Complaint Review: 1st Lake Properties

This company is completely incompetent.They also do not give full disclosure of their practices.They told me to send in X amount of money for a rental at their flowergate apartments in Metairie. They said that I would recieve a 100.00 discount if I sent it in immediately. Judging by the absorbent amount of properties they manage I couldnt possibly imagine them to be a dirty company. I was wrong. I sent the money in on a Friday, on Monday they contacted me asking for a deposit of 650.00 . I thought that they meant for a total of 650.00 and that I must not have qualified for some reason for the $100.00 discount. No, that was not the case. They wanted 650.00 MORE dollars on top of what I had already sent them. The representative said that she told me that depending on my rental application that they would do this. No, she did not tell me thus. I would clearly remember a company wanting an almost $1000.00 deposit after they initially told me 460.00. I told her "no thank you" and I wanted my deposit back. Well easier said than done. They have given me the run around for aproximately a month. I have called the main office on Napoleon avenue after.being unable to have an intelligent professional conversation with the people that work at the Flowergate.Apartments. The Secretary or receptionist could not tell me where my money was and refused to let me speak to anyone higher up. She wod not disclose any information about who ran the company such as president, vice president, etc. Not one full name would she give me...she just kept repeatedly saying there is a board, you have to write to X P.O. Box. Then she told me I had to call back to the Flowergate office, even after I explained to her they were giving me the run around...and this she was telling me in between putting me on hold every 5 seconds. I called back to Flowergate which I already new would be useless and unprofessional, and the so called manager there...started yelling about how I basically had no right to be upset that I hadnt got my money, and when I told the embecile I was planning to call a lawyer...she literally started saying this, "are you threatening me? I will call and file a complaint with the police!" I told her, "No, Im not threatening you Im merely stating a fact. Im going to call a lawyer. I didnt say I was going physically harm you. Are you crazy?" Her screaming and yelling was so out of control I just hung up the phone, and called the housing commission and a lawyer. They still have my money three weeks later. I really need to move from my present location. It would be nice to have my money back so I could. In my opinion this company as.some serious issues.and whoever is running it has no idea how to do so in a way that is morally sound and in the best interest of the public. However, it appears they have found a way to get rich by unfair business practices at the expense of the consumer and it appears no one, such as city officials, in the New Orleans metropolitan area is going to do anything about it; So it begs the question...who are these nameless and faceless board members that theh are willing to act a fool, lie, and scream at the consumer to protect??? Housing corruption appears to be a growing trend in New Orleans. Someone is obviously be getting rich at the expense of the consumers.hopes and dreams. How disgusting is that. They obviously have their board member positions confused with the masked riders in one of the carnival floats.