ok, so the person at the desk of my building today greeted me as the elevator doors opened with "residents are complaining about the elevators being scratched up, so you'll have to use the freight elevator."

Huh?

OK, I moved in 2 days ago. I'm a biker, not a freaking furniture mover. I pay condo fees too. And since when do a few scratches point directly to my bike?

I'm super careful, but because of my ride, I'm now a scapegoat.

My bikes go in and out of the building 4x a day. Considering the 5 min wait for that specific elevator, we're talking about a 20-minute daily drain on my life.

AARGH! Anyone else dealt with this?

Never dealt with it....but I'd suggest asking to meet one on one with the manager and explain the whole thing to them like you are here. Hopefully they will be intelligent and reasonable.

Ask the management when the other residents complained, and how long the scratches have been there. If you've only lived there two days, probably not you.
Find out if they have a written policy about bicycles, or if it is spelled out in the condo documents.
If they insist on your using the freight elevator, ask them for an override key, if the controls are set up for one. Would bypass normal service and come to your call.
You could ask them to supply a bike locker reserved for your use on the ground floor.

That really sucks that they are accusing you of scratching up the place.
You should diplomatically ask your building manager or condo association if
it is possible the scratches could have come from someone else. People
doing light moving, dogs, little kids, that sort of thing. Explain that you would
scrape your bike since it is something that you love. You are right on that
you pay assessments for a reason.

I actually turned down a condo because the managment told me I had to keep
my bikes in the common bike room.

jeff

Or just to spite them take the elevator and scratch it up... Haha. Don't do that.