2/20/23
You don't get luxury here, so why pay for it?
As is typical of these "luxury" apartment complexes that spring up in record time, it's easy to add a few seemingly nice amenities and then call yourself luxury, but there isn't really anything luxury about it.
- Amenities: You pay $50 per month for amenities that don't work. The pool, when open, is filthy with hair. The ping pong paddles and balls are broken. The coffee machine is broken most of the time or unfilled. The gym is nice, but many of the treadmills are literally unplugged or... broken.
- Apartments: The apartments are built in a slipshod way: random holes for wiring, crappy plastic flooring, and thin windows. Paint is single coat and you can see underlying framing.
- Staff: friendly, but unhelpful. It’s usually a game of pass-the-ball, as you’re given name card after name card until you get frustrated and give up. The typical response from senior staff: “We’re sorry to hear that, and thanks for bringing it to our attention.” — then nothing gets done. The typical response from support staff / concierge: “I don’t know. And there’s nothing I can do right now.”
- Dorm Life: Yes, the neighboring university (Kean) students gets discounts here. Many of the hallways smell like a dorm. You get the idea.
- Parking: I’ve separated this from amenities because you pay $75+ per car, in addition to an amenity fee. There’s many spots, but they’re small and your doors get hit regularly. Also, commuter Kean students mentioned above park their cars in the garage, so they create a massive traffic jam at 5 as they head home.
Luxury means quality, not just visual appeal. What I’ve found is Vermella is all about surface-level visuals to sell you on an apartment, and nothing more. You won’t get luxury here, so why pay for it?
Review from Apartments.com
7 People Found This Helpful
Property Manager at Vermella Union responded to this review
Dear Resident - Thank you for providing feedback on your experience at Vermella Union. Vermella properties are focused on providing an unparalleled experience of quality to our residents through construction, design and service from our management... team and vendor partnerships. We would like to take the opportunity to provide feedback and clarity on the specific points made in your review.
We recognize there have been service needs to various aspects of our amenity programing. The majority of the service requirements are a result of the high level of usage and enjoyment of our residents. Our management team is working diligently with our vendor partners to have items addressed in an appropriate timeline and back online for our residents. We are not hesitant to replace when needed to limit down time or inhibit our resident’s experience.
There are a few inaccurate comments related to Vermella Union’s relationship with Kean University and their staff. While Kean University, amongst others, are part of our preferred employer program, rent discounts and parking access to Kean University students or employees that are not residents of the community do not exist.
As previously mentioned, construction and design is a major component of the Vermella brand. Vermella Union offers expansive, custom built and designed windows across the community. Additional insulation and sound mitigation is built into the design of the windows to accommodate for their expansiveness. Resident apartments and corridors are all completed with multiple coats of paint. Being a new building, settlement cracks will appear from time to time in the common areas and resident homes. If you are experiencing settlement in your home, our maintenance team is happy to assist through our work order system.
Our management team is available to discuss your comments in more detail. Please contact us at (908)-845-4555 or vermellaunion@russomanagement.com.
Thank you,
Vermella Union Management Team
