Баланус-Ебаланус

[[Discordia]]

Учитывая то, что октябрь не так уж и далеко, озадачилась я намедни поиском квартиры на съем в Вене. Дело не из легких: что-что, а аренда недвижимости в Австрии очень дорогая. С моей же ситуацией адекватное жилье стоит найти заранее, чтобы потом не бегать как в попу раненой.

Герлинда всем поступающим разослала очень удобный Welcome Guide, где помимо всего прочего есть каталог сайтов, на котором стоит искать квартиры. С них я и начала.. Сразу оговорюсь, что общежитие или любого рода shared flat для меня крайний вариант: может, мне захочется в три часа ночи голышом напечь блинчиков, или надеть колготки на голову и изображать коккер-спаниэля с грустными глазами.

Собственно, начала я искать на одном из самых больших сайтов по недвиживости Австрии. Ценовой разбег - от ста до шестисот евро в месяц. В целом найти что-то можно, но за четыреста-пятьсот евро можно получить что-то вроде вот такого:

Фоточки под катом

..Что для меня вполне достаточно, хоть и не идеально.

Итак, листаю я, листаю, и тут вижу вот это

ЧУДО

:




Цена вопроса? Четыреста евро в месяц включая налоги и обслуживание дома. Квартира очень выделяется на фоне остальных объявлений. Собственно, сомнение закралось уже тогда, поэтому я написала писюльку напрямую владельцу.

"Guten Tag! Ich interessiere mich für diese Immobilie und bitte Sie um Kontaktaufnahme für weitere Details!
Hello, my name is Ekaterina, I am a medical doctor moving to Vienna to do my PhD. I loved the apartment (and the price is very attractive), so I would be happy to discuss long-term rent of it. Thank you!"

Не проходит и пару часов,

мне приходит ответ.

мне приходит ответ.
"Hallo,

Ich hoffe, Sie verstehen Englisch...Bitte antworten Sie mir in Englisch !
Wenn Sie nicht verstehen, Englisch Sie hier übersetzen kann: translate.google.com/#en/de/

First, Thank you for your e-mail.
Second, sorry for my late reply i just come back from Dubai..i was with work not in vacation .
I own the apartment from my grandfather that he past away 3 months ago.
I am constructor engineer and i decided to rent the apartment since i am in UK (British Citizen).
The whole apartment is for EUR 400 per month including all bills.
There are 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, elevator, balcony, washer/dryer in unit, A/C, dishwasher, parking - 1 garage included in the r ent, also internet (Wifi), close to transportation and everything else.
It's fully furnished, but I can rent it unfurnished also, same price if unfurnished, will use a moving company if you want it unfurnished. As I said pets are allowed.
The length of the lease is flexible: short term ( minimum 2 months ) long term ( 1 to 5 years maybe more ).

Below is the apartment address:
Stuwerstraße 47
1020 Wien, Leopoldstadt

This is how it`s look the apartment as we speak ( real and actual pictures ) :
postimg.org/gallery/1lfz23kk/2981ec30/

Please tell me in short what exactly are you looking for and which are your requirements?

ll the best,
Gallia"


"Как-то все слишком хорошо", подумала я, и написала девушке-владелице

ответ.

ответ.
"Hello again,

Thank you for your quick reply, and for detailed description of the flat.

I am a medical doctor moving to Vienna in late September to start my PhD studies, and I am looking for an apartment to stay in for the next several years (so we are looking at long-term rent). I am not a big fan of dormitories or shared flats, so ideally I would like to have a cozy affordable flat to have to myself.

I am very clean, don't smoke and don't drink excessively. No loud parties either
What I am looking for is a 1-2 room flat, possibly fully furnished - I don't have too much time or money for relocation so it would be a benefit if I don't need to start looking for the furniture. Washing machine, kitchen appliances (cooker, fridge, possibly dishwasher), a bed and a table with a couple of chairs is something I'll need in the first place, everything else (AC, garage etc) is a pleasant bonus.

I have been into enough trouble with moving around (moved from Russia to Hungary, then 6 years later from Hungary to Cyprus, now comes Vienna) and I am rather tired of the dodgy contracts and hidden problems with the apartments, so what I am looking for right now is a clear contract, cozy furnished apartment, reasonable cost of rent and a landlord/landlady easy to work with. From my side I can guarantee taking good care of the apartment, keeping it clean and if needed notifying you in advance of any possible changes (e.g. my family coming over to visit for a week etc.).

The photos that I've seen look great, it really seems to be a nice place to stay. I have a couple of questions concerning the apartment though.
You said the monthly cost is 400 euro including bills. Which bills do you mean? Communal charges (heating, elevator maintenance, cleaning) or do you actually mean electricity/water bills as well?
Also, is there a reason for a rather cheap price of rent?
And finally, is there a possibility to look at the apartment before the contract is signed and deposit is made?

Thank you!
Best regards"

Было бы неплохо, если бы я получила ответы на первые два вопроса, но Галя сразу перешла к

финансовой части.

финансовой части.
"Hi there,

I am glad to hear from you .
As I told you i am in United Kingdom now and the thing is that I am the only person who has the keys, but i have a SAFE solution for that.
If you decide to rent the apartment i ask first month rent EUR 400 + EUR 800 deposit, that`s EUR 1,200 in total, with no additional fees.
The apartment is ready, you just need to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you can accept it. Of course we will need some way to go through this agreement, to allow us ensure that we get what we are expecting. For in it, I have discovered how we could finish the deal securely and quickly, and in this way, you will receive the keys in less than 2 days, if you move quickly as well. A rental third party service called Balanus Rent, offers this solution and will handle both payment and delivery of the keys.

So, here is how it goes:
I start over the process with Balanus Rent here in Leeds and I leave the keys and a copy of the contract at Balanus Rent. Then they'll e-mail you all the information you need to continue the transaction at your end. As per the Balanus Rent`s instructions I will receive the money after you visit the apartment and you agree to rent it. It's clear and simple. All I want is to both be safe.

To start this transaction, I need your full name, address, city, postcode and country. I will pay for the services performed by the agency, so there will be no additional cost for you.

Should i begin the process with Balanus Rent? Please e-mail me and let me know and in 2-3 days you could have the keys in hand if you complete your end in a timely fashion.

Thank you,
Gallia"
Ладно, по крайней мере, она решила вовлечь посредника, что уже намного лучше, чем "Квартирой уже интересуются, но если вы внесете залог, квартира будет ваша". Но тем не менее, надо бы проверить, что это за Balanus Rent такой. По запросу в Гугле выдается куча страниц с Balanus Street и парочка ведет к каталогам сайтов, где фигурирует некий Balanus Ltd., клик на который ведет на сайт propertywide.co.uk. Что ж, в целом и общем сайт вполне себе внушает доверие, но я решила уточнить, о том ли Balanus'е речь. А еще напомнить, что

квартира мне нужна не то чтобы дико срочно.

квартира мне нужна не то чтобы дико срочно.
"Hello,

The deal sound ok to me. Balanus Rent's website is www.propertywide.co.uk/, is that correct?

Also, I have to emphasize again: I am moving to Vienna in late September and I do not need my keys until then. I am looking for an apartment well in advance to have less things to think about once I am in Austria. So there is no need to rush things now, it can be safely done in early September.

Could you please also answer my question concerning the bills? Which bills are included in rent, only maintenance or electricity/water/etc as well?

Thank you for your answers and I am sorry to bother you with questions. As I said, I had a lot of bad stories with property for rent, so these are just precautions.

Thanks!
Kate"

Ответ последовал прямо-таки

незамедлительно

незамедлительно:

"Hi,

Ok you can move in September but we must make teh deal now.
The web site is www.balanus-rent.co.uk.
This is how it`s work:
So I leave the keys to Balanus Rent and they send you a confirmation e-mail letting you know that they have the keys + contract ( in the contract will be exactly specified that you get your ALL your money back in case you don`t like the apartment). They also give you all the payment instructions, you send them the payment of 1,500 EUR in Balanus Rent Bank Account and they put the funds on hold until you visit the apartment.
So, after you visit the apartment you must instruct Balanus Rent to release the funds to my account. If you do not like the apartment, then the Balanus Rent will give you ALL your money back on spot.

So if you want to start the process with Balanus Rent please let me know your full name and full address.

Thank you,
Gallia"

И тут я такая:


Так полторы тысячи, или же все-таки тысяча двести? И что за настойчивое требование моего полного имени и адреса? И вообще, спасибо за адрес сайта, пойду-ка я посмотрю, что это за шарашкина контора такая. ...На первый взгляд вполне себе профессионально. Единственное - как-то слишком сильно бросается в глаза "How Its Work". Слющий сирьйозный компания, мамой клянусь! Читаю тексты, читаю.. Все красивенько и чистенько, и все-то у них trusted, protected и secure. Ну окей, давайте я вам позвоню. Звоню. Раз звоню, два звоню - трубку не берут. Проверила - сегодня хоть и Whit Monday, в Великобритании не праздник. Отправленный факс возвращается ко мне с ошибкой.
Но больше всего меня порадовала вот эта страница. Что-то фотографии персонала слишком похожи на стоковые.. Пробиваю по гуглу - действительно, первые две стоковые, широко используются в русских и международных сайтах по всяким там консалтингам-маркетингам. А с третьей получилось весело - меня перекинуло вот на эти сайты: http://www.property-ynk.com/?page=Empresa и http://www.envios-tls-courier.com/?page=Empresa
Похоже? Ну да что вы, названия компаний-то абсолютно разные!

Галя получает

закономерный ответ.

закономерный ответ:
"Hello,

I still did not get any answer to my question concerning the bills.

As far as Balanus Rent is concerned - the website is not indexed in any search engine (which sounds strange if it has really been working from 2001), and nobody is taking the phone even though it's their official working time. As far as I know today's not the bank holiday in UK.

The summ of the money was also unclear: in one of the first e-mails you said it's 1200 euro, in the previous you mentioned 1500.

Also, I don't really see the rush in making the deal right now if it can be done in September - maybe you could find a tennant for the next 3 months until I arrive to take a look at the apartment.

So thank you very much for your time, but I am afraid I cannot make a deal through Balanus Rent. I do not transfer any funds in advance without a written agreement and seeing what I am offered - and it doesn't make a difference whether it is a third party or an apartment owner.

Have a great day!
Thank you,
Kate"


Но она, увы,

непробиваема.

непробиваема:
"It`s 1200 eur, i wrote by mistake 1500.

If you want to see the apartment i told you how it`s works.
1. You give me your full name and full address
2. I start the process ( i pay the fee GBP 200 ) so no fee from your side
3. You receive all the details from Balanus Rent how to make the payment including the rental contract
4. You make the payment as per Balanus Rent instructions
5. Balanus Rent deliver the keys to you and you see the apartment and decide if you want to rent it:

a) if you want to rent the apartment Balanus Rent will release the funds to me and you will sign the rental contract and move in apartment.
b) you refuse the apartment and Balanus Rent will refund your money in the same day.

So let me know your decision.

Thank you,
Gallia"


Собственно, человек в итоге

послан нафиг.

послан нафиг.
"I already wrote my decision in my previous e-mail.

Balanus Rent is a scam website; nobody is picking up the phone, the fax documents sent there are coming back with an error message. The photos of "company members" are stock photos easily found with google search. Not to mention the grammar errors on the website - no respectful company would allow this.

Last but not least, I have friends living in Leeds who haven't heard anything about the company.

I would be absolutely stupid to trust this website, I am sorry. I am not transferring any money to a third party account, and I am not disclosing any personal information.

From your side it would be totally illogical to send me the key right now seeing that you could rent the apartment out to someone else for the coming three months.

Sorry, but you are very welcome to find somebody else to trust you, but I will carry on looking for a nice affordable flat in Vienna.

Have a nice day!
Kate"

К чему это я? Да к тому, что расслабляться нельзя не только в России, где таких разводил много, но и в цивилизованной Европе - тут народ маскируется получше и усыпляет бдительность вовлечением в договор всяких там третьих лиц с красивыми и профессионально выглядящими сайтами. А я себя ощущаю таким маленьким миленьким Шерлоком

@темы: No shit, Sherlock

Comments

[ksenyan]

Какие все у них там заморочистые...

[Вельфегор]

Феерично... У нас знакомая, тоже вет по профессии, живет в Германии уже лет десять, так их с мужем недавно обвели вокруг пальца и выселили из их собственного дома по еще более изящной схеме. Нигде, никому нельзя верить в наши дни, ыыыых.

[[Discordia]]

ksenyan, нутк, тут и развод весь такой красивый и цивилизованный

Вельфегор, а как у них это произошло?..
Насчет доверия да, вообще дурные люди пошли =_=