For all the people saying 311 sucks...

Submitted by RelativeLeather5759 t3_10k4t59 in nyc

A street grate got loose in front of my building on Sunday night, making it "clang" every time a car drives over it. Drove me mad.

I reported it on 311's website and within 24 hours I got a "case closed" text, saying they checked it out, alerted the right party for fixing it and it will be fixed within 30 days.

I know our city has a lot to improve, but with this kind of response time for a non-emergency issue is unbelievably exceptional.

Just happy to be here.

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boomzgoesthedynamite t1_j5odwkt wrote

See if it gets fixed in 30 days before you type this out, that’s the issue. It gets referred to the agency and then lost. It’s not 311’s fault- but it’s not unusual.

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braininjury5000 t1_j5of37v wrote

Hahahaha yes, basically *all* my 311 cases over the last decade were closed quickly and never resolved.

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seejordan3 t1_j5q3pl6 wrote

You've just killed the thread of hope I've been hanging onto for two years our tree well might get a living tree someday. Thanks.

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squindar t1_j5sbc7s wrote

you can probably buy a sapling for $100, plant it yourself & watch it grow for 5 years before the Street Tree planting folks will be able to get around to it

Get a tulip poplar. They grow fast.

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k1lk1 t1_j5poif2 wrote

Absolutely. It's really silly we're giving pats on the back to the city here when the problem isn't yet fixed. 311 tickets being closed erroneously is very common, and for certain classes of issue (e.g. crosswalk being blocked), it's basically the only way tickets get closed.

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RelativeLeather5759 OP t1_j5pvrfa wrote

Good to know, I didn't realize that they might still not fix it. I will follow up with them and this thread to update everyone!

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andagainandagain- t1_j5r4bgd wrote

Yup. All of my reports are closed out within minutes with 0 actual resolution.

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09star t1_j5ofn7w wrote

Unfortunately, I've had to call 311 a few times due to a noisy neighbor and I have learned that you get the "case closed" text whether or not anything actually gets done about it.

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Lovis_Iovis t1_j5ojjbx wrote

It depends on which department it gets forwarded to. 311 is kind of just like a switchboard that redirects to the proper agency. If it gets directed to NYPD, you can expect nothing to happen. They decided three years ago that they don’t have to do their jobs anymore.

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PKMKII t1_j5pzw2z wrote

Conversely, DEP is pretty good about getting leaking hydrants fixed quickly.

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Lovis_Iovis t1_j5q4e4q wrote

And the Parks Department is good about sending rangers to help sick or injured animals in parks.

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squindar t1_j5saz0m wrote

100% true

although I HAVE managed to get an NYPD response (twice!) via 311 for traffic lights that are out at an intersection (I call 311, tell them there's a traffic light out at an intersection & it's going to cause an accident; they transfer me to 911 & they will actually send cops)

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scream4cheese t1_j5si3uk wrote

Traffic light is dept of transportation jurisdiction not police.

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squindar t1_j5vd091 wrote

I am aware. They send cops to control the intersection / report the condition to DOT, and then (usually) wait for DOT to come fix it.

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PretendAct8039 t1_j5opkit wrote

If they show up at a time when the neighbors are quiet, case closed. I even reported noise in the back yard and they didn’t bother coming inside.

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le_suck t1_j5q363c wrote

definitely agree with the other posters suggesting it's department based. I've had pretty good luck with DEP and DOT, zero luck with NYPD except for one abandoned vehicle that i managed to get towed after three attempts.

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JohnGaltish t1_j5okbah wrote

RemindMe! 30 days “how’s that grate clank doing?”

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aqiwpdhe t1_j5ofh0z wrote

I think they are great. “All Mixed Up” or “Amber” are my jams.

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HendrixChord12 t1_j5p2ukq wrote

OP just wants that grate Down. It’s currently a not so Beautiful Disaster. He’s hoping the problem won’t be here a while

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siposiposipo t1_j5opbar wrote

Except it probably won't get fixed lol.

We had a tree planted out front during the Bloomberg tree program. The thing is HUGE, way bigger than they said it would be. Trees are cool, except the roots have destroyed the sidewalk AND grown into the pipe leading to the sewer.

It is illegal to do any work on the tree, so we call 311 to have them trim it. 3 years later and nothing.

Probably over 10k in damages, city says not their problem AND they still won't fix it.

I hope they fix that clanking noise!

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Steev182 t1_j5pgvzg wrote

A huge overgrown tree has done a number on the neighbor we share a driveway with. Their sidewalk is pushed up nearly a foot on one side, it also pushed up the dipped curb so they scrape the bottom of their stupid Maserati every time they drive in and out and there are exposed roots in their lawn and the driveway. The branches are also too close to the Coned lines and Verizon lines. The branches also hang over my side of the driveway and birds think it's so much fun to eat berries and drop bombs all over my car. Plus the trunk's bark is peeling off.

I've had that same 311, Verizon and Coned experience. Apparently we can get a private arborist to file for a permit and get the work done, but I have no idea what that'll cost.

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im_not_bovvered t1_j5ou3fo wrote

Yeah... come back in 30 days and update us.

Most of the time 311 complaints are closed out immediately and then nothing happens.

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NYPorkDept t1_j5oe5mo wrote

🎵 Whoa, amber is the color of your turn signal 🎵

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GaddockTeeg t1_j5p2vf7 wrote

I lost my wallet on a street sweeping day so I called 311 to see if they may have picked it up. They were able to get me in touch with sanitation, which was able to tell me the chief of the truck that does my block, who answered on the first call and said he'd talk to the guys to see if anyone found a wallet. There are times when 311 has failed me but this time felt like magic even though they did not find my wallet (a good samaritan neighbor did).

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NKtDpt4x t1_j5pew8y wrote

DSNY is the most functional agency when it comes to this sort of thing.

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TeamMisha t1_j5oseql wrote

311 has its issues. There is currently a man sueing the 84th precinct of the NYPD for harrasement over his reporting to 311 illegal parking in his neighborhood. Cops got his # from 311 and used it to send anonymous and threatening texts, to "silence" him over reporting. Pretty spooky. Anything involving parking or road behavior basically goes unfixed by 311/NYPD, so to another poster's point, even if 311 responds it's up to the coordinating agencies to fix it and that's where the system fails

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_Maxolotl t1_j5r64et wrote

Things that can cause expensive lawsuits get fixed pretty quick. a loose great is one of those things.

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NKtDpt4x t1_j5pe2be wrote

They basically answered you "ok we'll get right on it"

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im_not t1_j5ok8fv wrote

I disagree as well. 311 are often neglected in discussions of early 90s funk and rap rock in favor of more commercially successful artists like the RHCPs or more seasoned touring vehicles like DMB. But their debut was really fresh and visceral, and their Transistor album really has become a stoner cult favorite. Their commercial peak wasn’t for me but I can’t deny the catchiness of Amber or their Love Song cover, and my understanding is that they still draw huge crowds every year for 311 day!

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Silo-Joe t1_j5onty4 wrote

I reported a missing 1’ x 1’ metal cover on the BQE weeks ago and it still hasn’t been replaced. So people are still driving into that hole.

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Sketcha_2000 t1_j5psuyw wrote

I actually had a good experience with 311…once. Neighbor decided to create his own driveway in a public parking spot (painted it yellow, created a curb cut). Yeah, not taking away a parking spot from the rest of the block. I reported it and it was gone within a week.

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grandzu t1_j5qu6bw wrote

Typically any issue that doesn't require NYPD involvement gets worked on.

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gigawort t1_j5reclp wrote

I've found good results with 311 that doesn't involve parking enforcement or noise complaints.

I noticed that a manhole was leaking water for a couple weeks. No one bothered to report it. I reported it to 311 and there was a whole team digging it up that night.

I saw that a crosswalk light had gone out. Again, a couple weeks and no body reported anything. I reported it, and it was fixed quite promptly.

Lot's of people have a mindset that someone else will report it, but the bystander effect is very real, and very often no one does. It takes like 3 minutes to snap a photo and report something, and doing so can improve the life of you and your neighbors.

edit: about 2 weeks ago someone dumped to full garbage bins near me, on a highly-trafficked intersection in front of a popular store in a touristy Manhattan neighborhood. For two weeks, no one bothered to report it — not anyone that lived in that building, nor any of the employees/managers of the store. Like a broken window, the two bins gathered companion trash bags, and ultimately yesterday massive pieces of plywood were dumped there. I got fed up, and reported it to 311 last night. It was all gone by noon today.

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Steev182 t1_j5pfaa7 wrote

There was a Budget box van parked on the corner of our block, over the dipped curb for the pedestrian crossing. I called after a week with the license tag and told Budget. The ticket was closed with no information. Called again a week later, closed again. Finally reported it to the police a month later, they came over, knocked on my door and asked about it. I told them it hadn't moved for over a month, it made it dangerous for pedestrians and was parked illegally. They ran the plates, saw it was stolen (apparently reported stolen before my first 311 call) and it was towed later that day.

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BacklotTram t1_j5ppe6g wrote

I’ve had good experience with 311 if you politely follow up — sometimes the notice says “3” or “10” days til the next update. You don’t always have to wait a month.

DM them on Twitter too. If the grate is actually the water department (NYC DEP) or Con Ed (not a city agency obviously) you can tweet/DM them on Twitter too.

Con Ed responds fast because they’re a private company and are liable if they ignore problems for too long.

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LeicaM6guy t1_j5qdtd4 wrote

I’ve had good results, too. We had a downstairs neighbor who just blasted his television all day and night. We could hear it through the walls and floorboards. After he stopped responding to us, we reported it to 311 and the cops came and took care of it.

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paulwhitedotnyc t1_j5s5jun wrote

Wether it gets fixed or not, that band 311 still sucks.

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ratmanjones6971 t1_j5wepno wrote

One day I randomly reported a street sign which had been defaced for YEARS on 311 just to test the system out. Within 2 weeks it was completely replaced with a new sign.

I tried it on other signs afterwords and had similar results. I was shocked that it worked that well.

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1unzippedcutoffs2 t1_j5oft32 wrote

I don’t understand the ‘amber’ references :(?

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mintpomegranate t1_j5ohyek wrote

These are people quoting song lyrics from a band that was popular in the 1990s, 311. The song is Amber (which I guess came out in 2002).

They, like me, probably don't realize how old they are. :)

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RelativeLeather5759 OP t1_j5ogjum wrote

me neither...

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spanchor t1_j5oi44g wrote

311 the band. Mid-late 90s. No idea why anyone in this sub would make that joke though.

Edit: I guess it's the post title

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mew5175_TheSecond t1_j5ohmbc wrote

311 is pretty good for non police related issues in my experience.

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tmcdowell0119 t1_j5olkin wrote

Read that as Three Eleven. And they bring it.

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Insanezer0x t1_j5olw8d wrote

Something like that it’s easier to fix on your own, I would use my car and pull the grate back City is like the cable company with appointments

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shep_pat t1_j5op5mj wrote

Well, every time I’ve used it, it was a huge pain, and nothing got done, to the point where I just won’t use it again. Good for you

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LowellGeorgeLynott t1_j5oqyz4 wrote

You must live in a prioritized neighborhood lol. I could spend 20 years asking for proper garbage cans on the street in Bk and Harlem.

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8bitaficionado t1_j5oxjs7 wrote

311 itself doesn't suck. It's the policies that suck. For example the NYPD should not be handling noise complaints.

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ji99lypu44 t1_j5pmj2d wrote

hahahah every single one of my 311 complaints were closed within 2 days and nothing was done. Id be surprised if it doesnt take 3 years to get that done

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mrmrmrj t1_j5po5ko wrote

311 is a solid band. Pretty hard to hate on them.

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I-Sleep-At-Work t1_j5ppewi wrote

old rotting tree where i park was dropping small branches on cars. called 311. 311 cut this tree half way and left(most large branches are gone, but left with like 4ft 'stump'). i followed up, they ran out of money lol so wont come back until funds are there -.-;;; guess cutting full tree down is very expensive. that was pre covid...

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[deleted] t1_j5pt4pd wrote

[deleted]

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RazorbladeApple t1_j5quwul wrote

I’ve had the opposite experience. HBD is all over my landlord due to 311 calls. We’ve had so many wars over heat & then they finally pinched him right as the boiler completely broke. They whopped him with 10 violations between two apartments who didn’t call anonymously. I wonder if there are lazy inspectors assigned to your neighborhood. Ours show to every call that’s not anonymous (but not same day) & know they will have access. Usually they’ll call, and show the next day.

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NihFin t1_j5q6r09 wrote

All of my reports to 311 got instantly closed and they didn’t do shit

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Jaudition t1_j5qaxir wrote

Lol, I got the same initial response time about a leak in my apartment that my landlord refused to fix. I moved out the apartment about three months later, and another 4 months after that I get several missed calls and an annoyed voicemail from some New York City housing inspector trying to get access to the apt.

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PorchHonky t1_j5qazbw wrote

During Covid, once construction had resumed, we had issues with the building that was being erected next to us. The construction crew, I guess was ordered to make up for the lost time, and would often work from 6am till 9 or 10 at night. This was right outside our windows, and while we were trapped at home. It was maddening!!!

I filed dozens of complaints. Each time, the case was 'closed', but those same construction hours continued. The only thing that finally put a stop to it was that the project ran out of money, and the site now sits empty, just the shell of a building. It's a whole nother headache, but a much quieter one!

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nillby t1_j5qdvad wrote

So I have about 100 closed cases by 311 for the same abandoned car that’s in front of my office for almost a year. The car is still there by the way…

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casicua t1_j5qgtkp wrote

So just to be clear: your praise here is 311 told you the case was closed, didn’t actually fix it, but said they would within a month?

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myassholealt t1_j5qom6g wrote

About 7 years ago, 311 was the bee's knees in customer service. Everyone was super cheerful and happy to help and made sure you were satisfied before they ended the call.

Now, sometimes I still get that same type of person but they're more of a go-between. You have a complaint about your building? Here's the appropriate website. Go here and file your claim. You need to know the answer to something related to the DEP? Here's their number. Call them.

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Head_Spirit_1723 t1_j5qtnlv wrote

311 used to work well! In ~2010ish I called 311 to plant a tree in front of my parents house, parks department had to remove the 80 year old tree that was there originally. Parks planted a BEAUTIFUL serviceberry tree within 2 weeks of my 311 call. The tree fell in a storm last year, I called 311 to plant a new tree, they still haven’t planted a new tree.

The city is GROSSLY understaffed right now (check out the job openings). 311 is no longer helpful.

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LoongBoat t1_j5qtq2w wrote

“It will be fixed”? “I will win Powerball”. See the pattern?

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Comprehensive_Heat25 t1_j5qxz60 wrote

But did it get fixed is the ultimate issue with 311. There’s definitely times I know for sure things are marked case closed saying work is done or the complaint has been remedied like the time I did a noise complaint on my own roommate, but that’s a story for another time.

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coloradobound373 t1_j5r50sh wrote

Yeah, better hope your complaint does not require the police in any way

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GettingPhysicl t1_j5rgcwy wrote

check back with us in 30 days. case closed doesnt mean job done lol

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RaulDukes t1_j5s2x86 wrote

I called them once years ago to tell them there was a sign that fell over and was covering a road. Weeks later I walked by and saw the same sign there on the ground, though slightly moved out the way.

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cutratestuntman t1_j5sbx6p wrote

I thought you were talking about the band. Which ACTUALLY sucks. The 311 service is pretty good.

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RelativeLeather5759 OP t1_j5twvkw wrote

ATTENTION EVERYONE, IT WAS FIXED LAST NIGHT! THE CLANKING GRATE SOUND IS GONE. FIXED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF FILING COMPLAINT TO 311.

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BasisUnlikely t1_j5u10cs wrote

When I got home from work, my two roommates (who WFH) told me a car alarm has been ringing since the morning. I made a call to 311 and within an hour, it stopped! I've only had to call 311 three times during my ten years of living in nyc, all for noise complaints, and all three cases were quickly resolved.

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