a couple days. Learned that lesson.

    Feb 6, 2013 at 9:45 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #24.1   Beatus Mongous

      Why wouldn’t you just take it down and throw it in the garbage? Nailing it to the wall seems unnecessarily violent. Perhaps you should pay a visit to a psychologist to discuss these tendencies.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:08 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #24.2   Jomba

      What, it’s pretty and I bought it half for it’s looks and half for the sound I thought I’d like. How else do you hang things on walls without nails? It wasn’t huge or circular, so it hangs on the wall rather well.

      I didn’t make a martyr out of it, jeez!

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:39 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #24.3   The Elf

      Actually, I love my windchimes. They’re big “tuned” ones. I hang them right outside my bedroom window, near the deck, so I can enjoy them whether I’m relaxing on the deck or relaxing in my bedroom. Thankfully, our houses are far enough apart that the nearest neighbor says she doesn’t hear them. I asked.

      I do take them in when it’s stormy.

      Team windchime, but not because I like them. I think it’s rather obnoxious in an apartment setting, actually. No, it’s team windchime because this person actually threatened a lawsuit over windchimes. Really? I doubt they’re breaking noise laws. If they’re breaking HOA regs, report them that way. Otherwise, just ask if they don’t mind taking them down at night. Jeez, use your words.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:43 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #25   tch tch

    If people like the sound of wind chimes so much, why not bring them inside and hang them in front of a pedestal fan?

    Feb 6, 2013 at 10:00 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #25.1   Beatus Mongous

      Because pedestal fans are annoying.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 1:08 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #26   jonesy

    I’m on team wind chime, the note writer sounds like a nicer version of a crazy downstairs neighbor I used to have. There was a nice, large tree that shaded the back of the property and overhung my deck, so I put out a bird feeder. Some of the feed spilled onto her (junky) patio area and she left me a note, so I moved the feeder as far over as I could. I got another note threatening to scoop up the spilled seed and dump it in front of my door. The manager got involved and settled her down, though she later accused me of having a dog (I did not & it was a no pets property) and told me I was a fibber when I said I didn’t. She was a true piece of work and I don’t miss her at all.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 2:36 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #27   redheadwglasses

    Team note writer, only because I’ve had enough sleepless summer nights because of the windchimes on the deck above my unit. They do not belong where others can hear them. I think windchimes are lovely (especially the very low-tones ones), but I don’t want to hear your wind chimes at 2 a.m. when it’s 75 degrees out and my windows are open.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 9:04 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #27.1   redheadwglasses

      Of course, note writer needs to learn to use his words and politely ask neighbors for some consideration. Note writer is batshit crazy.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 9:08 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #27.2   Vega

      Team Batshit Crazy!

      Feb 8, 2013 at 12:53 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #28   miguel

    And this is why I live out in the countryside.

    Heck, I can shoot a gun in my backyard and no one out here would mind. One neighbor rebuilds stock cars and the engine test runs are pretty loud, but brief. #cityfolkproblems

    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:25 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #29   Silence

    Such vehemence over windchimes! Gods above, you’d think we were talking about indoor/outdoor cats eating vegan diets, or something.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 11:09 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #30   Joe Blow

    If you hang windchimes in an apartment, you are an asshole.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 11:17 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #31   Kris

    Sorry as much as some cheap windchimes can be annoying I cannot side with team asshat. Why? Mostly because if they have an HOA all it would take is a few complaints. Or you know talking to the note submitter. there is nothing PA about this. Its all A and completely batshit.

    Odds are good only the note writer has a problem with the windchime vs ALL of the neighbors having a problem.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 12:21 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #31.1   waker

      Maybe the wind chimes are cheap and loud, and close to their bedroom window. Of course other neighbors all the way at the other end of the floor, or several floors up, can’t hear them as loudly. I don’t understand why it makes a difference if others care about them — if you lived in an apartment adjacent to someone who was loud all night, and you were the only one who was bothered (because it was right next to you and you only), wouldn’t you still think your neighbor should cut it out? As a courtesy to you? So you could sleep?

      Feb 11, 2013 at 10:37 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #32   The Elf

    Didn’t Beach Boys do a song about that?

    Feb 7, 2013 at 1:49 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #32.1   FeRD bang

      They did. Let’s all sing along, now: “I wish they all could sue California chimers!”

      Feb 7, 2013 at 11:38 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #33   Escapist83

    I own windchimes, I have them hung up, I enjoy the sound they make, but if my neighbor (duplex) asked nicely, I’d probably take them down without a fuss.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 2:21 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #34   ClearlyDemented

    Three things:
    1) I read through all 3,000 comments and no one has mentioned the completely undecipherable beginning of this note. There is absolutely no way you can put those words together to form a legitimate thought.

    2) They are going to file a class-action suit against the owner AND the HOA, which leads me to believe the HOA already blew the complainant off.

    3) Why do people think the amount of time they’ve lived somewhere gives them the ability to dictate how newer neighbors live? That’s like saying the person who goes to the bathroom the most gets to sprinkle fecal mist on the rest of the employees as they leave for the day.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 3:52 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #34.1   Melisa

      Chimes, Third floor, Front, Over garage.

      The commas are needed and not present, but it’s very decipherable.

      Feb 7, 2013 at 9:18 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
    • #34.2   The Elf

      That isn’t the part of the note I found to be written weirdly. It’s the large gap between “lived” and “here”. Combined with the rest of the note, it sounds like there’s an unspoken bit after the first line.

      “People have lived (only because I let them)….”

      Feb 8, 2013 at 7:53 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #35   Fifi

    If wind chimes are the worst thing going on in your life, then you’re pretty lucky. Sounds like a First World problem to me.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 9:05 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #36   Melisa

    I’m curious as to what kind of wind chimes we are dealing with here. I’ve seen everything from “tinkle in the wind” that are nice and even soothing to “war zone in the wind” that pull more decibels than a jackhammer. Wind chimes can be a serious nuisance.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 9:14 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

    • #36.1   The Elf

      I assume ordinary “tinkle in the wind” chimes, not the huge basso-profundo chimes that stand 14 feet tall with a 5″ diameter pipe. I just can’t imagine those in an apartment setting.

      Like these: http://www.musicofspheres.com/products/?tuningid=3

      Feb 8, 2013 at 9:37 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

       
     
  • #37   Kathlen

    I’ll take windchimes over your outdoor cat any day.

    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:40 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #38   waker

    No one should be suing anyone over wind chimes. But, while no one is “entitled to quiet” every second of everyday, if the wind chimes are at all loud (i.e., not tingling like angels’ wings), it is rude to leave them chiming all night when it is windy. Not everyone sleeps like hibernating bears and to expect a potentially lighter-sleeping neighbor to wear earplugs every night so that your inanimate wind chimes can chime away to their hearts’ content at 3am is inconsiderate. Especially if they are located right near a neighbor’s bedroom.

    I can’t believe the rude MFers saying they’d leave them up even if they’d asked nicely.

    Feb 11, 2013 at 10:31 am   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #39   Bruce MacFarlane

    I have to agree.I hate windchimes.

    Feb 11, 2013 at 2:09 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #40   Gary

    I’m on Team: Chimes Are Annoying
    The note is out of line but I’m willing to bet that the chimes are located closer to the note writers bedroom than the chime hangers bedroom.

    Reminds me of a camping trip. Neighbor fires up his generator to charge his batteries and says to me “Where going into town to go shopping, be back in a couple hours”. After a few minutes of listening to that motor I walked over and shut it off.

    Feb 13, 2013 at 3:59 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #41   Jenni

    Wind chimes suck. They do not relax me. They sound like a shitty new-age group rehearsing for the first time. If you’re going to thrust your own personal preferred method of calming yourself down upon ME, then I shall return the favor by exercising MY relaxation ritual, which is blasting gangsta rap and setting fire to stuff.

    Feb 16, 2013 at 6:29 pm   rating: 90  small thumbs up

     
  • #42   Meg

    I don’t advocate a lawsuit, but DAMN windchimes suck. My husband and I lived in a rented townhouse that shared a wall with a couple with a chime COLLECTION right outside our bedroom window (they weren’t near THEIR bedroom). It was impossible to fall asleep. I never said anything (or wrote a note), but it was a serious pain in the ass, so I don’t get all the people coming out in defense of chimes, even one is annoying if you don’t like them and you’re trying to sleep. Did I mention the chimes were in a windy alley, and at least 5 other townhouses must have been able to hear them all night. Of course, we also had screaming neighbors, loud sex neighbors, dog neighbors and kid neighbors, and fire trucks because we were near the station. The chimes were the worst, because they were constant. Just because there are other irritating noises doesn’t mean windchimes are nice. So glad we bought a house with some land. Now the only noises are ours, and we aren’t bugging anyone else, either.

    Feb 19, 2013 at 7:45 pm   rating: 91  small thumbs up

     

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