Not so good, Not so bad- Let me give it to you straight
From:
-Anonymous-
Date posted:
11/21/2005
Years at this apartment:
2002
-
2005
1 response
My husband and I are going on our fourth year at Winding Wood Apts. I think I have seen it all- the complaints and the positives. Starting from the beginning, we have interacting with all types of people. While looking at the apartments we dealt with one of the nicest and most helpful ladies. But she was only at the rental ofice two days a week. The other lady that worked there was a witch with a big ole capital B!! We figured as soon as we got into the apartment we wouldn't need to deal with her any more. Before we moved in we were told we were getting hardwood floors. When we moved in we found out it was carpeted. That was no big deal- it just shows the inconsistancy and how unknowledgable the staff is. Also upon moving in, we noticed how old the "modern" appliances were. The refridgerator only had one main door, with a second door inside for the freezer. The frost built up so quickly we had to defrost it at least every few weeks, sometimes days. The dishwasher didn't work very well- but since it still did actually work they didn't want to replace it. So we basically had to wash our dishes clean before using the dishwasher. Not too long after we moved in, during the night, our freezer stopped working and everything defrosted. The maintenance people came and replaced our entire refridgerator on a saturday morning. However, about $200 worth of food was ruined in the process. We lived here for a month before one of our neighbors approached us and said hi. We had a 10 minute conversation. Probably our longest conversation with a neighbor until recently. A few months after moving in, a family moved in above us. We had NO idea what we were in for. Their child must have been 2 or 3 and screamed ALL the time. We have no idea when this kid slept. He would start screaming at like 7 am, run up and down the hall, jump from the furniture, and we think they used to have him ride his bike in the house. And with the paper walls and ceilings in the place, you were able to hear everything. Luckily for us, this only lasted a year. Also while they lived there, they would constantly leave their screen door open, and water would get in and damage our ceiling and wall. It took maintenance a while to fix it. We had a couple months of peace before we got new neighbors who decide to put the biggest satellite dish I have ever seen (it was the kind that could get all the international channels)right outside our bedroom window. The rental office was nice enough to step in and take care of that problem by making them move it to a less obtrusive area. They moved out after about 6 months anyway, but not before leaving us a present- cockroaches. For two years, we have tried to keep our apartment as clean as possible. We've had the occassional silver fish, or ants, or beatles- the typical bugs you get in the house by living on the first floor. But we have never had roaches. The maintenance lady was very helpful in helping us get rid of them. She told us how bad it was upstairs so she scheduled a few sprayings for us to make sure they got them all. Our most recent problem has been with the fuses. Our lights started twinkling. Maintenance came and replaced the one fuse. The next day our other lights were twinkling. They came back and replaced one more fuse. The next day sparks come from the fuse box whenever the air conditioner turned on. Finally they came back and replaced all the fuses- something they could have done the first day.
Here's a basic rundown of what I think about these apartments: 1. The walls are crap. Don't try hanging anything heavy or smoething that could potentially break if it falls off the wall. 2. Most of the people that live here are not friendly or stay to themselves. Most people don't speak English. 3. The kids in the area are rude and have no regard for other peoples space. 4. People have no curtisy when it comes to parking. They block other peoples walkways or mailboxes. 5. If you can fix it yourself, do it. Otherwise you may or may not be waiting hours for maintenance. 6. There is nothing outside of the complex but factories and a Dunkin Donuts. 7. The cops are driving around here ALL the time for one reason or another. 8. Heat doesn't really stay in in the winter.
There is more but i think i have ranted long enough. My husband and I have stayed here because the rent was afforable and it was between both of our jobs, but after three years enough is enough.
Basically here's what it comes down to- the neighbors are not friendly; parking isn't bad- just annoying sometimes; maintenace is efficient sometimes; the complex is a confusing maze with no order to the building numbers; the construction is shoddy; it feels like it is in the middle of no where.
I would still recommend the complex to people starting out; people looking for something temporary; people who want something affordable. I would make sure they know what they are getting into first. also i would recommeded to check out brooklawn gardens first. its the same complex- but seems cleaner and is in the center of sayreville. they are more expensive though. If you plan on renting for a while, you might want to get elsewhere.
Recommended: YES
Overall Rating
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User Responses
From:
jmkoons1
Date:
02/14/2006
I've lived at the complex long ago with my Dad, from 1981-89, a few years after it was built and while they were in the rapid expansion phase. My curiosity caused me to check out the reviews here, knowing what it was like then and hearing about it in more recent reports - either first hand, these reviews, or police blotter reports.
I was in what would be now the old section, in bldg. 42. The problems described with the dishwasher and refrigerator/freezer were exactly the same then as now, even 25 years later! Probably the same make and models still being installed in those units! Yes, the refrigerators they provided in the late 70s and early 80s were manual defrost, requiring everything frozen to be removed about once per week or every other week, and placed in a cooler while my Dad and I chisled away at the ice chunks. A hair dryer was handy for finishing up the job. All in all, a good 2-3 hours work on a weekend that came as no joy to look forward to. Frustrated, my father asked if we could ditch the dog and put our own 20th century vintage in there, but were denied. Possibly insurance/liability issues? And if you needed your dishes cleaned, best bet was the 'ol elbow grease and dishrag method. If you needed a little water splashed on them, the dishwasher served fine. Never dare to put anything dirty in there, lest things go terribly wrong. Stuck-on stains, food particles clogging the drain - a disgusting mess and still you are left with dirty dishes to clean. We found out fast.
At that time, crime wasn't so much a problem, but things began to get more worrisome when subsidized housing came into play. My father breathed a major sigh of relief when we left, as more reports of vandalism, theft, assaults began to file in as the complex expanded. After all, the neighborhood has nothing of value to offer. The territory could use a youth center, parks, playgrounds, some form of security. More high density housing with nothing constructive to occupy the youth was the last thing needed in the area, but the complex could only stand to make more money, and expanding further into the marshes came at small cost to them, so off they went.
While some exaggerations exist about the level of crime, there is a kernal of truth to all of this. A few of my friends remained in Sayreville and joined the PD, so I hear first hand about general trouble in this community. Some sections are probably fine, as it is a sprawling complex with varying tenant makeup. I'd say to choose your apt. wisely if considering, and see what the neighborhood is like during the day, night, and on weekends if planning a move there.
The above comment about using the place in a pinch - while trying out a job, between places, using it as a starter - all seem true to me. You'll pay for what you get.
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