Scenario Description: Laura and Robert are looking to rent an apartment. They have a six-year-old son and no pets. They are looking to relocate to a small town called Stuttgart for a one-year job assignment. They have just arrived in town and checked into the Days Inn and Suites Hotel.
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| Role | Dialog |
| Narrator | Laura and Robert are looking to rent an apartment. They have a six-year-old son and no pets. They are looking to relocate to a small town called Stuttgart for a one-year job assignment. They have just arrived in town and checked into the Days Inn and Suites Hotel. |
| Laura | Yes, we have a reservation for three in the name of Jang. |
| Front Desk | Just a moment while I pull up your reservation… Yes, here it is. One-week stay, one room, two queen beds, non‑smoking. We have a 2nd floor room available with a pool-side view if you like. |
| Laura | Yes, that would be nice. |
| Front Desk | We offer free continental breakfast and free high-speed Internet Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. You’ll be in Room 201. Here are your room keys. The elevator is right around the corner. Do you need help with your bags? |
| Laura | No, we have the rolling kind. We’ll take care of them ourselves. Thank you. |
| Front Desk | No problem. Enjoy your stay. Just dial ‘0’ on your room phone if you need anything. |
| Robert | Okay, here we are. Whew, what a long trip! It’s late. Let’s take a short swim in the pool and go to bed. We can start fresh and early tomorrow morning. |
| Laura | Sounds good. I’m tired too. |
| Narrator | (Next morning, they wake up and go down to the front desk.) |
| Laura | Hi. We’ll be looking for an apartment in this area. Can you recommend a good one to us? |
| Front Desk | The only two I know about in Stuttgart would be the Valley Estates Apartments or the Stuttgart Apartments. |
| Laura | Thanks. |
| Robert | (calling the Valley Estates Apartments on his cell phone) Hi, we’re looking for a 2-bedroom apartment for immediate move-in. |
| VE Apts | I’m sorry. We only have 1- and 3-bedroom apartments. Would a 3-bedroom apartment serve your needs? |
| Robert | Yes, it probably would but that would be more room than we need. We’ll check around some more and perhaps call you back. |
| VE Apts | No problem. Goodbye. |
| Robert | No luck there. Let me try the Stuttgart Apartments. (calling) Stuttgart Apartments? Yes, we’re looking for a 2-bedroom apartment for immediate move-in. Would you happen to have any available at the moment? |
| Stutt Apts | Well, we happen to have one unit available. The tenant just moved out last month. It’s just been cleaned and freshly painted. Would you like to come by and see it? |
| Laura | Yes. We’ll be there in about half an hour. |
| Stutt Apts | That’s fine. We’ll be expecting you. |
| Laura | Yay! Let’s get moving! |
| Narrator | Robert, Laura, and son arrive at the Stuttgart Apartments complex. |
| Laura | There’s the office over there. We can park in one of those visitor parking spots. |
| Robert | I see them. (He parks the car and the family enters the apartment office and sees a young blonde woman.) |
| Della | Hello, my name is Della. Are you the one I spoke with on the phone a few minutes ago? |
| Robert | The very same. It’s nice to meet you, Della. I’m Robert. This is my wife Laura and my son Mikey. |
| Della | Nice to meet all of you. Please have a seat and we’ll get down to business and try to take care of all your needs. We only offer one-year leases. Is that acceptable? |
| Robert | Yes, that’s perfect. Are your apartments furnished? |
| Della | No, but there are several furniture rental places in this area that are reasonably priced. They deliver and set up all the furniture, so it’s really convenient. They’ll probably require a one-year lease as well. |
| Laura | Can we see what one of your 2-bedroom apartments looks like? |
| Della | Absolutely. Let me get the keys to one of our empty units and I can show you right now. We only have one floor model; it’s 2-bedroom, 1 bath, 710 square feet, so that’s the one I’m going to show you. |
| Laura | Great. |
| Della | This unit has a bathtub and shower, ceiling fans, dishwasher, garbage disposal, range – all the usual stuff. Water and trash removal are free. We charge a one-time application fee of $50. The living space is carpeted. We have walk-in closets and window blinds. The units are cable-ready if you want to get cable TV service. We also offer a community pool and clubhouse. We have an onsite, coin-operated laundromat so you can wash your clothes. Park Avenue Elementary School is not far away and offers kindergarten through 4th Grade for your son. |
| Robert | That’s great! I can’t wait to get moved in. What’s the process? |
| Della | You have to fill out an application with your employment and financial information so we can check your credit. If everything checks out okay, your application will be approved. Once that happens, you just have to pay us two-months’ deposit and you can then move in immediately. One month’s payment is a security deposit to pay for any damages to the apartment due to your neglect, and the other month’s payment is just your first month’s rent paid in advance. After that, you just pay monthly till your lease is up. |
| Laura | Great. Let’s get the paperwork started! |
| Narrator | Later, Robert and Laura are informed that their application has been approved. They obtain the apartment keys and enter the empty apartment to look around. |
| Laura | Okay, now all we need are furniture and groceries. Let’s get the furniture-rental process started. (dialing on her phone) |
| Aaron’s | Aaron’s Furniture Rental. My name is Paul. What can I do for you? |
| Laura | Hi, Paul. I need to rent some furniture for a 2-bedroom apartment for one year. Is that something you can do for me? |
| Paul | Yes, ma’am. That’s our business. You can rent by the piece or by the package. For example, a two-bedroom package will save you money compared to renting the individual pieces separately. |
| Laura | Can we come by and see what you have? |
| Paul | Certainly. We’re located at 401 West Michigan Street in Stuttgart, Arkansas. We’re open till 5:00 pm today. |
| Narrator | Robert and Laura and son visit Aaron’s Furniture Rental. |
| Paul | Good afternoon. My name is Paul. How may I help you? |
| Robert | We called earlier about renting some furniture for a 2-bedroom apartment. |
| Paul | Ah, yes. I remember. Let me show you what we have. Our 2-bedroom package comes with a queen bed, dresser, chest of drawers, and two nightstands for the master bedroom, and a double bed, chest of drawers, and one nightstand for the other bedroom. It includes a coffee table, couch, and two armchairs for the living room, and a 4-chair dinette set for the dining room. Anything else, such as lamps, ottomans, hat racks, and decorations are available at additional charge. |
| Robert | Okay. I’d like to upgrade one armchair to a nice, comfortable swivel rocker. |
| Paul | Okay, we can do that for you. Let me add up all the selections. (later) Okay, here’s your contract. Sign there. We require a $100 deposit to cover incidental damages to the furniture. You’ll get it back at the end of the contract as long as the furniture is returned in good condition. When would you like delivery? |
| Laura | We’re ready to move in. Would today or tomorrow be possible? |
| Paul | Let me look at our truck dispatch orders…. You’re in luck. He’s just returned from his last drop-off, so we can do you this afternoon. How does 4:00 pm sound? |
| Laura | Perfect! We’ll be waiting. Our address is already listed on the contract. Thanks! |
| Narrator | Later, the furniture is delivered and its receipt is signed for. |
| Robert | Next, we need to buy some groceries. We can check out of the hotel and stay here tonight. |
| Laura | Agreed. I’ll unpack the bedsheets and blankets. Then all we’ll need to do is to get our son enrolled into an elementary school. I sure hope he can start first grade directly without having to attend kindergarten first. I’ve heard some states require some amount of kindergarten before first grade. I’m not sure what Arkansas requires. |
| Robert | I guess we’ll find out tomorrow. |
| Narrator | to be continued. |
