Response to [redacted] Revdex.com complaint
ID: [redacted]
Cambria;">
First, I am extremely sorry that Mrs. [redacted] was unhappy with our service. We do strive hard to provide excellent service.
I am always grateful for an opportunity to learn how we can better improve our business and our service. As a staff, we were surprised to receive a complaint from Ms. [redacted], because we thought we had gone beyond the call of duty to help them in every way. Our staff has discussed the scenario concerning the complaint to see where we failed to provide great service, what we could have done better and what changes we can make in the future.
Below are our responses to the issues from Ms. [redacted]
1) The number that Ms. [redacted] called is an outgoing voicemail with details about where online to find a complete listing of all our properties with pictures and details. The voice mail also tells what items are needed to view properties, and other basic FAQs. We find that 95% of the questions prospective tenants asked are all the same, so we do our best to answer all those questions on the voice mail. Prospective tenants are then instructed to leave a message or email if they have other questions. If they have found a home they are interested in, they are asked to come to the office to view it. Most days we have 20-40 phone messages and 20-40 emails from prospective tenants. Although we do our best to respond to each, it is possible that some of those do not have voice mail, do not answer or we have written the information down incorrectly. To the best of our knowledge, we did return Ms. [redacted] call, but we can not guarantee that. I apologize that she did not receive a call or voice message.
2)On the day she looked at the home, [redacted] notified her that we had another applicant interested in the property and suggested they apply immediately, if they wanted to be considered. Due to the urgency of the situation, [redacted] agreed to meet with Ms. [redacted] co-applicant, suggesting Friday evening or Saturday would be best for her
3) The co-applicant could only meet on Sunday and [redacted] agreed to an after hours (on her own time) appointment to meet with the co-applicant. She was delayed at church that Sunday and forgot about the appointment. When she realized she had missed the appointment, she called him and offered to meet with him then. He said he had gone out to the home and our cleaning staff was there and had let him in to see the home. She apologized profusely and was grateful he had been able to see the home.
4) On Monday, we had received the other applicant's information and were able to begin processing it. Unfortunately, we had only received the co- applicant's application, but not Ms. [redacted] application. [redacted] called the co-applicant and notified him that we would need both applications if they wanted to be considered. Ms. [redacted] did apply and her application was processed.
5) Based on our approval criteria, the other applicant was chosen to rent the home.
6) Both our office manager and administrative assistant called the co-applicant to let him know the home had been rented and to discuss other potential homes for them. They both believe they left a voice message (the only way they would not have left a voice message is if the mailbox was full or there was no voice mail available, but they do not recall that being the case). After several calls, we did not hear back from them and assumed they had found another home.
7) The majority of fees paid by all applicants are used to pay online service fees for taking credit cards, running credit, criminal background and national eviction searches. We average 10-13% income of the fees. Most applications take 1-3 hours to process over a 2-4 day period. Application fees are not an income stream for us, but rather an expense.
8) The timeframe of this situation was during our busiest time of the year and we were struggling to keep up with the demand during that period.
The above is how we remember the scenario. We hope this brings clarity to the situation. I'd be happy to discuss this directly with Ms. [redacted], her co-applicant or the Revdex.com to determine how we could have improved upon our actions.
To: [redacted]
Revdex.com
0pt;">
From: [redacted], Broker
Gaffney Realty Rentals, Inc.
This letter is to respond to the complaints of service issues reference #: [redacted]
The tenant states he was without heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.
According to our records, we have sent out HVAC technicians a minimum of 5 times since the tenant moved in a year ago. The property owner has paid over $ 1700.00 towards repairing the HVAC. In each case, the technician said the heat/AC was working when they left.
The dates for the calls are as follows:
2/15/13 – tenant moved in
Feb.2013 – repaired duct work and added freon - $418
July 2013 – Installed new thermostat $176
November 2013 – replaced main board $281
January 2014 – auxiliary heat was unhooked, re-hooked it $85
Feb 2014 – auxiliary heat kit and heat sequencer $753.71
As you can see by the dates, it was typically 3-5 months between calls and each call was responded to. Apparently the heating system has some issues and quite a bit of work was needed. This winter has been especially tough on heating systems in general.
While we try very hard to respond quickly and get work done, we can’t always get a unit fixed immediately due to parts needed, approval by Property Owner or just scheduling a technician who may have numerous calls before ours. When tenants are without heat, we do offer space heaters to be checked out at no cost to the tenant or property owner during winter months. I personally offered this to the tenant and he declined to take them, assuring me they were ok.
The tenant states he had a huge ant problem and that he paid $2800 out of pocket to get rid of the ants.
Per Section 19 of the tenant’s lease, the tenant is responsible for any pests. We have no record of reports of ant problems at the home from the previous tenant, nor did the current tenant note any pest issues on their move-in inspection sheet.
We received a call in April concerning the ants. Even though the tenant had lived there 2 full months before there was an ant problem reported, we sent a pest company out to spray as an act of goodwill.
Five months later in September, we received another complaint concerning ants. I explained that he would be responsible and could offer him a great inexpensive option. I called him back on September 17th and left a voice message that borax and sugar, mixed with water will get rid of ants. We have had great results with this at other properties. The unusual amount of rain we have had has caused ant problems at numerous homes, we researched options for our tenants and many found it worked. I ended the voice message asking him to call me if he had any questions or concerns. There are no records of another call concerning the ants.
The tenant states we are not likely to fix maintenance issues.
According to our records, we have 7 additional issues, the tenant called about during his one year as a tenant. These include electric problem where too many items were overloading the circuits, a water main break (due to cold snap and taken care of over the weekend), water leaking at the washing machine, toilet wouldn’t stop running and more. Each issue was addressed.
The tenant states Section 19 and 20 of the lease handcuff the tenant.
Section 19 simply lists items the tenant is responsible for such as pest control, keep yard clean, be a considerate neighbor, change HVAC filters regularly.
Section 20 notifies tenant they are not covered by insurance and strongly encourages them to obtain Renter’s Insurance. It also states that tenant-incurred expenses will not be deducted from rent.
We believe we have tried very hard to provide service to the tenant and his family. We have received their notice to move out and wish them the best in their new home.
Response to [redacted] Revdex.com complaint
ID: [redacted]
Cambria;">
First, I am extremely sorry that Mrs. [redacted] was unhappy with our service. We do strive hard to provide excellent service.
I am always grateful for an opportunity to learn how we can better improve our business and our service. As a staff, we were surprised to receive a complaint from Ms. [redacted], because we thought we had gone beyond the call of duty to help them in every way. Our staff has discussed the scenario concerning the complaint to see where we failed to provide great service, what we could have done better and what changes we can make in the future.
Below are our responses to the issues from Ms. [redacted]
1) The number that Ms. [redacted] called is an outgoing voicemail with details about where online to find a complete listing of all our properties with pictures and details. The voice mail also tells what items are needed to view properties, and other basic FAQs. We find that 95% of the questions prospective tenants asked are all the same, so we do our best to answer all those questions on the voice mail. Prospective tenants are then instructed to leave a message or email if they have other questions. If they have found a home they are interested in, they are asked to come to the office to view it. Most days we have 20-40 phone messages and 20-40 emails from prospective tenants. Although we do our best to respond to each, it is possible that some of those do not have voice mail, do not answer or we have written the information down incorrectly. To the best of our knowledge, we did return Ms. [redacted] call, but we can not guarantee that. I apologize that she did not receive a call or voice message.
2)On the day she looked at the home, [redacted] notified her that we had another applicant interested in the property and suggested they apply immediately, if they wanted to be considered. Due to the urgency of the situation, [redacted] agreed to meet with Ms. [redacted] co-applicant, suggesting Friday evening or Saturday would be best for her
3) The co-applicant could only meet on Sunday and [redacted] agreed to an after hours (on her own time) appointment to meet with the co-applicant. She was delayed at church that Sunday and forgot about the appointment. When she realized she had missed the appointment, she called him and offered to meet with him then. He said he had gone out to the home and our cleaning staff was there and had let him in to see the home. She apologized profusely and was grateful he had been able to see the home.
4) On Monday, we had received the other applicant's information and were able to begin processing it. Unfortunately, we had only received the co- applicant's application, but not Ms. [redacted] application. [redacted] called the co-applicant and notified him that we would need both applications if they wanted to be considered. Ms. [redacted] did apply and her application was processed.
5) Based on our approval criteria, the other applicant was chosen to rent the home.
6) Both our office manager and administrative assistant called the co-applicant to let him know the home had been rented and to discuss other potential homes for them. They both believe they left a voice message (the only way they would not have left a voice message is if the mailbox was full or there was no voice mail available, but they do not recall that being the case). After several calls, we did not hear back from them and assumed they had found another home.
7) The majority of fees paid by all applicants are used to pay online service fees for taking credit cards, running credit, criminal background and national eviction searches. We average 10-13% income of the fees. Most applications take 1-3 hours to process over a 2-4 day period. Application fees are not an income stream for us, but rather an expense.
8) The timeframe of this situation was during our busiest time of the year and we were struggling to keep up with the demand during that period.
The above is how we remember the scenario. We hope this brings clarity to the situation. I'd be happy to discuss this directly with Ms. [redacted], her co-applicant or the Revdex.com to determine how we could have improved upon our actions.
Thank you.
March 7, 2014
To: [redacted]
Revdex.com
0pt;">
From: [redacted], Broker
Gaffney Realty Rentals, Inc.
This letter is to respond to the complaints of service issues reference #: [redacted]
The tenant states he was without heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.
According to our records, we have sent out HVAC technicians a minimum of 5 times since the tenant moved in a year ago. The property owner has paid over $ 1700.00 towards repairing the HVAC. In each case, the technician said the heat/AC was working when they left.
The dates for the calls are as follows:
2/15/13 – tenant moved in
Feb.2013 – repaired duct work and added freon - $418
July 2013 – Installed new thermostat $176
November 2013 – replaced main board $281
January 2014 – auxiliary heat was unhooked, re-hooked it $85
Feb 2014 – auxiliary heat kit and heat sequencer $753.71
As you can see by the dates, it was typically 3-5 months between calls and each call was responded to. Apparently the heating system has some issues and quite a bit of work was needed. This winter has been especially tough on heating systems in general.
While we try very hard to respond quickly and get work done, we can’t always get a unit fixed immediately due to parts needed, approval by Property Owner or just scheduling a technician who may have numerous calls before ours. When tenants are without heat, we do offer space heaters to be checked out at no cost to the tenant or property owner during winter months. I personally offered this to the tenant and he declined to take them, assuring me they were ok.
The tenant states he had a huge ant problem and that he paid $2800 out of pocket to get rid of the ants.
Per Section 19 of the tenant’s lease, the tenant is responsible for any pests. We have no record of reports of ant problems at the home from the previous tenant, nor did the current tenant note any pest issues on their move-in inspection sheet.
We received a call in April concerning the ants. Even though the tenant had lived there 2 full months before there was an ant problem reported, we sent a pest company out to spray as an act of goodwill.
Five months later in September, we received another complaint concerning ants. I explained that he would be responsible and could offer him a great inexpensive option. I called him back on September 17th and left a voice message that borax and sugar, mixed with water will get rid of ants. We have had great results with this at other properties. The unusual amount of rain we have had has caused ant problems at numerous homes, we researched options for our tenants and many found it worked. I ended the voice message asking him to call me if he had any questions or concerns. There are no records of another call concerning the ants.
The tenant states we are not likely to fix maintenance issues.
According to our records, we have 7 additional issues, the tenant called about during his one year as a tenant. These include electric problem where too many items were overloading the circuits, a water main break (due to cold snap and taken care of over the weekend), water leaking at the washing machine, toilet wouldn’t stop running and more. Each issue was addressed.
The tenant states Section 19 and 20 of the lease handcuff the tenant.
Section 19 simply lists items the tenant is responsible for such as pest control, keep yard clean, be a considerate neighbor, change HVAC filters regularly.
Section 20 notifies tenant they are not covered by insurance and strongly encourages them to obtain Renter’s Insurance. It also states that tenant-incurred expenses will not be deducted from rent.
We believe we have tried very hard to provide service to the tenant and his family. We have received their notice to move out and wish them the best in their new home.