Pleas to landlord for a working stove go unanswered for years, couple says

By Elle McLogan

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    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) — They finally have a new stove, but it won’t turn on.

Retired couple Patricia Bowley and Anthony Chinnici say the range arrived as a replacement weeks ago, soon after CBS New York reported on their long out-of-order stove and oven.

But, they say, building management left it disconnected, so the wait continues.

“We’re here two-and-a-half years without a stove,” Chinnici said.

This isn’t the only disruption to the couple’s quality of life. As CBS New York reported in November, neighbors across six floors were without an elevator for six weeks.

“The elevator got working three days later after you came,” Bowley said.

Then came the stove delivery, but they say management left it inactive, blaming an electrical problem.

“We thought we were going to have a stove for the holiday, for Thanksgiving, and we didn’t,” Chinnici said.

New Bedford Management told CBS New York: “The gas line has been successfully converted to electric, and a permit has been filed to review the completed work. Once the work is approved and the permit is signed off, we will be able to connect the stove to the electrical outlet.

“Please note that the contractor who performed the repairs has been diligently following up with the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the inspection is scheduled for this Friday 12/13/2024 at 7 AM. The resident has been notified of the appointment.”

Though the couple says they’ve been asking for years for a working oven, the city’s Department of Buildings said an application for the necessary electrical work didn’t come in until after CBS New York’s report last month, a request the DOB said it approved same day.

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