It seems Taiwanese actress-model Sonia Sui and husband Tony Hsieh are engaged in a battle of sorts against their downstairs neighbours who complained their three children Max, Lucy and Olie made too much noise. Whilst the issue has since been forwarded to the courts for resolution, Sonia wrote a lengthy post on social media explaining her side of the story.
Honouring the Neighbour’s “Requests”
According to Sonia they felt pretty calm when news of the dispute broke out. After all, each time their neighbours didn’t get their way, they would always pull out the “I know a lot of people in the media” card. She says though that she feels sorry for her neighbour’s wife downstairs who appears to be more sensitive to sound. Knowing beforehand that it’s a no easy task to keep a firm hand on three children and to keep their noise level down, they ensured whatever equipment and soundproofing needed was put into place during renovations to buffer the noise.
Moreover, they also made sure to meet the “requests” put in by the neighbour’s wife so she could be more comfortable. First they poured a thicker layer (30 cm thick!) for the floor to further soundproof the area. They also added foam under the stairs per her stipulation to cushion the vibrations whenever someone went up and down the stairs. They even gave in to the request to cut the old tree in the yard so that its branches will no longer disturb the neighbours when the wind blows and it hits their windows. In the grand scheme of things, this is trivial and not difficult to fulfil, she said.
However, what Sonia says is difficult to deal with, is how these demands seem to have no end. Not to mention how the wife would yell at the kids when she bumps into them or how she’d ring the bell and make a scene whilst complaining loudly for them to be quiet. For a time, Sonia said things appeared to be moving in the right direction when the husband approached them to discuss the situation. He also apologised for his wife’s antics and for pounding on the door yelling and scaring the kids. However it looks like things fell through.
“Too Rowdy”
Meanwhile, the downstairs neighbours in question claimed that the children were simply too rowdy and that the noise they made (as early as 6 am!) when running up and down the stairs, playing the piano and moving around the house was simply too much. Moreover, they said the noise from the children made it impossible to sleep.
When the matter was first raised to Sonia, the neighbours claimed that she was very dismissive of their concerns telling them to “just wake up earlier” as it is hard to control young kids. They then reached out to her husband Tony next. They said that although he was more amenable and that the situation improved, it didn’t last. When the neighbour once again approached Tony, he just wasn’t having it anymore. Aside from saying that the issues they raised were “full of incorrect information”, Tony also accused them of continuing to “harass his family” since they moved in.
The neighbours allegedly said that after putting up with it and trying to resolve the matter amicably with the couple, they’re now left with no choice but to pursue legal means to resolve the situation.
He Said, She Said
It’s now become a he-said, she-said. Sonia’s husband Tony also took to social media with what he claims to be testimonies from a former resident, a mother of two, who says she also had to deal with the same neighbour that would complain about noise. She claims the neighbour’s wife even intimidated her kids, came to complain while carrying a hammer, and she has a photo of it.
Source: 1
moon
Looking at the picture about, which appears to be the parents posing for some shot….none of the kids were still. Heck, one appears ready to jump off his chair. So, looks like there may be some truth in that they simply aren’t able to control their rowdy children. Of course, Tony can share the hammer pic which he claims he has? No one should ever intimidate children!
Lisa
They’re three young kids… to expect them to sit still and not move is ridiculous. I’m sure it is annoying to live downstairs from a lot of ruckus, but I also don’t think it’s reasonable to expect parents to keep her children from playing. Short of tying them up or hitting them, which is child abuse, what can they really do? Aside from running, she’s also complaining about them playing the piano? So what are they allowed to do? Is their piano that loud? She seems very sensitive to noise. Maybe she should move to a house to avoid this situation.
moon
I don’t think you understand what I’m saying…just look at your social media or family pics that you ultimately shared with others. Don’t look at ones when your kids are 2 or 3 yrs old but 5 and older (they look 5+) and see how your kids are behaving in the pics. To think that the above is the best still pic she can find to post, it tells you something. Also, I think people always say “just move” to deal with annoying neighbors but it’s not easy to move and uproot what you have (the home you built/memories, furnitures, and the expense of moving etc) just because you have disrespectful people not caring.
geometry dash
She remembered being informed by another neighbor that the residents below her are “a touch difficult” the first time she went to inspect the flat.