Westward Management, Inc.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: An electrician was ONLY contact because of the misinformation provided by the manager on callThe person who gained access to the closet was here all day, so him being here had nothing to do with the rapport of the manager and the board Several falsehoods were told in the response and I am due $
Sincerely,
*** ***

We're sorry but our decision is finalWe have nothing further to add at this time. Westward Management

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/14) */
Contact Name and Title: *** *** / Pres
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***
Regarding the incident on January 6, 2014, Westward Management was contacted by the resident in unit XXXX-X who
stated that they were unable to enter the common door due to a malfunctioning lockAccording to telephone records provided by our operations department, her call was received and routed at 9:32AMA locksmith was dispatched at 9:48AM to inspect the door and make any necessary repairsAt 1:15PM, the locksmith contacted our office and informed our operations department that he had completed his inspection, checking all of the exterior doors and locks at the building, and found them all to be in good working orderHe then checked all of the gates on the property and found that one was frozen and inoperableHe de-iced the gate and left the property, leaving all doors, gates, and locks operational
Exceedingly cold temperatures hinder the operation of common doorsAt times, doors will freeze shut without noticeAlthough we apologize for the inconvenience, Westward Management did everything that they could to address the issue in a timely mannerThe Board of Directors were put on notice regarding the work that was done and the task was closed
Please let me know if you have additional questions/concerns
Regards,
Westward Management

Not the greatest management companyA friend also has them and is constantly finding over charges on the monthly billingMy experience has been lack of service as they don't get back to you for days if not weeksI still have damage done by a renter above me ( toilet overflowing ) it has been over a year and still no results

We took over the management of this association back in November of We were able to get everyone in the complex set up with proper payments by the end of the calendar year 2014, with the exception of one account, Mr*** At the time of the transition to our management
company, Mr*** was finishing out a previous payment plan for assessment payments I personally was in communication with Mr*** and the attorney representing the association in early about payments He made payments, directly to Westward Management, on March 9th, Between March 9th, and April 20th of 2016, only one payment was made...but then reversed It is very clear that Mr*** knew about the new management company and where payments were to be sent beginning in March of 2015, and thus his excuse of not knowing where payments are to be sent is invalid The association also agreed that half of his late fees would be waived if he made a payment in full by June of 2016, but he was not able to keep his end of the agreement.Throughout 2015, and even into 2016, we attempted to collect past due assessments from Mr*** to no avail According to the association's historical records, the non payment of assessments by Mr*** has become a pattern, and it was decided that the association would move forward with collection action against Mr***, as the association grew tired of the constant back and forth and excuses about non-paymentDuring this time, I personally was treated in an unprofessional manner, being called "incompetent" and a "jackass" on multiple occasions At that point, I did not find it necessary to include pleasantries or provide any favorable treatment when dealing with Mr*** As a management company, I am obviously simply an agent and mouthpiece for my client, and the decision to not put up with the non payments for over a year were handled in a manner congruent with industry standards, and not a decision made by myself or my company, but by my clientThank you

Thank you to the grass cutters for doing a very good job at cutting my lawn, which is on a very steep inclineSincerely , Elizabeth *** Devonshire ctMchenry,il

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 16th, we received a call via our emergency line from this homeowner stating that, due to unauthorized work being performed in the unit, the power had gone outThe policy for this building - a policy created by its Board of Directors, consisting of
elected members from the community, and not Westward Management - is that notification must be provided in advance when work of this type is to be performedThis rule exists so that the necessary personnel can be informed, coordinate with the contractor(s), and/or remain onsite when needed in order to avoid situations exactly like this oneTypically, the penalty for failure to provide adequate notification is a hefty fine and/or the homeowner may be asked to reschedule the service
However, the manager on call had a good personal relationship with a member of the community's Board of Directors and was able to get ahold of this individual to ask for guidanceThe Board Member informed him that the closet this homeowner was attempting to gain entry to did not contain what was needed to solve the problemThe manager relayed this information to the homeownerThe manager then contacted the building's engineerAlthough it was a weekend and not during business hours, the engineer agreed to come to the building and arrived within minutesBy this time, the homeowner's electrician had already arrived
While we understand that the homeowner may be frustrated by this $charge for an electrician, we do not feel responsible for covering the cost as the homeowner did not provide us adequate notice to set up a safe and responsible situation where this incident would not have occurredOur manager went above and beyond his contractual obligations to provide emergency assistance and was, in fact, able to save the homeowner potentially hundreds of dollars in fines to the Condo Association and having to reschedule the service, which is how this situation would have normally been handledWe will not be refunding the $

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 16th, we received a call via our emergency line from this homeowner stating that, due to unauthorized work being performed in the unit, the power had gone outThe policy for this building - a policy created by its Board of Directors, consisting
of elected members from the community, and not Westward Management - is that notification must be provided in advance when work of this type is to be performedThis rule exists so that the necessary personnel can be informed, coordinate with the contractor(s), and/or remain onsite when needed in order to avoid situations exactly like this oneTypically, the penalty for failure to provide adequate notification is a hefty fine and/or the homeowner may be asked to reschedule the service
However, the manager on call had a good personal relationship with a member of the community's Board of Directors and was able to get ahold of this individual to ask for guidanceThe Board Member informed him that the closet this homeowner was attempting to gain entry to did not contain what was needed to solve the problemThe manager relayed this information to the homeownerThe manager then contacted the building's engineerAlthough it was a weekend and not during business hours, the engineer agreed to come to the building and arrived within minutesBy this time, the homeowner's electrician had already arrived
While we understand that the homeowner may be frustrated by this $charge for an electrician, we do not feel responsible for covering the cost as the homeowner did not provide us adequate notice to set up a safe and responsible situation where this incident would not have occurredOur manager went above and beyond his contractual obligations to provide emergency assistance and was, in fact, able to save the homeowner potentially hundreds of dollars in fines to the Condo Association and having to reschedule the service, which is how this situation would have normally been handledWe will not be refunding the $

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: The response is entirely inaccurate and knowingly as to the history of dealings with regard to payment of the account and my standing on the accountFirst of all, at the time Westward took over my account was fully in good standing I had a prior issue where I was behind in the assessments and Westward pointedly has not denied that it sent the email to the wrong email address, and notedly, the response simillarly misspelled my name as it did with regard to the improperly addressed email attempting to notify of the change in mailing address Westward received two assessments from me after the notifications originally went out as they were forwarded by the former managmenet company Their attorney accused me of lying about the fact that I had not received notification, citing the payments they had received and I provided documentation showing that those payments had been addressed to the former company ** *** and forwarded by that company The payments made to ** *** had in fact been taken out of my account for additional months but were not applied to my account as they were not forwarded on to Westward Rather than contact me to determine the reason for nonpayment, they attempted to collect charging an additional $in attorneys fees Ultimately, after full explanation fo the situation to their attorney, she indicated that they would take the issue to the board for resolution The board never responded to that proposal either I fully paid off all of the back assessments and more than sufficient late fees for any that were delayed Ryan *** was repeatedly rude with regard to responses, and it was only after he claimed that all of the other units received the notification, did I point out to him that he might have sent their emails to the proper addresses, and that he was a jackass A statement that I wouild continue to stand by Westward has repeatedly been unprofessional and incompetent, and is not a business that any townhome association should consider using unless its goal is to harass its unit owners unjustifiably
Sincerely,
James ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/02/05) */
Contact Name and Title: *** *** / Pres
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@westwardmanagement.com
***, This letter is in response to your various complaints regarding the property you reside at:
* When our
office received a telephone call regarding the sump pump failure we immediately tasked it out for service (technician arrived within several hours)Since your Board of Directors won't allow our office to approve work for amounts exceeding $estimates were requestedTwo contractors provided estimates the same day with one of them being approved shortly thereafter after by the Board PresidentThe repair was completed the day after approvalTask created on 9/and work done on 9/This is task #XXXXXX for reference
* The pipe that broke in the lobby was reported and work was done as quickly as possible with the leak being stopped by Palancar Plumbing and subsequently ServePro going out to the building to do the subsequent cleanupAll of this was completed the day of the leakServepro reported that there wasn't a lot of damage and our office did not receive notice regarding a need for drywall repairsWe will ask to have the drywall repaired shortly, pending board approval
* *** *** your property manager talked to you about the snow complaint on 1/as mentioned in your Revdex.com complaint as being on 1/He told you that we would reach out to the snow contractor about this and rectify the problemCustomer Service reached out to the snow provider and their email back to our office is as follows:
We have serviced this address times in the past daysI know for certain this garden unit was shoveled and salted again after the storm just yesterdayAlso they have a car stuck in the rear parking lot gate that has yet to be moved for us to serviceWe have serviced this property for the last years, tentatively we only salt when there is a storm service +inches
* During your phone call with your property manager that occurred at the same time as the snow issue above you mentioned mold in the back by your unit that was caused by the sump failure and also about the front of the building where the pipe brokeCustomer service set up a task for this which was performed that same dayDispatch noted that you had put off the inspection multiple times without a call back from youOur office did receive an estimate on 2/for repairsIt was subsequently forwarded to your board for approval with an estimated cost of $As soon as we have approval this work will commence
* Regarding the back gate, we have quotes in progress for replacement of a cantilevered gateOur office also approved work 2/to replace a photocell for one of the exterior lightsThe current gate design allows snow to jam the interior working parts while closing and subsequently blowing a fuseThe gate company has been with the association for years and previously recommended the cantilevered designWe are in process of getting competitive quotes and subsequent approval from your boardThis is task #XXXXXX
We hope that this helps to address your questions and concernsAs always, you can contact our office directly at (XXX) XXX-XXXX
Sincerely,
Customer Service
Westward Management

Multiple calls for service related issues never returned. Our rear gate has not functioned correctly for over a year and no method of communication about this is ever addressed. The callbox on the front of our building has deleted our name- we've lived here for 12 years- and we have made three calls, 2 emails and were told it would be fixed by end of day yesterday and NOTHING. Christmas gifts for our children have been returned to sender all week last week due to inability to deliver because our name is not on the box. They are rude, lazy, unresponsive, and inept.

Westward has been managing our condo association in Bucktown since 2009. I think they're great! They're responsive and they take good care of the building. I especially like how they prepare for our board meetings. It use to be pulling teeth to get things done around here. Now, the agenda and the material are clear and meetings are under one hour. Good work Westward!!

We took over the management of this association back in November of 2014.  We were able to get everyone in the complex set up with proper payments by the end of the calendar year 2014, with the exception of one account, Mr. [redacted].  At the time of the transition to our management...

company, Mr. [redacted] was finishing out a previous payment plan for assessment payments.  I personally was in communication with Mr. [redacted] and the attorney representing the association in early 2015 about payments.  He made 2 payments, directly to Westward Management, on March 9th, 2015.  Between March 9th, 2015 and April 20th of 2016, only one payment was made...but then reversed.  It is very clear that Mr. [redacted] knew about the new management company and where payments were to be sent beginning in March of 2015, and thus his excuse of not knowing where payments are to be sent is invalid.  The association also agreed that half of his late fees would be waived if he made a payment in full by June of 2016, but he was not able to keep his end of the agreement.Throughout 2015, and even into 2016, we attempted to collect past due assessments from Mr. [redacted] to no avail.  According to the association's historical records, the non payment of assessments by Mr. [redacted] has become a pattern, and it was decided that the association would move forward with collection action against Mr. [redacted], as the association grew tired of the constant back and forth and excuses about non-payment.During this time, I personally was treated in an unprofessional manner, being called "incompetent" and a "jackass" on multiple occasions.    At that point, I did not find it necessary to include pleasantries or provide any favorable treatment when dealing with Mr. [redacted].  As a management company, I am obviously simply an agent and mouthpiece for my client, and the decision to not put up with the non payments for over a year were handled in a manner congruent with industry standards, and not a decision made by myself or my company, but by my client.Thank you

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/09) */
On Sunday, January 5, 2014, Westward Management was directed by the Associations Board of Directors to dispatch a vender to turn on the garage heaters based on the extreme cold temperatures and wind chill in order to prevent frozen pipes,...

burst pipes, and the potential resulting of flooding and leaving residents without water. This was after the failed attempts by the Board to turn on the heaters and with the recognition of non-functioning thermostats. In addition to the Board's request for service and the entire Chicago area being under a wind chill warning, the contractual agreement between Westward Management and the Association allows for the following: In the event of an emergency, Association authorizes Manager to authorize any reasonable expenditure which is necessary or required because of danger to life or property, or which is immediately necessary for the preservation and safety of the Building or the safety of the owners, members and occupants thereof, or if required to avoid the suspension of any necessary service to the Association.
Westward Management respectfully disagrees with any breach of contract.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
 
The response is entirely inaccurate and knowingly false as to the history of dealings with regard to payment of the account and my standing on the account. First of all, at the time Westward took over my account was fully in good standing.  I had a prior issue where I was behind in the assessments and  Westward pointedly has not denied that it sent the email to the wrong email address, and notedly, the response simillarly misspelled my name as it did with regard to the improperly addressed email attempting to notify of the change in mailing address.  Westward received two assessments from me after the notifications originally went out as they were forwarded by the former managmenet company.  Their attorney accused me of lying about the fact that I had not received notification, citing the payments they had received and I provided documentation showing that those payments had been addressed to the former company [redacted] and forwarded by that company.  The payments made to [redacted] had in fact been taken out of my account for additional months but were not applied to my account as they were not forwarded on to Westward.  Rather than contact me to determine the reason for nonpayment, they attempted to collect charging an additional $300 in attorneys fees.  Ultimately, after full explanation fo the situation to their attorney, she indicated that they would take the issue to the board for resolution.  The board never responded to that proposal either.  I fully paid off all of the back assessments and more than sufficient late fees for any that were delayed.  Ryan [redacted] was repeatedly rude with regard to responses, and it was only after he claimed that all of the other units received the notification, did I point out to him that he might have sent their emails to the proper addresses, and that he was a jackass.  A statement that I wouild continue to stand by.  Westward has repeatedly been unprofessional and incompetent, and is not a business that any townhome association should consider using unless its goal is to harass its unit owners unjustifiably.  
 
Sincerely,
James [redacted]

Our association was self-managed before Westward Management and they've made our lives so much easier! We felt that they really cared about our concerns and responded quickly to help fix things as best they could.

We're sorry but our decision is final. We have nothing further to add at this time.
 
Westward Management

We've been using Westward Management for about seven years now. We've had three property managers over this time and I've been on the board for all of them. Like any other service based business, it took some time to get use to them but I have to say, they are pretty on top of things and their internal systems are better than most companies in this industry (at least in Chicago that I've used since living here). Accounting system is great and real time accessible to all of our board members, and when there are problems they are typically taken care of quickly. I also REALLY like the board packets we get at meetings - very thorough and makes meetings short and sweet :)