The Promenade is a complete ripoff. The building quality sucks, the neighbors are one step above the lowest rung of humanity, and the staff could care less about you until they want some money.

Parking- Parking is good, unless you have more than one car. You only get one assigned space, and it is usually at the opposite corner of the building from your unit.

Noise- You hear EVERYTHING in this place. Random drunk parties at 4am are a nightly occurrence. Sound proofing in between units is good, but is nonexistent between floors. Just don't expect to sleep soundly as long as you live here.

Grounds- The grounds would be very nice if the other residents didn't go out of their way to trash things up. People would take trash to the garbage room but leave it in a pile on the floor. Obviously lifting a 15lb bag of trash an extra foot to the chute is too much effort when you are completely wasted. The hallways and garage were also filled with trash more often than not. Also, the pet policy is a complete joke. I love dogs, but not when they are doing their business in the elevator and nobody picks it up.

Safety- My car was never broken into, so I guess I was lucky. However, I lived in Bldg. 4, so the proximity of the leasing office might have something to do with that.

Construction- The place is built using the cheapest materials possible. There is no way any sane person could truthfully call this a luxury apartment. The "tile" in the kitchen is actually just a vinyl veneer that will start peeling after a month. The tile counters are impossible to clean. The building will also shake every time a car enters the garage, causing light fixtures to fall down. Also, the air conditioner vents directly out on to the patio, making temperatures over 100 degrees out there fairly common. This obviously makes the patio completely uninhabitable while also raising your electric bill.

Utilities- The boilers are always being "repaired", so don't expect a reliable hot shower. Getting DSL is also a gamble. You will most likely be paying for internet you can't use. TV is a total mess. You have three options: You can pay for DirecTV "lite" (it's normal DirecTV for $10 more a month, but it lacks HD), put up an antenna on your patio, or watch the non-HD locals that are broadcast for free via the cable jacks. Beware that you will not get much of any radio signal (TV or cell phone) if you have an interior apartment.

Appliances- The appliances were specially ordered from the lowest level of hell. The washer/dryer beats up your clothes and is too small to do any serious laundry. The fridge will not keep your food cold, but it will jack up your electric bill. The dishwasher doesn't clean the dishes, it just rearranges the grime. The garbage disposal sounds like a tractor in serious need of a tune-up. But worst of all is the stove/oven. No window, no light, no way of knowing when it's preheated, no clock, no timer, and it does not self clean. A cardboard box with a candle in it would be more of an oven than the junk they put in these places.

Maintenance- The maintenance guys are very prompt, but they are restricted by management to fix things as cheaply as possible. They never could replace anything, just do some half a$$ed repair job.

Staff- The leasing office and resident services is staffed by the standard apartment bimbos. Everyone is nice until you sign the lease, but they could care less if you dropped dead once you move in. They will lie and find any excuse possible to take your money, and once they have it they'll ask for more.

Overall- It was a miserable experience. The Promenade has no redeeming qualities and if you move in, you'll regret it in about a month. If you wan't to live in a place where the price is more justified, go to an Archstone or Irvine Company apartment instead. Don't be fooled by the nice exterior, it's really just hell with some stucco and a pretty fountain that's turned off.

User Responses
From: Chiefs1968	Date: 11/04/2009
Perfect review --- I couldn't have said it better myself. Great point about the "apartment bimbos." Obviously, the main qualifications to work at this dump are being totally brainless and phonier than a $3 bill. My scathing review is coming. Stay tuned, folks.
From: dcarter3	Date: 11/04/2009
Your description is fantastic! It highlights everything I experienced when I lived there and more. I wish I would have seen a review like yours before I moved into that hellhole. If anyone moves there after reading this, they are dumbasses and deserve what they get! Thanks!

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