My biggest complaint (and I have many), is the F--kin bad cable service. Basically, Americana has contracted with Optel, a cable provider for apartment complexes. So while the rest of the bay area and SF have AT&T Digital cable with hundreds of channels and pay per view, at Americana, we are stuck with Optel, which is not digital, and which only has 60 channels and which does not have any pay per view. The reception is god-awful, with static constantly. Several times, I was watching a prime-time tv show, when, 5 minutes before the end of the show, the cable service died. My wife and I stared at the TV, and the cable service didn´t come back on until the credits were rolling. And there is constantly static, which Optel has never fixed.
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<br>Another complete joke with Optel is their cable modem service that they offer. I don´t use it, but tell me, is there one person out there that would pay $50/month for dedicated cable modem service that is 56kbs? That is dial up speed, and they want someone to pay $50/month for that? All I can say is that Americana is completely stupid and irresponsible for using Optel.
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<br>I completely agree with the previous comments about the poor lighting. The lighting is so bad that in the night, any friend, who has not been to the apartment before, is never able to find my building number. I also completely agree that, while the neighborhood is probably safe, the poor lighting and security do not make you feel secure when you are walking around at night. Ditto for the parking garages.
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<br>The management staff is barely capable at best, and repairs take 5-10 phone calls before someone is sent to your apartment to fix a broken cabinet or leaky sink.
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<br>I think that Americana is completely overpriced. Heatherstone apartments, which is down the street from Americana, cost $2300 for a one bedroom in December 2000. Now they are down to $1500. Americana should similarly reduce their prices, if not for the poor service and security, at least in response to the slackening demand.