Complaint Review: TabbyTown Rentals - Philadelphia PA

Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals is a Filthy, Dirty place to stay with a Dishonest host!!!

I only booked a room at Oui on Ludlow because of the low price. Here is my WARNING: They can change so little because they know they will make up for it by RIPPING PEOPLE OFF. The $104 damage deposit fee (for a room; the fee is $208 for the apartment) should be a BIG RED FLAG because Oui on Ludlow will find an EXCUSE to keep all of your deposit money.

When I arrived at the apartment the second night, I did not need a door code because the door was wide open. A little after 11 pm, that night, I was taking a shower when I heard loud banging on my door. A woman said she thought I was housekeeping, and she repeatedly asked me for the code to open the outside door. That night, I heard the people in the apartment next to mine arguing. The man told the woman over and over, “F##king get out! Get out!” Every other word he said was profanity. The following morning, the same woman was in the hallway with another woman, and the woman again asked me for the code to open the outside door. I told her that everyone who books a room will get a code to the outside door.

It occurred to me then that because there are several rooms in this apartment building, and no hosts are present to help customers, it is basically like Lord of the Flies. You have to fend for yourself in this apartment building because no one is around to help you.

The apartment is located on a very seedy, run-down block. You will feel a sense of urgency to get into the apartment just for your SAFETY. But the second you step inside you will realize that you are in a filthy, dirty place because you tried to save money.

When I open the door to my room (Room 1B) I immediately noticed that the carpet was very DIRTY. It looked like no one has vacuumed the carpet in the room. Ever. There were ANTS crawling on the walls, the bed mattress, and around the kitchen sink. There appeared to be yellow URINE stains on the bedding, URINE stains on the bathroom wall, and black burn marks on the bathroom towels.

There is an unbelievable gap (more than 1.5 inches) under the bedroom door. Someone on the outside of the door could slide an iPhone under the door and video inside the room.

At 1 am, the people in Room 1A were screaming and cursing at each other. The walls seem paper thin. I could hear everything, but it was hard to sleep even with earplugs in. There was construction nearby, so it was impossible to sleep in the morning.

The toilet worked fine all 4 days I stayed. I would definitely have complained if the toilet was not working for 4 days.

I sent a text message at 9:17 am, as they requested, to inform them of my departure. Two hours and 36 minutes later, at 11:52 am, I received a message from Krizza thanking me for my stay. At 2:43 pm, nearly 6 hours (5 hours and 43 minutes) after I sent the text notifying you of my checkout, I received a message from Rob informing me of “One small bit of business.”

This was the rest of Rob’s text: “The cleaners did reported a clogged toilet on the room where you checked out (see image below). We will have to charge a cost of $100 in total, that's for the unclogging service, as the standard cleaning fee doesn’t cover them. We will use your deposit for this. Therefore, there will be NO damage deposit refund.”

This was not a “small bit of business.” The cost for my stay that I booked was $199.23. $100 is 50.25% of $199, so this added cost was a SIGNIFICANT increase.

The picture Rob shared with me (I am not sure if it is even the same room I used), appeared to show cloudy water in a toilet. I do not know if those were particles of toilet paper or a cloudy cleaning solution that was added to the toilet.

I asked Rob for an invoice and receipt from the “unclogging service.” After questioning Rob about the added $100 fee, Rob escalated the situation from a “small bit of business” to this text: “We would also like to inform you that due to this clogging issue we had to block the room for tonight since this is a private bathroom and no guest would like to have a clogged toilet during their stay. We would appreciate if you will be able to settle any remaining balance in case if will be more that $100.”

Basically, if you push back to try to request a justification for them taking your $104 damage deposit fee, Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals will aggressively seek more of your money.

I sent this reply to TabbyTown Rentals: You sent a photo of a toilet that appears to have cloudy water. This does not show a “clogged” toilet. The water appears to be at a normal level—not overflowing or full. Please, send me a video of you trying to flush the toilet. It should flush. Again, this toilet flushed EVERY time during my stay, and I have never seen it not flush. Also, please video in bedroom in the same video of flushing toilet to prove this is the same room where I stayed. You stated that your “cleaner tried plunger and drainage cleaner.” Please, send a video of your cleaner trying to use a plunger and drainage cleaner. As I have stated, the toilet flushed throughout my stay, and I pride myself on being a respectful guest. I caused no damage during my stay. I did not need a plunger during my stay because the toilet always flushed properly, but I know there was no plunger in the bathroom in case I needed one.

Then, I receive a text from Krizza of a photo of what appears to be a bogus receipt “from Maintenance,” that included this message: “A total of $166.40 was charged to us. Please send us the remaining balance of $66.40.”

This was my response to Krizza’s photo: The screenshot of the receipt (?) that you sent does NOT include the plumber's address, and it does not indicate the apartment that they serviced. If you had a plumber come to your house, they would give you an invoice that includes their address, phone number, how much labor there was, and how many parts there were (including a listing of the parts). As requested yesterday, I want an itemized plumbing invoice that includes the plumber's address, phone number, and the plumber's license number. Pennsylvania plumbers are required to be licensed by the state. The law that requires this is the Pennsylvania Plumbing Services Law, which is also known as Act 137 of 1999. Under this law, all plumbers working in Pennsylvania must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

Apparently, their reading comprehension is not good, because this was the reply from Riri: “It has been indicated. If you will read the receipt carefully, it says 4306 Ludlow St.

So, they pointed out that the bogus-looking receipt has the apartment building’s address on it, but it DOES NOT include the room number (1B) where I stayed.

Again, I asked for the plumber’s phone number and license number.

This was Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals’ reply: “We're running circles here. You're asking unnecessary information as you're not willing to settle the remaining balance.”

I replied back: “Why are you unwilling to provide me with the plumber’s phone number or license number? Is that because no plumber ever came to the apartment? I will do everything I can to warn other people that you engage in unethical, fraudulent, and deceptive practices. There is a mainline between the two toilets--the toilet in room 1A and the room where I stayed, 1B. There may be a backup in the main line, but you would have to prove that your tenants in Room 1A did not cause the clog. The burden of proof is on you.”

Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals indicated that they would send the invoice to me when they received it, but I have never seen the invoice.

I told Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals that since they were charging me $166 for services charged by a plumber, I would like to speak to the plumber.

This was Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals’ response: “This transaction is between us and the Express Drains only. I'm afraid they won't entertain you as there will be confidential information that is not allowed to be disclosed.”

This was my final message to Oui on Ludlow: “You have zero proof of any damages, and you refuse to provide me with contact information for the plumber you allegedly hired. The “receipt” you sent me is obviously not legitimate, and you refuse to send me an invoice.”

I received this reply from TabbyTown Rentals: “Proof has been sent over, if you don't want to pay for the damages you caused, we will just report this to booking.com -Armand”

Do yourself a favor and STAY FAR AWAY from Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals. They will RIP YOU OFF, and try to seek more money from you if you lift a finger to defend yourself. I strongly advise against staying at Oui on Ludlow / TabbyTown Rentals and suggest finding a more trustworthy accommodation option.