Review History for jmbell42

Signature Ridge Apartments


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jmbell42

Resident ā€¢ 2008 - 2009

6/1/2009

Not a good place to live, overall

I have been a tenant here for one year. At the time, my wife and I moved from Ann Arbor, MI and we needed a place relatively quickly. We didn't know the area very well and we chose a place based primarily on the amenities and the location. I have been a renter in various forms for over 10 years. My expectations are not high. I have lived in student slums, suburban slums, and quasi-slums during my tenure as an undergraduate, graduate, and, now a post-doctoral student. I know the game. You get some semblance of amenities and maintenance in return for what passes as reasonable rent. If you're lucky you don't hate the people around you, and, if you're really lucky, you live near some decent, hard-working people who don't want to listen to other people's music/movies/whatever. Ah, now to signature ridge. As most have already mentioned, the apartments are very nice on the inside. They are spacious, well designed and are, for all intents and purposes, very very nice apartments on the inside. Parking: This is fairly bad. If you arrive after ~6pm, then don't bother trying to park legally. Most resort to illegal parking, but I can't really blame them. The allocated parking spaces are woefully inadequate. I concur with most other reviewers that this is horrible and that some semblance of assigned parking (maybe 1 slot/apartment) might help. This seems endemic to the over-crowdedness of the complex and not a problem that will be solved in the near future. Caveat Emptor! Speed Bumps: These are ridiculous. They are really quite ludicrous. This was an absolute surprise to me when I first moved in, because management does not let you tour the grounds easily. They insist on you seeing "model" apartments. If you are moving here, then please realize that every day you will traverse an annoying minefield of speed bumps. Some of them are reasonable enough in size and spacing. In particular the ones nearest the leasing office seem the most benign. However, if you are in a smaller more economical vehicle, such as a Corolla, then you will enjoy the roller-coaster. I have seen some large SUVs just drive over them, so this part might be a function of the vehicle size. Again, if you don't mind being endlessly annoyed, no problem, but buyer beware! Management: I'm trying very hard not to slip into hyperbole here, but I can barely come up with a word that describes the depths of ineptitude that characterizes this management team. The turnover is also quite high, possibly due to incompetence, indolence, apathy, or a combination of the above. Don't worry, while the management changes, they only succeed in surprising you with new lows in customer service and professionalism. I really wanted to give them a break and I realize that running such a large complex must be difficult, but there really is no excuse for the non-responsive nature of management. For instance, my wife and I went without a microwave for almost 10 days. We made a phone call every day. No one bothered to contact us with any updates. All that was required here was a statement along the lines of, "Sir, we ordered one and it will be here in 5-7 business days." That's it. That is all that we required. Still, we did not even receive this minimal amount of service or care. The girl waiting on you at McDonald's will tell you that the hamburger is being cooked and it will be just a few minutes. To be fair, they are not the absolute worst management on Earth. I'm certain that there are at least a few others that probably do a worse job. Also, in recent months, management has been trying to develop community activities. However, building community in an apartment complex is difficult, but at least they are trying and that is commendable. Crime: My neighbor was broken into in broad daylight. I was actually home when it happened, but I had stepped out for roughly 1 hour in order to run an errand. The burglary occurred during that hour. It's possible that this place was being cased out. I have not personally been the victim of crime, but it has been reported regularly. Neighbors: As with all apartment complexes, living here is about trying to enjoy life without violating others' space and sanctity of home. Unfortunately, one callow tenant spoils the building. I have noticed that living here is a really mixed bag and one's experience with it is reflected in the reviews that can be seen on this website. I have had the unfortunate luck of living near a group of, to be kind, moronic troglodytes who urinate on the walls (yes, they literally can be found outside urinating on the walls of the complex). Another group before them spent from 11pm - 5 am jumping up and down above my wife and I as we attempted to sleep. Complaints to management do very little, but calling the police tends to put cowards in their place. Most of the particularly annoying people tend to be, pardon the over simplification, roughly college age. This is not a news flash to anyone who's had to deal with this segment of the population. I mean, who hasn't wanted to party when they're 21-23. However, this demographic that resides at this complex is apparently not the intellectual cream of the crop, to put it politely. On the positive side, the adults residing in the complex have always appeared and acted like professionals. We have had the pleasure of getting to know some of these very nice people. However, this seems to be the minority of residents here and the overall quality of the tenants is found severely wanting. Of course, this is always a problem at apartment complexes, but the level of incompetence, sloth, and general stupidity seems higher here than in the student slums at the University of Michigan. Please, if you are a professional and wish only to have a decent place to live, I highly suggest looking into a an apartment complex that screens applicants before hand. This particular complex is an embarrassment to those seeking a home and is more appropriately termed a dormitory... with a few isolated pockets of redeeming adults who all seem as puzzled as myself at the general stupidity occurring around them. Pets: To the dismay of the few responsible pet owners here, most of the complex seems content to let defecate over all of the limited green space available. This is particularly bad if you happen to like walking on grass and/or have any children who might like the same. The rules are relatively simple and yet are not obeyed. I do not blame management, since they have so many additional sins to answer for. However, allowing pets seems to be an unmitigated failure and is a definite strike against this complex. I could go on for a while, but I will leave the reader with this final evaluation: If you want a home, a place to come back from work and repose, to escape from the travails of the professional work day, then DO NOT LIVE HERE. This place is better termed a reject dormitory, within which the mature, working man or woman will be left to endure an endless series of unmitigated disasters at every conceivable juncture. You will not sleep at night, you will not be given any consideration by management. You will need to fend for yourself by calling the police to stop people from micturating on your door. If you would like to see what troglodytes are like up close, then by all means this is your place. However, if you want a home, please do yourself a favor and find an apartment complex that at least provides minimal services and whose tenants take a modicum of pride in their behavior.

    Review 398 out of 556

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