Complaint Review: Village Oaks Apartments at Texas Technical College in Waco - Waco Texas

   January of 2013, my child eagerly started school at Texas Technical College in Waco. When we visited the campus for enrollment, it was end of December 2012. He needed housing. The dorms were full and seemed to stay full all the time. The other apartments owned by the campus was (Red River), was full as well. The houses avaliable were very empty, but we were told by the school my child was not eligable because they were for families. These were infact the most economical at 329.00 a month for a two bedroom. We only needed one. We could look for a roommate through the school to share expenses. This left only one choice, Village Oaks Apartments. They were on the campus of the school and my child did not have a DL or vechile. There was not anyother housing that was walking distance. The bus only stopped at the school a few times a week.

   The outside of the apartments were very nice. They were reflective of the pictures on the website. Since this company provided the same apartments for other campus locations and allowed on the campus, I thought they were reputable. The BBB report was checked. It gave them no grade. At that time no recorded complaints, with this information we proceeded due to this was our only choice.

    We were greeted by a student of TSTS of Waco. We were told they only employee the students for work for the FA department. The show apartment was very nice. She reviewed the lease contract with us and price of a 4 bedroom. We were not on Finacial Aid, but paying cash for school tuition and housing. The apartment "lease", was signed by all parties. We were told in the advertistment they posted around campus and on the internet the prices of each apartment. This was the same as we signed. She gave us information on "move in day" on a flyer. This day was Jan. 3, 2013. We needed to bring a check (they did not except CC or debit cards) or money order or cash for the first months rent of 400.00. Electric would be billed to the account for the first bill in Feb. for the January usage. The Electric is calulated:  4 divided by the total electric bill for that apartment. Time Warner Cable would be avalible if we wanted internet in the room. Each child had to sign up for internet and TV in thier room with Time Warner Cable.

     Move In Day, the nightmare started:

1. We arrive with a check for the 400.00 as instucted on the flyer and represenative..

2. My child had no apartment. They said they wrote my child was not arriving until Aug. 2013. The account was present to take money and Apartment Manager was present. Time Warner cable had a table set up. Students that they employed were standing around to assist the apartment adults.

3. Another child's parent was upfront complaining of the fithy conditions of their child's apartment. Requested another one.

4. This manager states he will place my child in an apartment that has another child init but is a 4 bedroom with one person. We were ok with this.

5. This other child ended up in the same room as mine. It was so dirty! It smelled musky, carpet had black sticky stains, the furniture (provided by the apartment complex) was stained with large stains. The existing roommate was not present. This apartment manager said he was sending the cleaning crew in to clean and shampoo the carpet. They came, vacumed, used a home shampoo machine that did not touch the stains or smell, cleaned the bathroom that was connected to my child's room and the new child. We spoke to the other child's parents while waiting, this apparently was a small amount cleaner than their first apartment.

6. The apartment manager stated he would prepare a welcome packet and 2 apartment keys for my child. It would be avaiable up front. One hour later we went upfront during the time advertised. He was gone and the place was locked down. They took our money and ran. This was at noon. We had been there since 7:00 am.

7.  It took several phone calls from me and my child's visits to the office (when he could find them open) to get a key.

8. The laundry mat needed a speacial card from the office. The student had to place a scan card in the machine to reload money on the scan card for laundry. The front student center was always closed. We would come down and go to the local laundry mat to wash clothes. Later, my child met friends who lived in the houses and laundry could be done at their place in exchange for laundery soap.

9. The rent was paid on or before the 1st of every month. All but a handfull of students were on finacial aid. They used the finacial aid to make their payment in bulk directly from the finacial aid department at the school. This rent was paid monthly as stated on the lease agreement of 400.00 then plus electric (4/total) on line. On line payments were broke down and no less than the total amount due could be paid via on line.

10. March 2013 I noticed an extra 400.00 on the account. I called and spoke to the accountant. This was hard to do because she refused to get on the phone to me. She kept telling the student who answered the phone what to tell me. I inquired about the extra 400.00. Her answer: They made a mistake with everyone who was paying out of pocket on move in day, they should have collected 800.00 instead of 400.00. Reason she gave was we owed for Dec. 2012 rent. The apartment was not occupied by my child until Jan. 2013. The lease expired August 2013. At that time he was to renew, as they were very aware. I got know where with her, but stated I always pay the rent before the first or on the first. NEVER late. I told her if the extra 400.00 is credited to the last months rent i have no problem. We already paid the 150.00 deposit on move in day. She agreeded and I would pay this extra 400.00 out in small amounts each month in addition to the reg. rent payment. She will continue to credit the account for the on time payments and rent recorded as current.

11. My child started getting sick. Symptoms included fevers, vomiting, lethorgic. I worked in the medical field. I knew it was viral. He was went to the clinic on campus. He was adviced to go to urgent care due to they cannot prescribe or diagnosis. He did not have a ride. He decided to ride it out. This continued off and on the entire time he lived in the apartments.

12. The other child moves out into a single apartment by his parents. Problems with the other roomate's violent behavior. My child was also complaining of this child's outburst and started staying away from his home until this child was either gone or asleep for the night. Sometimes he did not go home at all. I called the apartment complex, spoke with the same accountant lady after many attempts to contact her. Again the student workers were told what to say to me. I finally called and got a male student who said he could move him to a 3 bedroom. I discussed and my child, the advertised speacial for the new place of 350.00 a month. My 17 year old child was told to sign a new contract to reflect the advertised price. My child kept one of the flyers placed as advertisment on their doors.

13. 3 weeks later, my child was moved to the new apartment. More Trouble started!

       a. We never got the new rate dispite my calls.

        b. The 400.00 was paid for the month. The 400.00 reappeared on the online statement. And this lady completly avoided my phone calls.

         c. My attempts at emails were not responded to my managment inquiring about the 400.00.

         d. Soon after this, the on line statement changed to a large amount due. In the mean time, I am still paying what is due on line up to this point. Remember you have to pay the full amount due or it will not let you make a payment.

        e. My child then had an eviction notice placed on his door. A visit to the office was unsucessful. I drove down there to find the office locked during visiting hours or no one but a student present.

        f. I sent my son-in-law to a similar complex at his campus to help me with questions. He obtained a card from a male who said he was over the manager at my child's complex. He would call me. No phone call recieved from him. I called and left a message. Then emailed this person. He responded with an agreement on a phone call meeting. He never called me. I called him. Left message. No return call.

        g. Following, my child returns to the apartment to find his apartment locked by managment. The roomate lets him into the apartment. His room is bolt locked. A student from the office lets him into his room.

         h. I recieve a response from my email to this district manager from the local apartment manager. He had intercepted my email. He stated that person no longer worked for the company. I called the number on his card. No answer. Left message.

          i. This continued with our my emails to the manager of the apartments and ugly notes placed on my childs apartment door for eviction happend almost daily. I continued to pay. This time not online because he changed the amount to excelleration stating non payment. This was all over that extra 400.00 both of them admitted to collecting for a month the child was not an occupant of the apartment.

         j. Finally, in June, I told my child to see if he could room with a friend in one of the houses. He found someone who needed to rent a room. My child was not able to get all of his items. In this was no bed.

         k. The speacial price of 350.00 that was to be reflective of the new apartment was never credited. The manager tried to tell me it would not go into effect until the Sept. 2013 lease.

         l. This apartment had a severe cockroach problem and apparently rodent problem. I complained about all of this as well. All of the insides were horrible. They collected a bulk amount of money from student's finacial aide, this included for a month the student did not occupy the apartment. Those that paid out of pocket were hasseled and my child stated all of them moved out in2013 March . This included the org. roommate.

        m. My child's health improved within weeks of the move. The fevers, vomiting and leathargy with headaches dissapeared.

         n. My child then spent time bouncing from the houses. Someone told the individual (not family) that lived in the campus house was renting a room to mychild. My child was made to move out. He went to another house. Then same happened. I do not have a lot of money, so paying for two places as a only parent already was difficult. He would be allowed finacial aide the next semester. This was enough to pay for housing, but because Village oaks said he owed money, they would not allow him to occupy any of their housing.

          o. This created a downward spiral of his struggle to be able to continue to attend the school. He worked on maybe changing to another school so he would have better luck at findin housing that would be paid for by FA.

 Do not move into these apartments. I reported them to the BBB. They lied about the facts, stating I NEVER paid them a cent. Of  course I have reciepts.

      My child died Feb. 2014 at the age of 18 years old. He was in the Waco area when he died. My fight continues.