Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been looking for an apartment for me and my toddler. I came across an apartment that was for rent. I toured the unit applied to the apartment once I was approved, an agent by the name of ***** who informed me that in order to take the apartment off the market and put it on hold I had to pay a total of $1550 I didnt sign any lease I didnt sign anything I was under the impression that this was a security deposit to secure my spot and put this unit on hold.I ended up finding something that was more affordable and beneficial for me and my toddler I called OFC Realty to inform them that I am not interested anymore and that I would like my deposit back and they are saying that its nonrefundable and I can either move in or not but either way I cannot get my deposit back of $1550 Im a single mom $1550 it isnt easy to come by ! especially looking for somewhere to move. I was going to use that security deposit for the apartment that I found that I wanted to go to instead that would be more affordable and beneficial for me and my child.OCF realty is giving me a very hard time and I feel like they didnt tell me this was nonrefundable on PURPOSE If I would have known that I wouldnt be able to get my security deposit back, I would have never gave them $1550 if I wasnt 100% sure of moving into their unit.Before I paid $1550 I spoke with an agent several times back-and-forth through phone calls and emails and not once Did anyone tell me that this would be nonrefundable

  Business response

  08/15/2023

  Hi *****,
  
  I hope this email finds you well. I understand the importance of your concerns and would like to apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced. I also understand that you moved into your unit and are now an OCF tenant. Could we please schedule a convenient time for a discussion over the phone?  This will allow us to personally address the complaint and help us provide the appropriate course of action to resolve any existing issues and prevent similar ones from arising in the future.
  
  Thank you so much in advance,

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  OCF bought out my reality company half way through my lease who I had a signed lease with originally. I moved out May 15, 2023 and left neat bags and containers of garbage to be removed the following day as that is when trash is taken and left my apartment spotless. My lease states I am allowed to have a TV mounted and minor wear and tear scuffs to the paint on the walls. I was charged $125 for scuffs on the walls and $660 for garbage removal. I did not believe i needed to hire a garbage removal company since there was no discarded items such as couches or beds, i had no doubt it would be taken away the following morning. When trying to find the garbage removal company to understand the amount, it didnt even have a website so i called the number on the invoice and they told me they were not going to give me an itemized list and its none of my business of what they charged. I received quotes from other companies with photos of the garbage OCF provided as proof of the garbage and was estimated $200-300. It makes no sense why a company couldnt explain their charges unless OCF was trying to make more money through them. OCF will not refund my money or tell me what the quote for the garbage company disposed of. Theres no reason from the photos i and they provided why anyone should be penalized $800+

  Business response

  06/05/2023

  Hi *******, 
  
  Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. We received your initial email on May 24, 2023 and shortly after ***, our Broker of Record, verbally spoke with you. We reached a resolution by agreeing to reduce your charges to $300 and emailed your security return statement the next day on May 25, 2023 reflecting the update. Please let us know if there is anything else you need assistance with. 
  
  Thank you in advance! 
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I came home (2/19) after being away for the weekend to find that my fridge wasn't working. I called OCF after-hours maintenance and filed a maintenance request for it to be fixed. I was told that I would have a technician come out as soon as possible. A technician was not assigned to my request until 2/21 and came to my apartment while I was not there. He called and said that when he arrived at the property my fridge had turned back on, indicating that the issue was electrical rather than the appliance, and suggested that an electrician come out to address the issue. *** then claimed that the issue was resolved, although no work was done on my property. Over the next few weeks, I called at least 3x a week requesting an update on getting my fridge fixed, for reimbursement for all of the food that went bad in the 3 days (2/19-2/21) I was without a properly working appliance and other unaddressed issues with my unit, to no avail. I was told by my property manager (*******************************) that I would be put in contact with the head Director of Maintenance at OCF, ***********************. When I finally connected with **** on 3/8, I explained the situation and my frustrations with the lack of communication and accountability I had received from their team. **** proceeded to raise his voice at me over the phone, insinuating that I was lying about the issues in my apartment and stating that OCF has dealt with the issues at hand. When I countered his arguments, claiming that my issue lies in the fact that OCF is falsely reporting these issues to be fixed, he attempted to intimidate me into backing down by saying that "my case wouldn't hold up in court" and that it would be a waste to push this any further. I tried to reason with him, saying that all I wanted was to just be reimbursed for the groceries that I had to throw away (totaling $250) and he said that he can "try and bring this up to his manager, but that I probably won't be paid back for anything," further dismissing my complaint.

  Business response

  03/24/2023

  Hi ********, 
  
  Thank you for taking the time to speak with me this week and share your concerns and experience. I want to formally apologize for this experience and have applied the $250 credit that was requested. 
  

  Again, my deepest apologies, 

  *******

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  OCF Realty is the agent for the landlord of a rental property located at *** * ******* **, Unit *, in Philadelphia, PA. I am the parent of one of the tenants of this unit and a co-signer on the lease for that unit. On Dec 27, 2022, the unit's refrigerator stopped working. We lost several hundred dollars worth of groceries because of this. We submitted a maintenance request the same day. On Jan 10, a technician came in and was unable to repair the fridge. Over the past 5.5 weeks, from the 20+ calls we have made to OCF and have only reached a live person twice. On Jan 24, OCF brought a mini fridge into the unit that was very dirty and smelled bad, which the roommates had to clean themselves. That same day, a technician came, assessed the broken fridge, and said that the compressor is broken and that the fridge needed to be replaced. Later that day, the OCF property coordinator wrote in an email,  “I will reach back out over the next few days on this process. The maintenance manager is now waiting to receive the report from the technician. As soon as we have that information, which shouldn't be long, we will touch base with you.” Since Jan 24, we have not received any communications from OCF despite our having sent 3 more emails and calling 5 times. On Jan 30, one of our renters called OCF and finally reached a representative who said they are still waiting for the technician’s report from the 24th. The rep then put him on hold for 10 minutes, and then the call was dropped. OCF did not call him back. We called OCF again today, Feb 3, and they have now approved a replacement of the fridge and report that their appliance vendor will be coordinating that with the tenants. However, to resolve this complaint we are asking not only for the immediate replacement of the refrigerator but also a $300 rental credit for the lost food.

  Business response

  02/28/2023

  Dear *******,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We deeply apologize for the length of time it took to resolve your repair issue at *** ** *******. Our residents are our top priority and we are sorry that your experience fell short. We delivered the replacement fridge on February 6 and would like to extend the $300 rental credit you requested.
  
  Warmly, 
  
  Marissa

  Customer response

  03/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩