Complaint Review: Value Place Hymeadow - Austin Texas

I stayed here for 2-3 months with the intent to stay until I had enough money saved up to eventually get into my own place (whether an apartment or house). I checked out this month (July) due to something that will totally shock your mind. There are a number of things that went wrong. I've filed a complaint with them more than once and never got a response therefore those issues were never resolved. Additionally, I have contacted the BBB and haven't stopped there to inform the world by use of the Internet about the staff at this hotel. Out of all the things that went wrong including poor customer service, the one that sent me over the edge and had me quickly out of there was when at around 7 o'clock in the morning I was jolted from my sleep by their "security" (they are the night audit not real cops or guards) bombarding into my room! I kid you not. And they don't open until 9am so what was security doing at and in my room?! 

They pride themselves on security among other things however, their security made me feel very unsafe and completely insecure the moment their employee bombarded into my room without a valid reason at all. Obviously, I checked out that morning this happened. Wouldn't you?! My safety was threatened by their own employee whom they made the terrible error in trusting with such access. What I went through is something no guest should ever experience! 

I got my security deposit back but I'm still awaiting my refund. I don't know how many more guests that employee did that, too, since being employed there. Unfortunately not all people come online to let people know about their experiences. I am one to let people know. Good for you but unfortunate I found out without warning. So if you should choose to go there, then I strongly suggest you make sure you have clothes on at all times and keep more than just the door latch on the door. Make sure something heavy is up against it to ensure their employees don't disturb your sleep during a time it is obvious people are still sleep. They have some very unprofessional staff members who have access to ALL rooms and don't care about policies. If one employee would do something so unthinkable and wrongful as what was done to me, what else is that employee capable of doing? If their management doesn't care enough to respond to this issue to resolve, then keep your distance to keep from becoming a victim of their staff. 

I have no clue what that employee was really doing, but I sure as heck didn't waste time getting out of there. Full details will be made visible to the world at this site: http://fulldetails.wordpress.com (currently set all posts to private til I have all that I documented during my stay on there), in which I documented ALL things that went wrong during my stay for about 2-3 months at this particular Value Place location. This hotel has totally lost my trust and business and I feel it is my duty to inform others about my experience so at least YOU will know BEFORE you decide whether or not to stay at this location. 

How would you feel and what would you do if you were awaken by an unknown intruder? The reason given by the employee for bombarding in was because I didn't answer my room phone. Yes, that is what the employee told me was the purpose for bombarding my room: because I didn't answer my room phone. Are you kidding me?! Mind you it was around 7:07 in the morning. Since when does a guest have to answer their room phone? Since when is it legal to enter someone's space without valid reason and without the presence of the police? For crying out loud it was about 7:07 in the morning and I was SLEEP! I'm a light sleeper. And the employee did NOT knock either or state identification until after entrance was made. Additionally, they have cameras in the hallway. So if by chance it was recording that morning, it will show what that employee did. I have the full conversation documented with me yelling. Who wouldn't be yelling?! That was scary and had me very shaky and prepared to defend myself. Yes, I was ready to fight. The room is small and so it wasn't like I could run anywhere with the intruder being in the path of the door. I was left to defend my life the moment the intruder bombarded my room. 

There is nothing worse than an intruder busting in your space and the one who did it is the one who the hotel hired and trusts to have master key access to ALL rooms. It's an abuse of power. The master key unlocks a room even when it's locked on the inside. I will keep this short on this site but the site with full details will be opened for the public as soon as I can get all the things I complained about to them that were never addressed onto that website. My complaints are detailed, so expect it to be lengthy.  If you don't want to deal with the risk or hassle and you shouldn't, then go stay at another hotel. I can recommend at least one that is good to stay at that but it will cost you more money. How I know? Because I have lived in hotels for a while now and know a lot more of what goes on at the hotels I've stayed at than their corporate offices. I've witnessed employees stealing money from their employer. I've witnessed, employees allowing guests in the back office. I've witnessed employees having paperwork out in the open for other people to see. You never know who has photographic memory or hidden cameras on them taking photos of credit card information and other information that should not be visible to anyone other than staff. I've witnessed many more things at different hotels here in Austin and Value Place is no exception. The employee apologized admitting wrongdoing. I don't know if the apology was for disturbing my sleep or because the employee was sorry for getting caught for doing something that should have never happened. 

Obviously, I am no longer at this hotel. I wasn't spending another night there after that. Would you? Especially where there are other options. I simply did not feel safe and the employee could offer me no assurance that it would never happen again especially when it never should have happened to begin with. I checked out that exact morning the wrongful and illegal employee invasion occurred. That means I cut my time there short and they have yet to respond or give me a full refund. I have however received my security deposit back because I kept the room in immaculate shape. I've always been complimented by their housekeeping for having such a clean room. I do it to make my life easier and for no other reason at all. So my $100 security deposit was sure to be returned to me. I'm awaiting on the rest of my refund. 

I'll keep you all updated if and when they give me a refund. You deserve to know what their staff is capable of doing to YOU if you stay there, especially when it risks YOUR very own safety. Remember all of their staff members have access to the master key. The master key is what unlocks ALL rooms even when the door is locked on the inside. At least one of their staff members has abused this power of access and entered my room unannounced and without just cause. That employee may still be working there and if so that will let you know just how much this company does NOT care about the safety of their guests from their employees. If the employee is still working there, then it means they condone the actions done and you can bet that it will happen again with another guest. If you know what's best for you, then you will keep your distance from this location until they make a public announcement on what they will do about this. How can they assure it won't happen, when it should have never happened to begin with. I've stayed at many hotels in Austin, Texas and other states and never has this happened to me. This is the first and I will do everything I can to ensure it is the only time it happens.

Security is VITAL and the employee at this location will violate and threaten YOUR safety. It happened to me, so what makes you think this employee hadn't done it to others and won't do it to you? Are you really willing to take that risk to find out if you'll be their next victim? And what makes you think their other employees who also have access to the master key won't do it either? When one messes up, you shouldn't have to wonder if any of the others will do the same. There are other hotels to stay at and sites online to get lower deals. Use those sites to get lower deals and stay elsewhere. Out of all the complaints in the world, a company should never have this one as one of them.

This is one hotel that DOES enter guests rooms at hours they are not opened for reasons unjustified. Remember, the employee's reason for bombarding my room at about 7:07 in the morning is because I didn't answer the room phone as if I'm obligated to do so especially at around 7:07 in the morning when I'm sleeping. So did the employee think I wasn't there and was going in to steal something of mine? Sneaky employee! Was the employee's intent to commit a further crime? Would you feel safe? Would you put your trust in the staff of this hotel and in the company that hired these sneaky and untrustworthy people to begin with? This reflects bad on not just the management of that hotel but the corporate who even thought for a minute they could be trusted. SHAME ON YOU VALUE PLACE! This should have never happened. Never! I will keep all posted if and when they address this issue (if they choose to not respond on here) and if they refund me my money. I will not keep anything hidden from the public's eye. The consumers have a right to know.