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Just don't bother with UNITE

List of current problems with our flat:

-Microwave and hob both broken and cannot use, leaving us only with an oven which sometimes trips the whole flats electrics anyway. UNITE are gone until Monday so it cannot be fixed. UNITE response? Get takeaways and keep the receipts. I'm paying £85, they have to be joking.

-David's great big shelf just fell off the wall narrowly missing his head.

-The flat's electrics keep blowing for no apparent reason.

-The TV signal has gone and theyve ignored our maintenance request to repair it.

-My flatmate changed his lightbulb this morning after the old one blew, and now the new one has blown too, suggesting dodgy electrics.

-Earlier in the year our cooker broke too.

UNITE are a bloody joke. Stay well clear of The Holt and Harry French!

Reply 1

Memphis

8

Sue 'em. They breached the contract I'm sure you can do something with that...

Reply 2

jazzyb88

The Holt may be, but Harry French seems fine.

Reply 3

Montrose

OP

17

It's not the accomodation which is the problem, it is the people who run it. They are just after your money. In previous years they have charged people money off their deposit for things which are wrong, fair enough. But then they haven't done any maintenance work to fix the problem! The company are a joke.

Reply 4

thomasp

7

Montrose

UNITE are a bloody joke. Stay well clear of The Holt and Harry French!

And JP/Bill Mo next year?

Also, last year imago took seven weeks to get our induction hob repaired at the start of the academic year, when they knew it had been broken since APRIL (ie: the previous residents)

OK, we're only self-catered at the weekends, but 14 people sharing one microwave was just out of order. They kept on saying how the repair man couldn't fix it and they weren't going to buy a new one until they proved who broke it (but they had know it was broken since April and that the previous occupants had broken it!).

Eventually, when we complained to the warden and threatened imago with compensating us, they gave us a second microwave. Then within a week the hob was fixed.

Reply 5

Montrose

OP

17

Oh, and something else. All electrical kitchen appliances meant to be PAT (electrical) tested right? Na ah. August 2006 was the expiry date for their last check. Microwave (which is broken), fridge, a second fridge, kettle, toaster.

And what with the electrics blowing every day, and only one door out the flat (including no windows that are escapable from), this flat is a living breathing fire hazard!

Reply 6

thistle

Do you have a warden like the on campus halls who you could complain to?

The PAT testing thing is a serious issue - The equipment probably is fine but if anything did happen the HSE would probably stick them in the dock for it (especially if the tenants had complained and pointed it out).

Edit: Are you in the Holt? It's really bad if things are getting like that in a hall which has just been completely renovated!

Reply 7

rich_greeny

To be fair, every estates agents has their problems. We've had issues with both Student Accomodation and Nicholas J Humpheries, they're all rubbish. Last year with SA, we were without an oven for 5 weeks, and this year with NJH we were without a boiler for a week along with various other bits and pieces.

Also the point about them being after your money, you just have to take one look at what IMAGO has done with loughborough since they've been running the campus to see what money theiving b******s they are. See related thread for more abuse!

Reply 8

Montrose

OP

17

Yeah we've spoken to the warden, but as it's Unites responsibility he can't do very much until Monday.

Reply 9

thomasp

7

If nothing's done on Monday, e-mail the warden again and ask him to forward the e-mail to the head of UNITE (or the Loughborough boss) - and make sure in the e-mail that you say you will be seeking reimbursement for loss of facilities and the property not being "as advertised". It worked with imago :biggrin:

If you mention there's a number of you wanting refunds, they usually sort it out :wink:

Reply 10

Montrose

OP

17

Lol, two years ago half the hall brought a lawsuit against Unite for something or other and they all got compensation. My intention is to go to Unite with a list as long as my body with things that are currently wrong with the flat, ask them "so how much you going to give me?", and then push them for even more. :smile:

Reply 11

thomasp

7

And if that fails, speak to the manager - they are probably totally unaware of what's going on (certainly the imago manager was with our hob)

Reply 12

nevereatyellowsnow

Alex, the electrics in my flat are overdue for testing too, and when i've had flat and room inspections I've been told off for blue tack marks on the wall. The issue with this is that the blue-tack marks arn't even mine! They were here when I came. Unite had odviously charged the previous person before me yet not painted the walls.
I can't wait till we get the house.

Reply 13

Montrose

OP

17

nevereatyellowsnow

I can't wait till we get the house.

House woo! As long as you don't leave our kitchen in the same state next year as your one this year. :wink:

Reply 14

paul00

thomasp

And if that fails, speak to the manager ......

And if that fails go to the Bridge on Leicester Road and ask to speak to Perry.

It's a housing charity that also has some statutory powers for dealing with private landlords.

They helped sue a private landlord a few years back on behalf of some students.

:p:

Reply 15

Montrose

OP

17

We have a new microwave, a temporary external hob until the old one is replaced. Shelves are apparently fixed to the wall in a dangerous way according to the engineer and he's seen one fall before and warned Unite about it. The shelf isn't going back up until the end of the year as it's a big job and could be messy and cannot be done while my friend is living in the flat, so his shelf will be on the floor until the end of the year! The TV signal, an external company fioxed the signal on another block recently, btu Unite have run out of money for this month's budget so cannot fix ours yet. Well that's great, seeing as my mate has forked out for a TV licene!

Reply 16

rich_greeny

Montrose

We have a new microwave, a temporary external hob until the old one is replaced. Shelves are apparently fixed to the wall in a dangerous way according to the engineer and he's seen one fall before and warned Unite about it. The shelf isn't going back up until the end of the year as it's a big job and could be messy and cannot be done while my friend is living in the flat, so his shelf will be on the floor until the end of the year! The TV signal, an external company fioxed the signal on another block recently, btu Unite have run out of money for this month's budget so cannot fix ours yet. Well that's great, seeing as my mate has forked out for a TV licene!

Seriously, i think you should write to the management and ask for some kind of rebate, because you're paying for a service, and you're not getting it. Thats what we were planning to do with NJH (don't go with them anyone), when we'd been lacking central heating and hot water for a week.

Reply 17

Montrose

OP

17

Yeah, we're going to. The manager is coming to see us at some point so I shall do it then, no point hassling the poor girl on the desk she won't have power to give that.

Reply 18

benisright

1

Dont get these problems in falk egg

Our cookers spark went out, head cleaner took a look at it and thought yeah no point replacing battery its a bit old. Brand new shiny oven.

Girls flat next doors fridge didnt work as well as usually does....so they gave them a new fridge the next day.

When i get a new lightbulb, im always asked if i got one a few days ago, just so they can find out if theres a dodgy electrics going on.

Absolute legends here as far as im concerned and we're easily one of the most painful flats. Head cleaner "oh your back *looks at flat* with a vengence"

Never heard of any problems in falk egg at all, thats imago.

Reply 19

Ironic_

benisright

Absolute legends here as far as im concerned and we're easily one of the most painful flats. Head cleaner "oh your back *looks at flat* with a vengence"

Painful flat? O.o Why is it painful? Oh, you mean it's always messy so you get hassle off the cleaners? (or am I still asleep?) Hopefully I won't have that problem, but I wouldn't be surprised. One of my friend's flatmates cleared off to london... in the middle of making a foot long baguette! That was on Friday and when I left Monday it was still there, half made. *random*

So yes, all of this anti Unite stuff is concerning me, seeing as the only self-catered ensuite rooms aside from Telford appear to be at Unite managed properties. Think i'd prefer to have a well managed shared bathroom hall than an ensuite one that causes me problems constantly - my dad is excellent at complaining and he'd probably get me a bad reputation among the staff if something did go wrong :frown:

Hope everyone who's having problems gets them sorted soon.

Just don't bother with UNITE

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