About Amstone Ventures

There is a huge problem with organised crime in the area which Clippers are aware of, particularly regarding the frequent bike and parcel thefts. Unfortunately despite of all this, there are several doors around the building that do not close or lock properly and back gates that have been broken for nearly over a year which impinges on residents security.

No rent compensation has been given for the closure of the amenities. Despite being a FSTE 250, multi-million pound company, they have claimed they cannot afford to offer any compensation. The amenities in their words are “an additional benefit to renting at Clippers Quay and not part of the rental breakdown” which includes a Gym, Cinema Room, Communal and Dining Area. So arguably if all amenities were removed they would still charge £900+ a month for a one bedroom apartment, which is completely ludicrous. Clearly their rent prices do consider these amenities ​as it is Clippers main selling point and the reason why we and many other residents moved here.

There have been some inconsistent menial attempts to host community events such as a pumpkin competition and a glass of mulled wine in the reception and recently a food vendor parking up outside that you pay for yourself. In comparison, Clipper’s competitors like The Trilogy and Duet have organised a wealth of community care packages and events such as delivering a Rudy’s Pizza and Donuts to every door, hosting Chocolate and Cocktail Masterclasses, giving out free chilled drinks, ice cream and breakfast bundles. We were promised that in joining Clippers we would become part of a growing community, but a huge amount of residents here, including ourselves, feel that Clippers have done a complete disservice to its residents out of greed and complacency, especially during the pandemic where it was more important than ever to pay attention to our community.

Clippers Quay is marketed as a “pet friendly” rental company, this is FALSE. The residents had to contact Dogs Trust recently when Clippers released a new pet policy which banned and discriminated against certain pet breeds living here, some of which already lived in the building. Disgustingly they also led us to believe it was done in association with the Dogs Trust themselves. The Dogs Trust later issued a statement saying that they will NEVER discriminate against any dog and they had absolutely nothing to do with the pet policy. Clippers have also put in place restrictions on where our pets can go and recently said that they are no longer allowed on certain grass areas and need to be on a lead at all times.

The huge number of issues we have had during our time here have been met with nonchalant responses and we have been totally disregarded. This review box is honestly not big enough for me to fully explain, but there are a huge number of other problems we have experienced with WiFi, parcels, false promises etc. Clippers will always blame other people for their wrongdoings, they do not take any responsibility and have clearly outlined that their mission is to make as much money as possible at the expense of their residents. Please save yourself the hassle we and many others have had to go through and do not consider living here. We will certainly not be renewing our contract.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

There is a huge amount of bike theft that goes on in the supposed ‘secure bike sheds’ inside the ‘secure underground car park’. When me and my parter moved here we secured our bikes in the shed with the highest quality locks and within 24 hours they were gone, along with a number of others. The doors were smashed in and lock sawed through. After speaking to other residents I had learnt this was a regular occurrence and a shocking number of bikes had been stolen. Grainger and Clippers knew this, but still encouraged us to store our bikes there and said that it was secure and had CCTV, completely misleading. It is not a safe place for anyone’s property.

Co-op is just on the corner and very convenient, however there is a huge amount of theft that goes on there and only recently the front of the shop was smashed down in an attempt to steal the cash machine money.

Exchange Quay tram stop is close by.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

– The management is awful and incompetent.
– Their “Pet Friendly” marketing is beyond misleading.
– Poor value for money.

What is the best feature of your home:

The location is good for easy travel.
Some of the reception staff are lovely and very helpful.

We had experts arrive at the apartment first time who told us it was unsafe for us to be living there and they would recommend moving us until the issue is solved. I wouldn’t say its normal for a pool of water to appear next to the closed balcony door every morning. Nor should mould spots appear every week no matter how poorly the flat is aired. We then had Grainger employees come around and simply clean the mould like the issue never was, and more experts came in and said its down to condensation and poor living conditions (after it was cleaned obviously). One I quote told us “we shouldn’t be drying out clothes in the lounge”. Now I’m not sure where else I can dry my clothes during a pandemic. Bearing in mind this is winter also, they suggested aerating the flat 24/7, in winter! Now the flat is cold enough as it is, I’d hate to see what my heating bill would have been had I kept the windows open. Clothes in wardrobes were having to be thrown out. Mould simply appears on a weekly basis.

Now for the rest of the review, bear in mind this was during the lockdown so facilities may not be open. But there was no reduction in rent/other amenities provided from the closure of the communal area and the gym for 9 months plus. One of the main reasons people sign up is for that space and the onsite gym use as it’s a part they profusely promote. I notice Grainger a FTSE 250 company made generous profits this year and shareholders got their dividends, whilst the people living their got no deduction in rent after being offered great social events.

When lockdown started the parcel, situation was a complete joke. The staff obviously got furloughed and it was up to us to sort the situation ourselves. I personally lost 2 parcels as it was anyone’s guess who received them to open the door then just threw them into the parcel storage room where anyone could take them.
Large Number of GDPR breaches also, one notable one was 500 or so email accounts and details were posted off one of the members of staff’s email. This just ended up being brushed under the carpet.
The bike storage next, during the summer the door on the storage broke. I noticed this when I went to go on a relaxing bike rise in the heat. Low and behold my bike has been stolen. Luckily they had footage which I never saw of 2 people with hoods walk in, and clean snap the metal bars where the bike was chained to ride off with it. Two points here is that they actively promoted storing your bikes in the storage room and won’t allow in the apartment. The other point is there was no email sent out warning me the bike storage door was broken. If this email came through I may well have ignored the no bikes in apartment rule and still have my £500 bike.

The Coop, they conveniently did a 3-month refurb towards the end of the tenancy. Another convenience that was taken away.

The Walls…… Wow, this is the 3rd floor. It’s no joke but you can literally hear people on the 9th floor. I had no idea new builds were built so poorly. There was another 10-week period where they notified us of building work taking place to build an office on the ground floor. This wasn’t mentioned when I signed up funnily enough. I work late nights sometimes past midnight, so when I hear drilling at 8am every weekday for 10 weeks through these paper-thin walls, it’s very unpleasant.

I left the apartment at the start of February, and I’ve held off writing this review until I got my deposit back. Another task that has taken 3 months…. It’s criminal. First quoted for a few items, deep oven cleaning £35, don’t bother cleaning your own oven it’s not worth the hassle as no matter how clean you leave it they’ll charge you £35 it seems. £50 for a small crack in a freezer draw that they will likely not replace, £200 for professional cleaning afterwards a standard it seems, mattress clean x 3, sofa steam clean £15, few marks on the wall from wear and tear, £50. All items that would constitute general wear and tear. Then 2 months later we got another email where they told us they would replace 2 mattresses due to the mould issue but they told us this 2 months after their initial bill that we were still arguing with some of the charges, mainly the £200 for cleaning. The speed of the communication is atrocious. £693.60 for replacement of 2 bed frames and mattresses now were told. So I ask if I can pick one of the mattresses and bed frames up. Bearing in mind the email states they would need to be replaced. Not that they have been replaced….. Then was told it was replaced months ago and the old mattresses thrown out. Yet no communication at that time only 3 months later.

Finally, just accepted it, haven’t got a leg to stand on when they can just claim, fault after fault that is down to mostly the mould issue. Been almost 2 weeks since I accepted the return of the deposit and I still haven’t been paid. This added to the 3 months since I left the flat. If I failed to pay my rent for 2 weeks I’m sure they would let me know and chase it up daily, yet when it’s a deposit I haven’t any choice but to wait.
Only positive I can think of is that the staff on reception are nice and friendly and the location, the quays walk is a great way to clear you head from all the issues with the flat.

I think that is it. I feel sorry for the owner in all honestly as the flat is nothing short of a disgrace. These new builds are being thrown up so quick for investors to buy and rent out that they clearly lack any fundamental structure, damp proofing, or any regard for people who live there. It is simply a game of who can pass the blame, no wonder none of these construction companies give warranty past a few years, or are liable for any problems that arise in future. I feel for the future tenants as they will continue to be blamed for poor construction issues out of their control and be held accountable with their deposits. The sofas are also awful. They look nice, but whoever bought them obviously did it as a job lot and never thought about sitting on them first. This is likely another item that will break within a 3-year window as they are built purposefully poorly for flats alike.

All in all, its taught me to never touch a new build flat in particular ever again in my life, and at least I will have avoided what will be a huge issue in future of a mass-produced pile of un-liveable apartment blocks that have been thrown up in the Salford area.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Couldn’t care less about the design in all honesty, functionality and standard of living are a little more important first of all.

Facilities non-existent during lockdown with no refund even though this was a main selling point. Fair play shareholders of the company, you’ve gained bumper profits this year.

Building management are clueless and contractive. How can one claim that the mould is so bad we will need to move you as soon as possible to another flat. Then another come after the daily mould had been wiped down state oh no its fine, the issue is you dry your clothes in the lounge. Absolutely clueless beyond a joke.

Property management with GDPR breaches every few months, yeh brilliant. Probably why i’m receiving 2 spam phone calls a day now, absolutely brilliant management.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How thin the walls were, how badly aerated the place was, how unsafe the bike storage is would all be a start.

What is the best feature of your home:

The Location is great if you don’t own any possessions , everything else is awful.

It seems very quiet around here, pandemic or not. There doesn’t seem to be that much of a community, however I believe it has picked up since the Bee Orchid bar opened.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Clippers Quay is situated in the right place if you’re commuting to MediaCity or the City Centre and don’t want the hustle and bustle. Shops and amentities are available but selection is a bit sparse without travelling by car at the moment as the tram is insufficient or too slow. Clippers Quay is near the White City retail park which is very handy, with Tesco just up the road. The complex recently had a bar open, the Bee Orchid, which is a lovely, independent bar. This also includes the Co-op and Cult & Coffee- a barbers/coffee shop. However, recently, Clippers Quay announced that Grainger themselves have taken over not one, but two of their own units, which will limit hospitality growth and has made us unsure whether to renew our contract for next year, this is a very poor decision and we are very disappointed. There are enough offices next door at Exchange Quay, and I wouldn’t expect to pay the price we do for another business’ benefit. It doesn’t do anything for us, or other residents who came here expecting to enjoy the area.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The internet isn’t as great as I thought it would be, the service hasn’t operated brilliantly during the pandemic and having to work from home.

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

I’d improve a few of the cosmetics in the flat as for the price, I feel it could be better.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

The area has all necessary amenities – a tram stop nearby, multiple shops / big retailers, a big gym and an area for walking around.

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

I would like to have seen bigger flats on offer, in particular with slightly wider bedrooms and living area. I would also like to see comfier sofa’s being used in the flats where furniture is provided (although I note from looking at the newer flats more recently furnished, that these appear to be different and so maybe this has already been addressed?)