During my first phone conversation with Matt Leary of Grand Central Apartments, I was assured that they had many apartments in their database that filled my criteria. I met with Mr. Leary on April 1, and we went over the terms of their contract. He was still quite confident that they would be able to find something in my price range and with the amenities that I wanted. I specifically asked Mr. Leary if finding an apartment on my own through a landlord was terms for a refund; he stated that it was.
After a few weeks of receiving listings that were inappropriate due to their location and their quality, I sent Mr. Leary an email stating that I was dissatisfied with Grand Central Apartments and would like a refund; I received no response from him. On April 11 I found an apartment on Craigslist.org and contacted the landlord, Mr. Joe Plunkett. I have an email dated April 12 that references our phone conversation on the 11th. On April 13, Grand Central Apartments sent me a listing for one of Mr. Plunkett's apartments, though not the one that we ended up taking. We signed the lease for the apartment in mid-April, but received NO assistance from Grand Central Apartments; at this point, I had already spoken with Chris O'Brien regarding the refund process, and did not feel comfortable utilizing their services.
I followed Grand Central Apartment's procedure for obtaining a refund and spoke with Mr. O'Brien personally about the timing of my first conversation with the landlord; I included both the email to this landlord and the listing from Grand Central in my refund request. After the three-week processing period passed, I called Mr. O'Brien on Thursday, July 7; he stated that he had personally delivered my letter to the president, and that everything looked good. The next day, Friday, July 8, I received a letter from Mr. O'Brien stating that my request for a refund had been denied because the same apartment had been listed at the same time on their website. The emails that I attached to my complaint clearly show that this was not the case.
When I called Grand Central to dispute their refusal to give a refund, I was first put on the phone with a girl that claimed that Mr. Plunkett's information was already on their website when I contacted him, and that is why I was refused a refund. When I explained that I had proof that this was not the case, she became very flustered, put me on hold repeatedly, and finally put me through to the president. This gentleman used completely irrational arguments to try to prove his point, and after I continued to argue with him, he became extremely condescending, stating: "I don't need to rent an apartment, and I certainly don't need to worry about $265; you do the math." If this is an attempt on his part to shame me out of seeking a refund that I am clearly entitled to, he is wrong.
In conclusion, I believe that Grand Central Apartments is misleading and a scam. They did not fulfill their contractual obligation to send me quality apartments; in fact, I probably only received about 7 listings in all. Since I was assured by Mr. Leary that finding an apartment on my own through a landlord was grounds for a refund, and this is what I in fact did, I believe I am entitled to a refund of $265.
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