Chitung Ip
My contract was from September to May but had to leave in March due to COVID-19. I asked if I could speak to anyone about my situation in regard to being let go from my contract but was told from my letting agency that they couldn't do anything about it and to contact The Collective. The Collective said the exact same thing. From my perspective it was exasperating. I wasn't being given any answers. In the end the manager of The Collective Ajit rang me, belittling and laughing at me on the phone as to why I would even consider that I would be entitled to a partial refund or any compensation even though the gym (which I had paid for) had been shut down, the events had temporary halted, wasn't contributing to any of the utility fees and availing of their biweekly cleaning services. To make matters worse my letting agency refuse to give me my deposit back as they said that their employee had made a mistake in their accounting. I paid £3000 for a vacant room. In the end I came to find that they gave deals for certain tenants and let them leave their contract. I guess they got to pick and choose. There was also miscommunication on their part when I moved in. My belongings had arrived on Saturday evening. I was awakened by furious knocking on the Monday morning and met with an employee accusing me of being inconsiderate of people as their flat mate had wanted to move in on Saturday but 'couldn't' as all my things were blocking the kitchenette and how my dirty dishes were occupying the sink - there was one plate, one fork and a knife in there. I was quite upset by this as I was quite new to London and was excited about living there. They hadn't even notified me that someone was due to move in. Any subsequent interactions (eg asking for the mail key) with this employee I was always met with hostility. The cleaners had taken my pillow case when cleaning my room which was an honest mistake. I told them about it and they said that they would look into it and that reception would contact me about it. Two weeks later and no reply I emailed them myself. They said that they would replace it for me. Another two weeks go by and I went down to reception and asked them again. Another two weeks go by and nothing happens. The ground floor is quite clean but I did witness a rat/mouse in one of the common spaces and in the restaurant too. I would be wary of eating there. Overall, if you are a working professional hoping to make friends in this city, willing to pay £1000 for a tiny room and live an area that is not the safest then by all means consider this place. In my opinion, I do not think all the inconveniences that I experienced of less than seven months of living there on top of the steep rent, unsafe area and lack of amenities (construction work and industrial shops) worth it. I do not recommend.