Where to start...' I read all the previous posts and agree with most of the negative ratings. I spent 3 years at Vance AFB doing Quality Assurance work for the Housing Section of our Base Support Contract. If I had to deal with the management here in that role, I would have filed for a new contract.

I chose this apartment for the price and location. We were in a hurry, and the manager came across as helpful and friendly. She answered questions, seemed to know what was going on. I could not view the apartment I wanted to get, it was not cleaned up yet (3 weeks out). When I came a couple days before moving in, it was still not ready. I was taken to see a mirrored layout of what I was renting. I liked the book case wall and the balcony view, overlooking the pool and the trees.

When we arrived with our truck and got the keys to the apartment, we found the carpet was still wet from "being cleaned." Yeah, the previous tenant had a dark haired dog that liked to hang out by the back door, thats where most of the dog hair we found was. So, the carpet is wet and we are going in and out with all our stuff...

Getting settled in, we start adding up things we didn't much care for:
One cable jack in the living room, thats it.
Carpet is actually quite thread bare.
No screen door, or window screens. (Eventually got a screen back door.)
There seems to be a hole in the floor that might have been a floor furnace at one time, carpeted over.
One overhead light, in the dining room, as part of the one ceiling fan.
The walls are quite thin.
The AC unit is very loud and vibrates the whole apartment.

Over the weekend we quickly figured out that the disposal, dishwasher, and ice maker did not work. Oh, and if there was not a microwave in the apartment when we got there (there was not), they would get us one, because there was supposed to be one in the unit. We had to tell them the disposal was starting to smell bad to get it replaced. They had to order the dishwasher, so three months later, after it was designed, manufactured, and shipped to Pier Landing, we got a really cheap new dishwasher. The ice maker took a few attempts, but after four months, we had a working ice maker that made clear ice (as opposed to yellow ice).

The mail key was fun. It did not work, though it was a new key and lock. While we waited for them to get it fixed, we had to show up when the mail lady was delivering mail to get our mail. When they got it fixed, the key worked, but the only way to get the key out of the lock was for it to be unlocked. So we waited for that to get fixed. Along the way, we know for certain, a credit card was stolen and activated and a package worth $40 was stolen. ***If you do live here, and a package is delivered, the office workers do not check any ID when you go to pick up your package, they just give it away. Read the lease very carefully, it absolves them from any liability.***

The AC froze up on us. The brass pipe literally tripled in diameter with solid ice. So that froze the freon and the compressor was doing nothing. The supplemental paperwork that comes with the lease tells you not to turn your AC on lower than 70 or it will freeze, due to the humidity in the air. We did not go below 75. It thawed and we were back in business (this was a weekend). Monday, I went to tell the girl in the front office and she asked if she needed to write a work order up. I said I thought it should get looked at. A few weeks later, the AC was going good, but condensation was falling off the brass pipe at a steady rate. I let the office know. When the people below me complained of water coming from their ceiling, we had a maintenance guy come out to fix it.

We found out about the ant problem the first morning I ate cereal here. I was getting a little extra protein that morning. They gave us Raid Ant Bait and said if it gets worse, they will send the bug man out. How much worse than eating ants in your cereal can you get' We keep a clean kitchen, but leave anything out (like pizza when you are watching the game, less than 2 hours) and the ants have it. Especially sugar. They even got into my oatmeal packets. When I went to get replacement traps, the office was out.

In the middle of Nov, I asked for a screen for the window, yet again. They told me they were over budget for the year. I asked, and yes, their budget goes to the end of Dec. So, they could not afford to get me a new screen, nor could they afford the labor of getting a used screen from an empty unit (plenty of those).

The third of Dec, they decide to make some money. We get a notice that one of our blinds is damaged and we have a week to fix it ourselves. (The lease does not say I am required to fix the blinds at a moments notice, just that the blinds have to be fixed when I leave.) Oh, and if you don't want to bother with it, they'll replace them for you for only $50. So, I go to the Blind Place, and what do you know, Pier Landing buys their blinds from them. At $16 a blind!!! And they just put in an order for some (right, they are over budget and can't get me a screen, but they can order blinds). So, the hardware for the blinds are in place and if you have a really slow maintenance guy, its 10 minutes to install. Sound like a good $30 profit for every blind they replace. I go by the office after the week is up and try to get a screen, since they have money now.

The girls in the front office are so clueless. They can process paper work and fill out a lease, but try to tell them Peir Landing just made a killing on the blind sale, so they have money and I want a screen, they tell me if I don't want to replace my blinds they will do it for me. My head starts to hurt. Mica walks in and I try to tell her, and she tells me they have to go pick up the blinds and then there is labor, etc. I just want a screen, my blinds are fixed!!!! How do clueless people keep their jobs'

Which brings us to the day before Christmas Eve. We paid our rent on the first. The ninth month of paying rent. Never been late, never had any problems getting them rent. We left for our Christmas vacation to visit the wife's family out of state on the 15th, a Saturday. We got back tonight, the 23rd, Sunday. On our door is a notice. Two sheets of paper. The first one, dated on the 17th, a Monday, says our rent check bounced and you owe us an extra $150 this month (up to the 17th). Oh and you have 5 days to vacate this apartment (that would be until the end of the 22nd). The second paper was the notice that our rent check bounced, and we owed more money. It was dated on the 17th also. So we double checked and sure enough, when they sent the check through on the 7th (Friday) we were less than $2 short of the rent check. Simple math error on our part. On Monday, there was more than enough to cover it, but they did not try to run it a second time, like most banks will. They waited 10 days (so thats $15 for the 6th and $10/day after that in late fees) to tell us about it. They put the letter on the door of our apartment on the 17th, we have until the 22nd to move out, and we get home the night of the 23rd.

I would love to leave, but would hate to have an eviction on my record. And I really hate having to dish out so much $$$ at Christmas Time, especially to them.

I thought I was getting a good deal, half off the first month, $75 off the rest of the year. Looks like they are getting some of it back.

I also believe poor management is to blame for most of the problems here. I am one class from a BS in Management, and I have enough practical experience to see that the product Pier Landing puts out is very lacking. It all stems from leadership and management. When I go into the office, it gets real old feeling like I am interrupting the workers. I get the feeling they believe they are doing me a favor by acknowledging my presence. They will fill out a work order and get to it eventually. The maintenance guys are probably over worked and under paid. Its hard to get and keep quality repair guys like that. I wonder if UL Coleman knows about this website and how bad Mica does in the customer's view.

Update: 18 June 2008

So my car was broken into one night. They tried to get the cd player, but damaged it in the attempt. So they left it. Broke out a small window to get in it. I filed a police report. Went to tell the office what happened, got the same song and dance, "We're sorry, nothing we can do, I'll let the "courtesy officer" know about it..." Kind of expected. So I start parking my car in front of the office, it has the most light, and the most people around (people do swim at all hours of the night). No complaints from the office. It uses premium gas, so it is expensive to drive. I use it for work, at night after the office closes. I decided to sell it. I put a for sale sign on the back glass. They are cool for about 3 weeks. Then all of a sudden, "Move your car in 48 hours or we'll have it towed." Voice mail, no explanation. So I move it one spot over. The next day I go in to ask whats up. They say I can't use the office parking as my used car lot. Apparently somebody from the main office took offense of me parking there. No marked spots, I am an existing, paying customer. They don't ask why I always park there. They just assume I am trying to sell the car using their office location. I live right around the corner from the office. There is no parking in front of my apartment at night, its all full. I could understand if I lived farther away.

I am so glad to be leaving in a few weeks.


Still no screens for the windows either.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 02/12/2008
Hello, I also lived in the Pier Landing Apartments. I agree over the past few years that th property has declined. I have lived over here for quite sometime and this property needs alot of work. Mainly because people don't know how to take care of their apartments. They let the dogs and cats run wild over the complex. I can say this about Mica the manager she is one of the nicest managers we have ever had on this property. She will work with you on anything and I always is willing to help. I am so sorry that you had to endure a bad experience here. These are some older apartments and things seem to break down after some time. I do agree that you should not have to purchase miniblinds that is something that you should have addressed to UL Coleman.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/08/2008
Pier Landing is the worst apartment community in all Shreveport. This property is managed just awefully. There are NO rules enforced and NO respect for the long term tenants. The assistant manager with the big noise who is so unfriendly and uncaring and she is just plain rude. We cannot wait to move out in a few days.

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