For nearly the last 2 years I have been living in the overpriced dump that is Archstone Willow Glen. Tonight, or, wait… this morning the fire alarm for my entire building went off at 3am and wasn’t shut off until 45 minutes later when the San Jose Fire Department arrived. Since said alarm is in every apartment and very loud and annoying, the only respite was going outside to the apartment grounds. Let me tell you, that was a great way to meet a few newer neighbors in good ol’ 3160. Is there a better way to meet people then when you are all in your jammy jams? Me thinks not.
On a dollars payed to quality of life scale ratio thing, this place is a dump.
On very few occasions I think to myself, “Self, this isn’t that bad of a place to live”. Then a neighbor chimes in, “You know, you’re right, it’s not so bad”. Get it?? Since the walls are so thin here, my neighbors can even hear my thoughts. My THOUGHTS!
I particularly enjoy the fact complaints about anything get you no where with building management. I love the fact I can hear my neighbors have private conversations, through the walls. Of course that means they can also hear me. I know what you are thinking and I agree, it is a good thing I have nothing important or interesting to say. I also enjoy all the people that don’t clean up after their pets, abandon their cars in the parking lot, dump their junk items off near the garbage bins, neighbors that slam the door so hard it shakes the entire floor, the 2am drunk arguments outside bedroom windows, dogs barking, someone’s baby mama drama’s screamin on and too much for me to wanna stay in one spot, limited parking options for guests, and the impossibly narrow stairways - good luck moving any furniture in, or out.
After tonight, I can’t wait to leave when my lease is up in August, especially since they will probably raise my rent by around $100 a month. Everyday I have been checking Housing Maps for better places to live, hopefully something comes up around August. Honestly, it isn’t that bad here, there are more important things in life to be concerned about, but for how much I am paying in rent, it should be a lot better, but it doesn’t look like anything here will ever get better.
UPDATE (5-4-06): A week later and no mention from building management about what happened and or why.
UPDATE (5-05-06): My friend who also lives here received a lease renewal notice. The increases range from an additional $300 a month on a 12 month lease, to over $600 a month on month-to-month rent. This leads me to believe that maybe they are pushing tenants out in order to rezone the buildings as condos.
Also, looks like I am not alone in my opinion; Archstone Willow Glen reviews on Apartment Rating.com. Currently Archstone Willow Glen is recommended by 34.0% of reviewers - imagine the actual score if the obviously fake reviews were removed.
UPDATE (6-4-06): I received my notice about renewing my lease. My monthly rent was only increased $110 a month. Not as bad as I expected… but probably wont keep me from moving.
UPDATE (7-11-06): That’s it, that’s fucking it. I had thought about renewing my lease since things have been getting better here, but that was until today. I arrived at the building management office at 5:59 pm today, only to find the doors locked. They close at 6. So I go to the side entrance where residents can pick up packages, which I was there to do, and entered. The building manager then promptly told me they were closed. Now it was 6pm, but it wasn’t when I went to the front entrance. So I asked for my delivery only to find out later, it wasn’t actually mine, she gave me someone else’s item, with an attitude no less. She couldn’t be bothered to take 60 seconds to grab an item from the room she was already in without snide remarks, again. This is the second time. That’s it. I’m gone.
UPDATE (7-13-06): I gave 30 days notice yesterday, tonight this happens.
April 27th, 2006 at 4:42 am
maybe you could break lease early?
I can hear your thoughts –whoa, it’s dark in there.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:10 am
I got a jammy jams room for rent, if you’re interested.
April 27th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
maybe you could break lease early?
I would have to pay one months rent to break my lease. August is just 4 months away, I’ll wait.
April 27th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
I got a jammy jams room for rent, if you’re interested.
Yes! As soon as you move from El Paso, I mean. hfg
May 23rd, 2006 at 5:36 am
It sounds like Archstone is an all around sleazy company. I too have fallen victim to their unethical rent hikes (They want $1700 for month to month). I’ve found the staff here in Alexandria, VA to be very difficult, unaccomodating, and unwilling to compromise. I hope that corporate cares more than their “community office”, they will be hearing from me soon.
Lesson learned: Avoid Archstone management apartments and from my experience avoid Archstone Kingstowne like the plague!
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Thanks for the comment, JC. I thought Archstone’s problems were only with their properties out here in San Jose, but as you say, looks like Archstone is a sleazy company.
May 24th, 2006 at 11:15 am
When we renewed our lease this month, they were asking 2150. for a one month lease!!!!! Are they smoking crack? (prolly found it in the parking lot, near one of the stay home all day tennants)
Yeah, I was up all night too when the damn fire trucks were here. Veronica in the office explained when I called to inquire, “The fire alarms are very sensitive and go off very easily.”
Well, I have lots more to say but I will do that another time. For now I have to call CorporateOffice Headquarters, as management blew me off today. We all have parking stickers now or we willbe towed. Well, I pointed ut a truck who parks here everydaywithout one-mgr. ignored me. Soooo I amgoing to report it . My hubby’s car was stolen off Fxworthy when we could’nt find parking. I’ll be damned if I have that happen again. If Corporate won’t handle this, I will have the truck towed myself. I have the towing company number programmed into my cell phone. (Ah, the perks of having a daughter that used to be a leasing agent in the office, giggles.)I will give them 2 days to warn the owner to get the Bleep out . After that, he will come out next morning and his’her teuck will be gone. Poof.
May 24th, 2006 at 11:17 am
Sorry for the typos above I was in hurry and did’nt proof read it. lol
May 24th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Thanks for sharing your story, tink. I knew I wasn’t alone in this. I am amazed they have been able to stay in business.
Also, no worries about the typos, I understand.
May 29th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Update regarding illegally parked truck……..
I called Corporate on the 24th who then called our manager. After talking to her , he called me back. He said she was going to call me to straighten up the misunderstanding. She called twice and and I never picked up. According to Corporate, she had “misunderstood” parts of our conversation in which I told her the truck had no Archstone sticker, and only had a handicap sign hanging from the mirror. He assured me that Courtesy Patrol would be around checking on things. Ummm, what Courtesy Patrol! is what I was thinking. He told me that new law in California requires the manager to be present at all cars being towed. (Which I’m sure is total bullshit)…..even if it were true, I’m sure I could get a slimy money hungry tow truck out here if I needed to. She was also going to notify the owner to move the truck by next morning or be towed. When I got home that evening, there indeed was a Courtesy Patrol car in the lot, and (I had never seen one in the 2 yrs I have been here before)a written notice on the truck’s windshield. It gave the owner until the next morning at 9a.m. to vacate. It was gone when I left at 730 a.m. This weekend it became the owner of a snappy little parking sticker. Amazingly, the handicap sign is long gone. Hmmmm, maybe the owner did’nt wanna get busted and gave it back to grandma. Wonder what kind of drama we will face this coming week. :)
July 26th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Hi,
I am also moving out at the end of next month and will be compiling a class action law suit against the holding corporation. Anyone interested?
Dimone
December 5th, 2006 at 10:20 am
the noise here sucks..you can hear everything going on with the upstairs tenants.,..,can’t sleep,.,.ongoing….also 40 increase in rent.
sheryl and ron
July 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
they will screw you the lease agents are snakes.they tried to increase mhy rent by 300 bucks,i told them i was moving and they said how bout 60 bucks.but it was too late i already found somewhere eles.parking sucks cause there is none…the gym is old and broken.plus there is a ton of stray cats that will give your pets fleas.. i called management and they did nothing.it is not worth the high price.it looks nice at first but it really is hell..