Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 9, 2015/06/01) */ Hello Mr [redacted] , Attached please find the following sets of information pertaining to case # [redacted] : Your letter dated May 12, 2015; May email from [redacted] , President of the Board of Directors in response to the complaint Please feel free to contact Mr [redacted] with any questions you may have; [redacted] 's account ledger as of today; multiple emails as back correspondence Legal demand letter Amended Declaration Gassen Company, as the managing agent for Greensboro Square Condominium Association, is obligated to comply with the governing documents of the Association, pertaining to any past due accounts Article IX of the Amended Declaration (starts on page 10) addresses the Assessments charged to each Homeowner and Article XVII (starts on page 19) references to Compliance & Defaults At no time did Management ever advise Ms [redacted] to "stop bothering them" as her complaint states Ms [redacted] is current on her association fees as indicated on her account ledger
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/27) */
Thank you for reaching out to Gassen Company with your concerns
It is our policy to respond to homeowners and maintenance issues within hoursAll efforts are made to answer any questions or concerns the homeowner may have
Management
does not have any documentation of Jeff leaving a message for our office, although we have multiple e-mails which we have responded to, per our policyIn additional to the personal attention to Mr***, we have submitted an average of emails per month to all owners in an effort to keep them informed of various projects
With respect to the door closer, unfortunately it was my misunderstanding of which door had the problemI was under the assumption this door was repaired based on previous work ordersOnce I realized this was a new issue, the work order was placed and fixed the next dayI apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the homeowner
With respect to the leak, *** Plumbing and Heating was initially contacted on March 12thOn March 13th a tech arrived to investigate the leak which was traced to the above unitThe plumber caulked the effected space as the water could be wicking between the two unitsI was notified on Wednesday, March 18th the area was still leakingOn March 19th the plumber was unable to locate the sourceLate afternoon, Friday, March 20th after entering various units, a temporary patch was madeAt that time Management was informed that the water would need to be shut off for the "plumbing stack" units on Monday, 23rd for approximately hoursAs a result, Management submitted a notification to these homeowners letting them know of the disruption in serviceAs it turned out the water was shut off to many units by *** without notification to ManagementThe repair was made by 2:that afternoon and water was restored
Regarding the A/C chiller being turned on, it is not typical for the chiller to be turned on in the early part of MarchManagement consulted with Air-Tech, a professional H/V/AC company and the Board and based on their recommendations it was decided not to turn on the chillers2-homeowners had issued complaints regarding the temperatures in their unit (during the few days of warm weather); there are units in this community
As management is notified of any maintenance issues, we will assess the problem, notify the proper vendor, acquire approval, if necessary, and follow through with the vendorUnfortunately, management cannot control the scheduling of our vendors although we do put forward our best effort to ensure repairs are made timely
We would like to reiterate Gassen Company's commitment to customer service for all homeowners within the AssociationGassen is preforming per the contract with the Homeowner Association and we will continue to strive to exceed the client's expectationsIn efforts accomplish this we do welcome feedback from all owners
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Gassen mentions their hour response time in the beginning of their reply to this complaint, but in the past year, I have found they frequently do not respond within hours--sometimes it takes more than two weeks and multiple communication attempts to elicit a replyI have the documentation to back this up
Now that I submitted a Revdex.com complaint after multiple terrible experiences with this company, Gassen then has the rather curious timing of failing to notify me of a water shutoff for a leak I have been reporting and asking about for the previous daysThis shutoff prevented me from showering or even brushing my teeth before leaving on Monday morning
Retaliatory? I just submitted a Revdex.com complaint the previous Thursday
Why would they not simply notify the entire building when there is going to be a water shut off that was scheduled in advance? That is how water shutoffs were handled in this building in the pastNo one is caught by surprise when everyone is notified--but that wouldn't be very retaliatory would it? I've asked around the building but have not been able to find any other residents that were unaware of the shutoffThe readers of this complaint can decide for themselves if this was a retaliatory action by GassenAt the end of the day, how is it possible to trust a company that treats customers like that?
Then there is the mistake noted by Gassen in their response regarding which door needed serviceApparently, I need to re-post all of the communications I have written to GassenIt is extremely unlikely that a competent person would mistake the door I was referring to in the original communication I sentAgain, delays and poor service with nothing but excuses and apologies afterwards--in my experiences, that is the Gassen way
Gassen speaks to the AC chiller not being turned on so earlyThat goes to show they do not understand the building they are managingNormally our chiller is turned on significantly earlier than it was this yearI can also prove that I am not the only resident that had to send requests (for weeks!) to get the system started (I am writing from a four-pipe building--so it's not like they had to turn off the heat)Of course, Gassen knows more about what it is like living here than we (the residents) do--even though they only have one year of "service" on this propertyReally, why would they even care when services get turned on or off? It would seem from my perspective that they are intentionally trying to make life as miserable as possible for residents in lieu of actually doing any timely work
Let's not forget about the door repairs eitherThe original complaint was regarding three problems with an old panic bar--loose and rattling, loud banging when opened, and loss of 90% of the paint due to excessive wear and tearWhat did they do to fix it? They tightened the bar so it doesn't rattle in its frameI suppose I should compliment them for achieving 33% effective serviceYet again, they really stretched themselves to ensure our community has well-maintained common elementsApparently, worn off paint and loud, worn out mechanisms are perfectly acceptable to them--especially when the original complaint notes the chronic loss of sleep this is causing due to the noise in my unit
It looks clear that no amount of writing on the Revdex.com's site is going to change anything with this companyTheir record of complaints (make that now--just in the past three years) with (make that 12) unresolved to customer's satisfaction speaks for itselfI'd call that a pattern of poor customer service--certainly not emblematic of an "A" rated companyConsistent with the chronically lousy service I have experienced
Considering the complaint history, you may wonder why I would even bother to report against Gassen...If you are considering Gassen to "manage" your condo community, I suggest that you run, not walk, to the next available optionI sincerely believe your residents will thank you if they have any idea of what it is like to deal with this company on a regular basis as a customer
Moving forward, I will continue to notify our board of directors of the problems with this "service" company and avail myself of other appropriate avenues to get problems resolvedIn summary, my learned-the-hard-way advice to anyone looking for a management service company would be to avoid Gassen!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/04/14) */
Mr***, while I understand Mr***'s frustration I can assure you that Gassen Management never retaliates! We are here to serve our clients, sometimes situations are out of our control as was the case herePlease advise Mr*** to contact me directly if he has any other challengesI left Mr*** a message weeks ago offering my assistance as well
*** Gassen CEO/Owner of Gassen Management
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/06) */
I am in receipt of your letter dated October 24, regarding the above referenced case
numberWhile I understand Ms*** frustration with having to purchase resale documents in order to sell her home, please note that our pricing is
competitive with other management companies in Minnesota
Gassen Company provides this service to our clients as required by the State of Minnesota on behalf of the board of directorsIn order to ensure accuracy, we spend a significant amount of time and resources preparing the website for ease of use as well as staffing hours for those clients - who prefer to order these documents over the phoneOver the years we have complied pricing comparisons and made sure we are charging a fare price for these documents
Your letter states Ms*** is looking for a full refund and an apology letterMs*** received the information required to sell her home so I do not see why a full refund or apology is warrantedHowever, I am willing to provide a refund to show Ms*** I understand her frustration with the cost
Please let me know how Ms*** feels about our offer at your earliest convenience
Sincerely,
*** *** Gassen Company, Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/11/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Mr*** ***,
I am not very happy that you even brought up the fact that I received information required to sell my home, seriously? Do you even know or are you fully aware of how I was treated by of your employees (*** *** and *** *** I can send you the emails directly so you can see how they did treat me, do you want them? Do you honestly think when a customer of yours sends an email with multiple questions (listed in bullet point format) that that warrants an email telling me to go to such and such a website with no explanationI have never received an apology for how I was treatedI would hope that you would reconsider your offerI would really like an apology along with a full refund to make amends for the way that I was treated and for your companies lack of customer serviceThank you, *** ***
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2014/11/26) */
I am in receipt of your letter dated November 18, regarding the above reference caseAgain, I have researched the complaint from Ms*** and found that *** *** actually filled out the dues current letter for Ms***Please see the attached e-mails Where the communication between Ms*** and *** *** appears to be excellent and Ms*** is thanking *** *** for her serviceMs*** originally sent an e~mail to Mr*** who, as the Association Manager doesn't handle the resale documents; as a result he forwarded the e-mail from Ms*** onto *** *** to process
As you see, there is no foundation for an apology letter or refundHowever, I am still Willing to provide Ms*** With at $discount for any misunderstanding even though We processed
Ms*** request the same day *** *** received it
It is my expectation this case is closed as satisfied based on this response and the enclosed emails
Sincerely,
Gassen Management
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/03) */
I am responding to a complaint filed by *** who lives in the Devonwood Association that Gassen Company has been hired to be the management agent for by the Board of DirectorsAttached please find copies of all the correspondence
sent to *** for the charge of wood replacement she is referencingAdditionally the claim that she does not have railings on her unit is not true; the porch / patio on this unit is screened in and it does have a railing along the outer edge of the patio
The Board completes wood replacement each and every year on a number of buildings and sends correspondence to owners with the total that is due to the Association allowing days for owners to pay
Gassen Company feels as though we have provided *** with all the necessary correspondence and documentation regarding this matter; if there is anything else she is requesting, please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I will promptly provide it to ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/03/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They have not included the letter of april 2014, This letter has been requested several times and has not been produced and it is the one in great question as it tells in details what we as homeowners are to payI would like a copy of this letter as proof that I may have misread the letter
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/03/16) */
***response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system)
I am responding to the response from the Homeowner regarding this matterThe attached letter was also sent to all owners who were having wood replacement work done on their homes this past spring summer season on April 14,
We have provided this owner with all the documentation she has requested over the past year regarding the wood replacement matter
Thank you for your assistance in this matter and please feel free to contact me directly should you need any additional informationI can be reached at *** or via email at
***@gassen.com
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/28) */
Please note that the glass for the fire extinguisher has been replaced. The carpet on the stairs was repaired before the date of this complaint. Please see attached photos.
see attachedThe complaint notice regarding Mr. [redacted] has been received by Gassen Company. Please consider this letter a response to the complaint. In 2015, Huntington Cove HOA hired a paint contractor to paint all exterior wood trim on the 24 association units. Homeowners were notified of...
the project through mailings and via the annual meeting minutes. Each homeowner was assessed $135.00 for the painting of their unit's exterior trim.In March 2016, the Huntington Cove Board of Directors requested that [redacted], Association Manager, place the delinquent homeowner unit accounts with the office of Roeder Smith Jaden. Because the delinquent account was placed with the attorney, all communication regarding the account is directed to the attorney's office. Mr. [redacted] was directed to contract the attorney with any questions regarding his account. Mr. [redacted]'s account was charged $65 for the attorney demand letter and $88.50 for attorney communications. Per the Board's decision, the legal fees will not be waived. Per the Declarations of Huntington Cove, Section 6.1 d, all legal fees incurred by the association in connection with the collection of assessments and the enforcement of the Governing Documents, MCOIA, or the Rules and Regulations may be assessed against the owners unit.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/06/23) */
I am writing in response to the complaint you have received from [redacted] regarding this matter.
The Board of Directors of the Devonwood Association has approved the roof and skylights to be replaced on Mr. [redacted] building as well as...
another building at Devonwood; this is starting on June 29th. The Board has worked very diligently to obtain bids and approve one in a timely manner to move forward with this roof replacement project.
Per the documents of the Association, interior damages not covered by the Association insurance policy do fall back onto the owner through their individual HO6 policy. Additionally skylights are an owner matter to be responsible for as well, and this expense will be billed back to Mr. [redacted] after the roof replacement project is completed.
We have been in constant contact with Mr. [redacted] by giving him correspondence backup for the past 3 years and answering numerous emails from him and his real estate agent.
Please contact me should you have any additional questions or need any additional backup regarding this information.
I am rejecting this response because:Steve presented documented false statement as true. He never asked why the deputy was coming and even made it a point to say that when he comes he could knock on the window! Never asked why he'd be there which was to file a report against a prior official as the people he'd need information from would be there, for efficiency. They had filed one with another organization but I was told I could submit that.I did ask a question during the beginning of the meeting while they were looking for the treasurer report, and that was if there would be an OPEN FORUM! To say I was interrupting is odd. I then asked if they could add someone to the agenda which was the deputy.This wasn't about what he responded with, I was asking him to correct some issues. Instead he launches into an Ad hominem attack against me.He didn't address what was brought up here. They passed a sheet asking who wanted physical copies of the financials, not to be told to look on the website which didn't have it until this complaint.Steve didn't seem to change his tone. I also haven't received an apology.No public board meeting since annual meeting in April is unusual and they've met at least a couple of times since then, seems questionable. They could have private sections of the meeting like they did in November, seems very unusual that the whole meeting would be secret. They even discussed things such as putting items on the website and communication, doesn't seem like closed meeting discussion!As for wanting action by owners I was presenting facts. The board didn't want people contacting them.They also were Not putting funds into reserves, how come they didn't appear to be actioning on that?They also weren't getting monthly reports consistently, how come they didn't appear to be actioning on that?Majority of board on there for majority of last 4 years. When I tried to talk to one of them about the issues they didn't even seem interested in replacing the prior property manager and look at all these issues!A board member was also Presenting something documented false as being true at this November board meeting.
see attached The letter dated April 21, 2016 from the Revdex.com regarding ID [redacted], has been received in the Gassen office. As stated in the previously provided response, the Board of Directors of Huntington Cove HOA will not remove the $65.00 in legal fees from the account of [redacted]. This is a decision by the Board of Directors of Huntington Cove HOA to Gassen Company.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/14) */
[redacted]response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system).
Gassen Company received the above referenced complaint regarding its management of Countryside West Condominium...
Association ("Association"). This letter constitutes Gassen's response to Dr. [redacted]' complaint.
Dr. [redacted] reside in the Countryside West condominium community. Countryside West is an apartment-style condominium. Dr. [redacted] greatly oversimplifies the facts of this situation, which began when the owner of the unit below Dr. [redacted]' unit notified Gassen of water damage to her ceiling, directly below Dr. [redacted]' bathroom. While several contractors did inspect Dr. [redacted]' toilet and bath area, Dr. [redacted] misstates the conclusions of the contractor engaged by Gassen to investigate the matter. Dr. [redacted] repeatedly pressed the contractor for a definitive cause of the water damage. As we have advised Dr. [redacted], the contractor in fact said that, when he arrived at the property, Dr. [redacted] had already removed his toilet. This significantly and adversely affected the contractor's ability to perform diagnostic testing to determine the source of the leak to the unit below, which was also part of the reason the contractor would not state with "100% certainty" (as Dr. [redacted] requested) the cause of the leak. The contractor did note that the toilet had been installed (by Dr. [redacted]) improperly. The contractor was unwilling to state a definitive cause without completing an exhaustive investigation involving removal of tile and additional fixtures. Dr. [redacted] would not allow the more expansive investigation.
Since that time - and since Dr. [redacted] filed his complaint - Dr. [redacted] scheduled a plumber to put a new toilet in his home. Neither Gassen nor the Association objected to him doing so. The Association intends to do further investigation of the matter. To the extent the damages to the unit below are deemed to be the result of leaks from Dr [redacted]' unit (as we believe to be the case), the costs of repairing that damage will be assessed to Dr. [redacted]' account with the Association, as permitted under the Association's governing documents and applicable state law.
It is unfortunate that Dr. [redacted] felt it necessary to file a complaint with your office, particularly since the issue is still under investigation. Gassen and the Association take his complaints seriously, and take particular exception to his accusations of "harassment" by Gassen. Gassen's intention has always been to determine the cause of the leak and remedy the damage caused by the leak. That remains Gassen's intention.
If you have further questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/11/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Toilet still not functional
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/12/04) */
Gassen Company received Dr. [redacted]' November 24, 2014, response to Gassens response to his the above referenced complaint regarding its management of Countryside West Condominium Association (Association). This letter constitutes Gassens response.
Dr. [redacted]' November 24, 2014, to Gassens initial response was simply, Toilet still not functional." Gassen has never objected to Dr. [redacted] installing a toilet in his home (or reinstalling the toilet he removed. Gassen has now further confirmed with its vendor that there is no reason Dr. [redacted] cannot install/reinstall a toilet in his home.
Thank you.
Very truly yours, [redacted]
[redacted] Attorney at Law
Hello,My name is Nancy [redacted] and I am the Association's Manager since April 1, 2016. Prior to this date, the Association contracted with Gassen Company for monthly financial statements only. Mr. Gassen requested I respond to the complaint. I have attached recent correspondence...
to Mr. [redacted]. It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors and the Management Agent (Gassen Company) to follow the Association's governing documents (Articles of Incorporation, Declaration and Bylaws). Mr. [redacted], being a former President of the Board of Directors is aware of the legal responsibility, obligation and due diligence that the Association must follow.Mr. [redacted] apparently had two dogs and dogs are not allowed at the Association, this is a violation of the Association Rules. Mr. [redacted] was fined for non-compliance of the Association Rules.It is my understanding that his account was past due and because of the dog issue, legal counsel was necessary to try and resolve this matter. That apparently did not work. Per the governing documents, legal fees can be charged back to the owner's account.It is the intention of myself and of Mr. Tim [redacted] our Director of Operations, to contact Mr. [redacted] and request he meet with us face to face to attempt to resolve his disputes. This will require cooperation from Mr. [redacted].Please contact me with any additional questions regarding this claim. We hope this response is satisfactory and that you will close the complaint. Thank you.Nancy [redacted], CMCA, AMSGassen Company###-###-####n[redacted]@gassen.com As
I am rejecting this response because: it was not even written by Gassen, it was written by the collection company (lawyer Matthew [redacted]. This complaint is not against him and it does not address the calculations of the debt with adequate proof of what they are for nor does it...
acknowledge or propose a solution or outcome. The response does defame us with accusations of harassment for using freedom of speech against bullies like his firm and for having the audacity to contact you and other consumer protection agencies. As Gassen didn't bother to respond to you themselves, you can clearly see that they do not even respect the Revdex.com and what they do for consumers (referring to it as harassment). I am in contact with the MN Lawyers Board of Professional Responsibility and they seem to be interested in how this is taking place. Matthew [redacted] retaliated against us for sharing what had happened with you by having us served AGAIN with an amended lawsuit showing A higher amount. So much for Revdex.com protection. Also Revdex.com why don't you have the legal action against Gassen companies on their page on your site? The United States Justice Department charged them with discrimination and Gassen entered into a consent order LESS THAN A YEAR AGO! Google it. How can they have the Revdex.com rating that you gave them with THAT horrible history?All Gassen has to do is respond to my complaint and not have someone else write up drivel. Also I would appreciate a solution possibly being presented instead of again more drivel.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/08/28) */
I have attached a copy of the homeowner ledger which identifies was charge against the account and each payment that has been applied. The charges are reflected as Monthly fee ort Special assessment and the payments are reflected as Lockbox...
Payment received and appear as credits ($). I have also attached copies of the payments as provided by the homeowner. You will note that both payments in question are applied against the account. Money order #[redacted] in the amount of $240.00 was applied on February 10, 2015. Cashiers Check # [redacted] in the amount of $240.00 was applied on the account on March 10, 2015.
I believe the problem exists because the homeowner often times sent in payments that resulted in credit balances, in effect paying ahead. You will note on the homeowner ledger no payments were received during the months of April or May 2015. Effectively those months were paid by the credit balances until the next payment was received on June 25, 2015.
Although I do not know the intent of the homeowner when making payments I suspect at some point in time they felt they had paid ahead for the months of May and June when in fact they had not. When asked to provide documentation of the payments they sent in the two (2) payments which are in fact applied to their account.
We will gladly waive any late fees incurred, which to date amount to a total of $45.00. However thisa does still leave a balance due on the account. If there are other payments the homeowner feels were not applied to the account yet cashed all I need is a copy of the front and back of the check and we will reserach further.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/08/31) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This association has not told me how much I owe them specifically. Only generic information has been relayed, and no further contact has been made by the association. I would also like to inquire about the $500.00 credit that was discussed verbally roughly 30 days ago.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2015/09/08) */
The consumer has stated that a Mr. [redacted] made reference that the account had over a $500.00 credit. There is no Mr. [redacted] that works in our office so I do not know who would have made this statement. However if you view the attached homeowner ledger, which I have again attached, there were various times when the consumer did in fact have a credit balance. The credit balances are noted by numbers in parenthesis. The credit balances were caused by the consumer making additional payments against the account. There was in fact a credit balance as of March 10, 2015 in the amount of $588.61 which appears on page 3 of the homeowner ledger. The credit balance was then used up during the months of April and May. Contrary to what the consumer is stating there was no $500.00 credit as of 30 days ago. Again this is evidenced by the attached homeowner ledger.
By removing the $45.00 in accumulated late fees the balance due as of this date $239.39. I am uncertain if this is what the consumer is asking for with the statement "this association has not told me how much I owe them specifically". The recurring monthly association fees are $246.00 per month which the consumer must be aware of since they have sent in $246.00 for the past few months.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/06/01) */
Hello Mr. [redacted],
Attached please find the following sets of information pertaining to case # [redacted]:
1. Your letter dated May 12, 2015; May 18 email from [redacted], President of the Board of Directors in response to the complaint. ...
Please feel free to contact Mr. [redacted] with any questions you may have; [redacted]'s account ledger as of today; multiple emails as back correspondence
2. Legal demand letter
3. Amended Declaration
Gassen Company, as the managing agent for Greensboro Square Condominium Association, is obligated to comply with the governing documents of the Association, pertaining to any past due accounts.
Article IX of the Amended Declaration (starts on page 10) addresses the Assessments charged to each Homeowner and Article XVII (starts on page 19) references to Compliance & Defaults.
At no time did Management ever advise Ms. [redacted] to "stop bothering them" as her complaint states.
Ms. [redacted] is current on her association fees as indicated on her account ledger.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/04) */
[redacted]response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system).
This letter, and all attached documentation, is being sent to you in response to a consumer complaint (Case...
#[redacted]: [redacted]) that was received by me at my office on November 2", 2015. The complaint was made by a previous tenant for a property managed by our office on behalf of our client who is the owner and landlord of the property. I have included documentation and email correspondence with this letter to support the response below to [redacted]'s complaint.
Gassen Company takes professionalism and great service to our clients very seriously. The emails included with this letter will show that the client was treated with professionalism and always responded to within a reasonable timeline so as to try and resolve any and all issues as quickly as possible. The complaint states that "our requests for repairs, due under Minnesota Renter's Rights, went unremedied for months at a time. It took 4 months to replace a broken dishwasher, and it only happened after we spoke to the owner himself." This claim is not accurate. As with all of the properties that Gassen Company manages, permission is required, directly from the property owner/landlord that we represent, in order to approve repairs that will incur a cost above a certain amount. The dishwasher, as is evidenced by the attached emails, was repaired twice in that timeframe by AHS (American Home Shield) at the property owner's request due to the property owner using AHS' appliance home warranty program. The tenant's requested that the dishwasher be replaced and the property owner decided to have it repaired both times that AHS visited the property. After the dishwasher needed to be repaired a 3" time the property owner agreed to replace the dishwasher. All of these repairs and replacement of the dishwasher were conducted as quickly as was possible. Unfortunately, due to the way the AHS is set up, payment of a trip charge is due to the vendor that performs the repair upon completion and the tenants were notified of this ahead of time and were offered immediate reimbursement of any and all charges and/or to deduct the vendor's cost from the rent. Gassen Company was notified by the tenants, including Mr. [redacted], until weeks after scheduled repair dates of any issues with any of the vendors that performed the work at the property and would have taken immediate action to correct any issues once informed.
The previous tenant, [redacted], goes to claim that "The smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were old and some did not even have batteries. We had to request many things in writing countless times. Our home was dirty on the outside and we were promised a powerwash in writing, which never happened" which is also not accurate. Regarding the request and promise for a power
wash by the tenants; a power washing was not promised to the tenants. Prior to the tenant's moving into the property the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were all in working condition, and the interior of the home was professionally painted and cleaned. As a part of the lease the tenants are given a move-in condition report and asked to return this in order to document the condition of the property in order to compare against their move-out as well as to determine any items needing immediate repair. The move-in condition report was never submitted back to Gassen Company by the tenants, however, any and all emailed items requesting repair were responded to and resolved if and when the property gave consent,
Regarding the tenant's ([redacted]), request for early termination, on September 15", 2015 an email conversation between the tenants and the property owner was forwarded by one of the other tenants to Gassen Company about their request to move out early. This email was dated August 24, 2015 and stated that the tenants could vacate "now" without any early termination fee (after having only lived in the property for 4 months). The tenants did not agree to accept the property owner's offer until September 15" (23 days later). The property owner made the decision that the offer was no longer valid at that point due to nearly a month having passed by and then stated that the tenants would be allowed to be released from their lease early (7 months early) with a one month's rent termination fee of $1750 to be deducted from the security deposit. The tenants contested this and refused the offer and sent threatening emails for 6 days until the property owner agreed to release the tenants from their lease and agreed to return their full deposit, pending an inspection of the unit after the tenants had vacated the property, barring there were no repairs to be made and that the tenants vacated the property by September 30, 2015. The tenants decided to agree to the property owner's terms and move-out date in order to avoid any early lease termination fees. The complaint states that "the management company wanted to keep an entire month's rent as a termination fee if we stayed one day longer", but none of any potential termination fees would have been kept by Gassen Company. Any and all money paid by tenants including rent fees, deposits, late fees, early lease termination fees, etc. are transferred directly to the property owner. Included with this response letter are emails to support the information above.
In regards to Mr. [redacted]'s issue with the security deposit refund and the money withheld for the repairs and cleaning, attached are pictures to show the damage done to the interior walls of the home (all within 5 months and after the entire interior of the home was professionally painted prior to the tenants move-in) as well as some specific areas that warranted the home be cleaned after the tenants had vacated the property. As evidenced by the pictures showing the damage to the walls, there was extensive work that needed to be done in the home in order to repair the walls that had been in perfect condition not more than 5 month's prior to the tenants vacating the property. There is no doubt that these repairs are above normal wear and tear and as a results, and per the lease, the financial responsibility of the tenant. The information and pictures regarding the condition of the property after the tenant's vacated the property was presented to the property owner, The property owner, not Gassen Company, makes all decisions regarding the security deposit refunds and whether or not to withhold any funds for repairs, damages, and/or cleaning. The lease that the tenants signed has a Security Deposit Agreement Addendum which states:
"4. Any determination to withhold all or part of the security deposit is made in the sole discretion of the Owner at the time the move-out inspection is completed by Owner or upon review of the move-out inspection form by Owner. Therefore, Management hereby makes no representations and warranties to Tenant as to owner's decision to withhold all or part of the Security Deposit.
5. Any Claims or challenges made by Tenant to Management related to Owner's disposition of the security deposit shall be directed to Owner, as Owner is required to determine the disposition of the Security Deposit."
The property owner instructed Gassen Company to have the repairs of the walls (patching and painting) and the cleaning be completed and the costs withheld from the tenant's security deposit. As a result of the property owner's decision, the wall/painting repairs and cleaning was scheduled and performed immediately so as to be able to return the tenant's security deposit refund to them within the state required 21 days. Furthermore, the company that cleaned the property was selected specifically because of the cost that was quoted (a 2300 square foot 3 Bedroom 4 Bathroom home) at the total cost of $120 (well below industry standard cost). The painter that painted the home in May agreed to come back and make the repairs (which even involved sanding, priming, and painting a whole wall that the tenants damaged and tried to patch themselves which caused further damage) at a minimal cost of $400 so as to avoid charging the tenants with a higher priced painting vendor. None of the charges for the cost of painting or cleaning were marked up by Gassen Company and the companies used to perform the work have no affiliation to Gassen Company. The cost of the painting/wall repairs and cleaning, if performed by most other contractors, would have likely cost significantly more,
Gassen Company understands that the tenants do not agree with the property owner's decision to withhold the $520 (cost of repairs and cleaning) from their security deposit refund. It is our hope that the tenants understand that it is not Gassen Companies' ability to make any decisions regarding security deposit refunds and that it is the property owner's decision alone as it states in the lease. If there is any additional documentation, statements, or other materials needed for resolution please let me know.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Thanks for avoiding my question. Again, we want an exact dollar for dollar breakdown of what our money is being spent on. Supplies, paint, repair materials, etc.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/11/12) */
This letter, and all attached documentation, is being sent to you in response to the letter I received from you, dated November 5", stating that the consumer did not accept our previous written response to their complaint. I have included/attached the invoices from the companies that performed the painting and the cleaning at the property so that the consumer, [redacted], can see the exact dollar for dollar breakdown. I have also included a copy of the Security Deposit Refund Letter
Invoice that was provided to the tenants (including [redacted]) that shows the breakdown of the deductions from the security deposit refund.
If there is any additional documentation, statements, or other materials needed for resolution
please let me know.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2015/11/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I am completely unsatisfied. Why are you dancing around my request? Again, we were already mailed the generic documents you've provided. I am familiar with how much paint costs per gallon. On what planet does patchwork painting and labor cost $400? How many cans of paint are being used? How many brushes? How much is labor per hour? We could have done it ourselves for less than $25. Ridiculously inflated dollar amount. We don't want your generic responses. The owner made us a promise in writing. We were muscled out of the property by your horrible company and your hostile property manager. Legally, you didn't give us ample time to make a decision and move out. You do you expect people to move out "now". We have all email correspondences if you'd like quotes and examples.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/10/30) */
I am writing to respond to the claims made by Mr. [redacted] in his letter to your agency regarding [redacted].
First of all Gassen is the managing agent for the Jonathan Association and one of our contractual
obligations is to...
collect the dues. We send statements, collection letters to all accounts which show a balance due. As of October 27, 2014 [redacted]'s account has a balance due of $962.09. This is for dues from 2011 -to current.
Secondly, yes there was a lawsuit that was resolved in November 2012. A copy of the settlement agreement is enclosed for your reference. This agreement was mailed to all the residents in the Jonathan with a request for payment back in 2012. Mr. [redacted] has not made any payments on his account to date which has resulted in the account being delinquent. Mr. [redacted] is correct that all monies owed before 2010 were to be forgiven and they have been. See enclosed ledgers. He is only being billed for 2011 current.
Thirdly, he references Gittleman Company being responsible for resolving this issue unfortunately,Gittleman has not managed the Jonathan since 2008 so this would explain why they were unable to assist him and since this lawsuit was not settled until 2012 there could be no attempt to collect until after this time period. That being said we have made attempts to collect the outstanding balance since 2013, nearly 2 years and have yet to receive any payment.
Another allegation that Mr. [redacted] makes is that he spoke to me in January and February of 2014. I
don't recall any messages or inquiries from him. (All our calls are logged and was unable to find any from Mr. [redacted]). Most importantly, just became the Property Manager for this Association in August of 2014 so I would not have been the point of Contact. Mr. [redacted] also makes reference to contacting my supervisor, a man, and indicated that neither he nor I responded again, I was not the manager at this time and do not recall hearing from Mr. [redacted].
Lastly, in regards to Mr. [redacted]' s requested resolution I will be calling Mr. [redacted] to explain why he has a balance due which does include the adjustments per the settlement agreement and that a lack of response does not negate his responsibility to pay his dues. I don't feel that the late fees should be
waived as the account is in severe arrears.
In closing, I believe that I have proven that Mr. [redacted]'s claim is unwarranted and should be discarded. Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
[redacted]
Gassen Company
________________
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2014/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have left [redacted] a voicemail not having any idea why she would not call me after responding to this complaint. She makes any number of incorrect statements.
1. I received a letter from [redacted] at Gittleman Management in November of 2012 regarding the lawsuit settlement, but [redacted] indicates that Gittleman has not managed this since 2008 which is obviously erroneous.
2. Obviously if [redacted] just started with Gassen in August 2014, she took over for the person that I was dealing with in January and February and it was this person's manager (the male whose name I do not remember) who I involved and who told me that he would engage her and get it resolved. Never heard from either of them after that message.
3. I have been trying to pay this bill since late 2012 and had asked for the balance due incorporating the lawsuit discount when Gittleman was managing the property. This was around the time that Gassen took over and I then heard nothing until I received a bill in January 2014. I called Gassen and left numerous messages, only to be blown off even after engaging the manager.
4. [redacted] response is incredibly combative when all that I have been asking for is the correct balance due, a breakdown of the fees, and all late fees removed and cannot even get a phone call returned.
Since [redacted] is new, hopefully she can resolve this, an issue that has gone on since 2012 without resolution. I have left her a voicemail since she did not call me and will wait for her return call. Until I get a response and the requested information, this case should remain open.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2014/11/03) */
I just wanted to follow up with you and let you know that Mr. [redacted] and I have resolved his issues and if you note below he's asked that I contact you to let you know about the resolution. I believe that you can close this case as resolved without merit.
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/11/18) */
The Board of Directors removed the S50.00 fine on November 3, 2014 see attached. The Board of Directors apologizes for any misunderstanding.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2014/11/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept...
the response from the business.)
As I mentioned, Gassen Company needs to send 2 letters of apology one for me in Texas and one at the mentioned address to my tenant for the lies and the stories Gassen/[redacted] made up and when I spoke with the board of the association they admitted that Gassen lied and never shared my issues with them, therefore an apology letter is needed from Gassen for their dishonest business practices.
thanks,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 9, 2015/06/01) */ Hello Mr [redacted] , Attached please find the following sets of information pertaining to case # [redacted] : Your letter dated May 12, 2015; May email from [redacted] , President of the Board of Directors in response to the complaint Please feel free to contact Mr [redacted] with any questions you may have; [redacted] 's account ledger as of today; multiple emails as back correspondence Legal demand letter Amended Declaration Gassen Company, as the managing agent for Greensboro Square Condominium Association, is obligated to comply with the governing documents of the Association, pertaining to any past due accounts Article IX of the Amended Declaration (starts on page 10) addresses the Assessments charged to each Homeowner and Article XVII (starts on page 19) references to Compliance & Defaults At no time did Management ever advise Ms [redacted] to "stop bothering them" as her complaint states Ms [redacted] is current on her association fees as indicated on her account ledger
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/27) */
Thank you for reaching out to Gassen Company with your concerns
It is our policy to respond to homeowners and maintenance issues within hoursAll efforts are made to answer any questions or concerns the homeowner may have
Management
does not have any documentation of Jeff leaving a message for our office, although we have multiple e-mails which we have responded to, per our policyIn additional to the personal attention to Mr***, we have submitted an average of emails per month to all owners in an effort to keep them informed of various projects
With respect to the door closer, unfortunately it was my misunderstanding of which door had the problemI was under the assumption this door was repaired based on previous work ordersOnce I realized this was a new issue, the work order was placed and fixed the next dayI apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the homeowner
With respect to the leak, *** Plumbing and Heating was initially contacted on March 12thOn March 13th a tech arrived to investigate the leak which was traced to the above unitThe plumber caulked the effected space as the water could be wicking between the two unitsI was notified on Wednesday, March 18th the area was still leakingOn March 19th the plumber was unable to locate the sourceLate afternoon, Friday, March 20th after entering various units, a temporary patch was madeAt that time Management was informed that the water would need to be shut off for the "plumbing stack" units on Monday, 23rd for approximately hoursAs a result, Management submitted a notification to these homeowners letting them know of the disruption in serviceAs it turned out the water was shut off to many units by *** without notification to ManagementThe repair was made by 2:that afternoon and water was restored
Regarding the A/C chiller being turned on, it is not typical for the chiller to be turned on in the early part of MarchManagement consulted with Air-Tech, a professional H/V/AC company and the Board and based on their recommendations it was decided not to turn on the chillers2-homeowners had issued complaints regarding the temperatures in their unit (during the few days of warm weather); there are units in this community
As management is notified of any maintenance issues, we will assess the problem, notify the proper vendor, acquire approval, if necessary, and follow through with the vendorUnfortunately, management cannot control the scheduling of our vendors although we do put forward our best effort to ensure repairs are made timely
We would like to reiterate Gassen Company's commitment to customer service for all homeowners within the AssociationGassen is preforming per the contract with the Homeowner Association and we will continue to strive to exceed the client's expectationsIn efforts accomplish this we do welcome feedback from all owners
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Gassen mentions their hour response time in the beginning of their reply to this complaint, but in the past year, I have found they frequently do not respond within hours--sometimes it takes more than two weeks and multiple communication attempts to elicit a replyI have the documentation to back this up
Now that I submitted a Revdex.com complaint after multiple terrible experiences with this company, Gassen then has the rather curious timing of failing to notify me of a water shutoff for a leak I have been reporting and asking about for the previous daysThis shutoff prevented me from showering or even brushing my teeth before leaving on Monday morning
Retaliatory? I just submitted a Revdex.com complaint the previous Thursday
Why would they not simply notify the entire building when there is going to be a water shut off that was scheduled in advance? That is how water shutoffs were handled in this building in the pastNo one is caught by surprise when everyone is notified--but that wouldn't be very retaliatory would it? I've asked around the building but have not been able to find any other residents that were unaware of the shutoffThe readers of this complaint can decide for themselves if this was a retaliatory action by GassenAt the end of the day, how is it possible to trust a company that treats customers like that?
Then there is the mistake noted by Gassen in their response regarding which door needed serviceApparently, I need to re-post all of the communications I have written to GassenIt is extremely unlikely that a competent person would mistake the door I was referring to in the original communication I sentAgain, delays and poor service with nothing but excuses and apologies afterwards--in my experiences, that is the Gassen way
Gassen speaks to the AC chiller not being turned on so earlyThat goes to show they do not understand the building they are managingNormally our chiller is turned on significantly earlier than it was this yearI can also prove that I am not the only resident that had to send requests (for weeks!) to get the system started (I am writing from a four-pipe building--so it's not like they had to turn off the heat)Of course, Gassen knows more about what it is like living here than we (the residents) do--even though they only have one year of "service" on this propertyReally, why would they even care when services get turned on or off? It would seem from my perspective that they are intentionally trying to make life as miserable as possible for residents in lieu of actually doing any timely work
Let's not forget about the door repairs eitherThe original complaint was regarding three problems with an old panic bar--loose and rattling, loud banging when opened, and loss of 90% of the paint due to excessive wear and tearWhat did they do to fix it? They tightened the bar so it doesn't rattle in its frameI suppose I should compliment them for achieving 33% effective serviceYet again, they really stretched themselves to ensure our community has well-maintained common elementsApparently, worn off paint and loud, worn out mechanisms are perfectly acceptable to them--especially when the original complaint notes the chronic loss of sleep this is causing due to the noise in my unit
It looks clear that no amount of writing on the Revdex.com's site is going to change anything with this companyTheir record of complaints (make that now--just in the past three years) with (make that 12) unresolved to customer's satisfaction speaks for itselfI'd call that a pattern of poor customer service--certainly not emblematic of an "A" rated companyConsistent with the chronically lousy service I have experienced
Considering the complaint history, you may wonder why I would even bother to report against Gassen...If you are considering Gassen to "manage" your condo community, I suggest that you run, not walk, to the next available optionI sincerely believe your residents will thank you if they have any idea of what it is like to deal with this company on a regular basis as a customer
Moving forward, I will continue to notify our board of directors of the problems with this "service" company and avail myself of other appropriate avenues to get problems resolvedIn summary, my learned-the-hard-way advice to anyone looking for a management service company would be to avoid Gassen!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/04/14) */
Mr***, while I understand Mr***'s frustration I can assure you that Gassen Management never retaliates! We are here to serve our clients, sometimes situations are out of our control as was the case herePlease advise Mr*** to contact me directly if he has any other challengesI left Mr*** a message weeks ago offering my assistance as well
*** Gassen CEO/Owner of Gassen Management
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/06) */
I am in receipt of your letter dated October 24, regarding the above referenced case
numberWhile I understand Ms*** frustration with having to purchase resale documents in order to sell her home, please note that our pricing is
competitive with other management companies in Minnesota
Gassen Company provides this service to our clients as required by the State of Minnesota on behalf of the board of directorsIn order to ensure accuracy, we spend a significant amount of time and resources preparing the website for ease of use as well as staffing hours for those clients - who prefer to order these documents over the phoneOver the years we have complied pricing comparisons and made sure we are charging a fare price for these documents
Your letter states Ms*** is looking for a full refund and an apology letterMs*** received the information required to sell her home so I do not see why a full refund or apology is warrantedHowever, I am willing to provide a refund to show Ms*** I understand her frustration with the cost
Please let me know how Ms*** feels about our offer at your earliest convenience
Sincerely,
*** *** Gassen Company, Inc
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/11/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Mr*** ***,
I am not very happy that you even brought up the fact that I received information required to sell my home, seriously? Do you even know or are you fully aware of how I was treated by of your employees (*** *** and *** *** I can send you the emails directly so you can see how they did treat me, do you want them? Do you honestly think when a customer of yours sends an email with multiple questions (listed in bullet point format) that that warrants an email telling me to go to such and such a website with no explanationI have never received an apology for how I was treatedI would hope that you would reconsider your offerI would really like an apology along with a full refund to make amends for the way that I was treated and for your companies lack of customer serviceThank you, *** ***
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2014/11/26) */
I am in receipt of your letter dated November 18, regarding the above reference caseAgain, I have researched the complaint from Ms*** and found that *** *** actually filled out the dues current letter for Ms***Please see the attached e-mails Where the communication between Ms*** and *** *** appears to be excellent and Ms*** is thanking *** *** for her serviceMs*** originally sent an e~mail to Mr*** who, as the Association Manager doesn't handle the resale documents; as a result he forwarded the e-mail from Ms*** onto *** *** to process
As you see, there is no foundation for an apology letter or refundHowever, I am still Willing to provide Ms*** With at $discount for any misunderstanding even though We processed
Ms*** request the same day *** *** received it
It is my expectation this case is closed as satisfied based on this response and the enclosed emails
Sincerely,
Gassen Management
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/03) */
I am responding to a complaint filed by *** who lives in the Devonwood Association that Gassen Company has been hired to be the management agent for by the Board of DirectorsAttached please find copies of all the correspondence
sent to *** for the charge of wood replacement she is referencingAdditionally the claim that she does not have railings on her unit is not true; the porch / patio on this unit is screened in and it does have a railing along the outer edge of the patio
The Board completes wood replacement each and every year on a number of buildings and sends correspondence to owners with the total that is due to the Association allowing days for owners to pay
Gassen Company feels as though we have provided *** with all the necessary correspondence and documentation regarding this matter; if there is anything else she is requesting, please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I will promptly provide it to ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/03/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They have not included the letter of april 2014, This letter has been requested several times and has not been produced and it is the one in great question as it tells in details what we as homeowners are to payI would like a copy of this letter as proof that I may have misread the letter
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/03/16) */
***response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system)
I am responding to the response from the Homeowner regarding this matterThe attached letter was also sent to all owners who were having wood replacement work done on their homes this past spring summer season on April 14,
We have provided this owner with all the documentation she has requested over the past year regarding the wood replacement matter
Thank you for your assistance in this matter and please feel free to contact me directly should you need any additional informationI can be reached at *** or via email at
***@gassen.com
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/28) */
Please note that the glass for the fire extinguisher has been replaced. The carpet on the stairs was repaired before the date of this complaint. Please see attached photos.
see attachedThe complaint notice regarding Mr. [redacted] has been received by Gassen Company. Please consider this letter a response to the complaint. In 2015, Huntington Cove HOA hired a paint contractor to paint all exterior wood trim on the 24 association units. Homeowners were notified of...
the project through mailings and via the annual meeting minutes. Each homeowner was assessed $135.00 for the painting of their unit's exterior trim.In March 2016, the Huntington Cove Board of Directors requested that [redacted], Association Manager, place the delinquent homeowner unit accounts with the office of Roeder Smith Jaden. Because the delinquent account was placed with the attorney, all communication regarding the account is directed to the attorney's office. Mr. [redacted] was directed to contract the attorney with any questions regarding his account. Mr. [redacted]'s account was charged $65 for the attorney demand letter and $88.50 for attorney communications. Per the Board's decision, the legal fees will not be waived. Per the Declarations of Huntington Cove, Section 6.1 d, all legal fees incurred by the association in connection with the collection of assessments and the enforcement of the Governing Documents, MCOIA, or the Rules and Regulations may be assessed against the owners unit.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/06/23) */
I am writing in response to the complaint you have received from [redacted] regarding this matter.
The Board of Directors of the Devonwood Association has approved the roof and skylights to be replaced on Mr. [redacted] building as well as...
another building at Devonwood; this is starting on June 29th. The Board has worked very diligently to obtain bids and approve one in a timely manner to move forward with this roof replacement project.
Per the documents of the Association, interior damages not covered by the Association insurance policy do fall back onto the owner through their individual HO6 policy. Additionally skylights are an owner matter to be responsible for as well, and this expense will be billed back to Mr. [redacted] after the roof replacement project is completed.
We have been in constant contact with Mr. [redacted] by giving him correspondence backup for the past 3 years and answering numerous emails from him and his real estate agent.
Please contact me should you have any additional questions or need any additional backup regarding this information.
I am rejecting this response because:Steve presented documented false statement as true. He never asked why the deputy was coming and even made it a point to say that when he comes he could knock on the window! Never asked why he'd be there which was to file a report against a prior official as the people he'd need information from would be there, for efficiency. They had filed one with another organization but I was told I could submit that.I did ask a question during the beginning of the meeting while they were looking for the treasurer report, and that was if there would be an OPEN FORUM! To say I was interrupting is odd. I then asked if they could add someone to the agenda which was the deputy.This wasn't about what he responded with, I was asking him to correct some issues. Instead he launches into an Ad hominem attack against me.He didn't address what was brought up here. They passed a sheet asking who wanted physical copies of the financials, not to be told to look on the website which didn't have it until this complaint.Steve didn't seem to change his tone. I also haven't received an apology.No public board meeting since annual meeting in April is unusual and they've met at least a couple of times since then, seems questionable. They could have private sections of the meeting like they did in November, seems very unusual that the whole meeting would be secret. They even discussed things such as putting items on the website and communication, doesn't seem like closed meeting discussion!As for wanting action by owners I was presenting facts. The board didn't want people contacting them.They also were Not putting funds into reserves, how come they didn't appear to be actioning on that?They also weren't getting monthly reports consistently, how come they didn't appear to be actioning on that?Majority of board on there for majority of last 4 years. When I tried to talk to one of them about the issues they didn't even seem interested in replacing the prior property manager and look at all these issues!A board member was also Presenting something documented false as being true at this November board meeting.
see attached The letter dated April 21, 2016 from the Revdex.com regarding ID [redacted], has been received in the Gassen office. As stated in the previously provided response, the Board of Directors of Huntington Cove HOA will not remove the $65.00 in legal fees from the account of [redacted]. This is a decision by the Board of Directors of Huntington Cove HOA to Gassen Company.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/14) */
[redacted]response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system).
Gassen Company received the above referenced complaint regarding its management of Countryside West Condominium...
Association ("Association"). This letter constitutes Gassen's response to Dr. [redacted]' complaint.
Dr. [redacted] reside in the Countryside West condominium community. Countryside West is an apartment-style condominium. Dr. [redacted] greatly oversimplifies the facts of this situation, which began when the owner of the unit below Dr. [redacted]' unit notified Gassen of water damage to her ceiling, directly below Dr. [redacted]' bathroom. While several contractors did inspect Dr. [redacted]' toilet and bath area, Dr. [redacted] misstates the conclusions of the contractor engaged by Gassen to investigate the matter. Dr. [redacted] repeatedly pressed the contractor for a definitive cause of the water damage. As we have advised Dr. [redacted], the contractor in fact said that, when he arrived at the property, Dr. [redacted] had already removed his toilet. This significantly and adversely affected the contractor's ability to perform diagnostic testing to determine the source of the leak to the unit below, which was also part of the reason the contractor would not state with "100% certainty" (as Dr. [redacted] requested) the cause of the leak. The contractor did note that the toilet had been installed (by Dr. [redacted]) improperly. The contractor was unwilling to state a definitive cause without completing an exhaustive investigation involving removal of tile and additional fixtures. Dr. [redacted] would not allow the more expansive investigation.
Since that time - and since Dr. [redacted] filed his complaint - Dr. [redacted] scheduled a plumber to put a new toilet in his home. Neither Gassen nor the Association objected to him doing so. The Association intends to do further investigation of the matter. To the extent the damages to the unit below are deemed to be the result of leaks from Dr [redacted]' unit (as we believe to be the case), the costs of repairing that damage will be assessed to Dr. [redacted]' account with the Association, as permitted under the Association's governing documents and applicable state law.
It is unfortunate that Dr. [redacted] felt it necessary to file a complaint with your office, particularly since the issue is still under investigation. Gassen and the Association take his complaints seriously, and take particular exception to his accusations of "harassment" by Gassen. Gassen's intention has always been to determine the cause of the leak and remedy the damage caused by the leak. That remains Gassen's intention.
If you have further questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/11/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Toilet still not functional
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/12/04) */
Gassen Company received Dr. [redacted]' November 24, 2014, response to Gassens response to his the above referenced complaint regarding its management of Countryside West Condominium Association (Association). This letter constitutes Gassens response.
Dr. [redacted]' November 24, 2014, to Gassens initial response was simply, Toilet still not functional." Gassen has never objected to Dr. [redacted] installing a toilet in his home (or reinstalling the toilet he removed. Gassen has now further confirmed with its vendor that there is no reason Dr. [redacted] cannot install/reinstall a toilet in his home.
Thank you.
Very truly yours, [redacted]
[redacted] Attorney at Law
Hello,My name is Nancy [redacted] and I am the Association's Manager since April 1, 2016. Prior to this date, the Association contracted with Gassen Company for monthly financial statements only. Mr. Gassen requested I respond to the complaint. I have attached recent correspondence...
to Mr. [redacted]. It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors and the Management Agent (Gassen Company) to follow the Association's governing documents (Articles of Incorporation, Declaration and Bylaws). Mr. [redacted], being a former President of the Board of Directors is aware of the legal responsibility, obligation and due diligence that the Association must follow.Mr. [redacted] apparently had two dogs and dogs are not allowed at the Association, this is a violation of the Association Rules. Mr. [redacted] was fined for non-compliance of the Association Rules.It is my understanding that his account was past due and because of the dog issue, legal counsel was necessary to try and resolve this matter. That apparently did not work. Per the governing documents, legal fees can be charged back to the owner's account.It is the intention of myself and of Mr. Tim [redacted] our Director of Operations, to contact Mr. [redacted] and request he meet with us face to face to attempt to resolve his disputes. This will require cooperation from Mr. [redacted].Please contact me with any additional questions regarding this claim. We hope this response is satisfactory and that you will close the complaint. Thank you.Nancy [redacted], CMCA, AMSGassen Company###-###-####n[redacted]@gassen.com As
I am rejecting this response because: it was not even written by Gassen, it was written by the collection company (lawyer Matthew [redacted]. This complaint is not against him and it does not address the calculations of the debt with adequate proof of what they are for nor does it...
acknowledge or propose a solution or outcome. The response does defame us with accusations of harassment for using freedom of speech against bullies like his firm and for having the audacity to contact you and other consumer protection agencies. As Gassen didn't bother to respond to you themselves, you can clearly see that they do not even respect the Revdex.com and what they do for consumers (referring to it as harassment). I am in contact with the MN Lawyers Board of Professional Responsibility and they seem to be interested in how this is taking place. Matthew [redacted] retaliated against us for sharing what had happened with you by having us served AGAIN with an amended lawsuit showing A higher amount. So much for Revdex.com protection. Also Revdex.com why don't you have the legal action against Gassen companies on their page on your site? The United States Justice Department charged them with discrimination and Gassen entered into a consent order LESS THAN A YEAR AGO! Google it. How can they have the Revdex.com rating that you gave them with THAT horrible history?All Gassen has to do is respond to my complaint and not have someone else write up drivel. Also I would appreciate a solution possibly being presented instead of again more drivel.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/08/28) */
I have attached a copy of the homeowner ledger which identifies was charge against the account and each payment that has been applied. The charges are reflected as Monthly fee ort Special assessment and the payments are reflected as Lockbox...
Payment received and appear as credits ($). I have also attached copies of the payments as provided by the homeowner. You will note that both payments in question are applied against the account. Money order #[redacted] in the amount of $240.00 was applied on February 10, 2015. Cashiers Check # [redacted] in the amount of $240.00 was applied on the account on March 10, 2015.
I believe the problem exists because the homeowner often times sent in payments that resulted in credit balances, in effect paying ahead. You will note on the homeowner ledger no payments were received during the months of April or May 2015. Effectively those months were paid by the credit balances until the next payment was received on June 25, 2015.
Although I do not know the intent of the homeowner when making payments I suspect at some point in time they felt they had paid ahead for the months of May and June when in fact they had not. When asked to provide documentation of the payments they sent in the two (2) payments which are in fact applied to their account.
We will gladly waive any late fees incurred, which to date amount to a total of $45.00. However thisa does still leave a balance due on the account. If there are other payments the homeowner feels were not applied to the account yet cashed all I need is a copy of the front and back of the check and we will reserach further.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/08/31) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This association has not told me how much I owe them specifically. Only generic information has been relayed, and no further contact has been made by the association. I would also like to inquire about the $500.00 credit that was discussed verbally roughly 30 days ago.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2015/09/08) */
The consumer has stated that a Mr. [redacted] made reference that the account had over a $500.00 credit. There is no Mr. [redacted] that works in our office so I do not know who would have made this statement. However if you view the attached homeowner ledger, which I have again attached, there were various times when the consumer did in fact have a credit balance. The credit balances are noted by numbers in parenthesis. The credit balances were caused by the consumer making additional payments against the account. There was in fact a credit balance as of March 10, 2015 in the amount of $588.61 which appears on page 3 of the homeowner ledger. The credit balance was then used up during the months of April and May. Contrary to what the consumer is stating there was no $500.00 credit as of 30 days ago. Again this is evidenced by the attached homeowner ledger.
By removing the $45.00 in accumulated late fees the balance due as of this date $239.39. I am uncertain if this is what the consumer is asking for with the statement "this association has not told me how much I owe them specifically". The recurring monthly association fees are $246.00 per month which the consumer must be aware of since they have sent in $246.00 for the past few months.
We did receive the request to repair the door. The vendor was contacted the same day, the door has been repaired.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2015/06/01) */
Hello Mr. [redacted],
Attached please find the following sets of information pertaining to case # [redacted]:
1. Your letter dated May 12, 2015; May 18 email from [redacted], President of the Board of Directors in response to the complaint. ...
Please feel free to contact Mr. [redacted] with any questions you may have; [redacted]'s account ledger as of today; multiple emails as back correspondence
2. Legal demand letter
3. Amended Declaration
Gassen Company, as the managing agent for Greensboro Square Condominium Association, is obligated to comply with the governing documents of the Association, pertaining to any past due accounts.
Article IX of the Amended Declaration (starts on page 10) addresses the Assessments charged to each Homeowner and Article XVII (starts on page 19) references to Compliance & Defaults.
At no time did Management ever advise Ms. [redacted] to "stop bothering them" as her complaint states.
Ms. [redacted] is current on her association fees as indicated on her account ledger.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/04) */
[redacted]response has been scanned in and converted to text below (original document is available using the online complaint system).
This letter, and all attached documentation, is being sent to you in response to a consumer complaint (Case...
#[redacted]: [redacted]) that was received by me at my office on November 2", 2015. The complaint was made by a previous tenant for a property managed by our office on behalf of our client who is the owner and landlord of the property. I have included documentation and email correspondence with this letter to support the response below to [redacted]'s complaint.
Gassen Company takes professionalism and great service to our clients very seriously. The emails included with this letter will show that the client was treated with professionalism and always responded to within a reasonable timeline so as to try and resolve any and all issues as quickly as possible. The complaint states that "our requests for repairs, due under Minnesota Renter's Rights, went unremedied for months at a time. It took 4 months to replace a broken dishwasher, and it only happened after we spoke to the owner himself." This claim is not accurate. As with all of the properties that Gassen Company manages, permission is required, directly from the property owner/landlord that we represent, in order to approve repairs that will incur a cost above a certain amount. The dishwasher, as is evidenced by the attached emails, was repaired twice in that timeframe by AHS (American Home Shield) at the property owner's request due to the property owner using AHS' appliance home warranty program. The tenant's requested that the dishwasher be replaced and the property owner decided to have it repaired both times that AHS visited the property. After the dishwasher needed to be repaired a 3" time the property owner agreed to replace the dishwasher. All of these repairs and replacement of the dishwasher were conducted as quickly as was possible. Unfortunately, due to the way the AHS is set up, payment of a trip charge is due to the vendor that performs the repair upon completion and the tenants were notified of this ahead of time and were offered immediate reimbursement of any and all charges and/or to deduct the vendor's cost from the rent. Gassen Company was notified by the tenants, including Mr. [redacted], until weeks after scheduled repair dates of any issues with any of the vendors that performed the work at the property and would have taken immediate action to correct any issues once informed.
The previous tenant, [redacted], goes to claim that "The smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were old and some did not even have batteries. We had to request many things in writing countless times. Our home was dirty on the outside and we were promised a powerwash in writing, which never happened" which is also not accurate. Regarding the request and promise for a power
wash by the tenants; a power washing was not promised to the tenants. Prior to the tenant's moving into the property the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were all in working condition, and the interior of the home was professionally painted and cleaned. As a part of the lease the tenants are given a move-in condition report and asked to return this in order to document the condition of the property in order to compare against their move-out as well as to determine any items needing immediate repair. The move-in condition report was never submitted back to Gassen Company by the tenants, however, any and all emailed items requesting repair were responded to and resolved if and when the property gave consent,
Regarding the tenant's ([redacted]), request for early termination, on September 15", 2015 an email conversation between the tenants and the property owner was forwarded by one of the other tenants to Gassen Company about their request to move out early. This email was dated August 24, 2015 and stated that the tenants could vacate "now" without any early termination fee (after having only lived in the property for 4 months). The tenants did not agree to accept the property owner's offer until September 15" (23 days later). The property owner made the decision that the offer was no longer valid at that point due to nearly a month having passed by and then stated that the tenants would be allowed to be released from their lease early (7 months early) with a one month's rent termination fee of $1750 to be deducted from the security deposit. The tenants contested this and refused the offer and sent threatening emails for 6 days until the property owner agreed to release the tenants from their lease and agreed to return their full deposit, pending an inspection of the unit after the tenants had vacated the property, barring there were no repairs to be made and that the tenants vacated the property by September 30, 2015. The tenants decided to agree to the property owner's terms and move-out date in order to avoid any early lease termination fees. The complaint states that "the management company wanted to keep an entire month's rent as a termination fee if we stayed one day longer", but none of any potential termination fees would have been kept by Gassen Company. Any and all money paid by tenants including rent fees, deposits, late fees, early lease termination fees, etc. are transferred directly to the property owner. Included with this response letter are emails to support the information above.
In regards to Mr. [redacted]'s issue with the security deposit refund and the money withheld for the repairs and cleaning, attached are pictures to show the damage done to the interior walls of the home (all within 5 months and after the entire interior of the home was professionally painted prior to the tenants move-in) as well as some specific areas that warranted the home be cleaned after the tenants had vacated the property. As evidenced by the pictures showing the damage to the walls, there was extensive work that needed to be done in the home in order to repair the walls that had been in perfect condition not more than 5 month's prior to the tenants vacating the property. There is no doubt that these repairs are above normal wear and tear and as a results, and per the lease, the financial responsibility of the tenant. The information and pictures regarding the condition of the property after the tenant's vacated the property was presented to the property owner, The property owner, not Gassen Company, makes all decisions regarding the security deposit refunds and whether or not to withhold any funds for repairs, damages, and/or cleaning. The lease that the tenants signed has a Security Deposit Agreement Addendum which states:
"4. Any determination to withhold all or part of the security deposit is made in the sole discretion of the Owner at the time the move-out inspection is completed by Owner or upon review of the move-out inspection form by Owner. Therefore, Management hereby makes no representations and warranties to Tenant as to owner's decision to withhold all or part of the Security Deposit.
5. Any Claims or challenges made by Tenant to Management related to Owner's disposition of the security deposit shall be directed to Owner, as Owner is required to determine the disposition of the Security Deposit."
The property owner instructed Gassen Company to have the repairs of the walls (patching and painting) and the cleaning be completed and the costs withheld from the tenant's security deposit. As a result of the property owner's decision, the wall/painting repairs and cleaning was scheduled and performed immediately so as to be able to return the tenant's security deposit refund to them within the state required 21 days. Furthermore, the company that cleaned the property was selected specifically because of the cost that was quoted (a 2300 square foot 3 Bedroom 4 Bathroom home) at the total cost of $120 (well below industry standard cost). The painter that painted the home in May agreed to come back and make the repairs (which even involved sanding, priming, and painting a whole wall that the tenants damaged and tried to patch themselves which caused further damage) at a minimal cost of $400 so as to avoid charging the tenants with a higher priced painting vendor. None of the charges for the cost of painting or cleaning were marked up by Gassen Company and the companies used to perform the work have no affiliation to Gassen Company. The cost of the painting/wall repairs and cleaning, if performed by most other contractors, would have likely cost significantly more,
Gassen Company understands that the tenants do not agree with the property owner's decision to withhold the $520 (cost of repairs and cleaning) from their security deposit refund. It is our hope that the tenants understand that it is not Gassen Companies' ability to make any decisions regarding security deposit refunds and that it is the property owner's decision alone as it states in the lease. If there is any additional documentation, statements, or other materials needed for resolution please let me know.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Thanks for avoiding my question. Again, we want an exact dollar for dollar breakdown of what our money is being spent on. Supplies, paint, repair materials, etc.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/11/12) */
This letter, and all attached documentation, is being sent to you in response to the letter I received from you, dated November 5", stating that the consumer did not accept our previous written response to their complaint. I have included/attached the invoices from the companies that performed the painting and the cleaning at the property so that the consumer, [redacted], can see the exact dollar for dollar breakdown. I have also included a copy of the Security Deposit Refund Letter
Invoice that was provided to the tenants (including [redacted]) that shows the breakdown of the deductions from the security deposit refund.
If there is any additional documentation, statements, or other materials needed for resolution
please let me know.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 14, 2015/11/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I am completely unsatisfied. Why are you dancing around my request? Again, we were already mailed the generic documents you've provided. I am familiar with how much paint costs per gallon. On what planet does patchwork painting and labor cost $400? How many cans of paint are being used? How many brushes? How much is labor per hour? We could have done it ourselves for less than $25. Ridiculously inflated dollar amount. We don't want your generic responses. The owner made us a promise in writing. We were muscled out of the property by your horrible company and your hostile property manager. Legally, you didn't give us ample time to make a decision and move out. You do you expect people to move out "now". We have all email correspondences if you'd like quotes and examples.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/10/30) */
I am writing to respond to the claims made by Mr. [redacted] in his letter to your agency regarding [redacted].
First of all Gassen is the managing agent for the Jonathan Association and one of our contractual
obligations is to...
collect the dues. We send statements, collection letters to all accounts which show a balance due. As of October 27, 2014 [redacted]'s account has a balance due of $962.09. This is for dues from 2011 -to current.
Secondly, yes there was a lawsuit that was resolved in November 2012. A copy of the settlement agreement is enclosed for your reference. This agreement was mailed to all the residents in the Jonathan with a request for payment back in 2012. Mr. [redacted] has not made any payments on his account to date which has resulted in the account being delinquent. Mr. [redacted] is correct that all monies owed before 2010 were to be forgiven and they have been. See enclosed ledgers. He is only being billed for 2011 current.
Thirdly, he references Gittleman Company being responsible for resolving this issue unfortunately,Gittleman has not managed the Jonathan since 2008 so this would explain why they were unable to assist him and since this lawsuit was not settled until 2012 there could be no attempt to collect until after this time period. That being said we have made attempts to collect the outstanding balance since 2013, nearly 2 years and have yet to receive any payment.
Another allegation that Mr. [redacted] makes is that he spoke to me in January and February of 2014. I
don't recall any messages or inquiries from him. (All our calls are logged and was unable to find any from Mr. [redacted]). Most importantly, just became the Property Manager for this Association in August of 2014 so I would not have been the point of Contact. Mr. [redacted] also makes reference to contacting my supervisor, a man, and indicated that neither he nor I responded again, I was not the manager at this time and do not recall hearing from Mr. [redacted].
Lastly, in regards to Mr. [redacted]' s requested resolution I will be calling Mr. [redacted] to explain why he has a balance due which does include the adjustments per the settlement agreement and that a lack of response does not negate his responsibility to pay his dues. I don't feel that the late fees should be
waived as the account is in severe arrears.
In closing, I believe that I have proven that Mr. [redacted]'s claim is unwarranted and should be discarded. Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
[redacted]
Gassen Company
________________
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2014/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have left [redacted] a voicemail not having any idea why she would not call me after responding to this complaint. She makes any number of incorrect statements.
1. I received a letter from [redacted] at Gittleman Management in November of 2012 regarding the lawsuit settlement, but [redacted] indicates that Gittleman has not managed this since 2008 which is obviously erroneous.
2. Obviously if [redacted] just started with Gassen in August 2014, she took over for the person that I was dealing with in January and February and it was this person's manager (the male whose name I do not remember) who I involved and who told me that he would engage her and get it resolved. Never heard from either of them after that message.
3. I have been trying to pay this bill since late 2012 and had asked for the balance due incorporating the lawsuit discount when Gittleman was managing the property. This was around the time that Gassen took over and I then heard nothing until I received a bill in January 2014. I called Gassen and left numerous messages, only to be blown off even after engaging the manager.
4. [redacted] response is incredibly combative when all that I have been asking for is the correct balance due, a breakdown of the fees, and all late fees removed and cannot even get a phone call returned.
Since [redacted] is new, hopefully she can resolve this, an issue that has gone on since 2012 without resolution. I have left her a voicemail since she did not call me and will wait for her return call. Until I get a response and the requested information, this case should remain open.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2014/11/03) */
I just wanted to follow up with you and let you know that Mr. [redacted] and I have resolved his issues and if you note below he's asked that I contact you to let you know about the resolution. I believe that you can close this case as resolved without merit.
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2014/11/18) */
The Board of Directors removed the S50.00 fine on November 3, 2014 see attached. The Board of Directors apologizes for any misunderstanding.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2014/11/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept...
the response from the business.)
As I mentioned, Gassen Company needs to send 2 letters of apology one for me in Texas and one at the mentioned address to my tenant for the lies and the stories Gassen/[redacted] made up and when I spoke with the board of the association they admitted that Gassen lied and never shared my issues with them, therefore an apology letter is needed from Gassen for their dishonest business practices.
thanks,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Please let me know if you need anything else from us.Thank you,Tim [redacted]COOGassen Company###-###-####