security deposit

why can't landlords/ladies give tenants back their security deposits back in a reasonable amount of time? the building manager from my pasadena apartment, being a crackhead, stopped returning my calls about getting my deposit back. i had to email the city of pasadena to find out who the building owner was, google her, found another business that she owned, and then email her through through her other business's website. she was furious that i contacted her (go figure) and thought i was being inappropriate in contacting her...although it took her about 3 months to mail out the deposit to me. per pasadena's law, the landowner has 30 days to give the tenant his/her deposit.

the issue i currently have concerns our old apartment in manhattan. we moved out at the end of august. i've been calling the company for the past 2 months regarding our deposit. they kept telling us that they were sending it out. it never happened. i'm getting ready to send them a letter to state that i will be filing a formal complaint with the city attorney general. under new york laws, the landowner has to give the tenant his/her deposit back with a "reasonable amount of time". why must i resort to this? why can't they just do what's fair? is that too much to ask? i hate people who can't just buckle down and do their job. argh. if anyone has any tips, please share.