Seniors vs Crime in Florida

I was recently introduced to Seniors vs. Crime after I filed my complaint with the Florida Attorney General, Pam Bondi. "For program information, consumer inquiries, consumer complaints, or to schedule a Consumer Seminar, please call 1-800-203-3099 or visit our web site at www.seniorsvscrime.com."

Seniors vs. Crime was formed over twenty-five years ago, in 1989 by the Attorney General, Vern Thornton and the American Association of Retired Persons. Retired citizens volunteer to administer this program with the intention of educating fellow Floridians on consumer fraud and helping to conduct consumer investigations. Something I've not yet attended are their seminars for teaching us seniors on how we can protect themselves from becoming crime victims in the first place. I'll report back once I attend one of them!

When I filed my initial complaint with the Florida Attorney General against Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments and Concord Management Limited, I received my first phone call from Seniors vs. Crime. I really didn't know how Seniors vs. Crime got my information ... not until I Googled them after the phone call and learned all about their efforts and guiding force. That's when I learned that my complaint filed with the Florida Attorney General had triggered the involvement of this organization.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is also working with Seniors vs. Crime.

Thank you Florida for looking out for us seniors. In my case, it cost me $425 to learn a valuable lesson. In early May 2015, I was excited when I found a new senior apartment complex in Palm Coast. I wasn't very excited about it being over an hour away; but I was excited for the prospect of being in a new community with senior peeps.

That excitement was eliminated the following week when a leasing rep for Concord Management Limited announced you will now lose your "holding fee of $350." Shame on me for not reading the fine print on the application that I signed. I finally received a copy of that last page of the application, with the fine print about the holding fee, after the company responded to my complaint to the Better Business Bureau. They said they told me about the holding fee being non-refundable when I completed my application. However, I firmly stand by my position that NOTHING was said to me verbally about any such non-refundable holding fee. I would never sign something if I thought I'd lose not only $75 as an application fee, but also $350 which was supposed to be part of the $600 deposit for a senior apartment.

Furthermore, the idea of hitting a senior citizen with a $350 non-refundable holding fee, when canceling one week after filing an application that hadn't yet been approved, is rather unfriendly if not downright unethical and a bit shady! Read more about my experience with the leasing reps of Concord Management Limited and check out my Ripoff Report against them.

Check out what Seniors vs. Crime does to help senior citizens. It's pretty impressive the success stats of Seniors vs. Crime in the past twenty-five years plus. You too can volunteer and become a senior sleuth with Seniors vs. Crime! Why not follow them on Linkedin. I'm seriously contemplating that as I have been told for years that I should be a private investigator or detective!!

Now that it is a couple of months later, I am even more adamant that I want my $350 back from Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments and Concord Management Limited. I think $75 for the application fee was bad enough to lose for this experience.

In the back of my mind, I am still also wondering about the rent amounts for those senior apartments. The day that I submitted my cancellation notice, I was told in the reply that I was just approved for the $999/mo one-bedroom/one bath carriage home. It was sometime later, in the following weeks, that I discovered Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments are supposed to be affordable housing apartments! According to their listing on socialserve.com, the rent for a one-bedroom states much cheaper than $999/mo [or $746/mo]. See the listing below; $565/mo. for a one-bedroom!

Affordable rentals in Flagler County, Florida - Social Serve

I am still working with senior sleuth volunteers from the local Seniors vs. Crime. On July 9, 2015 [my birthday of all things!], I did see where I had another visit from the Maitland, Florida office of Concord Management to my two blog posts on my experience. They need to refund my $350 and let me get on with my senior life. Lesson learned!!

Read more about MY personal experience from my other blog posts along with the ripoff report:

1. Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments
2. Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments BBB Complaint 
3. Concord Management LTD Quite Contrary
4. Palm Coast Landing Senior Apartments Ripoff Report