FREED Development Reputation

[WeirdFishes]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any reputation with FREED from the purchaser angle?
1. Did the development finish on schedule? If not, what was the delay?
2. How long did it take for the building to register?
3. Were you happy with the quality of the finishes? The details of the building?
4. Would you recommend buying in a FREED development?


Thanks so much.

[MikeMang]

Hi - I'm happy to answer this.

1. The development was nearly 2 years delayed. We bought early 2007 and was told August 2008 occupancy. Our actual occupancy date was in April 2010. I expected delays, but i didn't appreciate being kept in the dark when it was obvious August 2008 was a pipe dream. They would maintain their dates until the last possible moment and then push them back. That happened right to the occupancy date. We were delayed 3 or 4 times between February and April 2010. Our PDI was also cancelled and rebooked more than once. The uncertainty and unprofressionalism was worse than the actual delay in my opinion.

2. The building registered quick. No complaints here. Except the building was still a construction site at that time. I think they were really feeling the heat to close because Freed had stretched themselves so thin with other projects.

3. The quality of the finishes were great, as shown in the sales room. BUT the installation and construction was disgraceful. Everything just had that rushed feel about it. There wasn't a clean edge in the whole unit. My tarion deficiency list ran 2 legal sized pieces of paper....and it was major things. I don't want to list them all but here are a few highlights:
i) we had to have the entire floors replaced because the guys who were caulking the windows spilled it all over the centre of the living room floor. This took 6 months of fighting to get replaced.
ii) bathroom tiles were black and installed with bone white grout. It looked ridiculous. The black slate tiles were stained and covered in boot prints we couldn't get off. They came in after we complained for weeks with some solvent to try to get the boot prints off and destroyed the tiles. They were all faded and blotchy.
iii) exposed concrete ceiling had boot prints, cigarette package prints and nails sticking out of it. They said they were going to come in and fix it. They ended up coming in one day when I as at work and painting over the blemishes with a dark grey paint. Didn't match, looked terrible.
iv) our ridiculously over priced undermount sink upgrade came loose and fell into the caibnet. 3 days without use of our kitchen while we waited for them to fix that.
v) our balcony "sliding" doors ended up not being sliding and opened into the unit making it impossible to put any furniture anywhere near the doors. Also they didn't have a screen so you couldn't leave the windows open without a million little bugs flying in.

As for details of the building....I don't know where to start there either. A full year after occupancy and the lobby still had no furniture and they refused to put furniture in. The rooftop they promised the residents access to got taken away. The gym which was supposed to be high end started that way...then they took the towels away, and then the blocked it off and turned half of it into a for profit yoga studio. The air conditioning units never worked and no one could get their unit colder than 75F. There was a whole lot promised and not a lot delivered.

4. I would never recommend Freed to anyone. I tell everyone that asks too. Freed as an organization is in way over their heads. They kill it on design and concept, but their execution and customer service was THE worst. Great marketers, brutal builders. Every time you had an issue, if you could a hold of someone they would say "you should be happy your unit is worth more than you paid for it". Of course that same statement would hold true over the same period for any preconstruction...but they wan't to take credit for that. The standard line for major complaints (such as my balcony doors, or ceiling heights 2 feet lower than promised that others had) was that they would buy back your unit and cost and you could walk away. Such a dick move that shows how these guys feel about their customers.

We sold our place after living in there less that a year. I couldn't take the constant battle with the builder anymore. Not that I can pin it on Freed entirely, but I also couldn't take the type of people that the project attracted. Drug dealers, rich brats, industry folks who party a lot and don't give a crap if you have to be up at 6am M-F for your job (did I mention the noise transfer between units was pathetic?).

We now live at Festival Tower and it only confirms what a joke Freed is. Daniels (the builder) has their stuff together. The unit was perfect when we moved in and the amenities and security are top notch. Come check out the lobby here and then go check out the lobby at 55 Stewart and you will know all you need to know about attention to detail.

Happy to provide more detail if there is anything specific you are looking for more detail on.

[TheKingEast]

^^^550 Wellington?

I've heard a lot of negative things about that project. However, I have a buddy that lives there and loves it. Freed is a smaller builder so his customer service will be nothing like the big boys (Tridel, Daniels, Monarch, etc). No excuse for poor customer service, though.

[metroTO]

That's unfortunate MikeMang, sorry to hear what you had to go through.
I always tought Freed built some nice quality condos but that was their small boutique developments. Sounds like they are struggling with their larger developments like 550 Wellington (Thompson Hotel) and 650 King West.
I have a friend who bought and lives at the Thompson and she wants to move. It wasn't so much with the quality of the unit and building but she was sick of the noise and the young obnixious douchy people in the building.
I guess if you have restaurants, bars, a club, and a hotel connected to your place you will get that kind of crowd. It will be interesting to see what will become of Bisha.

I think this decline of quality is pretty much the case with most developers these days, with all of the construction frenzy in the city. Developments are getting bigger with lots more units and construction being rushed so corners are being cut, or just simply delayed. To a certain point this is understandable but their customer service should compensate for that but in your case it's not.

I have been through Festival Tower many times and it is a very well designed and built development, though it is reflective of its price. You will enjoy living there.