Okay so to be fair, -------, -----, ------, and --- (I think) are all nice people who were dealt a bad hand to begin with. Previous management did a good job of keeping residents happy, but at a cost - they pretty much stuck gum on all the leaks...and now that gum is getting unstuck.

The problem is, the new management could be fixing these leaks in a smarter, better way.

I'm going to focus on their most recent screw up b/c it pretty much summarizes in a nutshell how the new management handles problems (instead of going over all the recent problems -- you can read about those in previous reviews -- e.g., about the 24 hr rent increase notice, the attempt to reassign all parking spaces, maintenance, crime, etc.).

A couple weeks ago, my pregnant wife who is in her third trimester was coming home from work at around 8PM. Her back was aching, she was carrying her work bag, and all she wanted to do was go home to relax and unwind. She walked to the elevator area and found that for the first time the gate to the elevator area was locked. She tried her key to no avail. She walked to the other side of the parking area to test the other door. Same result.

Now, anyone who lives here knows that the stairways here are pretty scary, especially for a girl at night - there are NO LOCKS on any of the stairways, the walls are unpainted, cold concrete, doors are metal so noises may not be heard outside -- making it the perfect place for a robbery, assault, or even rape. Heart pounding, exhausted, and furious, my wife pretty much ran up the 4 flights of stairs to our apartment - no easy feat for a 7 month pregnant woman. I would have walked her up, but she didn't want to bother me b/c I was still at work.

Next day, I called management to vent about the previous night. No answer. I called every hour for 4 hours, and each time got the machine. So I decided to fix the problem myself - I propped open both gates. Later that evening, I went grocery shopping, and as I was lugging the 60 lbs of groceries to my apartment (OH YEAH, THAT'S ANOTHER BRILLIANT IDEA ON VISCONTI'S PART - NOT PROVIDING ANY GROCERY/LUGGAGE CARTS), I found that the props had been removed. And, I noticed a sign stating that the gates were to remain locked at all times. Figuring they must have at least made it so that residents' keys were able to open the gates, I put down my groceries on the dust/debris covered garage floor, pulled my keys from my pocket and tried the gate. Still wouldn't open. Walked around and tried the other gate, same damn thing.

Next day, super pissed, I walked into the office and asked ------- wtf was up with the gates. She said they were forced to lock all the gates b/c otherwise, the Visconti would be put on the LAPD's noncompliance list. I asked why they couldn't have informed the residents BEFORE locking the gates, and all she could say was "I'm sorry." She said the gates would be fixed by the next day, and at that time I would be able to get my keys reprogrammed.

I'm sure all of you can already see how badly management handled this issue. But for those who can't (------- and -----), let me spell it out:

- locking tenants out of the elevators does not solve any security issues, it CREATES them - instead of being able to ride up in a well-lit glass elevator which is visible from the outside, tenants were forced to take the stairs or to walk outside around the perimeter of the building to the main office elevator

- how much sense does it make to lock people out of the elevators, probably one of the safer areas of the building, with an alarm bell and all -- but FAIL TO LOCK ANY OF THE STAIRWAYS!' what are you trying to accomplish'' most criminals are not wheelchair ridden, and can easily climb stairs.

- why couldn't you give prior notice to residents' i mean you were so good about giving notice to residents about the rent increase, the parking assignment changes, etc. - why couldn't you let residents know that they would be locked out of the elevators for several days' You didn't even have to give personal notices on doors, all you had to do was put it up in the elevators a few days before locking the gates.

- if the LAPD is threatening to put you on some list, why not have the common sense to inform the LAPD about the security risks you'd be CREATING, and propose a safer solution, e.g., give us a week to send out notices, change locks and reprogram keys' I am sure the LAPD would have given a week or two - they're not idiots who are going to put people at risk to enforce some code when the whole point of the code is safety.

- if the LAPD still refused, why couldn't you assign an extra security guard to the parking lots w/ a key to the gates to open them for residents who showed him/her a visconti key'

- if you REALLY care about tenant safety, why not install cameras in high traffic areas instead of spending money on locking gates, but leaving stairs open'

Taking any of the steps above would have been the SMART thing to do. It seems like when the new management are ordered to do something, they don't give any thought on how to best execute the order - they just blindly do whatever it is they think they're supposed to. The old management might have used temporary bandages here and there, but at least they thought things out before making drastic changes.

As I said earlier, the above is just one of the many missteps the new guys have made. I'm not saying that the new guys aren't well-intentioned. I'm just saying they don't seem experienced enough to actually manage a complex as large as the Visconti. They're a bunch of young kids who need to be trained by a real management team so that they learn to think before they act.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/26/2008
I received the memo below on the 20th. The doors were not locked until after the memo went out. I'm not sure how you were locked out weeks ago. I think they are doing a great job, they even extended their hours to help. May 20, 2008 Dear Valued Resident(s), As many of you are aware, Visconti Management has been working diligently on improving the controlled access to the property, included in this procedure is updating our key system. All walk through gates are now only accessible with your apartment key so we may properly manage the accessibility to Visconti. However, when your original key was issued, access to these gates may not have been granted. In order for your keys to work properly Visconti Management requires you to bring all keys for your apartment to the office during business hours so that we may program them correctly for you. We will be extending our office hours until 9:00pm this Wednesday and Friday only for your convenience. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions pertaining to our key system. Respectfully, Visconti Management P: 213-977-0972 F: 213-250-8386 1221 West Third Street
From: eastwingtenant	Date: 05/27/2008
Whoever you are Anonymous, email me, and I'll give you my ph#. I'll be happy to chat with you about the events described in my post. The memo went out several days AFTER the gates were locked, and AFTER I complained to management, and you can verify that with management. Next time, check your facts before responding.
From: VISCONTIMGMT	Date: 05/27/2008
Dear Valued Resident, Visconti Management apologizes that you feel this way. The staff and I do care about your residency and our goal is to make each and every resident happy. I see that you have several concerns as we would like to address each one with you. Please feel free to contact me, ------- Dalton, Community Director. visconti.cd@fpimgt.com, phone 213-977-0972, or please drop by the office during business hours. I look forward to meeting you and making Visconti a happy home for you.

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