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CB Real Estate Review of Arnel Property - Wimbledon Glen
Arnel Property - Wimbledon Glen

Arnel Property - Wimbledon Glen review: Stay far away from Arnel! 7

T
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12:00 am EDT
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I initially fell in love with Wimbledon Glen because of the grounds, the apartments were nicely laid out, they offered a 10% military discount, and the property manager, Joe Chen, was very charismatic and addressed our every need.

However, soon after we moved in the problems started. I'm not sure about other Arnel properties, but they had been pushing Skylink cable on everyone which was overpriced for what you actually received, the customer service was absolutely horrendous, and they screwed up our install THREE TIMES! When we tried to get satellite, we couldn't because of the strategically placed tall trees... why do I say strategically placed? Oh, because the owner of Arnel is also the partial owner of Skylink. Absolute crooks. Luckily, Time Warner bought them out, too bad we only get to enjoy it for 2 months before we're out of this hell hole.

They're incredibly Nazi-esque. They do monthly "garage inspections" and if they don't like how you have things stored in there, they give you a little nasty-gram. Luckily, we were never on the receiving end of one, and I can see how some people would be, but, I'm sorry... the garage's are too small for anything over a compact sized vehicle and a garage is MEANT FOR STORAGE! I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES I HEAR "ITS MEANT FOR STORING YOUR PRIMARY VEHICLE", IT'S TOO FRICKIN' SMALL!

So cut to today (May 14th), when my company vehicle was towed by Arnel Parking Solutions (separate entity of Arnel, independant of the apartment complex). I left CA on April 1st for 3 months of training in North Carolina, and they towed it a month and a half later, saying they left a warning, which was never seen by my husband. They towed it because someone from the corporate office noticed it was dirty...so, even if it had been moved, it still would've been towed because it was dirty. Very nice. Now, they quote some clause saying that any car will be towed after 48 hours of it not moving. Well then, I guess you can't go on vacation or lord forbid you have a family emergency, I know the first thing I'd be thinking of is "my, my, did I call Arnel parking solutions?" I know FOR A FACT that other people have left their car parked there for longer than 48 hours or even don't have a parking sticker, not a damn thing has happened to them. This comes down to my car being dirty and someone having nothing better to do with their Sunday Afternoon. They want $356 for the recovery of my vehicle.

I spent 6 years in the military and I know the owner/manager of Arnel is prior military... that must explain the ridiculousness behind all of his regulations. Allow me to add, that other than these incidents I was a stellar tenant, kept my place up to regs, and always paid my rent on time. If I had a ###, it was a legitimate one and usually addressed in a timely fashion by the management. Unless you're a serious masochist and enjoy living by some militant a-holes every whim, stay VERY VERY VERY far away from this place or any place Arnel Property Management has managed to get their hands on.

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Ryos
May 31, 2008 9:16 pm EDT

I agree

Arnel also stipulates that the Water bills and utilities must be paid. However, you must go with their choice of the water utility "Pacfic Water and Power" (PWP) PWP is not even a water utility company, they are listed as a bookkeeping company. PWP is likely also affiliated with Arnel.

Which really begs the question... Since the dwellings in Arnel do not have metered water utilities, they can charge what they want in your monthly PWP bill and claim that that was the amount of water you used.

If you forget to pay the PWP bill just once, PWP will send you a flyer that claims you must pay as part of your leasing contract. PWP is not a third party utilities company, otherwise Arnel would send the flyer, not PWP.

In leasing contract the utilites are considered additional rent. Wouldn't that mean that they are illegally raising the rent by adjusting the PWP bills each month as they see fit?

Stay away from Arnel properties.

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former renter
Oct 20, 2008 11:40 am EDT

NOISE..NOISE...NOISE. Rumbling noise from the freeway and surrounding street traffic 24/7, constant garden maintenance with noisy machines of all sorts, including "debris" blowers. The Arnel Management Company can't keep on-site staff longer than two or three months. Most of them quit. Not a good sign. Longtime residents have no respect for others. They think that they own the place. The rules within the rental contract are selectively enforced and it depends on who is managing the property that month. At that time, our lease was up for renewal WITHOUT an increase (a sign of desperation), because their total occupancy was so low. The apartments are large, but they are very dated with very cheap upgrades, i.e. the kitchen and bathroom floors were 99 cent faux tiles from Home Depot; the thermostat was non-digital and the furnace rumbled like a diesel truck engine. A friend of ours is an engineer who said that some of the building were leaning. The complex wad built over 25 years ago and is showing signs of wear and is falling apart. There is one positive there and it's the maintenance staff who provide excellent service, but that is the only positive.

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Former Tenant
Oct 27, 2008 12:07 pm EDT

My girlfriend and I spent 3 awful years in Wimbledon Glen. Like most, we were lured in by the immaculate grounds and the promise of "luxury apartment living" which is even listed on their front sign. Once you move in you immediately realize there's nothing luxury about their apartments, other than maybe the ridiculous price they charge. In a one bedroom apartment electric bills for over $250 aren't uncommon during the summer months. It doesn't matter what we set the thermostat to because the old AC units literally can't keep up with the heat. Our AC unit would kick on around 10am or so and run all day at full blast, and still our apartment would reach upwards of 80 degrees in the afternoons. We complained numerous times over the years and we were promised a new AC unit, but it never happened. There's a price for the nice grounds; the roar of lawnmowers, edgers, chainsaws, and blowers are just a few of the lovely sounds you'll enjoy waking up to everyday around 7am. If you drive a nice car, it *will* get broken into. The car behind mine got broken into and a GPS unit was stolen. Wimbledon Glen's response was that he "shouldn't have had his GPS in his car." I complained and asked what they were going to do to protect my car. You'd think being a "luxury" apartment complex and charging over $1550 a month for a one bedroom apartment, they could afford to put a few surveillance cameras up in the parking lots, but they don't care about the people already living there; they only care about luring new tenants in. Sure enough, my car got broken into a few months later. As expected, they offered nothing other than an apology and to this day their parking lots are still a free-for-all for thieves. But why should that matter to Arnel when routinely steal money from tenants in the form of security deposits. Cases are all over the internet, from [redacted]s.com to the better business bureau. They charged us $570+ for new carpeting and they refused to provide any photos of any damage.

http://www.dontrentwimbledonglen.com

If you're a prospective tenant in the area, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.

MOLDY at CAPE 2
MOLDY at CAPE 2
Costa mesa, US
Jan 07, 2010 7:17 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Please join my group:

The Cape, Costa Mesa, CA

We have Mold... and much more over here at their luxury "flagship" property. This place is horrible, and they lie and treat tenants like crap. We are in shock at how they have verbally abused us! We were yelled at yesterday by Joe R. from corporate, because we would not allow them to rip open our walls to inspect (NOT TEST) for mold... they said they were going to prove to us they was no mold there. I know ofr a FACT it's there, b/c I am allergic. Mold has been found in our kitchen cupboards... behind and around leaky dishwasher they had to replace... and in the particl board to the sides of our 20 year old stove (they had to replace becase the oven door spring was so worn out, it set off the smoke alarm. Joe told us "I'll ne back with my executive boss and our legal reps"... and he never even called us, we had to call him... he said, "I kicked it up to our Legal Dept."... HUH? WHY? Over a Mold inspection?

Has anyone noticed their "Mold liability release form"? It's like an act of Congress and states no liability "including DEATH from exposure to said mold"... So, you report mold, they do nothing about it... and then want to re-expose you to it by ripping open your walls, thereby, contaminated (microbially) your entire apartment. They also know we are BOTH ASTHMATIC ! Yet they do not care. They care not about educating themselves about MOLD, but instead, DENY DENY DENY. Typical. They also state, in their "Mold release" that tenants are not allowed to open windows letting moisture in due to Mold growth, but they are required to ventilate, to make sure mold does not grow... Whoever wrote that in their Legal Dept. was either totally ignorant, or very confused. You would think that a company this large and pwerful would WELCOME a chance to set an example... as LENNAR homes does... by testing EVERY home for mold prior to sale. That is the ethical way. ARNEL is NOT ethical on any level that I have witnessed.

And yes... The utilities are ridiculous... A heater/AC that sounds like a tractor... totally inefficient. Windows that are not sealed, allowing INDOOR condensation... A bathroom vent that is SO OLD, it's clearly from the 70s... and barely works... we run it 24/7... a garbage disposal that could wake up the neighborhood. It's quite sad, actually...

ARNEL is pathetic. DO NOT be lured in by their promises of luxury living or their charming sales clerks... it's a joke. The minute you sign your lease, they are snotty. Also, they have a deal with the Art Institute for student houing... for if you like hearing the F-word screamed while drunk guys watch sports, this place is for you. I heard they are renting 2 bedroom units to 4 students, and charging EACH ONE $1, 000.00 per month... so that a 3-month lease for $12, 000.00?

They also double dip, allegedly, so when a tenant has to break a lease for a job... they must keep paying out the lease. But what ARNEL does, is re-rents the apartment, not telling the former tenant and so the collect TWO RENTS for one apartment! THAT IS SO ILLEGAL!

These are NOT luxury apartments. It's just profiteering off innocent, trustign people... NO ONE I have spoken to wants to renew their lease... and there are MANY vacancies... If you DO go to their properties... demand a deal, because they need the business.

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PROTEST ARNEL
Costa Mesa, US
Jul 20, 2010 4:20 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I MUST SAY THAT NONE OF THIS SURPRISED ME IN THE LEAST BIT. I WORKED FOR ARNEL BACK IN DECEMBER 2001 AND THE EXACT SAME BULLSHIiT WAS HAPPENING THEM. THEY ARE THE EPITOMY OF SLUM LORDS. AT THE TIME STEVE MENSINGER WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CO. IN THE EVENT YOU ARE TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF THEM AND THEY FAIL TO RESPOND YOU CAN FIND THEM PERSONALLY OVER AT METRO POINT ON SOUTH COAST DRIVE NEAR KARL STRAUSS ACROSS FROM THE CAPE. THAT IS WHERE THE CORPORATE OFFICE IS. THEY ARE IN THE HIGH RISE BUILDING NEAR FINBARS AND THE PARKING STRUCTURE. THEY ARE ON THE 6TH FLOOR (or 5th) THEY GOT SUED A LONG TIME AGO FOR FAILING TO RETURN DEPOSITS. I THINK PROBABLY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WAY TO BE HEARD AND DRAW ATTENTION WOULD BE TO PICKETT AND PROTEST IN FRONT OF THEIR "PRIZE PROPERTIES" THE CAPE, WIMBLEDON GLEN, AND SOUTHPOINT. RALLY PEOPLE BY MAKING 100'S OF FLIERS INFORMING TENANTS OF THE ILLEGAL AND FATAL BUSINESS PRACTICES AND LATE AT NIGHT POST THEM OF EVERY SINGLE DOOR. BY SATURDAY MORNING YOU SHOULD HAVE A PRETTY GOOD CROWD OF MISTREATED TENANTS. WEEKENDS ARE THEIR BIG DAYS TO RENT APTS THATS WHY YOU ALWAYS SEE THEIR BOOTLEG SIGNS POSTED BY ALL THE FREEWAY ON/OFF RAMPS. PREVENTING NEW PEOPLE FROM RENTING AND ENLIGHTENING CURRENT RESIDENTS WILL MAKE THE OCCUPANCY DROP RAPIDLY, THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO HURT ARNEL, ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS NEW LEASES. YOUR POWER IS IN NUMBERS. SO BE LOUD AND PROUD; FIGHT BACK! (WHERE IS DAVID HOROWITZ WHEN YOU NEED HIM, OR MAYBE CHRIS HANSEN (the "to catch a predator guy) )
HAPPY RIOTING!

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Connie78
West Hills, US
Sep 04, 2011 4:29 pm EDT

This is the WORST place I have ever lived! I should have checked the ratings and reviews. The staff turnover rate is astronomical and d NOTHING when you complain. There have been continuous break ins but half the apartments are empty so how does an outside crook know which apartment has valuables to break into. It has to be someone from the inside who knows what people have in their apartments. Further, it is a gated community. I was stalked by a maintenance man ever since I moved in. They placed my garage in front of the video camera in the laundry room so they can see when I leave my garage. They have landscapers at the front gate every morning watching who leaves. My property was stolen even after I placed an alarm on my front door and a deadbolt lock on my bedroom door. Management does nothing but KNOW what is going on. These people are a bunch of slick thieves. BEWARE! DON'T MOVE HERE.

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Mohammand
Laguna Hills, US
Jul 28, 2012 6:07 am EDT

Arnel Management has been in business for 40 years and manage 19 properties. They have had 40 years to perfect the art of ripping-off hardworking people. Their logo is "LEGENDARY PEOPLE- LEGENDARY SERVICE". They are so right they are legendary unethical, hateful, cruel, incompetent, shameful, disrespectful, people. They have Legendary service like unskilled labors doing repairs, and covering up problems. They have trained their staff so well. They all stick to the same deceiving, unethical, cruel tactics. They are miserable people who never smile and appear to hate their jobs, that is until they are trying to convince you to rent an apartment. The Arnet culture comes right from the top: Fola Lanebarger, Director of claims. She is a person you will never meet because she is secured behind locked doors and has security officers to protect her.
There is a staff turn over for a reason. This is so the staff can hide away at another property where they don't have to face you anymore. Also if there is a problem they can also say that it happened before they got there and they know nothing about it.

Let's do something! We need to stop these people! Please, Please get all your neighbors together and protest, sue, do what ever you can. The old saying "together we can make a difference." Be someone's hero even if it's your own. Make flyers put them on all the cars in the parking lot and the cars off the parking lot because there is never enough parking on the property. And post, post, post any where you can, Better Business Bureau, facebook. But what ever do, do not send a post to Management because you will never get a responds.

We have work to do let's get going!