"On July 21st, I applied for a lease from this company (at the Kensington Place Apartments). I paid the $60 application fee ($30 for each application for myself and my fiance) with a check, which was cashed by the company. I sat in the office and filled out the application, handing it to Bonnie (the receptionist in the office). She told me she would give it to the manager and they would let me know right away if I was accepted.
I was only applying for a short-term lease. Both women knew that I had to have a place to go August 1st. I waited a week and then called them back on the 28th, but got no answer. I left them a message but did never received a call back. I was forced to find housing elsewhere.
I tried calling again (I believe it was Aug. 1st) and talked to the Manager. She said she never reviewed my application, blaming her receptionist for not giving it to her. She apologized and said she would refund my check and to expect it within the week. I never received it and started calling occasionally trying to talk to her. I did not want to speak to Bonnie about it because the manager had said it was her that never turned the application in.
Eventually, I started keeping record of my calls. I left a message for the Manager 8/25/05 at 10: am with no reponse. I called again 9/6/05 and spoke with Bonnie and told her what the Manager had told me. She proceeded to tell me that the Manager was a liar and that she would personally make sure I was refunded my check.
After not receiving it again, I called back 9/19/05 at 5 pm and got the manager personally. She told me to call her back 9/20/05 from 9:15 to 9:30 am and she would call the corporate office with me on the phone to see why the check was never issued. I called a few times in the time slot she gave me and finally got an answer at 9:45 am, then she told me she would call me right back and never did.
I called the ASK Property Management office a couple weeks ago and spoke with a woman who answered the phone and she told me she would speak with the manager and find out what was going on and call me back. I never got a call back. A week later, I looked up the company on the internet and called someone who was listed with their telephone number on the website and left a message on their voicemail saying that I was very tired of being lied to and put off and would just like to be directed to someone who could resolve my issue.in that message, I stated that I would be contacting the Better Business Bureau for resolution if nobody in their company was willing to help me. I did not receive a call back.
I think it was very wrong of them to lie to me for so long, but even more so because I had been referred to them for temporary housing because I was pregnant and we have two young children and we desperately needed somewhere to stay. I feel that I was "taken for a ride" to simply collect the application fee."
This is the report that I filed with the BBB. The company was very firm that they were not willing to refund my money. They said they did run the applications and therefore would not give me the money back. Which, when I spoke with the apartment manager August 1st, she said she had to go look for them and they were on the receptionist's desk, never viewed. So why, then, after she OFFERED to refund my money, would they run the application? The company responded to the BBB with a bunch of lies and the BBB closed the case.
The very least they could have done was tell me from the beginning that it was just too bad that they didn't review my apps and they were going to keep the money.
It's a matter of opinion, but I think that this company acts very classless to take advantage of low-income families. There were several times I could have used that money. I guess $60 doesn't buy much for them, but it would have been a week's worth of groceries in my house.
Watch out for this company, I haven't seen them reported on here before but I am not the first to take issue with them. There are four other cases against them (three were resolved, lucky people) and they do not have good standing with the BBB. I never thought to check them out before applying for temporary housing with them, but I hope others do.
Amanda
Cambridge, Minnesota
U.S.A.
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