On March 27, 2009 after seeing a model of what would be our new home, my boyfriend and I submitted an application and a total of $50 for application fees and $75 for administrative fees in the form of three seperate money orders to Highland Retreats Apartments. Prior to applying I was told by the property manager Mrs. Ande that we would be placed towards the front for convience to Marta (public transportation). That did not happen. Not only were we placed in the back of the complex the unit that was showed to us by Robin, the young lady that was assisting us was terrible. Upon walking the unit on April 15, 2009 we found floor boards that were sticking up and when asked would they be fixed I was told "no it is normal wear and tear and your just gonna put your washer and dryer over it anyway." A little disturbed and against better judgment I continued to walk the unit. The cabinets were falling apart, the stairs to the bedrooms were unsteady. There was no way I could allow my family to move into this apartment. On April 24, 2009 we returned to view another apartment farther than the first and in just as bad condition as the first. At this time I asked for my money back because the For Rent ad said completed renovations and there is no way any of those apartments were renovated or fixed in the least. I received a message from the property manager on April 30, 2009 saying that my application would be forfeited because I hadn't accepted any of the apartments. This call was unwarranted because we were scheduled to meet with Robin for the third time on May 1, 2009. I had a hard time with the administration after this point and I contacted the Corporate office and was assisted by a lady named Natalie. She informed me that their policy is that you only get a refund if you are denied or within the first 72 hours if you decide you don't want the apartment. The problem with that is we didn't see our apartment until 19 days after applying. The only apartment we were able to see was the model which was why I wanted to bring my family there to live. And although I know that the model is just used as a replica of the other units there was no comparison. I am disgusted and hurt because I trusted these people with my families future and now we are out of $125 and still looking for somewhere to live because after the initial service we recieved I wouldn't feel comfortable living in such an unstable environment. I appreciate anything that you can do to not only help us but to also prevent this from happening to someone else.

Thank you,
Stacey Calvin
404 768-0715
[email protected]