Flat 9 at Whittier

I’ve never been harassed while visiting someone in my life—until I experienced two separate episodes while visiting my mom at Flat 9 at Whittier. The first involved a tenant wearing a shower cap, bathrobe, and house slippers, cursing to herself in the lobby before suddenly directing her profanity toward me and charging after me while yelling, “Do you live here?” as I entered the building. She appeared to be intoxicated. The second involved a staff member—who I later learned goes by Ashton. And, honestly, perhaps if he loosened those tight slacks a little, he might think more clearly and exercise better judgment. He randomly stopped me as I was entering the building while I was on an important business call and picking up a food delivery I had ordered in advance. He asked me for identification. Although I was not required to comply, I chose to do so. He then informed me that my order—which he assumed was pizza simply because it was in a pizza box—was supposedly intended for someone named Miranda. I corrected him and explained that it was actually fried dough. I also reiterated that my name is Melinda and that, yes, it was in fact my food, considering I was the person who placed the order. My name was also clearly printed on the receipt attached to the box. Ironically, I had placed a double order of fried dough, yet only one box was there when I picked up my delivery. Additionally, some recent Whole Foods orders that I paid to have delivered to my mom have not consistently made it into her hands. She has simply chosen not to report those incidents. Anyway, Ashton then attempted to go back and forth with me while repeatedly interrupting my phone conversation. I remained calm, looked at him rather strangely, and proceeded toward the elevator. He did apologize afterward, but I’ll certainly remain on guard because apparently, visiting Flat 9 at Whittier may mean stepping into an episode of The Twilight Zone. Fortunately, I chose not to allow either person’s behavior to provoke me into escalating either situation or pursuing a formal harassment complaint. I remained calm, removed myself from both situations, and continued with my business. However, another guest may not respond in the same manner. And, by the way, this was the first time in my life that I have ever been approached in that manner by a man. Bottom line: One should always be careful about who they choose to harass, because they may ultimately get themselves into trouble. And that’s not even counting the two times my car was tampered with—or the time it was towed—while I was visiting. Let’s just say I don’t park there anymore, but that’s a story for another day. And no, I’m not usually a complainer—unless there’s a valid reason. My significant other, who happens to be a veteran with strong ties to law enforcement, is aware of these incidents as well, in case he ever encounters a similar situation or I need assistance if anything like this happens again. Two of my older siblings are also retired police officers. I am humbly grateful to have a strong support system in place, should it ever be needed. If not for my mom living there, I’d totally exit stage left and never look back at Flat 9 at Whittier. Sincerely, Melinda — just a “guest.”

Ashton, the manager, has been very quick to get whatever we needed done put through, and has been generally extremely helpful. The price for the flat is very fair, considering the location—best choice for sure.

I have lived here for two years and have had a great experience. The management and maintenance teams are very cooperative, and the rooms are spacious and well-lit.

Maintenance Issues Requiring Immediate Attention: I am experiencing multiple ongoing maintenance issues in my unit that have not been properly resolved despite repeated attempts: • Thermostat: The thermostat does not function properly. It fluctuates on its own and consistently drops to 69 degrees at night, even when temperatures outside are freezing. • Stove: The stove is not operational. • Oven: The oven does not work. On the one occasion it was turned on, it completely blew out. • Microwave: The microwave does not work. Maintenance has attempted to repair it several times, but it continues to blow out shortly after being "fixed." • Hot Water: Hot water is unreliable. I frequently have cold water, and on rare occasions the water is only lukewarm at best. These issues affect basic habitability and require immediate and permanent repair, not temporary fixes. Please advise when qualified maintenance or replacement will be scheduled to fully resolve these problems. For clarity, I pay market rent. As experience shows, you don't always get what you pay for.