Services, Apartment Finder - apartmentpeople.com, Lincoln Park, Chicago unhappy with service provided

Complaints.com received the following business reply on December 13, 2002:

From:

RE: Apartment People complaint

Dear manager @ complaints.com, It is very concerning reading Steven Byrne's complaint about our service. As members of the Better Business Bureau for many years, customer service is very important to us. As I understand the complaint, Steven came to our office and found an apartment he was interested in applying for. Upon his return to our office, he found that the apartment was no longer available. His complaint states that we "gave that apartment away." We would no longer show the apartment when someone has submitted an application, but a landlord may still rent to a different applicant on his own. Certainly that is a situation that is disappointing to us as well. That is an unfortunate situation that happens with or without a rental service, but not because of the service. In regards to Steven's disappointment regarding his charge for a credit check fee, I would ask that he call me at our office. We make it our policy to satisfy our customers whenever that is possible. I am sorry that Steven's experience was an unpleasant one, but that is not representative of most of our customers. It is the goal at The Apartment People to have satisfied customers, and it is my goal to turn Steven's experience around. Sincerely,

Ilene Collins

CEO Apartment People

Complaints.com received the following e-message on July 19, 2001:

From: Stephen Byrne [Email User]

RE: apartmentpeople.com ripped me off !!!

Hi. I got ripped off by the Apartment People in Lincoln Park, Chicago and you

will too! Don't use them. They are also at Apartmentpeople.com. They are

a company that you go to, and they take you around showing you apartments

around the city. They have no charge up front, but do charge about twice

the regular amount for an application fee, and as we found out seem to able

to bargain around for the price of apartment to set their commissions. So,

I went to apartment people with a friend of mine to get a two bedroom

apartment. We went out almost immediately with an agent named Larry. We

told Larry we wanted to spend around 1200 dollars. Larry proceded to take

us to three places.

One was pretty nice, but we were told that it was a

model, but the real one looked exactly like it. We asked, "Have you seen

it? Are you sure it's exact to this one." Larry answered yes to both over

and over again. We decided to wait a day on it. The next day, Larry took

us to a place that was really nice. We said we'd take it, and went back to

the apartment people immediately. We signed all the paperwork, and were

assured that we had the apartment. We went home that day knowing that we

had the place from them. Later that night, we called just to confirm that

all the paperwork was going through accordingly, and were told by someone

who worked there "OH, DIDN'T LARRY TELL YOU? SOMEBODY ALREADY GOT THAT

PLACE." We couldn't believe it. Not only did we get screwed, give them 695

dollars a piece, but they weren't even going to tell us that they gave away

our apartment. We went in extremely angry(as you can imagine) and were

given the run around for an hour or two, being told we were going to sit

with a manager to clear this whole thing up, but every time someone sat

down, we asked them if they were a manager and every one said no. They

seemed to be afraid of lying at that point. Did they do something illegal

to us? Does anyone know?

Well, that's not it. It gets worse. So, we get taken out again, and Larry

assures us that he's on our side and that he can't believe this, which was a

crock of &^$%. So, we go to a couple more and back to the first one we

liked the first day out. We decide we like it, and again ask Larry," Are

you sure that the actual apartment is IDENTICAL to this?" Larry looked at

us every time and answered yes. (maybe he didn't really understand the word

identical) But just to clarify, my friend pointed to different things in

the apartment and said, "So, it has this mantlepiece like this one?" and

"So, the bathroom is all new like this one?"etc.etc. Larry throughout

assured YES, YES, YES it's all the EXACT same, I just don't have keys for

it. On his word, we went back to sign up, and secure this apartment. While

signing, an actual manager (we believe) came over to help out and CLOSE THE

DEAL.. While he was trying to get us to sign quickly, we asked," So, Larry

assured us that this is exactly the same as the model we've been looking at,

Can you put that it must be the same in writing or this lease is not

valid?" The manager instantly backed up saying stuff like, well, it's not

going to be the exact same, and well, you can't expect to get a place like

that model for 1200 dollars?

--Why not I thought, I have friends who pay much less for much better

places. I was just in a hurry to get a place.

So, we said we wouldn't do anything then until seeing the apartment. Larry

then came back to the desk, and lied to our faces saying he wasn't sure if

it would be the same, but we would check it out. We said, " Larry, you said

it was exactly the same. Are you lying now and saying it's not?" He just

kept muttering off stuff like, well you really never now, and hey, I know

how you guys feel....and more *&^ and more *&^. Larry proved what I

thought. He was a lying piece of *&% like everyone else there. So, as a

last effort, we checked the real apartment. It was a completely different

layout! And unlike the newly refurbished model, it was a dump or as I said

to Larry, "this is a F---ing S--thole! What the Blank?????" There were

holes in the floor, and on the wall that the actuall landlord wouldn't even

say if they'd be fixed for sure or not.

That's not even it. Here's the real kicker! When we said no to everything

in the end, They had already cashed in our checks! We then went to the

office one last time to get them to refund our money. They would only give

part of our money though. They kept 45 dollars from each of us claiming it

was non-refundable. So angry, we left without fighting them too much on the

90 dollars. But, I never got over it. These people lied, cheated and stole

from us and I won't sit quiet anymore. I am starting a campaign if we don't

get our 90 dollars back from these cheats. I will post signs daily

throughout Lincoln Park, Lakeview and wrigleyville until this is resolved.

Especially around the vicinity of 3121 N Broadway. That's the office where I

wasted so many hours with these lowlife, lying, cheating people.

Their number is 773 248 8800.

If anyone out there knows if I have any legal standing in Illinois, or if

you are the Apartment People looking to resolve this issue, please email me

at Email User Thanks for hearing me out. Oh, and apartment people, you shouldn't screw over a writer with a high

speed modem and too much time on his hands. Sincerely Angry

Stephen Byrne