Dear Former Tantra Employee:

This is in reply to your sincere and thoughtful recent review here, the main parts of which I've quoted and replied to below.

> As an employee of the previous owner and
> management company of Tantra Lake,
> I was shocked to read some of the
> reviews written on this site.

Countless residents were also shocked to receive the treatment that caused those reviews. Believe me.

> The company I work for managed
> Tantra Lake for different owners
> for almost 20 years before selling
> to the current owners.

You will notice that none of the many dozens of negative reviews this past year say anything unpleasant about the previous managers or owners; only about the new owners and the current managers (Omni Properties) that took over in mid/late 2002.

> I will not comment on most of the
> current complaints that I have read
> simply because I have not visited
> the property since it was sold and
> therefore am not qualified to do so.

Thank you for your fair and professional attitude. It reflects the decent style of property management that was once commonplace at Tantra. But that style abruptly & totally disappeared last year. Thus I invite you to verify that the very negative reviews you've read on this Website are true, which is very easy for a person in your position to do. Having worked at Tantra yourself prior to the Omni invasion, you certainly would remember the names of not just dozens but hundreds of the (roughly 1,000) Tantra residents. And they certainly would remember you fondly, since previous managers/staff were overall very professional.

First, look in the phone book and note that virtually all of the previous renters (prior to Aug, 2002) have moved away from Tantra. Call them and ask why. Ask them to comment on the opinions you've found on this Website. Ask them how many were driven out by the new owners/managers who were interested only in selling their apartments & townhomes as grossly overpriced condos. Ask them why they didn't buy any condo at Tantra, even though (on paper, anyway) the transition from renter to owner was fairly simple, even for people without a lot of money. Ask them how considerately they were treated during the never-ending and ongoing "remodling" process. Ask about the quality of the remodling. Ask how they and their neighbors were treated in general by the new owners & managers. But don't stop there. Drop by your old neighborhood and ask everyone who's had any dealings with Tantra in the last year: delivery services, postal carriers, vendors, city government workers, small businesses, neighborhood residents who live in the houses surrounding Tantra's property, etc., etc. Please.

> We received our fair share of
> complaints on this site during
> the time we managed it as well

Sure, there will always be whiners & complainers. But nowhere near the volumes that continue to pour in about the latest owners and managers, right' That can't be mere coincidence, can it' There's got to be some valid reason why all the previous renters have left, why so few people have bought Tantra condos, why current condo owners can't find buyers for their "investment", why Tantra has become such an object of ridicule and disdain in all of Boulder, virtually overnight.

> I can say however, that most
> property managers will
> (or should) respond well to
> residents who come in
> (or put in writing) their
> constructive critisisms AND
> suggestions for improvements.

Yes, they should. But - as you fairly admitted - you haven't lived here since the new crew took over. If things weren't really as bad as the reviews here say, why on earth would there be so many dozens of lousy reviews - far, far, far in excess of the negative reviews for any other apartment/condo complex' Do residents really have nothing better to do with their time than make up false and nasty accusations about apartment/condo owners & managers who are really treating them well' Does that make any sense'

> Again, I can?t say that I know
> or understand what is happening
> at Tantra today, but I would
> encourage anyone who is unhappy
> to use this forum to offer some
> constructive suggestions so that
> all of us in this industry can
> strive to do a better job.

I have no doubt that you had done an excellent job back when you helped manage the property. The reason you've seen so many negative opinions is because residents DID try what you've suggested, repeatedly, to NO avail. Again, call any of the nearly 1,000 people who moved away in disgust after the new owners & Omni took over.

Of course, since you presumably still work in the property management industry, I realize that you would likely be hurting your own interests if you were to publicly post any of the countless negative confirmations that I'm sure you will find. If that's so, allow me to nonetheless speak for many others at Tantra and thank you for your past and present courtesy, candor, honesty and professionalism. It is sorely missed.


Blessings,

Someone who longs for the good ol' days

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