Since 2001, we have been residents with Irvine Communities at 3 different properties: Cherry Orchard, The Pines at North Park, and finally the Laurels. We kept returning to Irvine properties due to positive prior experience and unfortunately, our move-out experience with the Laurels completely ruined this company's good reputation in our minds. We even referred several renters to North Park, and according to a friend who still lives at Laurels, the place has complete gone downhill when the office staff changed and it seems to rot right up to the top starting with --------.

The bad experience first started in summer of 07 when our convertible got broken into in the garage. We had to leave the top down for a couple weeks because it was broken. The morons at the office sent us a pretty mean-sounding letter saying that we'd be fined if we continued to leave the top down. Hey, we didn't bother to yell at them for the lousy security that caused our car to be broken into in the first place!

Upon moving out we received a bill for an extra day of rent because the office staff claimed that we didn't return our keys on the last day before move-out. Well, we had the apartment until 11:59pm and returned our keys well before then. Since it was after-hours, we could drop off the keys in the drop box and it was supposed to be ok as long as the staff finds them first thing the next morning. We have lived at the company's other properties before so we knew this was the policy. -------- and her staff first accused us of lying - that we didn't drop off the keys, and then when that failed, they claimed that the policy was that keys were due by office closing which was 6pm (totally BS). After many conversations -------- agreed to "only" charge us 50% of the 1-day rent because she was being "nice." We refused to accept that because we returned keys on-time. So the morons at this office continued to haggle with us over what essentially amounted to $25 and threatened to hurt our credit report if we didn't pay. Finally, after we contacted Irvine's corporate office and filed a formal complaint with BBB did -------- back down and refund our extra day of rent. All this for $25. Not only does this office manager have terrible business judgment, she is also downright dishonest. $25 was not worth creating a bad feeling in what were previously very happy tenants. Office managers like this should be fired, period.

The story ended with her calling to apologize and sending us a gift card for $50. Frankly, that was pretty pathetic compared against the countless hours we spent having to deal with these idiots after we already moved out.

For reference, here were my positive reviews of the Pines and Cherry Orchard (owned by same parent company):
http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/CA-San-Jose-Pines-at-North-Park-324106.html
http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/CA-Sunnyvale-Cherry-Orchard-Apartments-21171.html

how things have changed.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 02/13/2008
this place sucks...because of the jerk managers
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/18/2008
The title of this complaint hit the nail on the head with the "Incompetent Staff" part! The manager is indeed dishonest. She is quick to throw mud in your face, but when it comes to producing documentation if there is a dispute she hides behind the company attorneys. In what world doesn't Excellent Customer Service apply when renting to tenants especially those who pay loads of money for apartments that rent nearly as much as a house would? In this Community Manager's world apparently it is ok to tell her tenants to move if they don't like living there! I called the Renters Protection Agency at the suggestion of another tenant here, and they said based on what information was provided that based on her unethical moves, that she can get her company smudged by placing an investigation on their record. I have worked in Silicon Valley for a long time, and in my world, we treat the client like gold. All she is creating is bad buzz about this community. Look at all these poor tenants who are unhappy with how she treats them. That is unacceptable.
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/28/2008
they actually blanked out the incompetent office manager's name in my review. gimme a break, apartment ratings. unless this office manager is going to work "anonymously" at her own property, anyone who has gotten one of her nasty notes will know exactly who she is.

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