Bob Cost

Review of Towers and Statesider Apartmen...

If I could give students at the University of Wisc...

If I could give students at the University of Wisconsin one pieve of advice, it would be to not live at The Towers. By far, worst experience I've ever had with an apartment building and its management.

First of all when I tried to move in on a pre-approved day, I find out that they switched my apartment from the one I signed the lease for, to another one. Not a big deal I thought, I had a randomly assigned roommate so it's not like I was looking forward to living with a friend. I ask the man working the front desk about my new roommate and come to find that he is several years older than me and barely speaks english. A little worried now, but I could still make it work.

I go upstairs to meet my new roommate and begin moving my stuff in, and there were 3 squatters in my apartment. The manager kicked them out quickly and then proceeded to tell me that it was ok for me to move in now. The only problem was the huge mess all over the apartment which included whole thawing fish on the counter (not a pleasant smell), and a refrigerator covered in raw chop meat. It took well over two hours before the manager got some people (including people from the leasing office) up there to clean it. Then they all left and the poor custodial staff was left apologizing to me for the mess, even through it was in no way their fault. So end of day one, I arrived at the building around noon with all my possessions in tow, had my roomed switched (illegally based on the lease I signed), had squatters evicted from my apartment and room, finally moved in and had the apartment to myself by about 10 pm.

Next day I go to the leasing office to find out that the person I was supposed to be living with ( the one who barely spoke english) was in California and was now being evicted because the squatter thing was somehow his fault. I don't really care at this point and ask when I'll get a new roommate. They tell me sometime in the next week. Few days later roommate finally comes in, he's a grad student and I'm a sophomore. I was told when I signed the lease that they would match me with someone my own age. But the lease is void at this point anyway and I figured why even bother arguing. Roommate turns out to be a nice guy and we get along great, so no problems there.

It's important to know that I didn't move in when the lease started, but a few weeks after that because the lease started early August, but school didn't start until September.

Now comes the problem of the electric bill. If you didn't know, on top of the astronomical rent you pay at The Towers, you also pay for electricity. So I get an electric bill for the time period of when my lease started until late August. I was living in the apartment for about 4 of these days, the rest of the time the apartment was occupied by the squatters. This electricity bill is almost 200 hundred dollars. No way in hell I''m paying for the electricity the squatters used. I go to the leasing office and after a 20 minute argument they decide that they can pay the bill. Great. Problem solved. Or so I thought.

I got this same bill from the electric company 6 more times. Every time I got it I took it down to the leasing office and explained that they had agreed to pay it. Every time they put up an argument but eventually conceded. This bill wasn't paid until February.

Add this entire experience onto mediocre rooms, with light switches that do nothing, no over head lighting, tiny doorways, cheap furniture, uncomfortable beds, and astronomical rent, and what you are left with it The Towers on State.

Do not live here. Live on the streets before you live here. Live in a crack den before you live here. You'll be glad you did.