I was the first tenant to sign a lease under new management with this company known as A.C.A. A LP which owns and manages Fox Run Apartments, in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa 51054. I was given a contact name and number for a very inexperienced apartment manager that knew next to nothing. After 5 or 6 phone calls to schedule a visit to the apartment complex was frustrating enough. Must not be very motivated to fill tenants at their property.
One hour before I moved into the property, I had to call the apartment manager to tell her AGAIN that I was there at the complex ready to move in as she must have some sort of selective amnesia and can't remember dates and times. During the phone call while I was waiting around for her; her selective amnesia kicked in once again and informed me on a Saturday afternoon that the deposit money had to be in CASH only. Wow, thanks for letting me know this on a Saturday afternoon when the banks are closed. You know I just love carrying around $500 cash on me at all times.
I was pleased with the condition and price of the property so I decided to move into the property. I stayed at the property for six months and another job opportunity arose so I decided relocate to another city. Paid last months rent, moved all my property out of the apartment and gave a 30 day notice as condition of the lease. The property was clean, carpets shampooed, was cleaner when I left then when I moved in.
After a month went by I decided to contact the apartment manager as to why I haven't received my deposit money back as I gave detailed instructions to the forwarding address, obviously they got the 30 day notice as my check was promptly cashed. I was given the run around the first 2 or 3 phone calls again. At this point it was 2 months after I moved out of the property and was already annoyed when I first moved into the property.
Now back to the nightmare of getting my money back. After 3 months have lapsed trying to get my money back by playing an endless game of phone tag. I wrote a registered letter expressing my feelings and threatened to sue if the matter was not promptly resolved. Once again, this person has never heard of voicemail and doesn't know how to correctly write an address on an envelope. So after "My deadline" in the registered letter elapsed I figured it was time to bite the bullet and sue.
I was not thrilled by having to drive over 2 hours to fill out paperwork at a court house and pony up the $66 in filling costs. However, I did just that if I was ever going to recover my money. I think the legal system should team up with the medical and education system because it seemed to have cured this apartment managers amnesia and inability to use voicemail as I received a frantic voicemail days after I filled suite.
In bewilderment, this apartment manager had the audacity to say that I was only going to receive $350 of my $500 back for shampooing costs of the rugs. Hum, that's funny I remember doing that myself when I left. Plus, I took pictures of before and after and there was nothing wrong with anything. Even more insulting, I was expected to drive over 2 hours to pick up my money at her office. She refused to send the money in the mail, so I figured if she is only going to refund me 70% of my deposit and I already invested nearly $70 to recover it I was going to sue anyway.
Court was even more amusing as she claimed to have been trying to contact me, and the reason for the only a partial refund of my money for shampooing costs. When asked to produce evidence she had none. I produced my phone records, the lease, 30 day notice, the registered letter of complaint, and digital before and after pictures of the property. Needless to say I won my suite plus court costs.
Matt
N/A, Nebraska
U.S.A.
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