My Atrium Experience:

1) Was unable to reach anyone by phone so stopped in and met with Alex (leasing agent). Were instructed to leave the building and wait in the car while he showed an apartment, instead of being able to wait in the lobby.

2) Sat down with Alex, was interrupted several times by visitors getting their mail.

3) Went to see the demo apartment, which was nice.

4) Sat down to go over lease details and apply. Was interrupted by a woman that had just moved in, to find a ruined/ripped up carpet and countertops. Listened in to the conversation and were shocked to hear them say that it was "her fault for not viewing the apartment first."

5) Once the situation was settled, Alex sat back down. Five minutes later his next appointment came in and he ASKED US TO LEAVE while he showed them. He didn't even finish our leasing process!

6) We applied, paid the $99 fee and were accepted.

7) Did a walkthrough of the actual apartment once they called and said it had been cleaned and was "ready for our review". Upon entering the cabinets were warped and torn up, there were visible black scuffmarks on the walls from furniture, one window didn't open, one window was broken, the deck is unfinished and there's writing all over the walls. When you look out the windows there are miscellaneous boards NAILED to the roof. The appliances were at least a decade old and there was urine and defecation in the toilet (which consequently took several attempts to flush).

8) We came back with a lengthy list and were assured it would all be fixed by final walkthrough. We put down the $885 250 security deposit and were told that the final walkthrough would be ready in two days. Five days later we were finally able to see it (after being bounced around, and told that "others have priority since they're moving in sooner).

9) Final walkthrough revealed that appliances had been replaced (which we paid for), and the majority of issues had been resolved. However, the window was STILL broken and they refused to sign anything guaranteeing that it would be fixed.

10) We attempted to WITHDRAW since they refused to sign anything saying they'd fix the window as possible. They REFUSED TO REFUND ANY of the security deposit (Note: Security deposit, NOT application fees) which totaled $1,000 because in the contract it says they're not liable to refund ANY money after 72 hours. Please note that they wouldn't even let us do the walkthrough until TWO DAYS AFTER the 72 hour period.

12) Not wanting to lose the $1,000 we signed the one year contract. We're now hoping that this isn't a harbinger for the continued treatment. They work hard to disregard or entrap future residents.

13) After discussion, turns out their facilities aren't 24 hour as originally told and the washing machine was hooked up wrong.

It's a shame this is a Laramar Group Apartment, they do a great job with International Village.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/07/2008
I wish you luck trying to get your deposity money back from them. They blamed me for everything possible and yet would not respond when I called for maintenance. From what I have heard, management and staff have gotten much worse over the past 5 to 10 years.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/08/2008
It does not take a smart person to not put down a deposit when the first few minutes of your experience was bad, they must have a good community if you still wanted to live there!!
From: qtcbr600	Date: 04/12/2008
Don't feel bad I wasn't able to even look at the apartment I moved into.
From: completelyunexpected	Date: 04/21/2008
In addendum to my original review. I wrote a letter to the Laramar Group concerning my experiences with the property and included a link to the reviews to bring it to awareness. Instead of addressing the issue on a staff level they instead removed the listing from Google Maps (but fortunately can't touch ApartmentRatings.com!) The apartment itself is fine once you overlook the fact the missing doorknob at the entrance and lack of consistent hot water (hot water is determined by whether or not someone in the building happens to flush a toilet, as far as I can tell). An irritation is the fact that the building key is "Do Not Duplicate". What about people that go out of town? Want more than one key? I can understand where this policy comes from, though (not wanting more than the registered person to live there). It's also interesting that we locked the balcony and front door before heading out one morning and upon returning the balcony door as wide open. We can't prove anything and decided it wasn't worth fighting over, but the invasion of privacy is an interesting note. Thank god they pay the heat!! Per the not putting down a deposit, you're absolutely right. We're at fault for taking the complex at their word, and trusting them with our money. It's certainly a learning experience.

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