You may not always get what you pay for, but you will always pay for what you get. Recently, there was an injury where a lady fell down the stairs of an escalator. Please dont ask where. She was hospitalized with cuts and bruses.

Suffice it to say that when a minimum amount of slide does not exist on a stopping escalator, people fly off the stairs when they stop.

Such was the case here as reported by the victim and witnesses. This will undoubtly result in a large settlement as one of the security officers reported to the victims famly that they have had several problems with that unit. As of yet, copies of service to this unit have not been located. The owner of the building is attempting to hide behind the belief that he had a service contract. On closer review the owner now realizes that the "insurance policy" that the elevator company represented verbally would cover him, only covers him during the time that the elevator service company is on site and actually servicing the unit. Since no record of service exists, no coverage. This is why there are Groups like the Building Owners and Managers Association.(BOMA) Now, how much did that low bid service contract really cost?

-- Robert L. Krieger Jr (Robert.Krieger@verizon.net), August 27, 2002