Aster

I've lived at Aster for about 5½ years and, until recently, had a generally positive experience. I've actually recommended the property to prospective residents during their tours, and I know of at least two people who ultimately moved here after conversations with me.

That's why I'm so disappointed by how a recent parking/towing issue has been handled.
My car was towed while displaying the Berkshire parking permit I was originally issued, and it cost me $1,227 to retrieve it. My concern has… been very specific: when were residents with Berkshire permits told that those permits were no longer valid and had to be replaced?

I repeatedly asked management for that communication. Instead, after my tow and after I raised the issue, management sent a community-wide email stating that residents with old permits had been informed “on multiple occasions” that those permits were no longer valid. I then asked them to provide those prior communications. They still have not done so, and I have been unable to locate any communication in my own records explicitly telling Berkshire permit holders that their permits were no longer valid and needed to be replaced.

The management company changed approximately three years ago, and there have been multiple changes in onsite staff since then. During that time, there have been other instances of miscommunication associated with staffing transitions. Given that history, I think it's entirely reasonable to ask whether another communication gap occurred here. What concerns me is that residents appear to be bearing the consequences while management seems unwilling to investigate that possibility.

While I was in the office trying to resolve my situation, another resident of approximately three years came in because her car had also been towed. She stated that she had never been issued a parking permit and had paid more than $500 to retrieve her vehicle. I can't speak to the circumstances of her case, but witnessing another long-term resident dealing with a permit-related tow gave me even more reason to believe the situation deserved some curiosity and investigation.

I'm now escalating this matter to Aster's corporate management and hope it can still be resolved fairly. After 5½ years of living here and recommending Aster to others, it's incredibly disappointing to feel that onsite management has been more interested in defending what happened than investigating whether something went wrong. Read More