This is going to be a long review and most wont read but i feel the need to vent my frustrations.
I own a home north of Austin TX but work 90 minutes away in San antonio. A new employee found an apartment at villas on the rim and said I should look there. I went to look at the complex, Wednesday april 29th, and was impressed with the amenities. I spoke with Tara who was very nice and showed me a unit even though it was past her quitting time. She showed me around and I really wanted to move here based on the fitness center and dry sauna, especially, but the other amenities as well.
Tara then offered that she would reach out to a tenant who wanted to terminate their lease early the next day, april 30th. She took MY PHONE NUMBER and email, and said she'd call them the next day. I informed her that I WOULD BE TRAVELING but she had my information to contact me. I even saw my coworker in the gym on the way out and communicated with him, in front of her, and again emphasized how much I wanted to move in immediately, if possible.
I received an email the next day, April 30th, saying that the apartment was available on May 30th, with a quote and a link to apply. I clicked on the apply button from my phone, on a plane, but the button didnt lead to the application. I got to my destination and admittedly, forgot about the quote. ~27 hours after the quote was received, the next day may 1st, I clicked on the quote from a public computer at the hotel I was staying in and it said the apartment was no longer available.
Now the part that is really messing with me is that I DIDNT RECEIVE A PHONE CALL after this entire process was done supposedly, with ME in mind. Tara made a call to the tenant ON MY BEHALF, but didnt pick up the phone to call me to tell me the apartment was free, and then allowed the apartment to be taken by someone else a little over one day later with no real effort at CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I called the office may 2nd, due to the office being closed when I saw the quote. The person who answered the phone, probably Tara, appeared to be indifferent to my concerns. They told me that someone probably saw the apartment was available online and applied for it. Implying that one of 340 million people in America could take the apartment off the market, via the internet, despite this process being initiated, again, ON MY BEHALF, 27 hours prior. She then said, oh, the next unit will be available July 4th, 2 months later, as if that settled the matter, which I guess it does.
I know this will be given the old, "im sorry, we're really concerned about this situation. Blah blah blah." But as a person who owned hospitality businesses that generated 8 figures of income for a couple of decades, prior to moving back into corporate life, CUSTOMER SERVICE is a real skill. I saw no display of that skill in this endeavor.
I will find another apartment, villas on the rim will find other tenants, life will go on. Having said that, this is not the way to do business. In my past life, I felt a sense of accountability, shame, and took ownership, of every instance in which a customers needs weren't addressed to their satisfaction. I find it disheartening that others dont take things as personally as I did when I was tasked with being responsible for these matters.