The Bowen — Local services in Austin

I have a lot I’d like to touch on here so I’ll just list out some pros and cons of living at The Bowen:

PROS: Friendly staff - everyone at the concierge/leasing desk is super nice and will help you with basically anything. They were kind enough to receive my car for me when it was shipped the day before I got in–really made the process a lot smoother for me than it could have been FAST repairs / service - you get what you pay for. My A/C broke early on, but was fixed the next day. I also had an issue with my fridge, put in a request, and suddenly the next day I get a call while I’m at work that the entire thing had been replaced. I don’t think I could ask for better service which really makes you feel good as a renter Air conditioned hallways Beautiful units top-to-bottom. Lots of great lighting and finishes. The bronze kitchen hardware really shines They’ll take care of your trash for you if you leave it in the hallway Secure garage with EV chargers The lobby is beautiful Perfect location, quick walk to the Domain but far enough away that you don’t get the noise on weekends Package lockers keep your stuff secure Concierge is always there to help with things like food deliveries, getting visitors up the elevator, helping the cleaners/service people into your unit when you can’t be there (granted permission), and other inquiries. Wall soundproofing is actually pretty good, I rarely ever hear the neighbors save an occasional dog bark or something The building is TALL which gives you some great views. They say seeing a horizon on a daily basis is good for your mental health

CONS: Unit windows don’t open (or at least, mine doesn’t), and most units don’t have balconies. So if you want to cook a steak, prepare for the unit to smell like it for the rest of the night and then some Hallway trash service can make it a bit smelly, especially when folks have had fish recently or leave it out on an off day (they don’t pick up on weekends) EV chargers are set up a little weird, one charging spot is also a handicap spot, and 2/8 of them are perpetually broken, another one isn’t even a real spot (it’s marked as a walkway and a trash can makes it borderline too tight for a car to fit) so supply doesn’t always meet demand there. I know there's a lot of more important stuff for the building to prioritize but it can definitely affect my experience. The window shades let in a good amount of light, and with all the lights from your gorgeous view outside, it doesn’t get fully dark at night. They do gift you an eye mask when you move in, though, which was a nice touch The gym doesn’t have anything substantial if you’re more serious about weight lifting (just a few machines, DBs up to 50lb, but good cardio equipment)

All in all, I’m super happy, and ultimately life is very cushy here. While there are still a handful of cons (I'd definitely give 5 stars if the EV charging situation and gym were better), I don’t think there’s a better place I could be living in the Domain area.

UPDATE: The Bowen did deliver on their promise to add more EV chargers! However, chargers are no longer free for residents to use. I will probably be relying on the superchargers nearby instead as I have a free...

Our experience during our first year in this luxury mid-rise building has been deeply disappointing. We've encountered numerous issues that we believe are unacceptable, especially considering the premium rent we pay to reside here. We've tried addressing these problems with upper management, but the responses have been far from satisfactory.

Within just three months of moving in, our fridge filter expired. While we understand it's a relatively small expense, we were surprised to be told that we had to foot the bill for it. Our attempts to resolve this matter were met with negativity and rudeness from the former community manager, who has since left. We were directed to Frank, the upper management, to discuss the issue.

During our conversation with Frank, we also highlighted several other concerns related to the building and its amenities:

The cold towels in the mini fridge were not just dirty but also stained, which is entirely unacceptable and unsanitary. Consequently, we stopped using them.

The gym frequently ran out of sanitizing wipes, leaving the equipment dirty and unfit for use.

Dog stools were left on the stairs for weeks before being cleaned up.

We had to request "Compact Parking" signs because large trucks were blocking the garage entry and exit.

In the first six months, only two electric charging stations were operational for the entire building. Initially, charging for electric vehicles was free when we signed the lease, but now the kilowatt charge to use the basic chargers is more than super chargers.

Our trash chute button has remained non-functional for over a year, despite promises that it would be fixed after the building construction was completed.

While we appreciate the installation of blind mirrors to compensate for the tight garage space, they are insufficient to ensure safe entry and exit maneuvers.

One of the main reasons we left this place is due to ongoing issue with our neighbor, who continuously plays loud bass music and smokes weed. The smell of weed permeates through our vents in the bathroom and kitchen, Despite multiple complaints, this problem persists, affecting not only us but many others in the building.

During our first year, there was a smash and grab incident that affected multiple floors and cars. The response provided at the time was vague, and security measures should have been implemented immediately. A year later, another vague email about another incident left us concerned about the safety of our car and apartment. The lack of context in these communications is unsettling.

We understand the sensitivity of sharing private information, but it's Bowen's management's responsibility to ensure the safety of current residents and be transparent in their communications. Our experience here has been marred by these ongoing issues, and we hope that these concerns are addressed promptly to improve the living conditions for all residents.

We brought up all these issue with management and corporate and they refused to have in-person conversation regarding any of this. Do not recommend this "Luxury Mid Rise" given there is no luxury provided and residents have to pay for all the extra and upper...

When we moved in, Marissa told us there was another move happening in the morning so we had to wait until the afternoon. When I got there and talked to the concierge, they said there wasn’t any more in the morning and that Marissa was taking a half day. So just right off the bat, a level of dishonesty.

Quote from the email: “however, our elevator is already reserved for other moves in the morning.” This was a Tuesday. Monday was a holiday.

Then there was the fact that several of the charging spots were broken. She was very ambiguous about who was responsible for it, even after I reached out to charge point myself to confirm it was just the building management waiting to decide when to fix it. She told me not to talk to chargepoint again.

I really enjoy all the concierge personnel at the Bowen, especially Paul.

The app that can be used instead of the fob doesn’t work half the time. I asked for a refund.

One time I got stuck in the elevator for 10 minutes with my toddler.

The building has very poor airflow. None of the windows open in our unit. I didn’t realize this until after we moved in. I frequently measure CO2 levels above 2000 which is quite bad. The AC units have an air intake system setup but I believe they are configured to only open below a specific humidity level that the area around here never hits so basically no external air comes into the unit. On top of that, I recently asked for have the air filter replaced, was told it was, but it definitely was not. After the second request, it did eventually get replaced once I called their bluff.

They give you these bracelets to use at the pool but they never enforce having them. I think it’s more or less a scheme to see who forgets about them and then charges for them when you lose them.

The lease agreement says “no smoking or vaping” but I see people vaping all the time by the pool. I don’t mind so much but I don’t like it around my young son.

They have some sort of agreement with AT&T and try to sell you on it when you join but it’s more expensive than Astound, which they won’t automatically offer you, but guess what? that’s what they pay for in their office. Google fiber is available in our area but the building refused to enable it. Reading online says it’s not much more effort to add a different provider if the building already has the infra for fiber, which it does but maybe an agreement with AT&T prevents it.

They recently added a vending machine to the second floor lounge area but everything is WAY over priced. 10 dollars for a bag of chips!? And I didn’t see any prices labeled before purchasing. It’s more or less a scam. Edit: I was wrong. It’s a charge hold but the chips end up being $3.50

The mail room situation is a mess. I often have packages that go missing. They force you to pay a fee for the mail box locker but half the time the packages are just in the mail room anyway. It seems pointless and needlessly more confusing than it should be.

The events they put on from time to time are nice and I like the other people in the building. The fixtures are all relatively...