Rastaguytoday

I just returned from two weeks in Argentina. I rented an apartment from Michael Koh and his company, www.ApartmentsBa.com

Here’s the Good part of my apartment rental.

1. There’s more space than in a hotel room.
2. There is a kitchen with coffee maker, refrigerator, etc…
3. There is a washer and dryer

Here’s the Bad part of my apartment rental.

1. The overarching cash requirements statements, that were virtually on every paragraph.
a. First paragraph of email from mgmt “Total: $1200 + $35 fee = $1235
(Including the $35 administrative surcharge) - Client paid $635 (after
3.5% fee) via [email protected] on 11/17/08 Client has a remaining
amount due of $ 600 at the check-in with cash. Client has the $800
security deposit due at the check-in with cash or before with paypal.com”

b. Here’s the first paragraph of the email from Michael Koh, which was the second email. “I show you owe $600 US for the rental. And also $800 for the security deposit. It's best if you bring the $600 cash for the rental as owners demand cash. Otherwise you'd have to add on 6% if you use paypal.com or bankwire which isn't worth it in my opinion. You can use paypal.com for the security deposit of $800 to [email protected] but for the balance the cheapest method is cash. “

2. The lack of attentiveness from the “concierge” assigned to me.
a. They kept pushing their “door to door” service for US$43. I asked for confirmation on January 29. I finally got confirmation, after many re-requests for confirmation on March 4.
b. I actually got a response back to my “same questions” that were never answered, by the concierge telling me that she had “too many emails to answer”.
c. I asked for a booking for Paradores Draghi in San Antonio de Areco. The concierge quoted me $250 pesos plus tax. A certain Porteño, who shall remain nameless (Avrooster), booked the rooms for me for $220 pesos including tax. He also found a driver with a 6-passenger van to take us there.

3. Contract versus Reality.
a. Concierge wanted me to use their car service so that, as the contract states, “A member of our staff will be waiting for you at the apartment on the date/time arranged”. Fact: when we were dumped off on the street at 12:30, we were told someone would meet us around 14:00, a 90-minute wait.
b. The person that finally showed up, emphasized and overemphasized that we had only 2 sets of keys, and would have to pay US$ 800 to re-key the building. Unbenownst to us, she then left with one of the set of keys. Three phone calls to the service, as per the contract were never returned despite the statement, “If you need additional information you will be able to contact our client concierge without additional charge. This service will be available from 10 AM to 6 PM (from Monday to Friday) by calling our office number of 5254-0100 from your apartment phone. Our client concierge’s name is Agustina.” We finally got the keys back sometime Friday night, but they were left in a pile of towels that we didn’t find until Saturday.
c. Cell phone. Per the advertisement for the site a “1 Complimentary GSM cell phones with local number”. Reality, no cell phone, no response to request for cell phone.

Here’s the Dirty Part of the Apartment.

1. One of the reasons that we rented the apartment was because it had been refurbished in 2005. However,
a. The furniture was worn threadbare in many places.
b. The balcony was uninhabitable. Either Argentina is an extremely humid and wet
city, or the balcony had not been refurbished. We couldn’t find a spot that didn’t
have rust.
c. You could see parts of the walls where the paint had been chipped bare.
d. You couldn’t stand on the balcony, because the only handle to close the door was on the inside of the apartment, so the door stayed open.
e. The washing machine door was broken. It required a knife to kind of jiggle the door open, and a few scraped knuckles.
f. Minor point, but the furniture was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever tried to sit on. The four of us fought for the one, threadbare, chair that was not totally uncomfortable.

2, The place was filthy.
a. The first night we were there, we were wearing light colored socks. By the middle of the evening, we realized that the bottoms of our socks were all black. The floor had not been mopped for seemingly months.
b. We had to rewash all of the dishes as they were also suspect.
c. “Toilet Paper/Soap/Shampoo - Please note that the apartment will come with an initial supply of toilet paper and soap but you will be responsible for purchasing more during your stay. We recommend that you go to the grocery store your first day to purchase these items. Shampoo is NOT supplied neither.” Despite the double negative, it was absolutely necessary to buy everything on the first day.

Last year I rented an apartment in Aix en Provence. I encountered none of these issues. Needless to say, ApartmentsBA is off of my list of places to recommend.

Guenmai

Just curious, is this the same Michael Koh that was, last week, on the rerun episode of House Hunters International where he was looking for a weekend house in Uruguay? I saved the episode on my DVR as the properties in Uruguay look great. I'd seen the episode maybe twice before.

Thanks for the info in your thread. Happy Travels!

beccapax

You know, I read this all the time. I have a pet agency where you get none of this carry on and they have the cheapest and some of the most expensive apartments in Buenos Aires - expat run and they stick by there terms and conditions have a read, they are well written, to the point and you get exactly what is written on the label. Things do go wrong, but these guys just seem to have an idea of customer service and act eactly how they say they will. take a look at their websites http://www.buenosairesstay.com and http://www.bastay.com I use them myself and for my clients. There is a lot of negative stuff all over the place about all the providers in Buenos Aires but this company gets good marks from most. They tell you that budget means budget and there luxury stuff - out of my league come with guarantees.

yestravel

Rg - did u communicate your complaints to the owner of the rental company, I assume Michael Koh? If so did u ask for compensation?
In terms of the concierge getting a different price from a hotel, I think that can happen. I usually can find lower rates than those that a TA will quote me, so I don't find that so much as an offense as an annoyance. However your complaints about the condition of the apt and items advertised as being in the apt as "missing" I find inexcusable.

Guenmai

Did you take photos of the bad conditions? Happy Travels!

tengohambre

Comments concerning realistic expectations and reading the plain words of the rental contract are well taken. One question: how much money was saved by going the apartment rental route as compared to seeking out a 4 star hotel, or similar? Presumably, most/all of these issues would not have existed at a hotel. Not to mention access to housekeeping, hotel staff, etc.

Also, from the link posted the apartment does not look like a "cheap" or "bare bones" selection. I don't think any of us would expect those type of cleanliness and upkeep issues in that kind of a rental

Rastaguytoday

tengohambre,

No Sh**t. The differences between the advertisement and reality were striking.

I'm usually the vote with my pocketbook kind of person. "I got screwed some, so I'll just not use this place again", but this one was what I would call over the top.

We even got to the point one afternoon of playing the "who can find something else bad about this place" game. BTW, the apartment didn't win.

Guenmai

There's absolutely no excuse for filthiness in a rental apartment. Does the person renting the apartment actually think that renters will possibly want to return or refer their apartment to others if the place is filthy? They're defeating their own purpose. Happy Travels!

Scarlett

Rasta, did you speak to the owner ?
Do you remember the name of the employee that you did speak to?
I am mostly curious because I have heard that this company is always on top of things and if someone is unhappy, they usually try to make things right. I am surprised that this happened, since they do have an excellent reputation.

yestravel

U really need to send your complaints to the owner. They have no way of knowing if a property falls below standard if their staff doesnt inform them. And if the staff does not live u to expectations, they should be told that too. I would fully expect him to compensate u in some way.

Scarlett

I didn't look at the link before , I remember now!
This is the apartment that was on Las Heras and in another thread I worried about the noise/dirt from that location. But I remember the thread and the "conversation" about the location etc.. ( at least you didn't throw up when you walked in the building, lol)

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...enos-aires.cfm

avrooster

Rasta: did you throw up when you washed your socks? Just kidding. LOL!!!

Rastaguytoday

Folks,

If the owner, or lessor in this case, is not paying enough attention to his / her properties, whose fault is that?

It isn't my responsibility to tell the owner. The owner will find out, just like GM, Chrysler and Ford have found out. If they put out a crap product then customers will stop coming.

I'm just not going to buy from Mr. Koh again, and as Consumer's Reports says, don't buy cars with bad quality.

Avrooster,

I couldn't get my socks completely clean. They may have to go to the socks graveyard. This is not to be confused with Prez Clinton's cat Socks going to its graveyard.

avrooster

Unfortunately, my ample knowledge of Americana does not include Clinton's cat Socks. Sorry about your socks. Do they have decent graveyards for socks out there on the West Coast? Do you expect compensation for the burial expenses? LOL!!!

Scarlett

So you didn't complain to anyone who could have done something about these issues.
Of course, it is the responsibility of a renter to tell the owner/manager if they are unhappy !
You would tell the manager of a hotel if there was a problem, wouldn't you? or would you wait til you got home and complain to people who can do nothing about it?
Perhaps if you had complained, you would have spent the rest of the week without these small annoyances.
Maybe hotels are just better for some visitors..

For anyone interested in renting an apartment in Buenos Aires ( from any rental company)
They take your money up front, deposit is big and there are usually only 2 sets of keys. One for you and one for the manager. It is a huge deal if you lose keys to these buildings. Security is a big concern in BA.


Most often, terrace/balcony doors do not have handles on the outside.. front doors to homes and apartments don't either.. this is safeguarding against burglars.
Typical of BA.

Any outside place ( terrace) on Las Heras ( and many many other streets) will be filthy in minutes, with heavy bus traffic on Las Heras .. how many lanes.. 6 ? I hate just standing on the corner waiting to cross the street.
Open the terrace doors, let in the dirt. Balconies and terraces are often glassed in so people can enjoy them with less dirt getting in.

Do your homework .. if someone tells you that there might be a negative concerning your choice, look into it .. otherwise, you might find out the hard way..

Rastaguytoday

Avrooster,

Normally, a clothes dryer eats one of your socks, so people end up with 30-40 mismatched socks.

The American analogy that occurred before pop-tops were used for cans of soda or beer; was that your can openers mated and morphed into coat hangers.

You can usually use socks as a rag to help clean things. However, my apartment socks may need many rags to help clean them.

avrooster

The discussion here has taken an interesting turn.

Is it the rental agency's responsibility to make sure that the apartment they rent is as described in their website?

Or if the customer doesn't complain, it is HIS/HER fault?

The answer is SO OBVIOUS, I won't bother to reply to the above questions.

Maybe Rastaguytoday is somewhat (LOL) angry and exagerates just a little.

However, let us compare what the website says about this "ULTRA LUXURY" apartment and what the customer says:

"The apartment is luxuriously furnished" VERSUS "The furniture was worn threadbare in many places." and "...the furniture was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever tried to sit on. The four of us fought for the one, threadbare, chair that was not totally uncomfortable."

"This apartment has been completed remodeled from floor to ceiling and is one of the best apartment rentals in the entire city of Buenos Aires." VERSUS "You could see parts of the walls where the paint had been chipped bare."

As is often the case, the truth probably lies somewhere between the two extremes. My bet is that Rastaguytoday's description is closer to the truth, as, after all, "the customer is always right".

The word "amazing" is used only seven times to describe the apartment on the website. Apparently, Rastaguytoday was also amazed, but not exactly in a favorable way.

Perhaps the rental agency will see fit to reply to this negative review, or maybe it is too "amazed" to reply.

Rastaguytoday

Avrooster,

Good to know that you can count to seven, particularly in English.

However, I'd bet on Rastaguytoday also.

The two couches had such long bottom seats on them, you would to have been a tall basketball player to sit in one without virtually laying down.

That left the threadbare chair as the most popular piece of furniture. Maybe, that's why it's threadbare, none of the other furniture was usable. Kind of reminded me about the lyrics in Paul Simon's Cecila "I got up to wash my face
When I come back Someone's taken my place".

Av, Methinks Mr. Koh is in a high and lofty place, and it is far below him to respond to a mere tenant.

avrooster

Rastaguytoday: as I said above, my knowledge of Americana is ample, but not unlimited.

However, a little bird told me you mean Simon & Garfunkel's "Celia" or "Cecilia", not "Cecila".

Just kidding. LOL!!!

Rastaguytoday

Ms Scarlett,

Please remember the beginning of this "chat". I called the person who was supposed to be my concierge three times. There was NEVER a return call. This concierge was the contact person that the Lessor had assigned to me for any problems. Let's pretend she was the hotel manager. If she did nothing for me, then who should I call, the owner of the hotel chain?

I did not have Mr. Koh's phone number, nor should I have. If GM screws up on my car, do I call the CEO of the company? Even if I did, would he take my call?

I loved the "burgler" part, as we were on the 11th floor. I can see the headlines (but in Spanish). Cat burgler climbs 11 floors to steal dirty socks.

Please also note my comments about renting an apartment in Aix en Provence. Based on my experience there, I prefer an apartment over a hotel any day. In the past three years, I have logged over 5 months (that's 150 days) of living in hotels for business. An apartment is a welcome relief to a hotel, if it's clean and well maintained.