Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am resident/tenant and this is our rental management company. We are renting a new build which has has multiple issues, including a broken garage door, a broken stove top and oven, sparking lights, broke AC unit and lack of electricity. I have called the office repeatedly during business hours, left voicemails, sent text messages and used the online tenant portal to request maintenance. This business has done nothing but demonstrate their incompetence. We have continued to follow up and have even gone out of our way to visit the office in person to explain the issues. I am filing this complaint so other people are aware of the lack of professionalism from this business, and to see if BBB can change the way this company handles its tenants.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On September 14, 2020, I entered into a rental agreement with Strand Management LLC for the period September 19, 2020 to September 30, 2021. In August 2021, I renewed said rental agreement for the period October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Upon receipt of the current year's renewal in August 2022 through their online portal, I informed Strand Management LLC through the online portal that I was not renewing the lease for the period October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. From the commencement of the lease, my rent was paid each month by an automatic charge to my debit card by Strand Management; the debit card information was provided at the commencement of the lease in September 2020 and I did not have to reauthorize each month's payment. On September 28, 2022, Strand Management LLC charged my debit card $909.99 representing the rental and transaction fees for October 2022. I immediately called and spoke to both Bernadette B******* and Stephanie M***, employees of Strand Management LLC. I sent a follow up email. Through both communications, I demanded that the erroneous charge be immediately reversed. In her email response to me, Bernadette stated "...we are unable to electronically refund online payments and any online payments to be refunded can take up to 30 days to refund. As your lease ends 9/30/2022 the refund would typically be processed with your security deposit. There is currently no charge to reverse as you have not been charged rent for October, and we cannot reverse an online payment." Ms. B*******'s statement that I have not been charged rent for October 2022 is patently false. I have notified my bank of the illegal charge and was informed that Strand Management has the ability to reverse the charge to the debit card. The charge of $909.99 needs to be immediately returned to my account. The charge was both unethical and illegal absent a valid rental agreement.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/03) */
  In response to this complaint, the tenant states that the rent was paid each month by an automatic charge to his debit card. This was an auto payment option that is set up, and therefore authorized, by the tenant. The date for the payment chosen by the tenant was the 28th of each month. As of 9/28 the tenant's payment information was still active. It is the tenant's responsibility to cancel any automatic payments scheduled. Strand Management has no authority to, change any payment information on the tenant account; as such we are unable to cancel any payment information. Rent charges are not posted to the accounts until the 1st of the month they are due, at the time of the payment there were no charges on the tenant account and the payment showed as a credit. It was explained to the tenant that we are unable to refund electronically therefore a check must be processed for any refund. Online payments cannot be refunded immediately because we must first verify that the funds were received by our bank. This can take up to 30 days for a refund to be processed. It was also explained to the tenant that after speaking to our accounting department, if the bank was able to verify the payment we could issue him a refund check sooner. Again, it was explained that this could take up to 7 days and in consideration of the impending hurricane and businesses being closed on 9/30/2022 this could delay the refund process. The payment to Strand Management was $900. The 9.99 noted in the total payment is the processing fee charged by the 3rd party that processes the online payments. At this time we are working to verify the funds were received by our bank so that a refund check can be processed to the tenant. This was not an issue of an unauthorized charge it is an issue of the tenant not canceling scheduled authorized automatic payments.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/09) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I am not satisfied with the response. The debit to my account cleared my bank on September 30 and Strand Management has had more than adequate time to verify with their bank that the funds were deposited and issue me a check. I sent several emails to Bernadette asking when I could stop by to pick up the check for the illegal charge to my account along with my security deposit. She has not responded to my last email of October 5. Strand Management continues to illegally withhold my funds even after receiving the communication from the Better Business Bureau. They have extremely unethical and illegal business practices.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/10/11) */
  In response the tenant sent an email to our offices on 10/2 stating he would be at our office on 10/3 to pick up his check as well as his security deposit check. When the email was received the next day the tenant was advised that we did not have the check for him yet and again reminded that the process can take up to 7 days. It was also explained to the tenant that we will release the security deposit within 30 days of his move out as required. The email referenced from 10/6 was a reiteration of statements made in the previous emails A response was sent as soon as I was available on 10/11 stating his refund check for the prepayment of rent was ready for pick up. Again the tenant was not told he would not be refunded but that certain procedures had to be met in order to process his refund. I understand that the tenant feels this process has not been addressed in the way he would like however it has been explained numerous times both verbally and via email that we were doing what we could to expedite the refund for him.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/10/15) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I do not accept Strand's response. While the $900 illegal rental charge to my account has now been refunded, Strand Management has refused to refund the $9.99 service charge. Since the business illegally charged my account absent a rental agreement, the service charge should likewise be refunded. Further, while I did a final walkthrough on September 29 with a Strand Management representative and was informed my security deposit would be returned in full, I still do not have that check as of the writing of this response.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2022/10/19) */
  As the tenant has stated the prepayment of rent was refunded. Again the payment was an authorized auto payment set up and scheduled by the tenant. Strand Management does not charge the processing fee that is applied to online credit card payments and therefore does not receive those funds. The tenant continues to state that this is an illegal charge to him, however in actuality the tenant was not charged for rent. The payment was made because the tenant did not cancel his scheduled authorized auto payment. As stated previously Strand Management has no ability to change any payment methods, or scheduled payments. This is the tenant's responsibility.
  
  The following is quoted directly from the help section of a tenant online portal. This information is available to all tenants who use the online portal.
  
  "I made a payment online by mistake. How do I stop the payment?"
  
  Once a payment has been processed and you receive an email confirmation message, you will need to contact your bank or credit card provider to issue a stop payment. If you have an auto-payment set up, you may need to cancel any future payments."
  
  "Is there a fee to make payments online?"
  
  eCheck fees are waived during checkout, so there is no additional cost to you. There is a non-refundable transaction fee for paying with a debit or credit card in the Online Portal. You are notified of the fee amount before you submit the payment.
  
  "Can my property manager see any of my payment information?"
  
  No. Your property manager cannot see any of the payment information you have saved or have previously entered."
  
  Please note the property manager can see if a payment method is saved, what type of payment method (a credit/debit card or echeck) and the scheduled date.
  
  
  
  Furthermore: the terms for the tenant portal state the following in regards to this matter:
  
  To use the Payment Service, you must add a bank account or credit card to your account within the Portal (each, a "Payment Form"). When you add a Payment Form and schedule a one-time or recurring electronic payment from that Payment Form, you authorize us to debit (take) electronic payment(s) from that Payment Form as scheduled. You warrant (promise) that you have the authority to authorize us to debit or, as applicable, charge the scheduled payment(s) from the Payment Form you have picked.
  
  You understand and agree that if you schedule a one-time or recurring payment using the Payment Service, that payment will be processed (except if cancelled in a timely fashion in accordance with applicable law) even if your account with your property manager is prepaid at the time of processing or the payment results in a prepayment of your account with your property manager,. You may contact your property manager if you need assistance in determining whether prepayment of your account benefits you.
  
  There may be a transaction fee to use the Payment Service. Such a fee is displayed at the time you make or schedule a payment. We reserve the right to change the fee amount for your use of the Payment Service. Nothing in this paragraph relieves you of your responsibility to pay any amount, fee or charge you may owe under your Payment Agreement. Also, you will be responsible for paying any amount you may owe other persons or companies related to the use of the Payment Service or any bank account or credit card linked to online payments. For example, a bank may charge a fee in connection with electronic payments debited to (taken from) a bank account you use to make a payment through the Portal.
  
  Finally in regards to the refund of the security deposit, the tenant has been told in person, via email, and as stated in his lease document that in compliance with the South Carolina Landlord Tenant Act; security deposits are to be returned within 30 days and are mailed certified to the forwarding address provided. The tenant has asked that once his security deposit has been processed he be contacted so that he can pick the deposit up directly from our office. We have agreed to this and intend to contact him once the deposit has been processed.
  
  At this time the tenant has been refunded his prepayment of rent within 7-10 business days of the payment date. This is also with consideration that businesses were closed one of those days due to hurricane conditions. We have attempted to expedite and cooperate with the tenants request for a refund as much as we are able within our normal procedures. And his security deposit will be processed as required by his lease agreement and the SC Landlord Tenant Act.