There are quite a few lofts and new apartment complexes around here, so the lady friend and I are always seeing signs for an open house. Finally we decided we’d go take a look at some of them on a Sunday when we had nothing else today. Well, today
was that day, and we learned that apparently despite advertising everywhere, the people trying to sell lofts in the area don’t want to be bothered by prospective customers.
1. Forbes Lofts (above)- Forbes Lofts is in Chelsea, and the company behind the project calls the lofts “hybrid lofts”. Their lofts are all about sustainability and energy efficiency, so they definitely appeal to the urban hipster crowd. We drive by the main building nearly every day, so we checked out the web site advertised in a gigantic banner on the side.
The place looks both amazing and ridiculously expensive, but we were curious and wanted to see what it was all about. We went to the Open House page, which lists tours every Sunday from 11 to 3. We filled out the RSVP form and confirmed that we’d be coming by. Well, once we showed up at the address listed, no one was there. A few cars were around, but no people. The address given is just a muddy construction site and part of a bridge that goes to nowhere. I then called the number from the website and immediately got voicemail. I left two messages, but after waiting 20 minutes, we decided to take off.
So to go over it again: We RSVPd on the web, got a confirmation, went to the site, and called twice, but no luck. Wonderful job, guys.
2. Atlantica- After leaving in a frustrated rage, we decided to stop by Atlantica, a very new building right down the street on the beach. Since we do pass this building at least once a day, we knew that they have an open house every Sunday. Just to check, I used my blackberry to visit the site, which said they do tours by appointment during the week, but are open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 PM-3:00 PM.
We parked on the street and went up to the door, which had the number for the sales office. We dialed, and, well, no one answered. After 6 or 7 rings, it went to voicemail. That’s the second place that just completely failed.
3. Surfside Lofts- Surfside lofts is yet another new loft project on Revere Beach. They’re so eager to get people in the door that they have huge Open House signs, balloons, and offer a free car to whoever actually purchases the units. Seriously…a free car.
I’ve always thought it was a cool looking building…if not misplaced…so hey, why not stop by?
We went to the door and again were met with details on how to reach the sales office. I dialed, and……for the first time today someone actually answered! The woman on the other end let me know that she was on the 4th floor, but would be right down. We walked over toward the elevator and noticed that there was a sign pointing to a model unit. We went down the hallway and into the open room to check it out. The room was decent, but not very big, and the kind of open floor plan where you’d be forced to have a bedroom that is right in the middle of the living area….kind of awkward. Also, the model room was sloppy. I mean, the counters were dirty and so was the sink.
I’m definitely not trying to be critical here….it just seems like a model unit should be in really nice shape. It says something about the management when they pay no attention to the little details.
After 20 minutes or so, we still didn’t see the saleswoman. Randi decided to try to ring her again, thinking we might have misheard and were supposed to go up to the 4th floor. On the second ring, the woman answered telling us that “I’m on the fourth floor, give me a minute!” I was kind of surprised at how rude that sounded, but since we were already there, we might as well just wait.
Well, 10 minutes later we still hadn’t seen her. Finally we went up to the 4th floor, and it felt really strange. We didn’t know where to go, so we kind of wandered. Then someone living in one of the units came out and we felt like we were being uncomfortably nosy. That was enough. 30 minutes of being ignored is just plain ridiculous.
The 621- At this point, we were ready to give up, have some lunch then go home. We stopped at the 621 in Malden to get some sandwiches and play a couple of games of keno. When we walked in the door there was only one booth left. Every other time I’d been there, I was immediately greeted at the door and ushered to a seat. Today I’m absolutely certain that we could have waited for hours and no one would have seated us.
Fine. We’ll seat ourselves.
After at least 15 minutes we still hadn’t been greeted by a waiter/waitress. Finally a guy came over to us to let us know the waitress would be over soon.
I’m definitely not complaining about the 621, as it’s a good place to go for a couple of cheap beers, adequate and quick food, and keno. But it just caps the kind of day we had.
You keep hearing about how bad the economy is and how companies are desparate to make sales. But judging from the customer service I’ve seen lately, it sure doesn’t seem like companies in the Boston area give a damn. Is it just me? Is it just this area? What the hell is going on?
Whether we’re talking about a home or a meatball sub, it sure seems like companies aren’t at all worried about losing customers or making any effort whatsoever.
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Thanks for the great post. Though it’s about a year old, I think that not much has changed. I noticed that customer service like you would expect is not really common, despite the fact that the economy and sales are so bad. I’ve lived in chelsea for about 6 years and am about ready to get out. Not much changes, even though there is an influx of people with some money to spend. Most just jump in their car and head to boston, nothing here is really keeping people local.