Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Carmel Sloans Lake apartments - Until I moved out.
First of all, to give you an idea of who you're dealing with:
I had just finished moving out, for good - just to another town about 20 minutes away. I received a package at the Sloans Lake apartments and instead of getting a phone call to let me know that I had a package that had been delivered and to come get it (or perhaps they could forward it to me at my new address), I called to ask them something pertaining to our apartment and while on the phone, I was told, "oh yea, we have a package for you here. I was going to return it to sender, but if you can make it back here to get it then I'll write a note on it." Come on now... What would cause them to not at the very least, call me and let me know? They've called me plenty of times before on my cell phone, so why not now? I was just there 20 minutes ago and you don't consider calling me to let me know that a large package had just arrived for me... Around Christmas time?
So, I've been living at my new place for about 3 months now, and the other day, I get a call from a collections agency letting me know that Carmel Sloans Lake Apartments had stuck me with a $1,000 (rounded down) bill for repairs and maintenance in the old apartment. Since I moved I haven't heard anything from them. I got plenty of calls from them while living in the Sloans Lake Apartment, so why had I not received a telephone call from them letting me know that I had a large bill to pay? This cost was for replacing the carpet in the old apartment, which admittedly, was stained in a few spots from paint (my fiance is a painter). Did they have to replace the entire carpet? Probably not. Did they decide to charge us as if they had replaced the whole carpet? Absolutely. Especially when you consider that they had a $600 deposit from us, which they kept, and now they billed us for an additional $1000.
So about the money... Forget it. That's not the issue. I can live with the fact that they billed us an extremely high amount for 600 square feet, minus the kitchen and bathroom, of carpeting. Where the issue lies for me is in the inconsideration and lack of integrity in their actions. They have my new address, my cell phone number, which has remained the same throughout the entire 2 years I lived there and to this day, and the two other cosigners' phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. The truth of the matter is simply that they DID NOT CARE about us in a way that would cause them to follow up with us in a considerate and compassionate mannor. They didn't call us to talk about any charges, email us, send us a letter - nothing.instead, they decided that they would submit our bill to collections and let them take it from there. I had a sense that there was a lack of integrity within the administration there from the beginning, but only after I had turned in the keys and moved out for good did I see this first-hand. I can't help but believe that there was an element of intentionality behind this and that this wasn't just a fluke - someone forgetting to let us know... A few times. I firmly believe, from as honest a perspective as I believe I can come from, that they purposely DID NOT notify us of the charges so that we couldn't refute them and we'd have to deal with the collections agency instead of them.
If you are considering moving into this place, I just want you to know what you're getting involved with. While people can change, there has to be events or realizations that influence them to do so. Has this happened in the last few weeks? Possibly. Likely? I'd like to think that it is. But the fact is that we were treated without respect. There was no concern for our well-being once we left their establishment for good. There are some other places around the area which I would advise looking into. Though I do not have experience with the administrations of those places, I do have negative experiences with the Carmel Sloans Lake Apartments administration.
Hope you find the right place to spend the next chapter of your life. Have fun.
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