Why is Paula unhappy?

W: Hello.
M: Hello, Sam, This is Paula Handson. Sorry to bother you. But I’m having a small problem I thought you might be able to help me with.
W: Sure, Paula. What’s up?
M: Well, you know Sarah and I moved into off-campus apartment in the fall, over on the west side of town? Anyway we’ve been happy with it until the past couple of months.
W: Yeah. What happened?
M: Well, the dishwasher broke down. So we report it to Ms. Connors, the owner, she said she’d take care of it. But a month went by and nothing happened.
W: Did you get back in touch with her?
M: I got a repair person to give me an estimate, then I sent it to her. When I didn’t hear from her, I had the repair done. And I deducted the cost from the rent check.
W: So what’s the problem?
M: She called here mad as a hornet. She said she could have gotten the repair done for less money. Now she’s threatening to evict us for not paying the full rent.
W: Hole on, Paula. It does sound pretty serious. But I’m sure you can all sit down and work this out.
M: Well, you are over at the law school. So I wondered if you would mind coming with Sarah and me when we go to talk to Ms. Connors. We’re supposed to meet with her tomorrow night at eight.
W: Sure. I haven’t studied a lot about contracts yet. But I’d be glad to help you straighten things out. Why don’t I stop by at about 7:30?
M: Thanks, Sam. You’re a lifesaver.