We have a night guard in our building complex. There are actually three. Two of them are very friendly and open the door for us, sometimes demanding a 3 kuai payment if we get back really late.
The third one just moans and bitches about everything, most notably about bringing people home, whether they are friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, couchsurfers or the odd one-night stand. He takes down their id card numbers, sometimes calls the police about it or demands 3 kuai per person.
Now I'm new to this city and I wonder: is he allowed to do any of this this? Is there a law that forbids bringing people home? After all, we rent the place, shouldn't we be able to do whatever we want with it? If he one day denies entry because we refuse to pay/send our friends away/let him take their details, what can we do?
This does not sound right.
First, you shouldn't be asked to pay 3rmb per entrance/per night. The guards get paid by the Building-Management (WuGuan). Then, as you still say they're friendly (even though you have to bribe them when you come late), I do not supposed you want to get them fired right away, which makes complaining at the management office quite a bit harder.
My advice would be to go to the management office and ask friendly if it is their policy to write down ID-card numbers of visitors and inform the police (which I don't think so) and then complain (maybe not complain but more or less inform them) about the one guard which has problems letting in people by night. Hopefully this will lead to an inspection of the guards policies and the bribing might stop.
Otherwise you could also ask your neighbors if they have to pay too, or, let it slip that you're really annoyed by paying 3rmb when you come home late. Hopefully they will have a chat with the guards and this might solve the situation.
Keep us updated.
@bluppfisk
You're very friendly person. Why are you worried about someone else's career when they obviously have no self respect and could care less about your pain. Just lodge your complaint with the Wuye - in the FULL understanding that anything you say will be passed with appropriate communication errors, directly back to the annoying guard. If you really want to be friendly - tell the guard you'll be lodging a complaint/comment about his particular gate guard practices- which seem to differ from EVERYONE elses.
On the other hand - you may want to ask the guard why he wants this information and what does he do with it - you see copying ID cards and names can lead to identity theft - and should any of your friends suffer ANY kind of identity theft - the police should obviously start their investigation with your gate guard.
As for "bribe" - most apartment complexes with gate guards usually have a curfew. I'll tip our gate guard anywhere from nothing (if I'm a few minutes late) to between ¥5-20 depending on what time in the ungodly morning I stagger home.
If I know I'll be particularly obnoxious for a given week - I'll tell the guard in advance and pre-tip them.
As for entering and exiting during normal operational hours - that's just extortion - don't pay it - just say no - but you'd better be spot on the official gate hours - check with your landlord or rental agency. If the guard is openly hostile - just be openly hostile back - intimidate him and tell him he'd better shape up or you'll complain about him to his boss - on a daily basis - make his boss's life miserable - it's cultural sensitivity to share cultures right? Share the pain.
