By Jay Whipple
Trend Magazine Online™
Extended Stay Nightmare!
Trend Magazine Online™
Extended Stay Nightmare!
This review represents a first for our magazine since we
began publishing in 1991, 30 years ago. Our goal up until now has
been to provide our readers with positive content on an eclectic array of people,
places, and things related to entertainment, travel, and leisure around the
globe. On that note, this is my first published negative review for Trend
Magazine Onlinetm which concerns a long-term stay property that
has a really catchy brand name Affordable Corporate Suites. Unfortunately,
my stay was filled with a plethora of negative events so much so that we
decided to share that experience with our readers in hopes that this property
will change the manner in which they handle valid complaints from loyal guests.
Prior to deciding to publish this detailed negative review I made multiple
attempts in writing (for over a year) with Onsite Management, the owner, as
well as several third-party organizations that protect consumers from fraud and
poor services to rectify the many issues arising out of my extended stay.
I included written, audio, and video evidence to support my
claims and to my surprise the owner not only chose to ignore them all but
attacked me and my credibility to include making multiple false claims and using
strong language like "they could have tossed me out of their property" and questioning why I chose to stay. I also pointed out
the double standards that they allowed for certain guests. This was not the
first negative travel experience that I have had and probably will not be the
last. This is, however, the first time that I was attacked after providing valuable
feedback to a site whose tradename (Affordable Corporate Suites) is in stark
contrast to their services rendered. As such, all of the evidence presented to
management, the owner, as well as third party consumer protection organizations
will be included in this detailed review.
I was traveling back and forth from South Florida to
the Charlotte, NC, area and decided that an extended stay
property would be a lot more economical than a traditional hotel or motel that
charges by the day as opposed to the week. An apartment was out of the question
because most do not offer short-term rentals at an economical rate. Most prefer
one-year written leases. In addition, these type properties are equipped with
kitchenettes that allow guests to store and cook meals saving quite a bit on
dining out daily. After performing an Internet search in the Charlotte,
NC, area I decided on the off brand with the catchy name Affordable Corporate
Suites which gave me the impression that it was a small corporate
organization that catered to business and professional types like myself. The name
also suggests that their rates were not jacked up to pay for the marketing associated
with more well-known Extended Stay brands. I checked out their online
reviews (later finding out that some were fake 5-stars) and they seemed okay
except there were a few that complained about the unprofessionalism of
management (red flag). I then decided to fire off an email inquiry to see what
type of response they would provide. They responded very promptly, and their
response was very professional, i.e., no spelling or grammatical errors.
I then checked their locations in Concord, NC,
and Kannapolis, and decided that the former would work better because it
was closer to the Charlotte Motor Speedway where we work the races in May
and September/October. They furnished a great rate on a studio unit but
stated that none were available at either location for my move in date, but the
Kannapolis property would more than likely become available sooner.
Based on that information I decided to move in there as it was only about 10
miles from the Concord location. Also, that location was surrounded
by restaurants, retail stores, convenience stores, auto shops, and even a Super
Wal-Mart, all within walking distance.
I moved in on the date promised, paid the deposit and first
week's rent on their standard suite which includes a bedroom. The room was immaculate,
and all appliances worked to include the microwave and Wi-Fi. I was
quite impressed but looked forward to stepping down to their studio unit, which
is $50 less per week, approximately $217 less per month, and approximately
$2,600 less per year. Yes, I did the math! All was going well until the Manager
from Hell flipped personalities (like Jekyll and Hyde) shortly after my
move in and collecting my money and earning her bonus (per her statement). She started out by directing me to park my
minivan in a particular spot that I was not happy about because it was next to
work vans that were covered in mud, dented, and had construction equipment attached.
I checked their policies and no where did it stipulate assigned parking. I kindly
informed her that I was not comfortable parking where she "ordered me to
park" and that I did not see that in their policies. In hindsight, I now
realize that she was that nosey, very vindictive, multi-personality, site manager who
was the subject of those bad online reviews mentioned above.
I included written, audio, and video evidence to support my
claims and to my surprise the owner not only chose to ignore them all but
attacked me and my credibility to include making multiple false claims and using
strong language like "they could have tossed me out of their property" and questioning why I chose to stay. I also pointed out
the double standards that they allowed for certain guests. This was not the
first negative travel experience that I have had and probably will not be the
last. This is, however, the first time that I was attacked after providing valuable
feedback to a site whose tradename (Affordable Corporate Suites) is in stark
contrast to their services rendered. As such, all of the evidence presented to
management, the owner, as well as third party consumer protection organizations
will be included in this detailed review.
I was traveling back and forth from South Florida to
the Charlotte, NC, area and decided that an extended stay
property would be a lot more economical than a traditional hotel or motel that
charges by the day as opposed to the week. An apartment was out of the question
because most do not offer short-term rentals at an economical rate. Most prefer
one-year written leases. In addition, these type properties are equipped with
kitchenettes that allow guests to store and cook meals saving quite a bit on
dining out daily. After performing an Internet search in the Charlotte,
NC, area I decided on the off brand with the catchy name Affordable Corporate
Suites which gave me the impression that it was a small corporate
organization that catered to business and professional types like myself. The name
also suggests that their rates were not jacked up to pay for the marketing associated
with more well-known Extended Stay brands. I checked out their online
reviews (later finding out that some were fake 5-stars) and they seemed okay
except there were a few that complained about the unprofessionalism of
management (red flag). I then decided to fire off an email inquiry to see what
type of response they would provide. They responded very promptly, and their
response was very professional, i.e., no spelling or grammatical errors.I then checked their locations in Concord, NC,
and Kannapolis, and decided that the former would work better because it
was closer to the Charlotte Motor Speedway where we work the races in May
and September/October. They furnished a great rate on a studio unit but
stated that none were available at either location for my move in date, but the
Kannapolis property would more than likely become available sooner.
Based on that information I decided to move in there as it was only about 10
miles from the Concord location. Also, that location was surrounded
by restaurants, retail stores, convenience stores, auto shops, and even a Super
Wal-Mart, all within walking distance.
I moved in on the date promised, paid the deposit and first
week's rent on their standard suite which includes a bedroom. The room was immaculate,
and all appliances worked to include the microwave and Wi-Fi. I was
quite impressed but looked forward to stepping down to their studio unit, which
is $50 less per week, approximately $217 less per month, and approximately
$2,600 less per year. Yes, I did the math! All was going well until the Manager
from Hell flipped personalities (like Jekyll and Hyde) shortly after my
move in and collecting my money and earning her bonus (per her statement). She started out by directing me to park my
minivan in a particular spot that I was not happy about because it was next to
work vans that were covered in mud, dented, and had construction equipment attached.
I checked their policies and no where did it stipulate assigned parking. I kindly
informed her that I was not comfortable parking where she "ordered me to
park" and that I did not see that in their policies. In hindsight, I now
realize that she was that nosey, very vindictive, multi-personality, site manager who
was the subject of those bad online reviews mentioned above.
