Why not purchase a door that opens in the opposite direction (they are available) and forget about the bench. Might cost you a couple of bucks, but it would be a less stressful alternative that dealing with your neighbor on a daily basis.

The wine? Buy the wine and enjoy it with someone more reasonable!

Are you serious? Why should this person have to buy a new door? At least try reasoning with the neighbor, and if the person is reasonable, it shouldn't require a bottle of wine.

Once again....why is the bench owner "unreasonable"?

She DOESN'T KNOW THE BENCH IS IN THE WAY, because the LW hasn't bothered to TELL HER!

Exactly! Why did the LW have to ask Prudie what to do?! Knock on her door and say it's in the way! If anything, the bench owner is probably annoyed that the guy in the next condo keeps touching her stuff. She probably honestly doesn't realize it's in the way. Or, she's spiteful like me and probably keeps moving it back because the LW is too much of a pussy to just say something to her!

Move the bench out of your way. Knock on her door and tell her why you keep moving the stupid bench (leave the wine in your own fridge). If she keeps putting the bench in your way you then go to the condo association and let them deal with her.

Or, she's spiteful like me and probably keeps moving it back because the LW is too much of a pussy to just say something to her!

Oh, that is totally something I would do! The LW's passive aggressive technique of moving the bench and leaving the door open MIGHT have let the bench owner know why the bench kept getting moved, but it still did not actually address the problem. If you have a problem with somebody, don't leave hints, just tell them. Tell them nicely! But tell them. The longer you run around trying to leave hints and being passive aggressive, the more you make yourself look like an idiot.

Ultimately, prudie got this one right. Knock on the door and say "Hi". Bottle of wine optional.

when the neighbor is away, the LW could remove a 2 inch section from the middle of the bench, glue back together, and presto.

If the storm door opens in the LW will never be able to get it past his front door, and will be locked out of his home for good. Or in it, depending.

If he knocks on her door with a bottle of wine, the girl is probably going to think he's trying to score and is using the bench problem as an excuse.

I agree with others. He should tell her nicely and sans-BS that her bench is blocking his door. If that doesn't help, talk to the homeowners association.

its yggy: HAHAHAHA!! Oh PLEASE do that!!

Hehe or maybe if he wanted to be REALLY spiteful, he could just move the bench completely in front of her door so she trips over it in the morning.

She has to know that it bugs him because he keeps moving it whenever she moves it back. Either she's stupid, she's playing with him to see how long he goes before saying something to her or she's crazy. Come on. How could you not know? You obviously noticed something is different every time you come home; you mean to tell me it wouldn't occur to you that maybe the bench bothers him? Plus, for her to move it back 2 inches makes me think she probably is crazy.

Hmm he could also superglue the bench to the wall. Now THAT would be funny (oh to be the security guard watching that comedy of errors play itself out on the CCTV. LOL!). When she comes over to complain, he could act all innocent like "those damn kids must have done it!" I mean she put it outside in (presumably) public view, it's not unreasonable to think that people would mess with it. Heehee.

Or he could do the right thing and just knock on her door and ask her to move it. Sigh.

Very reasonable suggestion. You wouldn't even need to buy a new door, just have it reinstalled on the other side of the door frame, would still open out, but right to left instead of left to right. I reread the letter and it clearly says the bench (and other tenant) was there first, and they installed (probably had it installed) the storm door without thinking about which way it would open. Of course the concept of actually talking to your neighbor might work also. If I came home every night and someone had moved my bench, I'd be knocking on their door. Couple of real passive agressive types.

omabikeryder:

it clearly says the bench (and other tenant) was there first.

I hadn't noticed that. In that case, he's a bigger moron than I figured. He created the problem; why should she repair it?

bostobgraf:

Or, she's spiteful like me and probably keeps moving it back because the LW is too much of a pussy to just say something to her!

Oh, that is totally something I would do! The LW's passive aggressive technique of moving the bench and leaving the door open MIGHT have let the bench owner know why the bench kept getting moved, but it still did not actually address the problem. If you have a problem with somebody, don't leave hints, just tell them. Tell them nicely! But tell them. The longer you run around trying to leave hints and being passive aggressive, the more you make yourself look like an idiot.

Ultimately, prudie got this one right. Knock on the door and say "Hi". Bottle of wine optional.

I agree with your assessment - just talk to the girl, for God's sake! Why are people so afraid to say anything and just want to give hints?

She may tell him to go fuck himself, but at least he'll gauge how she is and then, as others have said, go to the Condo association about it.

There is no point in getting knickers in a twist with the passive aggressive behavior.

meghn:

she's spiteful like me and probably keeps moving it back because the LW is too much of a pussy to just say something to her!

that's totally my MO.

i think he just doesn't get it. he didn't realize you should probably TALK to the neighbor about her personal property instead of dropping hints.
what happened to common etiquette?

IncogNeato:

I hadn't noticed that. In that case, he's a bigger moron than I figured. He created the problem; why should she repair it?

While I agree that he's at fault, when the solution is something so simple as moving the bench 2 inches, I see no reason she can't accommodate him. Assuming, of course, that he is correct that the 2 inches would cause her no trouble. In which case, it seems odd to me that she would move it back every day, unless she is doing it deliberately.