The Bennington

STAY AWAY! The Point (previously The Bennington) looks nice, but has some serious shortcomings. We could not wait to move out. The windows are poorly sealed and we dealt with spiders, silverfish, and ladybugs practically on a daily basis. The combo washer/dryer (one unit, amongst the kitchen cabinets like a dishwasher) usually takes two full 3.5 hour cycles to dry clothes and leaves an awful mildew smell. It is extremely loud during the dry cycle and, because it is in the kitchen, there is no way to block the noise. The walls are thin. We could hear our neighbors on both sides of us, the dogs below us, and the doors closing on the entire floor. The building has very lax dog restrictions, so you can expect a lot of dogs and a lot of stains in the hallways. There is a picnic area with grills, but the residents use this as a dog bathroom so it smells awful and I would not recommend any sort of food consumption in this area. Management was weak when it was The Bennington, but it’s actually gotten worse since becoming The Point. They are very quick to not help you and just say “oh we’re not liable for that”, etc. When we had packages go missing, rather than help us figure out what happened, we were just referred to the lease and told they were not responsible for our packages. We found out they will sign for packages they don't actually see, which will create huge problems if you try to file a claim through the shipping company. There is currently a massive multi-building construction project going on right across the street. This creates a lot of noise in the early morning (sometimes as early as 7am), even on Saturdays. I believe this will be an issue for the next few years. Since PANCO Management took over, you can tell that funding and resources are going to cosmetic expenditures, such as the new lobby furniture and new paint in the hallways. This makes sense for them because it helps bring in new business. These spending choices hurt current residents because the management team is not putting resources into infrastructure. For example, the parking garage has a lot of potholes and metal cables sticking out of the ground. This can cause flat tires and wheel issues for residents. Be prepared for problems with the internet and cable. The Point has not updated its infrastructure with Comcast (Comcast is the only cable provider in the building). As a result, the quality and signal is almost non-existent when you live above the 14th floor. I lived above the 14th floor and Comcast basically told me that I was not a “good” candidate for their product. I was floored because Comcast was my only option. Even if you’re an AppleTv user, the internet is very inconsistent. Lastly, be very careful with the building’s hidden fees. For example, they charge you an outrageous “billing fee”. This fee is literally to pay for them to print out your bill and put it into your mailbox. When you’re moving out, be careful with cleaning and repair charges. My wife and I cleaned the entire apartment before we moved out. A month after we moved out I received an extremely high cleaning fee. I talked to the office manager, Elizabeth. Instead of explaining to me how they came up with the fee, she told me the company’s policy allowed her to charge a fee that was “reasonable”. She also threatened my credit score because she told me that she had the right to send it to collections if it was not paid. I am not a manager, but I’m sure Management 101 is that you don’t threaten your current or former customers. Good luck with your apartment search, but steer clear of The Point!
Jan 23rd, 2014

I've lived here for five months and have been especially pleased with everything. The elevator problems people wrote about are a thing of the past. I've never encountered one of the three elevators being out of service. The front desk personnel are friendly and helpful. Even the office staff is great. For example, when I moved from a studio to a 2-bedroom (because my family was moving up), I kindly asked if we could have our washer/dryer replaced with a newer model. Less than a week later, the new washer/dryer was installed. The convenience store downstairs is reasonably priced. The gym is nice. The pool just opened. Noise isn't a problem. The A/C works great. I have zero complaints with this place.
Mar 27th, 2013