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Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

rentpost.com

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Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#161

Post by [deleted] »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #130
DanBlake wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you come off saying that our customer service is bad? Thats a pretty big jump without knowing me or our business. Dont assume that because we dont want to induce more work orders / complaints that we have bad service. What you are saying is "bad" is akin to me asking why sites dont have a "Dissatisfied? Click here for a refund" button on every page. Providing absolute ultimate customer service will cause you…

Again, don't take it personally, but I've been doing real estate for the last six years and I've spent tons of time talking to other investors and landlords. I also still rent because the returns in SF for buying are so abysmal. So I've had plenty of exposure to the way the real estate industry works. And the customer service is almost uniformly terrible. I read your statement as saying that you didn't want to make i…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#162

Post by axod »

flatline wrote: post #113
axod wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Offtopic, but why the hell are people still using cash/check to pay bills in this day and age? What country are you in? Do they not have modern banking?

Modern banking, and the expenses that go along with it. I'm not sure that it's actually legal to do this but almost any service like this (particularly rent and school payments) includes a "convenience fee" to offset the service provider fees, or for the middle-tier provider to make a profit, or both. Checks, electronic or physical, don't incur fees beyond whatever your agreement is with your bank.

UK

Free banking

No charges

No "convenience fees"

Free online banking, setup automated payments, one offs, transfer money to other banks in the UK instantly, etc

I assume you're talking about the US?

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#165

Post by pkananen »

Lewisham wrote: post #115
axod wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Offtopic, but why the hell are people still using cash/check to pay bills in this day and age? What country are you in? Do they not have modern banking?

My wife doesn't trust automated debit systems. "If they take too much of your money, then what do you do?!" I pay everything by CC, but she writes a lot of checks. She's not what I would call a luddite, she just doesn't trust other people with her money.

If you don't trust other people, that's even more incentive to use electronic systems.

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#166

Post by zohebv »

DanBlake wrote: post #107
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not trying to attack you personally, but your response is typical of the real estate industry, and exactly why there's a hole in the market worth billions. For whatever reason, customer service is almost uniformly bad in the real estate industry. It's so bad, people don't even realize how bad it is, because they've never had anything else to choose from. For example, this kind of attitude makes me really sad: I t…

How did you come off saying that our customer service is bad? Thats a pretty big jump without knowing me or our business. Dont assume that because we dont want to induce more work orders / complaints that we have bad service. What you are saying is "bad" is akin to me asking why sites dont have a "Dissatisfied? Click here for a refund" button on every page. Providing absolute ultimate customer service will cause you…

> I think the last thing we would want is to make it easier for the tenant to complain about things.

and

> "Dissatisfied? Click here for a refund"

are options that are miles apart. When you said that you don't want to maintain an easier communication channel with your paying customer, it is a good sign that customer service isn't your greatest selling point. One doesn't need to buy every product in a shop for 10 years before concluding whether the service is good or bad. A few customer reviews / purchases should suffice.

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#167

Post by axod »

Lewisham wrote: post #115
axod wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Offtopic, but why the hell are people still using cash/check to pay bills in this day and age? What country are you in? Do they not have modern banking?

My wife doesn't trust automated debit systems. "If they take too much of your money, then what do you do?!" I pay everything by CC, but she writes a lot of checks. She's not what I would call a luddite, she just doesn't trust other people with her money.

In the UK, we have a "direct debit guarantee". Basically if anyone ever takes too much in error, you just call up your bank and tell them to put it back, and they do.

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#168

Post by dminor »

thasmin wrote: post #136
DanBlake wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might not. Its not about not fixing things when they break or keeping the place clean. Those things are legitimate concerns and are taken care of. Its about when a tenant complains because he wants all new appliances because he thinks they use too much electricity. Its about when a tenant wants to get 100$ off his rent every month because he now has a sick uncle living with him. Its about when a tenant wants to h…

ApartmentRatings.com is pretty useless even from a renter's perspective. 35% approval is a great rating on that site.

It's not overly difficult to adjust your mental model of what a good rating is, and read the reviews people leave to see what the common complaints are.

It probably also depends on the area - my complex hovers around 70% and I didn't bother with anything below 50%.

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#169

Post by axod »

kleinsch wrote: post #114
axod wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Offtopic, but why the hell are people still using cash/check to pay bills in this day and age? What country are you in? Do they not have modern banking?

Banks charge 1-2% as a credit card fee, but no fees for using checks. In my building, they pass the fee along to me (the tenant), so it's in my best interest to pay by check.

Do you not have automated bill payments? Everything in the UK is paid automatically electronically from bank account to bank account. It's kinda cool.

Re: Ask HN: Review RentPost.com

#170

Post by bherms »

DanBlake wrote: post #138
DanBlake wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you come off saying that our customer service is bad? Thats a pretty big jump without knowing me or our business. Dont assume that because we dont want to induce more work orders / complaints that we have bad service. What you are saying is "bad" is akin to me asking why sites dont have a "Dissatisfied? Click here for a refund" button on every page. Providing absolute ultimate customer service will cause you…

@ryan Sure, There is a line somewhere to be crossed/not crossed. The only example I can give is maybe along the lines of google. There is no support whatsoever, yet people remain happy for the most part when things break. People love google. But you cant call and complain- You have to jump through a few hoops and fill out forms first. Thats all I am saying- If you make things too easy, your costs will go up with no a…

Google may not have an easy support system, but it's unrealistic to expect expert service from free products/utilities. When you're paying anywhere from $500-several thousand dollars a month for something, I think you're entitled to complain as often as you're upset and should be able to expect things to be taken care of.
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