Where do I begin...' Three months (and waiting) for a $700 refund I guess. That's how long I've been trying to get my overpayment and deposit back. They told me they mailed it twice, but they don't have any proof. It's not registered or insured mail. First they told me they HAVE to mail it, then they decided I could pick it up, but when I went to pick up the "second" check they had "mailed" it again. I'm now waiting on the third try. Not to mention, they are saying they took $75 dollars out of my deposit for an unpaid water bill, even though I never once had a water bill over $30, and $50 that was non-refundable, although I don't see that anywhere in the contract. The Ethan's seemed like a great place to move into two years ago. There prices were well under a hundred dollars less than similar apartments and you got more square feet. I guess this is the bait and switch. They lure you in with great prices then give it to you. The first year is great, but renew and they could care less about you. My apartment was so drafty I could feel cold air from outside blowing on me while sitting on my couch five feet from the door. No exagerating. Heating bills were ridiculous. Parking is a joke. I often had to park 2 buildings away because they allot about half the parking spaces for the number of units. If it's Friday or Saturday night, you better be parked by 6:00pm or you'll have trouble finding one at all. I often had to park on the main road that runs through the complex at night because all the spots were full. Drive by on a weekend night and check for yourself. Lighting is very low at night, and the tennis court lights don't even work. On more than one occasion I would see someone trying to break into a car in the low light. Raccoons hide under the mail boxes. Streets aren't plowed in the winter making it difficult to go up or down some of the steep hills to the apartments. The trash bins were always overflowing. The grass looks really nice (thanks to the lawn mowing company who I'm told does it for about half the cost any other lawn service would take - I wonder why'). If you need something fixed, plan on waiting a couple days for them to get around to it. I guess when you have a thousands of tenants, and maybe 4 maintenance guys, it can get a little overbearing. Oh, and don't be surprised by unexpected visits from maintenance. A couple times they knocked on my door and started coming in before I had made it to the door. They said they were there to check the apartment for maintenance needs. For certain things, like chimney cleaning, they would let you know they were coming, but I didn't get notices for these visits. It makes me wonder how many times they came in while I wasn't there. You might be tempted by the prices, or the nice club houses, or the appearance of a clean apartment grounds, or the initially friendly staff, but don't buy any of it. It quickly fades.

****UPDATE****

3 months, 1 week, and countless phone calls and visits to the office later, I finally have my money. Some interesting things. i was given a $175 check 2 weeks before the one for $418. On the first one it had "In complete satisfaction and accord" in the notes area. Thanks to the people on here I knew that if I cashed this one I would not be entitled to the larger one. The larger one, dated the same date as the smaller one, was not given to me till two weeks later. It was dated 12/28 and they didn't give it to me til 1/12. With all the problems they have given me I can't help but think they did this on purpose hoping I would cash the smaller one first. Especially after reading all the other reviews. I was really surprised that not once, not a single time, did anyone ever apologize to me for any of the trouble. Just excuses and actually blaming it on me. But on one very small good note - there is actually one nice person working there. A young guy. Not sure of his name. I'm sure the women there will scare him off soon.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 12/30/2008
the 30 day law is true...no doubt!!! But as far as the $50 non refundable, its possible. Depends on your lease. I know you said you didnt see it anywhere but another place they may have placed it is the application which you would not have a copy of...they would and they can have it on there and not on the lease and that is acceptable in court. I know the water bills run a month and a half behind and the final bills were always alot higher. The Ethans does not charge you themselves for the water. They have a company that does that so there is no way THEY are personally overcharging you. Ive never heard of anyone getting out of the utilities, including water. Now THEY dont have to contact you for a walk through but you had a right to request one before leaving completely. Most apartments dont ask their tenants to be present for the final walk through. They should have sent you a final security deposit statement showing what your rent balance or credit was at move out including the deposit you had on file and any charges they found leaving the amount due to you or the complex. This usually comes before the check but sometimes with the check. The Ethans doesnt write their checks there so it is coming from the corporate office but that doesnt mean that The Ethans manager or assistant didnt turn the paperwork in to corporate on time which may be part of the reason for the delay. I would contact an attorney if you have been waiting 3 months from your move out date. Get your dates together and put them in writing as far as when you have contacted them about the deposit refund and who you spoke with if possible and have your attorney contact them or their corporate office. But just know that once you have your attorney talk to them they will no longer take calls from you. I would say the charges they are taking from your deposit are legitimate compared to what some places take out. And I didnt see your apartment before or after to know if you left stains on the carpet or any itmes behind or if you had a pet. Sounds like your experience was not the best so make sure you are thinking logically and not with your anger. Next time when looking for a place to live, you know what to do! Go on weekends and at night and see what parking is like and see if trash is dumped, talk to residents leaving their apartments and see what they have to say! Look on this website!!!
From: TheEthansTenant	Date: 01/01/2009
Why is anonymous too embarrassed to use a username. Maybe they are being deceitful in the review. I have been a tenant for seven months. The staff is always helpful and accomodating. They have excellent listening skills. The parking lots are huge when comparing to any others. Everything is convenient: mailbox, trash for junk mail, and UPS deliveries. I really would like any person who is looking for a great apartment, to check out The Ethans in person. Speak with Justin, Victoria, Susan, Erica. They will be personable. Also The Ethans has a chart available which compares other properties. Please use my name Kathy Bullard because The Ethans also pays a referral fee to me if you like what you see. I have my own washer and dryer in my unit. I have huge storage space and a patio. The kitchen is beautiful and the appliances are new. When I speak with my neighbors, they all appreciate our homes. We have a tennis court, exercise room, 2 pools, and a hot tub. The trash is always picked up, maybe twice a week. When someone moves out, repair, painting, and new carpet are is done. The Ethans welcomes pets and many tenants walk their pets on the sidewalks. A maintenance person can be seen daily picking up trash or cigarette butts from our community. Since I have lived in many apartments and The Ethans stands out and I would rate it highly. I believe The Ethans has been slammed for the last time. See for yourself. After your inspection, please post a response to this review. Let's see who is telling the truth. Make my day.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/01/2009
In response to the "Ethan's Tenant", you will see what I'm talking about when you move out. But why are you reading reviews on here if you have no problems and are still living there? Could it be that you know them personally or maybe work there. You seem to know everyone pretty well. And I know some of the staff live there, and get referral bonuses so it would make sense that you would put your own name on here. I highly doubt this will be there last time slammed. Especially considering 72% of the people who have reviewed the Ethan's would not recommend them. I do agree with you on many things, however. They do have huge parking lots. Unfortunately, they are always completely full (at least the ones around my building). I only saw them pick up trash once a week and that was on Tuesdays. After the weekend, the bins were always overflowing and people would have to put their trash on the ground. I felt sorry for the trash men. Maintenance did pick up trash from the ground probably twice a week. Why wouldn't they want to give the illusion that the Ethan's is a beautiful, luxurious place to live. As far as the grounds and what amenities are offered, that is all true also. And those things are nice. But it doesn't make up for the rude staff, inadequate parking, untimely repairs, or failure to return an owed $700 dollars to a previous tenant. I once missed my payment by one day (because I always sent my payment in way early and I guess I forgot to actually bring in the check) and they taped a very nasty letter to my door. Why should I have to wait three months for my money when they threaten to evict me for a payment just 1 day late, and inform me that my account is already at the attorney's office waiting to proceed. It would have been much more considerate and appropriate to give me a call, or mail me a nice reminder letter. I had no problem paying the late fee, but the language of the letter was uncalled for. It actually ended with "govern yourself accordingly" rather than a respectful "sincerely" or something similar. On top of that, any of my neighbors could have taken the letter off my door and read my business. I also could have not received the letter if someone had chosen to take it, thereby allowing me to be taken to court for eviction and paying the $5 a day late penalty on top of the initial $50 late fee and the $300 attorney fees. And, it seems to me that they would have a legal obligation to mail the letter so they would have proof that they actually informed me of my late payment before evicting me. But I guess they don't send anything registered, insured mail. I felt so disrespected (considering I had never missed a payment before) that I actually thought about moving out at the end of my first 12 months. I wish I would have now. In fact, the same week I DID move out, two of my other 11 neighbors were moving out also -- for the same reasons! So your challenge to people reading this is good. I hope they also see the moving trucks that are there on an almost daily basis from people moving in/out.
From: whateverman123	Date: 02/27/2009
this is hilarious!!! Even if you put a user name....who cares?!?!?! it still doesnt mean that tells who you are. You can soooo tell the idiots and fakes on here by the idiotic things they say.
From: phila	Date: 05/08/2009
Be very carefull getting your refund!! If the check is not the amount you deserve, DON'T CASH IT!!! If you cash that check, you lose your right to get the amount you expected. The Ethans has used this scam because they know most people will cash a check. They were suppose to contact you for a walk-thru (giving you a right to dispute charges), which I'm sure they didn't. They are clearly playing games, which usually ends in their favor. Have them put their excuse in writing, along with any other contact. Take them to Small Claims Court, and you will probably get triple the amount they owe by law.------------------------------------------------------- MO. LAW, THE LANDLORD HAS 30 DAYS TO RETURN THE SECURITY DEPOSIT. DURING THAT 30-DAY PERIOD, THE LANDLORD ** MUST NOTIFY THE TENANT ** OF THE TIME AND DATE WHEN THE LANDLORD PLANS TO INSPECT THE DWELLING. THE TENANT ** HAS THE RIGHT TO BE PRESENT ** DURING THE MOVE-OUT INSPECTION, WHICH MUST BE CONDUCTED AT A REASONABLE TIME. THE LANDLORD MAY NOT KEEP ALL OR PART OF A DEPOSIT FOR NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, ONLY FOR ACTUAL DAMAGES. SO FOR THOSE THAT DON'T AGREE WITH NOT GETTING A FULL SECURITY DEPOSIT REFUND, DO NOT CASH THE CHECK SENT, OR YOU MAY LOSE YOUR RIGHT TO RECOVER THAT PORTION. FOR HELP WITH LANDLORD PROBLEMS YOU CAN CONTACT K.C. HUMAN RIGHTS AT CITY HALL AND/OR THE U.S. DEPT. OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (H.U.D.). ALSO THERE ARA GENERAL OBLIGATIONS OF LANDLORDS: MAKE PROPERTY HABITABLE BEFORE TENANTS MOVE IN, MAKE AND PAY FOR REPAIRS DUE TO ORDINARY WEAR AND TEAR, PROVIDE WRITTEN NOTICE TO TENANTS WHEN THERE IS NEW OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY, AND NOT UNLAWFULLY DISCRIMINATE TO NAME A FEW. ---------------------RESPONSE TO UPDATE: Good to see that you finally got your money back! I'm sure they where mad at you for not falling for their SCAM -lol-. I hope others read the reviews, and take action as well.
From: lgracielou	Date: 08/30/2009
The Ethans tenant must be someone who works there! Who knows all of the names of those skanky rude girls that work there besides one of them?

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates