The Grand at Riverside — Local services in Evans

I'm not really one to write reviews, but I had a pleasantly average experience with the Verge Greeley and I know most people like me would not take the time to write a review.

So first, the positives: the rent is a pretty fantastic price given the area and the amenities provided. I was astounded to find a place that was furnished, had an in-unit W/D, a dishwasher, my own private bathroom, and was pet-friendly for around $600. The staff is friendly and responsive, and they let you know about anything going on around the complex ASAP - in fact, I got a little tired of their emails, texts, & door fliers after a while! Still, I'd rather have too much information than not enough. There is plenty of parking, and parking passes are not required which means you can have friends over without worrying they'll be towed. Maintenance responds to requests in a timely, professional, and friendly manner, and every maintenance person I met was very kind and willing to explain what the issue was, how they planned to fix it, and how long it would take if they could not fix it as quickly as they'd hoped (due to backordered parts or what have you). I really appreciated the community events, and while I didn't exactly make any lifelong friends, I did win a couple $10 gift cards (to Walmart & Taco Bell) at their trivia nights, plus I got a bunch of free food. The staff seemed fairly happy to be there, even when the turnout was low. Also, the manager's dog roams around the community center when his owner is there, just happy as can be, and he loves to greet everyone who comes in. It's a dog's life.

As for the negatives, my biggest issues were with trash and power.

In terms of trash, their trash receptacle is a large compactor. I really liked this setup, but the issue I had was that many residents seem not to know how it works, even though there's a sign that says how to use it. This means that when it is full, people will leave their trash on the ground instead of running the compactor to clear it of trash and make room for their own trash. The trash piles up to the point that it is impossible to get to the compactor at all, which left me a few times having to keep my own trash piled up in my apartment (I'm not one of the idiots who decided to keep adding to the pile). Fortunately, the office is fairly responsive in getting it cleaned up once alerted of the issue, but I think they would do well to send out a how-to video or post a clearer instruction sign. I will say, though, that when the compactor fully broke down one time, they were quick to provide a dumpster in the meantime.

In terms of power, I am entirely unsatisfied with the power company they choose to use. It is called Conservice, and for good reason: it is a CON. There is a $25 power credit allotted to each resident, but most of my power bills were upwards of $50 including the credit. This means that for a 1200sqft apartment with 3 tenants, our unit was being charged $225+ a month for power - unheard of! There's no way we were using nearly that much power! The other months were around $5-20 with the power credit, and I think the only explanation is that the power company prefers to use an inaccurate estimate rather than coming to the site to check numbers. However, I can't verify this. I also don't understand the billing cycle, as we were charged in November for August/September power...The system just doesn't make any sense, which is probably how they get away with charging what they do. I don't really blame the Verge, as I saw bad reviews NATIONWIDE on the Conservice website, but I would recommend that the Verge find a new power provider.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this place. The only reason I won't give 5 stars is primarily because I know some people are wary of 5 star reviews due to the prevalence of apartment complexes paying for 5 star reviews, but also because I had a 4-star experience due to the issues listed above. You also get your fair share of standard issues like noisy upstairs neighbors and some dog poop in grassy areas, but generally it's...

I am thankful for Google reviews. They had a major impact on my decision if I was going to live here or not. I'm going to give this place a one star in the hopes that the GM actually pays attention to these reviews. I'm not a current or a past resident. I was a prospective resident. I feel that knowing these reviews are changing the minds of those from possibly renting here at the Grove apartments, to going somewhere else, will have an effect of their future decisions.

I have to agree, just from visiting, and speaking with tenants that currently live there, most of the items listed below are factual. I can understand that possibly there maybe is a reason or two that some things cannot be changed, but others are fairly simple.

One issue that appears to be a great concern and a sore spot to those that already live there, is the fact that this complex only has one trash can. It's very large (I looked at it just prior to doing the tour) but this complex is fairly large. I've seen smaller apartment complex's that have a few more trash cans and were much smaller in size as for amount of apts. For the amount of apts, there should at the very least be 5 or 7 trash containers evenly distributed around the apartment complex. Those are peoples homes, and they should't have to walk such a far distance for one trash container, especially if the weather is bad and this is a safety issue also if your walking alone at night.

The walls, when I was on the tour, I did bring this up to the Manager (I won't mention her name, as she was being very professional and very courteous) and did actually knock on the walls. If you have done any sheet rock work, you can easily tell that the sheet rock used is probably at the least the 3/8ths and at the most the 1/2 inch size sheet rock. I couldn't tell if they had insulation between the studs, but it did sound fairly hollow. In speaking with residents, they suggested in living on the third floor just to try and avoid the constant noise from anyone walking around in their house in a normal fashion.

Bed bugs, the manager I spoke with mentioned in all fairness that yes, they did have an issue with bed bugs that was reported, but however she mentioned it was only one resident, in one room and she brought them with her. Now as far as that being valid, I have no way of knowing.

Electricity. The $25 dollar allotment is fairly difficult to keep under. You will end up paying over that amount. This was a concern for me and asked a few questions.

Is the electricity based on the individual use, or is it shared between your room mate? I was told that the apartment unit itself was shared. Well, this for me was not a good option, as I myself am very good at keeping lights off, and the temperature down. The heating is all electric, so those bills especially in the winter can become very high. It's not hard to see an electric bill over a $100, so a $25 dollar credit is not much of a credit.

Washer and Dryer. For the fact that your sharing the electric bill, the W/D are not upgraded for today's current technology's of Energy efficient W/D's that can save a lot on electricity, and over all water usage. It does take electricity to heat up your hot water for your washer if you decide to use the hot cycle. This can be an easy fix, but however, again as I was told by the manager giving me the tour, that is not up to her, but up to the General Manager.

The fitness room, really didn't seem to be something they truly put money into. It's a few machines, in a small room and not much else. Again, could have put more into it, but it is what it is.

Shuttle service to UNC? None. This place advertises and caters to UNC students, but yet they don't even offer free shuttle service. This is one place that at the very least, should offer such services hourly that coincide with class schedules on campus.

My decision is a no in staying here, based on seeing the place in person, speaking with tenants and MGMT. On top of your rent, there are hidden fees as...

**UPDATE #2: I got a call from collections for the first time in my life, because apparently I didn't get my carpet cleaned at The Verge. I definitely did, made sure to give them proof because they specifically asked for it back then. It's been 4-5 years since I lived there, and they did not communicate any of this to me. I cannot believe this company, and how they treat their residents. No communication, no honesty, no respect. I know student housing is always kind of like this, but this is pretty extreme. Not worth the slightly cheaper price in my opinion. So grateful I haven't had an experience like this anywhere else.

**UPDATE: The Verge deserves its bad reviews. The apartments were clearly built very cheaply and cannot hold up to the quality of all other places. It's been about 9 months since I lived there, and I have been wanting to change my review for a long time, especially after living in a real apartment made for adults and families. The Verge markets to students because they tend to be naive (like me when I moved in), and then they try to squeeze as much money out of them as possible. Students are overjoyed to be somewhere that isn't a dorm, which is why I loved The Verge at first, but after living there for a number of months I realized that the complex is essentially only bells and whistles. I was paying SO much for electricity because the walls were so thin, the temperature was never regular, so the air was on constantly. Plus I could hear every movement my upstairs neighbor made. In addition, the pool wasn't heated - it was so cold, even on the hottest days, that no one ever went in.

Something that REALLY shocked me - apartment complexes legally need to provide an adequate amount of space for garbage, but The Verge would let it fill to the brim almost every day, leaving kids to put their trash bags on the ground next to the dumpster. Then they would tell residents they'd be charged $25 for leaving bags even if they didn't - they left a note on my door with a date telling me I'd be charged, but the date on the form was during a time when I was in California. That was appalling - it happened to multiple friends of mine. I sent them an email about it and they never responded. I asked what I should do when the trash is full, and I kid you not, they told me to take the trash back up to my apartment. I also asked how they knew who's trash we being left, and they said they look through it to find an address, which is 100% illegal.

Now they're still trying to get money out of me, charging me for items they used to fix and paint the place after I left, even though there was a great deal of damage when I moved in and I verified with an employee that there would be no charges once I left. This isn't the deal breaker, but they also don't recycle "because they charge a fee to do that". What kind of complex doesn't recycle?

Anyway, I would recommend reconsidering living in student housing if you're a student - you're an adult, and you deserve to be respected as such.

OLD REVIEW: The Verge is GREAT! It must have bad reviews because there just aren't enough of them to even out the bad ones. They have awesome snacks and the huge windows get a lot of light in! Contacting the office is super easy, getting maintenance done is easy too, it's just an awesome place! The only downside I've experienced is the thin floors - I can hear a lot coming from upstairs and the people below me have told us to stop stomping when we're just walking. But it's really not a big deal - it's still totally worth it! I wish I could stay longer, but I'm graduating halfway through the year. I highly...