334 81st St. Unit 10 Stone Harbor: Found Dirty rag, bugs, toenails, rubber fragments and used cup at check in. Toilet was clogged (needs new plumbing) Lock broken - unable to turn key 1 parking spot 4 flights of stairs - hard to carry bags up and down Scary spiral stairs off balcony Loose outlets - plugs fall out of receptacles Lamps not connected to main light switches - electrical wiring needs attention Keurig coffee maker broken Trash bags, toilet paper, not provided Bedroom window blinds defective - unable to lift/lower read more

I have Rented, Purchased and Sold withthe Dan Bowersock group for 15+ years. Also, provided referrals. The last two years have been a complete disaster. They do not respond and are unaccountable for properties that are in dire need of attention. My rental this was creepy dirty with complete in attention to detail...outlets did not work, grill rusted out, furniture stained w/odor, bathrooms missing floor tile, marks on the walls, vertical blinds that were missing half of the blind, internet that was spotty, tv remotes did not work and list goes on... a complete gross out !!!I had the privilege of paying $10,000 for the week. My family vowed never again! I outlined all of this for the Bowersock group and still have not had a response. We love Avalon, but this group does not deserve anyone's business, certainly not mine!!! read more

We rented a home 1116 Stone Harbor Blvd #309 from Ferguson Dechert through an agent that we worked with for years. We checked into the property and found the unit dirty, hair all over the bathrooms, had ants and back deck faced a boat yard. I alerted the realtor Lisa Taylor that the unit was dirty on Monday morning and she treated me like one of her kids...admonished me for not telling her on Sunday and told me that we had to wait till Friday for it to be cleaned. We requested a possible property move... no luck. Shocked, my husband and i began discussing our options to leave and find another property that might accommodate our two week vacation. Our realtor Lisa came over and sprayed the unit with an ant spray and told us the unit was not that dirty.... Realtors at the shore points have been getting away with "grin and bear it" customer service forever. At this point, we were given no choice but to clean the 3 floor townhome ourselves or to end our vacation early. I even spoke with Allen Dechert directly in an effort to get some kind of results....His response was that is hands were tied and the owners of the unit would not give us a refund. Never once was any effort or consideration given to the facts and that our vacation was spoiled and $$$ waisted or to bring in a cleaning person to remediate the problem. My husband and left on day 5 of our vacation due to an incoming gale/tropical storm which threatened to create flooding and 60 mile wind gusts. So, far we are denied any relief. I even stopped by the office to have a conversation with Dechert upon dropping off keys. He said, "so sorry for your troubles." read more

This was our 2nd year in this rental. Last year there were some problems but I didn't communicate them as well as I should have, so I didn't give the realtor a chance to rectify the issues. Lesson learned, so this year I communicated with the office every day. Ants in the kitchen. Exterminator came out and spot treated. It didn't help. They came out and put new traps the next day but it didn't touch the problem. Pool was dirty and filter wasn't running. There was no skimmer. I asked for one and was told I would get one but it was never delivered. I had to call repeatedly to get the pool looked at. It took until Thursday to get a clean pool. The realtor never checked in again. Not good customer service for a $10,000 rental. No, I won't try again. read more

You charged us $35K for a week of headaches at 92 East 14th Street, Avalon. All of your appliances need to be serviced including the dryer vent that is a fire hazard. We cleaned it out for you... you're welcome. Your washing machine and dishwasher have errors until WE YouTube'd how to fix them... you're welcome. Your sofas are stained, your rugs are tripping hazards except where you secured them with packing tape. Your windows leaked and your blankets have holes. Every surface was sticky and the walls are full of scuff marks, filth and dirt. We had to complain about the terrible WIFI until it was fixed. You LIED about the heated pool. It is not heated. You had the pool company ring it so there was no option to heat the pool. We know because the pool company told us. They had to come out three times to change the sensors for the hot tub. We had FOUR days of no hot tub and SEVEN days with no heated pool. Your oven is so gross we couldn't use it. Your pillows looked like someone urinated on them. I have pics of everything. SHAME on you for false advertising and for not reimbursing a portion of the rent. You are NOT good people. None of you. That includes the Shields and Dan Bowersock. I'll be sure to leave it on Yelp and Google Reviews. Oh, and thanks for sending out the repair crew and steaming services as we were leaving. I hope the next renter enjoys our hard work. Oh and your property manager yelled at me and my elderly mother in law. Another gem. read more

I've been renting in Avalon/Stone Harbor for more than 30 years, first time renting with the Dan Bowersock group. It's also the first time I've felt compelled to leave a negative review. We paid nearly 10k for a run-down, dirty bay front property. I provided a list of issues to the realtor within 2 days of arrival via their portal - and at their request. The only action I got was that they sent someone out to drain the dirty water that had been standing in the washing machine since our arrival. This rental is way past its prime - dirty, stained furniture that we were afraid to sit on (one stain on the couch looked like blood), food-specked cabinets, the master bed propped up on bricks and a kitchen pot, a disconnected head board that banged on the wall every time we moved. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned at all. On day 2, I couldn't take it anymore and gave the kitchen floor a quick wash. We had to throw out the fudge we had wrapped up in a bag in our bedroom because it was covered with ants. The whole experience felt like we'd accidentally rented a frat house. This was a disappointing experience and the first time I've felted ripped off on a summer rental. read more

We were moving from one house to another on a Saturday. With small kids we called to see if we could get in for naps. Entry time by contract was 1 but COVID excuse pushed to 3. They said they would try. House cleaners were gone by 11:30. Waited for an expected call saying we could get in but it never came. Stopped by the office at 1:45 to see if we could get a key. Answer was rule says 3 so nothing earlier. Would have thought that $10,000 for a week would get at least a little accommodation. Long & Foster was much more helpful. FD must just feel entitled. read more

I rented a vacation house from this company and it was a disaster, The hot was filthy, plumbing broken, broken furniture etc. it was a higher end house that did not match what the listing stated. Worse off, the company did nothing to help. After hours and hours of waiting, I walked into the office I was told the owner hadn't agreed to let me out of lease and would only give my $500 back. They finally sent a cleaning crew over after me wasting my first vacation day insisting upon it. Turns out... I met the owner by chance. He knew nothing about the situation. They pocketed my cash without him even knowing I rented the property. He knew about none of the issues that occurred. I'm sure the owner fired them! They are a scam and there are tons of other rental companies. I cant ever work with a company that operates like this. read more

Rented a high end beach block house through FDR and Bob Scully. Address is 35 East 20th Street in Avalon, NJ. This is probably our 8th rental here over the years and by far the worst price-benefit rental. The owners don't seem to care and the realtor only slightly more. The racket here is simple: pay ahead including a security deposit and when you get there and find out the house has been misrepresented, too bad. No recourse. Peeling paint, jammed doors, smelly carpets, ants, trash everywhere, filthy kitchen and baths, towel bars falling off walls, nails sticking out of the deck and stairs, exposed electrical outlets, an air conditioner about to fail, filthy furniture, broken locks, broken grill, half the slats missing from most of the blinds (peek-a-boo!), and an incredibly disgusting outside shower. Property was advertised as having high speed internet but there was no modem in the house when we arrived. . The only good thing is the short walk to the beach. Hey Bob and FDR! I'd drop this client like a hot potato. They just made us and probably many more people look for a different realtor IF they come back. In this economy, is this really how you want to do business? For everyone else. I'd make sure you get written respoonses to questions about the quality of housing, cleanliness and amenities. Don't assume just because it looks that way on the internet and the representations are made that it indeed will have these things. Make sure you do this or else you'll get buried by the fine print in the contracts afterward, which basically say they can represent anything but it doesn't mean they represented anything. Bad landlords can ruin your hard won vacations and uncaring realtors are aiding and abetting them by failing to rate their properties or screen their clients. The almighty buck rules - and it's your money! read more

I was very disappointed with the customer service that Ferguson Dechert Real Estate provided us while we rented from them. We had sewage back up coming up through our bathtub as well as a refrigerator that was close to 55 degrees for at least 24hrs. We called 5 times to have a plumber and a refrigerator technician come out to help us and there was always a "we will send someone soon" and then no one showed up. They are lucky we didn't call the Public Health Department while we had human feces sitting in our bathtub. We had to use potter potties and the gas station bathroom through out the day and night which is completely unacceptable. If you are looking to trust and rely on the people you are renting from I highly recommend you do not use them for your renting needs. read more

I rented a house with college friends from FDR through Patti Zeigler/ Craig Soens. Long story short, the toilet did not work for three days and nights- one toilet, 8 people. Not to mention, the refrigerator's temperature was way too high for over 24 hours (over 50 degrees). We checked in Friday and no one came to fix these issues until Monday. We did not have a toilet for 3 days and were forced to drive to gas stations, use restaurants and sneak into port-o-potties (which is unsafe and unsanitary). Not to mention, we were treated with little respect and even less consideration. When it was all said and done, I asked for a refund for the 3 days we were out of a functioning bathroom, considering when the plumber finally came he said no one had called him until that day (Monday). I did not get a refund due to the fact that they said the refrigerator was not actually broken, yet someone came to fix it (which is dishonest) and we broke a beach chair (which was probably at least 25+ years old and already broken) and a table (dishonest). In my opinion, having a functioning toilet is probably the #1 thing necessary for a rental property, and I would absolutely NEVER have paid my hard earned money to stay at a house without one for even one night, let alone 3. I look forward all year for my week down in Avalon, and this year it was completely ruined by Patti, Allan Dechert, the FDR team and whoever is the owner of 4054 Ocean Drive. I will absolutely never use them again. read more

We rented a 3/2 condo unit for our family of 4 plus 2 friends of our teens. The unit is as described in the advertising, which is key because who has time to tour properties before renting. Saturday afternoon check in was relatively hassle free. An inspection sheet was included for us to fill out and return within 24 hours which I think is a great idea. We've had no issues with the unit so I can't comment on the Company's "crisis management". Ease of check out remains to be seen but we don't anticipate any problems. The company didn't provide any "above and beyond" service but I am satisfied that it provided what it bargained to provide. I will check the company's website again when searching for properties for our next visit. read more

Had a poor experience with Craig Soens and Ferguson Dechert for my Avalon beach house rental. The house was sold and settlement happened during my stay. We were pestered with phone calls asking for workers to come into the property and even had some show up unannounced. The cable was turned off and utilities (gas and electric) attempted to be turned off. This was in addition to being given the wrong keys to the home and having to fight for a replacement bed that went missing when the house was staged for sale. He told me to write and email when I get home detailing all of the issues and then proceeded to do...nothing. read more

Horrible experience with this realty office & with the owner of 184 26th Street, C1. This condo is INFESTED with ants. Dirty dishes were left in the dishwasher & dirty towels left in the washing machine. This real estate office & owner did absolutely nothing to make the situation better. What should have bee a relaxing family vacation turned into us having to exterminate the entire place & even that didn't kill all the ants. Seeing ants crawling on our bed & our children's bed was the last straw. Do not make this GREEDY real estate office & landlord more rich. Save yourself & your family & stay at a hotel!!!!! read more

These guys are by far the best agency Avalon and Stone Harbor has to offer. I rented a beautiful home in the southend of Avalon. We had an issue with the WIfif in our property and it was fixed that same day by one of their friendly customer service representatives. The check-in process was efficient and fast. They even had refreshments in the lobby for those waiting in line. Ferguson Dechert really makes vacation a care free and enjoyable experience. I have rented with other agencies in the past and no one comes close to FD's attention to detail, service, and property selection. read more