What can I say to add to the abundance of negative reviews' Take those complaints seriously- this is a place to avoid, unless you enjoy fighting with an unresponsive and unavailable landlord, that has a staff of generally clueless people that do their best to smooth over situations beyond their control, no part of which actually solves your problem. I'll start at the beginning...

When my roomie and I moved into South Duff in May of 2007, we were asked, during check-in, if we could "leave things away from the walls" since they didn't have time to paint. Reluctantly, we agreed. Have you ever tried to move in all your stuff and not put anything against the wall' It's impossible. We waited two days before realizing that they were never coming to paint, so we ended up taking the apartment "as is." Needless to say, I was not satisfied from the get-go.

When we moved in, the manager at the time was Melissa, but it's not like you could get a hold of her if you needed to. For whatever reason, she was always taking "conference calls" "in meetings" or some other convenient excuse. Since I don't work there, I can't say for sure if they were screening calls, but it sure seemed to me like they were. We ended up dealing with a person named Veronica, who was some sort of intermediary, and she was nice enough, but she would talk circles around you, and make things more complicated than they really were. The rest of the staff were always nice, but generally clueless. They'd try to smooth things over, but the problems weren't theirs and that led to lots of messages with false promises of callbacks. The place has way too many chiefs, and not enough -------, if you can pardon the expression.

My first year there was relatively quiet. We had some problems here and there that could never seem to be resolved- We'd talk to someone, think things were resolved, then have someone else call us, and ask us the same things the last person did. It was a pain, to say the least. Once we got through all their hoops, things were quiet, at least for awhile.

In Feburary of 2008, my roomie moved out, since he found a place closer to work. This transition went very, very smooth. The manager at the time was a person named Scot. Some things changed, seemingly for the better, but this was not a permanent change. It was lease renewal time, and my now Wife was going to move in the 1st of April, and we decided that, despite the management, we like the place, provided we could deal with them as little as possible. At the time there was a promotion that you would receive a 200 dollar gift card, as a token of their appreciation for renewing early. This gift card never came.

I'd call it the "great gift card fiasco of 2008" but that might not do it justice. We signed paper work that stated we'd receive the card after the 1st of September, after they verified that we were in fact living there. Made enough sense to me, so I signed. September came and went, so I called in. Of course there was some excuse about "corporate." Everything that happens in that place gets somehow tied into "corporate." I don't know if it's to make them sound important, but it's freaking ridiculous. At the time, the corporate office was in Texas. We kept waiting for our token of appreciation, but it didn't come. I called several times, and got excuse after excuse. One person even blamed Hurricane Ike! You gotta watch those hurricanes- they just stop up "corporate!" At some point, I was actually able to obtain contact information for Scot, and I sent him an email. It was a long, drawn out process, and I never got the gift card. I settled for a rent credit in early 2009. What a joke. They promise you things they can't deliver!

In early 2009, having been further disenfranchised with South Duff, my Wife and I decided to look for a place, and put our apartment on South Duff's official "sublet list." I got a call a few weeks later from an employee, and she said they had somebody. I found a different place, was about to sign the lease, when I realized I should finalize my sublet with South Duff, and pay the associated fees. When I called the office, I was told "they didn't have anyone subletting." I chalked it up to another mishandled transaction by South Duff personnel, and backed out of the new place. Lo and behold, on May 1st, the day I wanted to be out, who should call but South Duff' I was in a meeting, but took the call. The person on the phone says, "Are you still looking to sublet your apartment... ...starting today'" I was floored. Absolutely unbelievable. Of course, I had nowhere to go, so I told them that, and gave them a piece of my mind for botching the whole thing.

Other things that bothered me about the place- They put up signs that give people short notice to do things, like register bikes, etc. They also up and changed a rent policy, saying that they needed to have rent in by the 1st, or it was late. Previously, you had until the 5th. At any rate, they explained why they needed their money faster, all business related things- I understood, after all, we were in a pretty hard recession. The next week, I got a newsletter that had an ad on the back for free prizes and free food- If your business was in trouble, and needed cash flow, wouldn't you quit throwing pizza parties'

Something else worth mentioning is the landscaping. There were bushes growing out into the sidewalk for the better part of the summer in 2009. And the smell of Dog poop! They do nothing but put up signs that say "pick up your poop." It's a serious problem.

Finally we are getting close to the end of my residency at South Duff. I checked out, cleaned my apartment, but still have not received my deposit. It's another "corporate" deal- Apparently they have a hard time with money, when you don't owe them anything. If you were late on rent, they were on you hard, but reverse the role, and they don't seem to care. I got a "final account statement" dated 8.7.09 that said I'd get my whole deposit back. According to the manager, they were sent to "corporate" on that date. According to IA Code 562A.12 Landlords have 30 days to either give back the deposit, or tell you why they withheld it. If they don't have a reason to withhold, they have 30 days to pay. It's looking like I am going to need to take them to court over the matter.

It doesn't matter who the management was, or is. (I see those cute little "wanna make it right" messages from Wilkinson) Avoid this place at all costs, unless you have stock in Advil. What a headache.

User Responses
From: chrisk2006	Date: 09/20/2009
Wow, I see you had many of the same problems as me, especially in reference to that $200 gift card fiasco. I actually received mine in early January, only after filing a complaint with the Attorney General of Iowa. When they finally presented my roommate and I with our gift cards, they informed us that we needed to keep quiet about it because "they just didn't have enough for everyone." Completely inexcusable business practices if you ask me. Also, I have yet to receive my deposit refund too. Maybe another letter to the AG is in order. Best of luck to you.
From: bluefin4425	Date: 09/30/2009
Under IA Code 562A.12.7, bad faith retention of a deposit may subject the landlord to punitive damages not to exceed 200 dollars. After talking with the manager this week, I still have seen nothing. It is my understanding that she really has no power over the situation, which is a crap way to run a business, but that's not her fault- it's the fault of the company. On Friday afternoon, after my mail comes, I will be filing in Story County, the necessary paper work to take this to court. I'll be seeking 200 dollars in punitive damages, plus whatever fees I have to pay to file. This company needs to learn that they cannot blatantly disregard the law. If they can't get off their dead asses and get this taken care of, they need a new strategy. Apparently, they need to learn the hard way. I'd encourage anyone in my position to do the same thing. Fight for what is yours, and don't let these people get away with it!
From: isu999	Date: 09/30/2009
I have the same issue with deposits as you guys and my roommates do as well. This place is a joke, maybe we need to get a group law suit.
From: WilkinsonAssetManagement	Date: 10/06/2009
Dear South Duff Residents, It is truly distressing to read so many negative comments regarding South Duff Apartments. As the new management company we have had many obstacles to overcome, but have the highest regard for each of our residents and strive every day to make it a better community. Accounts Payable has been contacted w/the directive that deposits be refunded in a more timely manner.

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