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‘My Karen era has been unlocked and it’s working in my favor’: TikToker says negative review got her out of lease

‘Telling the truth doesn’t make you a Karen.’

Photo of Laiken Neumann

Laiken Neumann

woman looking puzzled (l) woman cheering (r)

A TikToker says she got out of her lease after leaving a negative review about the apartment online in a viral video.

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“When you leave such a negative review online about your new apartment that they offer to end your lease early without any fees,” Jessica Valadez (@iamjessvaladez) wrote via text on the video.

The TikToker dances to DJ Khaled’s “Major Bag Alert” while announcing the beginning of her “Karen era.” 

“My Karen era has been unlocked and it’s working in my favor,” the text overlay reads.

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The TikToker questioned if this could be considered a “life hack” in the caption.

https://www.tiktok.com/@iamjessvaladez/video/7069977142590836010/

In a follow-up video, Valadez shares a screenshot of the review she left on apartmentratings.com. She said in the review that the mailroom was broken into, and many of her packages were stolen, with little action taken by management.  Other issues mentioned include “unkempt” units, thin walls, lopsided floors, and “impossible” parking.

https://www.tiktok.com/@iamjessvaladez/video/7070231788928617774/
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The initial video received over 186,000 views, and several users shared their own experiences with bad reviews.

“Me when i left a bad review on Olive Gardens yelp and they emailed me a $100 gift card,” one user said.

“I left a bad review for an eyeglass place and I got a free pair of ray bans,” said another.

“I left a review with a photo of my CHOPPED eyelashes after using a new eyelash curler (valid) and they gave me a 30$ Amazon gift card,” said a third. 

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However, others weren’t so lucky.

“The apartment just deleted my bad reviews off Google only kept the nicer pictures i included,” one user said.

“I left a bad review at a Dr’s place and they harassed me to take it down,” said another. 

Many users discussed the difference between being a Karen and being assertive.

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“Lemme tell you the first time I figured out I could get things as an adult by complaining was a power trip,” one user said.

“Learning the difference between a Karen who verbally abused employees and a woman who asserts herself was big for me,” said another.

“Telling the truth doesn’t make you a Karen. standing up for yourself doesn’t make you a Karen,” a third user said.

The Daily Dot reached out to user Valadez via Instagram message.

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