Don’t Work Here - Front Desk Agent Meridian CondoResorts Employee Review

Free golf opportunities if you have time to golf.

Where do I even start.. 1.) Sales runs the office. If the guys in the back aren't too busy watching golf on their computers they're up front telling you how things need to be done regardless of how long you've worked there. Basically, micromanaging is this company's FORTE. 2.) High school isn't over. There is so much backstabbing, throwing others under the bus, finger pointing, and negative comments being thrown around here it's insane. 3.) Payroll is not on a specific schedule. Most places pay you every 2 weeks on Friday or Tuesday or what have you. Not Meridian. It is never the same and makes paying bills even more stressful. 4.) You are required to be on call. One member of staff is assigned (rotating schedule) to be available all hours of the evening/night to be contacted in case any guests need anything. However, you are not paid hourly for this. That's correct. You only get paid IF you get a call. So essentially you are told not to make plans and you cannot do anything just in case someone needs you, but you don't get paid unless you speak with a guest. Most cases, a manager is needed at the result but getting a hold of a manager is impossible. They do not answer the phone so you are stuck with an angry guest and no means to help them because you do not have the authority to provide viable options to them. If you are a female on call and you need to go to a guest's condo at night, that can be extremely intimidating and scary. Especially when the guests are drunk golfers. This was presented to management but we were basically told to bring a weapon and suck it up. 5.) Mistakes are not allowed. If you make any mistakes or do anything slightly wrong, you're told "it's not a big deal" until you hear the guys in the back complain to each other and to the owners about the minuscule problem. They love to beat a dead horse. 6.) Moving up is not an option. This job is a dead end because the owners do not know how to expand. You are either front desk, sales, or working as the office manager. Other than that, there's no where to go. They will try to convince you otherwise but trust me. 7.) This place does not rent out condos. They are apartments in apartment complexes. They post their "condos" on sites such as Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, and VRBO with no explanation of where these people are actually staying. They refuse to tell the guest where they're staying until they get to the check in office (the address of the condos is listed as the office address on the lodging sites) and drive to a complex across town. They show the condos as a full facility on a golf course with pools and activities but this could not be further from the truth. I'm sure there is plenty more I will think of after I close this out but the main and most important things have been covered. Please, just find something else. Do not subject yourself and your family to this job. It is not worth it.

If they like you, they will let you golf for free. Otherwise, you won't have time because you will be working.

Where to even start? First off, I feel obligated to write this as I have never been in such a dysfunctional, dishonest and toxic work environment. When I was hired, I was quickly hearing horror stories from other staff and should have pulled the plug before it was too late. To set the record straight, before you read this, I was not fired or let go and decided to leave on my own volition. I am truly saddened to say I was a part of this and immensely hope no one will have to endure the situations and experiences I went through as an employee. Let's just say that I wouldn't wish this experience for anyone as I didn’t grow as a professional and have only been left with a bad taste in my mouth. This is a super small office filled with drama beyond belief. Everyone will smile in your face and talk badly about you behind your back. A perfect example would be your “team” throwing people under the bus consistently. No one will take responsibility for their actions and everyone is trained to point fingers instead. You are not allowed to be human or ever make mistakes. If so, you will be thrown under the bus by your "team" and then repeatedly blamed and embarrassed through email (while everyone is copied on it) until you are shamed into being so petrified of making another mistake. Make too many mistakes and they will take projects away from you and you will never move up! Did I say moving up? There is no moving up. The managers that remain there have been there FOREVER. They have established their place with Meridian and are too established to go to another company (you should see what happens when one of them gets mad!). There is no future with Meridian and they will sell you a dream to keep you as their pawn. The turnover is definitely high and for many reasons which I now understand. Next, if you like to know how to do your job correctly with the proper training, you're again in the wrong place. The owners themselves do not know how to do anything involved in their own business and just like to bark orders and then micromanage your project process until you figure it out (if you ever do). There is no set training and everything is disorganized. Also, don’t think you can ask other managers or “team members” for help as they are too busy watching sports on their computer monitors. Again, if you like someone peering over your shoulder or consistently emailing you every 5 minutes to ask why you're not finished, this is the place for you! Can you say liar liar pants on fire? Be prepared to become the best fabricating master you have ever been. That is right; you are going to be dishonest every day to clients to sell the product. I am sure you are wondering why you would even have to lie about vacation rentals but that is what I thought too… So, fun fact the company actually has multiple properties with various different units and they don’t disclose this information upfront to their guests. This is done because they only have a certain amount of units at each property and they market all of the properties to be available even if they only have one unit at the property. There they go selling a dream again…. And as you can imagine when that guest arrives they are going to be pretty upset and understandably so. Thank god you only have to deal with this every day you work there! Believe it or not this is not the only thing that you will be dishonest about. I would explain more but then this would be a book. If this is also not enough, let’s talk about how you will be compensated for dealing with all of this. Everywhere I have ever worked I was paid on a consistent pay schedule and I knew which day I would receive my paycheck. Not at Meridian….. There is no SET pay schedule and every payday is different. It’s like Russian Payroll Roulette and you are playing whether you like it or not. If the owner doesn’t come in early enough that day or even didn’t finish inputting it on time before the program cutoff, guess what? YOU ARE NOT GETTING PAID (yes, even if you have bills). And if this is still not enough, let’s add some icing on this cake. I am not sure what bank you have but make sure you have a magical one that will process a direct deposit any day of the week. Well when you play Russian Payroll Roulette, your payroll is sometimes processed on Friday mornings which means you will be paid the next day. I know what you are thinking…. But that would be Saturday? You bet your bottom dollar! (I hope you have a giant savings you can dip in to!) This process cycle is also known as NOT POSSIBLE. Majority of banks do not process payroll on the weekend and only process on a business day during the week. The owner’s suggestion to remedy the situation is for you to change your bank to one that magically does weekend direct deposits. That’s right… You selected the wrong bank and this is your fault (don’t expect an apology either). Finally, to put a cherry on this cake, this was the most challenging and AKA, worst place I have ever worked. There is no “teamwork” and there is no HR department when things happen (which is typically every day). Unfortunately, I have even witnessed yelling matches with no consequences or resolutions. The whole thing was severely inappropriate and ended up ruining the relationships and the atmosphere of the office. It just showed that anyone could act out and it wouldn’t matter. You are not protected. Between the inappropriate behaviors, lack of respect, constant payroll issues, dishonesty with upper management and lack of organization, this is an unhealthy place to work. I hope this paints enough of a picture to inform you of what’s to come. Best of luck to you and may the odds be ever in your favor.