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Alia A
Active since Oct 2019
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3 reviews70 months ago
Dinokeng Game Reserve - Self Drive Experience was the worst : pricey and no Big 5. Situated next to a main road with free access
I would not recommend visiting this Game reserve as it was an incredible waste of time and money. I'm only giving this place a 1 star because Google Reviews don't allow me to give it None. The Game reserve boasts that they have the Big 5 but in the 5 hours that we spent we did not see a single one (save for the water buffalo's) . Possibly due to the fact that the areas you can access as a guest are relatively small and it has a main road running around the Game reserve property which for obvious reasons will mean that there will be no animals (least of all the Big 5 close to a main road). We visited this Game reserve on the 11 July 2020 and recieved a highly inaccurate map which did not contain all the roads within the game reserve but that did not matter because the limited roads we were allowed to travel as guests did not even host any animals save for a few zebras, giraffes and impalas. The above, coupled with the fact that the water holes in the areas you could drive were all dried up and ironically those are the areas you would find animals. In this case, three quarters of the game reserve (a huge chunk of the middle portion of the map they give you) was completely unaccounted for and the remainder of the areas you could access prohibited access to more than half of the accessible property for self drives. Along with guest access being prohibited onto the private resort. These resorts contained inaccessible sign boards to guests in order to mark that it was closed off for viewing. What irked us more was the fact that these resorts monopolized the water holes where there did appear to be a flowing river which you could see from a distance. If there were any animals worth seeing (big 5 included) it means that it would be close to those watering holes and and as guests we could not access the property. Incidently it is close to these restricted resorts that we saw the zebras and other animals as they would obviously be around areas where they would be able to obtain water to drink. We were also disgusted with the rangers as we stopped to ask one whole was on a safari vehicle of we could get access to the restricted road he had come from and he point blank indicated that we were not allowed on it because it was private property. Yet the rangers were doing safari tours for guests who opted for the safari option and not the self drive on the restricted roads. The attitude of the other rangers where also pathetic and rude as they would often pull up next to other self drive vehicles that where stationary for a viewing and obscure their viewings. It is clear that the 'white privilege' mentality still exists in their minds and it cannot be a coincidence at all that all the rangers are white. Well we are sure they will go very far in life with that mentality. After all they are rangers :). On a closing note, if you would still like to give the game reserve a try, don't even bother paying and entering through the gate - a useful tip from me would be to join the main road and find take a side road to entrance to the game reserve. There are so many gravel roads off the main road that will lead you directly into the game reserve. Or go into the game reserves main gate and get their map then enter the main road details onto your gps (this is the road around the property) you'll see there are so many gravel roads that lead out into main road (another explanation why there is no big 5 on the game reserve which would explain further that this is the reason why they are in the restricted area which guests cannot access). Considering that we didn't see 4 of the big 5 we doubt it will be at all dangerous. But if you love being amidst tall grass and trees with only the occasional glimpse of a giraffe or zebra - then this is your place to be. Not that that would matter though because once you come across a ranger whilst doing a private viewing, you are guaranteed to lose your viewing spot so make it last as much as possible.
0 replies
73 months ago
Developments that Extort Money, Maintain poor communication with tenants
This experience is regarding The Junction by Central Developments: 1. Constant cable theft: One of the primary issues with residing here is that you have to brace yourself for unexpected power cuts. The cables get stolen every second week and it takes 2 to 3 days until the municipality gets around to fixing it. So apart from loadshedding, you still have no electricity half the time because the cable gets cut. 2. Constant frivolous fines and Poor Management s****s regarding communication: Management s****s are utterly poor in the sense that they do not communicate openly with the tenants and really seem to extort money from the tenants throughout the rental agreement. They issue fines without clarity or just cause on a regular basis and any contention to those fines are met with autocratic responses. 3. No water Meters: The water meter just automatically cuts without warning when the water gets low. They have no proper app or meter to measure water content and notify you when the water is low. This is so 19th century and technologically crippling. 4. Noise Levels: The noise levels are an absolute constant in the estate. There are people screaming the entire day and on the weekends, kids running around constantly and screaming. The music levels are never low with people drunk throughout the weekend and for some reason the people who play loud music and are causing disturbances when they drink and get roudy are never fined. It appears management is too scared to deal with these types of situations. 5. Cleanliness: The complex is not cleaned regularly and always in a mess especially the staircases. It is only cleaned once a week on Thursday when the trash is taken out and in this instance the maintenance staff takes the trash bins and places them in the parking spots which makes it difficult to park your car because the trash falls all over the place and starts to smell. Often the trash flies to the stairwells and that's not cleaned by the maintenance staff. Not to mention the lights in the stairwells are always out and dodgy to walk into. Expecially at night or when there is trash all over the place. 6. Regular rental increases even during your 1 year lease: We moved into the apartment complex and signed a 6 month lease during July 2019. We then extended the lease after 6 months to another 6 months. On the lease extension, management told us that there is no rental markup when we signed the lease extension because we were still within a year. In the first month of the lease extension they sent us an sms telling us we defaulted because there is a top up fee and rental increase. I forwarded all the emails confirming my communication with the representative at the Junction who confirmed there was no rental increase even on the document I signed and they point blank told me that they cannot see that on the communication even though they signed off on the rental extension which says specifically there is no increase. This place increases the rental every few months without any justification. This is just a horrible way to exploit tenants. They use the excuse that every every few months they have their financial year and are entitled to increase rentals based on that which is ridiculous because what does that have to with us as tenants? There is absolutely no communication s****s between the management and the tenants at all. If there are any changes in the rules governing the property - they do not inform the tenants. They also promise you a one month free wifi at the apartment which they do not deliver on dispute informing them that they have not delivered on the promise of wifi. We all expect a certain standard of professionalism and cleanliness especially if we pay exorbant amounts in rental and are constantly exponged and extorted for money. I would not recommend living here and we are honestly very misled by the adverti*****ts about living in this sort of complex.
105 replies
79 months ago
EUROBRIDE - DRESS ARRIVAL STRESS AND POOR SERVICE DELIVERY
During May 2019 I visited Eurobride at Bryanston to purchase a wedding Gown for my wedding on the 26th October 2019. I selected a dress and proceeded to make four installments according to their payment plan. At the time of purchase and deposit the staff advised my dress would be due to arrive during the middle to the end of September 2019 latest. According to the payment plan, the first payment was in May and the other 3 payments made at the end of June, end of July and end of August. On the 25th August 2019 I made the final payment of my gown. On each and every occasion that I attended to the payment I forwarded the proof of payment to Eurobride the acknowledge receipt and provide me with an updated invoice on the balance outstanding. On each occasion that I made payment during the months May - August I received a monotoned mailed from the receptionist Kayla, advising that she was waiting for head office to update the account and provide an amended invoice. During the months I attended to payment I never received an updated invoice so I could keep track of the balance owing on my gown. I had to personally keep track of the payments myself. On the last working day of the month in August 2019 I mailed Eurobride to follow up on when I would need to come in for a dress fitting any they advised that they will keep me updated. I followed up again in the first week of September and did not recieve a response. I then followed up during the second week and still received no response. By the third week Eurobride responded to my mails and advised that the dress was on its way. I communicated that such a blanket response was unacceptable as I needed information as to where the dress was exactly, as per the agreement the dress was to arrive to the middle/latest end of September, we were in the middle of September and I hadn't been advised as to when I could come for a fitting. I received no response from Eurobride. Towards the end of September I still had not heard from Eurobride and when I called in during the first week of October they still advised the dress was on its way and they could provide me with no further information. I demanded to speak to the manager as I was receiving no luck with the staff. The manager was accordingly never available and when I left a message for her to return my call she did not. I called in again later on and was then told that the manager started work at 12 but was in a meeting, and she would return my call at 14:00. When I called in at 14:00 the manager advised that they had the dress and I could come in for a fitting the second week of October. I then arranged for a fitting and when I arrived I discovered the skirt of the dress was essentially not the correct one I had ordered as I requested a custome made design with flowers to be sewn on. Throughout the entire dress fitting none of the staff mentioned that there had been additional flowers placed with the dress for the fitting and sought to have the dress fitting without enquiring what the additional loose flowers where for. As a result of the inconvenience and not honoring their promise to deliver the dress during September, Eurobride have me a complimentary Veil. Once the fitting was done I had to collect the gown on another day during the end of the second week. I had advised the staff that I needed the dress before the 14th October as I was leaving JHB for my wedding in Durban on the 14th. At the time of picking up the dress for final collection they 1. Forgot entirely to provide me with the veil and had to be reminded of this 2. They asked me what I intended to do about the petticoat as they rented it out for 4 days. I felt that as a first time bride, this should have been communicated to me in advance considering that they were aware that I was traveling to durban the next day and as my wedding was on the 26 October, it would mean that if I was not able to arrange for someone attending the wedding from jhb and flying to durban the weekend of my wedding, I would essentially not have the right petticoat. The next day I arranged for payment and pick up by a close friend that was flying out from durban the day before my wedding, however same story as the gown, I had to mail Eurobride constantly to follow up of payment was received. When I called there was no answer. I sent two emails over a period of the week before my wedding and received no reply. Eventually my fiancé called and was able to reach them. They advised him that they had load shedding and were not able to reply. He then indicated that we have mailed them on more than one occasion during the week and they had not even had the courtesy to respond when the mails came through. They only then confirmed the proof of payment was recieved the week before and all was in order for the rental. My experience has been immencly disappointing as they do not respond on time or at all and neither do they acknowledge mails to them. It was also extremely stressful because I paid up the dress in full two months before the wedding and I never received a response or mail advising when I could come in for a fitting. It was incredibly unsettling to have to deal with this in the first and second week of October and knowing that the wedding was a few days away and I did not even know what was happening with the dress of where it was. I would not recommend Eurobride because I do not believe that a bride needs the additional stress of an incompetent administrator who cannot provide brides with responses as to when the dress will arrive and where it is in the process of getting to their boutique. One does not need the uncer*****y and stress of having to worry about where they stand with a dress for their wedding. Eurobride does not even seem to care about the pressure it puts on brides when they do not keep them informed as to what is actually happening. It is also incredibly disconcerting to have to hear their staff tell you during the first week of your wedding month that they don't know where your dress is. It is saddening to have to run around arranging a plan be in the event that your dress does not come around because the boutique you buy your dress from cannot give you accurate information themselves as to where it is.
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