I do not know, I can see where if there were a couple of things OK, but this list:
•Carpet stains and strong pet odor
•Dirt in window and door tracks
•Holes in all screens
•Apartment entry door heavily chipped and in need of repaint
•Shower in need of re-caulking
•Dirty patio
•Numerous light bulbs burned out
•Smoke detector missing
•No number on mailbox
•Spider webs in upper corners of apartment
•Cabinets and drawers in need of cleaning
•Vestiges of red paint around light switches

The above is a hard to get over for me. Sure, I agree with the different approaches, but when you have a list this big we have a problem somewhere that needs to be fixed. Cleaning and maintenance seem to be the two areas where there was a problem from what I read and the other is whoever does the quality assurance on the property side and the quality control on the service side were really not on the job at hand.

I brought up the staffing and personnel issue because sometimes the management does not take care to ensure they program for peak times and rush in-house personnel. Sounds to me as though the turn was done 100% in-house, but I could be wrong and if it is in-house, then for sure the personnel are given a salary and maybe rushed to do jobs. How much time was it between move outs and move ins? Mindy is right on with the approach as you get more a lot of times with sugar, but if it were me, I may start off nice, jus to ensure it was an honest mistake or something that was out of the managers control, but I would be ready to be that bull in a china shop too!

Forgive me, but this is something when someone comes into a property, it is you put your best foot forward every time and if there is a slip, do not wait for them to come to you, go to them and make it right. In this case I would have taken only half of the rent.

My mother rents and I treated all customers like this was my mother being taken care of. My Mom always talks about how nice the management is to her. I do not tell her that the management and me have had some real nice talks about what their responsibility is. They get their rent on time every month, they have a trouble free tenant who only calls if there is something wrong. My brothers have even gone by to fix things rather than bother them, so if she calls it is important!

I get cross eyed just going back over this as it touches and emotional part of me. You see this industry is not just a job with me. It is a profession that I hold dear as it touches peoples' lives. They deserve only the best and if we make a mistake, they deserve nothing less than the best corrective actions!

Sorry if I am coming off as a radical, but it is what it is with me on this subject when dealing with our customers.

You are right, Nate, it sounds like no one bothered to check the unit prior to scheduling the move in and while I understand the first reaction might be to shout, "Off with your heads!" it won't do the new resident any good in this moment.
For some reason, when I arrive on site somewhere it is always on a day when there are at least one or two move ins scheduled. I have to jump right in there and most of the time, it means the new people are walking in to sign their leases and pick up keys before I have had a chance to put my purse down, let alone check the units. So, I have quite a bit of experience with challenging circumstances. The thing is, before I allow someone to sign the lease, I show them the apartment prior. I have a few people who insist it is okay and they don't need to see the apartment, but I still like to do a walk through with those people, too.

Had a walk through been completed prior, Lisa's friend would have seen right away the condition of the carpet and the rest of the unit. As a Leasing Professional and as a Manager and Supervisor, I would have been mortified, much less waiting to see my Resident's initial reaction.

I think if I were the Manager there, I would have to meet with the Leasing Pro (who was not professionl, in this case) and try to ascertain what went wrong. I believe the Leasing Pro did not listen attentively enough to Debbie, her customer, in the first place. To call someone and ask if she is okay if "they don't paint the apartment" is ridiculous! What? WHY would a leasing person ask this anyway of the new Resident? Our job as leasing professionals is to ensure our clients that we will take care of them from the day they walk in the door as Prospects until the day they move from our community.

Here is what needs to occur NOW:
Since Debbie is now questioning her decision to move into this community, all team members need to get into high gear to rectify the situation - and the Manager had better be leading the charge.
1. Get the cleaners in to clean all surfaces, including getting rid of cob webs - at the convenience of Debbie;
2. Maintenance needs to get in there and recaulk, re-bulb lights, etc. and ensure everything is working to Debbie's satisfaction;
3. Then the Manager and Leasing Pro should meet with Debbie and find out when she would like to have new carpet and padding installed. This should not be an option. If they need to hire movers to move Debbie's furniture because now the unit is "occupied" then this should be at the company's expense.
4. The Regional Manager should be informed of all of this and what the team is doing to assist in completing a good experience for this resident before the resident calls Corporate to complain. Management should write a personal letter of apology; the leasin pro should write a personal letter of apology and include a gift (or have flowers/plant delivered, too.)I would also have my Maintenance techs write a note, too.

Once Debbie is happy in her new little nest, the Leasing Pro should periodically call her (and really, all new move ins) within a couple weeks to make sure everyone is still happy. That is how my training manual is ... and the Manager should be calling residents, a few each month, to ask the same thing.

In addition, a Team meeting is needed (desperately) to discuss what went wrong. I mean it is one thing to say this or that about procedures, but there was something horribly wrong for this move in to go so badly. Every person plays a role in this and should be held accountable. Nate, I don't think anyone would not agree to this. In reality, this type of problem happens a lot in our industry; I see it all the time when I am there, but I note the problems and move to train to correct them. I think some trainers bury their heads over the issue because some people refuse to say, "The buck stops here." I OWN a property the minute I arrive on site. Honestly, the residents all know this, too. When I am here, I am the One In Charge and I shoulder that, too. Even if the blame can be traced to the leasing person not communicating the move in dates, etc. with the maintenance team, or the maintenance team got busy with some emergency and forgot about the turn, the Manager is the one who should suck it up and make it right. This includes getting the procedure right so the process is completed on time, correctly, and without this kind of thing happening again. Reoccurring problems mean someone needs to be encouraged to seek othr opportunities elsewhere.