The last straw with Zig Zag

25 Aug, 2010  Annoyances, Real Estate

I’ve had it. I’m going to sue Al Dar and ecovert and I’m going to sort out a petition

1) 1 and a half years later and they STILL haven’t paid me my penalty (for being 1 year late with handover). They keep lieing and saying ‘Oh the Sheikh is away, he’ll sign the cheques next week’. I wonder if the ‘Sheikh’ knows that Al Dar is making him look like a dishonest person. (I’m sure he’d be very upset that this is happening.)

2) 1 and a half years later and they STILL have the building falling apart, fixing cracks, dull marble, leaks, broken elevator.

3) They gave the services and maintanence contract to a company called ecovert. I didn’t vote for them. MY contract states that the tenants association would be responsible for voting for the company that takes over from Dar 1 year after hand over. I didn’t vote for ecovert. In FACT I’ve spoken to around 19 tenants who all said they didn’t either.

I don’t want ecovert. Their security guards SUCK, useless and RUDE. They don’t fix ANYTHING. Only good for digging holes in the underground parking and wasting water EVERYDAY since they have a burst pipe or something for the past 3 months. (Where’s the government inspections?)

All ecovert has done for us is paint the swimming pool area in vomit colour peach and put up a few cheap carrefour chairs.

4) The alarms go off DAILY. You’re telling me that it takes over a year to fix the damn problem? Their excuse to me was ‘There are indians living in the building that cook with fire’. Ok let’s say that’s true, you’re telling me that they’re cooking with fire at 3am in the morning? You’re telling me you can’t stop them or kick them out for health and safety risks?

5) The gym is pathetic and unhygenic. The equipment looks 10 years old, there’s no sheet that mentions when and who has cleaned the area. It’s also tiny! in fact! Ecovert has gone and taken TWO large offices right opposite of the gym that’s FOUR TIMES bigger than the gym.

6) My apartment still has issues which they keep on delaying or simply don’t take care of. (My main door looks like it’s covered in oil, marble is cracked, wall is cracking, hallway marble is dull, toilet pipes don’t flush well in one bathroom, oh and get this, my apartment has three television satellite ports, they installed a two way splitter so one room doesn’t have access to satellite!!

7) NOW FOR THE BIG ONE. Ecovert is so busy trying to make MORE money rather than fix the damn problem with the service fee that they got (By the way 1% of value of property. So avg of 1m propert X .1 X 750 = 7.5 million riyals a year). They have gym instructors (CLEAN THE GYM!), they have swimming instructors (GIVE US SOME DAMN POOL SIDE EQUIPMENT), they even tried to impose a rule that people can’t invite guests and have a ‘party’ without their permission (yeah right), and they even gave space to QTEL to open up a booth and put up roll-ups!!

BUT that’s not what I’m getting to! Now they’re covering up the Zig Zag with a giant advert! Yes! The one thing that was nice about the Zig Zag was the VIEW. Now they’re blocking it? They didn’t ask me if they could do it. I don’t want my window covered with a semi transparent vinyl coating. As soon as they do, I’ve going to open the window and rip it off.

I’m going to fight to get my penalty fee. I’m going to get rid of ecovert. They’ve messed with the wrong Qatari. Who’s with me?

Note: this is a note someone posted on the floors. At least there is someone else in the building with opinions and a brain.

(Sorry for the rant guys but I’m furious)

  • tallg

    Good luck mate! Hope you’re successful. Please keep us updated. I’ll follow your progress with interest.

  • ZigZag

    I also live in ZigZag.

    I agree with the fact that ecovert haven’t been very good with the facilities. We were told there were going to be sun loungers, a pool side cafe, swimming lessons and activities all by May 1st. As you will know living in ZigZag yourself non of these things materialized till a few weeks ago. However I completely disagree with the staff being rude and they suck. Especially the security staff. They have been so nice and helpful. Its not them you should be angry at. Its there boss that we never see!

  • Nasser

    Ugh. Its stuff like this that infuriates me as a Qatari about the construction quality in Qatar. Why oh why can’t they just get it right for once? 9ij fsheela! Its like the Ezdan towers. I don’t know if you remember but many tenants were ranting about it a few years ago back when it first opened and they even posted a few pics on online forums and what I saw was shocking and horrible to say the least! speaking of which, that would be a good idea. Post more pics up of the place, afterall, pictures are worth a thousand words and are certainly incriminating! if they circulate there’s a much better chance of them fixing up their act, or at least I hope so! good luck and I would encourage you to pursue the option of suing them! they can’t keep getting away with this.

  • ZigZag

    I commented before.

    Did you delete it?

  • ZigZag

    Sorry its showing now!

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    That’s good. On a side note, I never delete anything (unless it’s illegal).

  • Andrew

    Nasser, if memory serves, the guy that wrote a very, very bitter complaint online about Ezdan, with photos, captions and complaints, was fired and deported from the country within weeks.

    The story goes he upset a Sheikh, who made a complaint, and, well, we know how the story ends.

    The only way Zig Zag will get dealt with is if Qatari nationals lead the fight, since expats only have a limited amount of power in such circumstances.

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    I’m sure that whoever is in charge of ZigZag would be shocked at how the people’s he’s paid has been treating the building.

  • Nasser

    Andrew..

    Whilst I agree that Qatari nationals need to speak up about this issue, I think that it is something that needs to be dealt with collectively with as many people voicing their complaints and disapproval, irrespective of nationality. I don’t live in zig zag or any other residential tower for that matter but if I did I would definitely try to get my message across loud and clear. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll find many Qatari’s that live in residential towers or apartments, with the majority of the residents being expats, so that in itself is a disadvantage, but with enough people talking and getting the word out there, I’m sure whoever is in charge will try to rectify the problem because no one wants to have to deal with that disastrous reputation.
    About the supposed story of that deported guy, not to imply that you or anyone else fabricated this story but unless I know or hear of concrete evidence that proves it I choose not to draw to conclusions. It is counterproductive to instill that sort of fear in people and to discourage them from speaking up about something that is within their rights. I hope whoever is responsible for this mess will be held accountable and can fix things before it gets worse.

  • MadLeb

    To start with, I do live at the zigzag or the so called lagoon plaza. Yes, things turned out way less than I expected but again it’s not my property, I’m just a tenant, so are many of my friends living in both towers A and B, and most probably I/they will be moving out in a year or less to a higher standard residence or ….In a way, what has been posted by Mr. Q is true but a little bit exaggerated (however, it is understandable if one owns an apartment or more here). I’m not sure about the penalty issue with Al Dar as this is a 100% contractual issue and I have no clue what came in the contract Q signed with Owner. However, I do have the contract of the guy I rented the apartment from and to my understanding; he is not entitled for the said penalty and I may elaborate to you on this subject (in private).

    For the other, maintenance/safeguarding related issues, on those I could elaborate endlessly after I have done some research on several issues mentioned in this post; nonetheless, I will try to be as brief as possible.

    1. First, with regards to the quality of the property itself and the shape it was handed over to you, I would like to note that if it hasn’t been mentioned in your contract what kind of material and finishing they will specifically be installing, you cannot complain at this stage. Your complaints should have been placed at the time you purchased the apartment during the design stage, then during execution and then before you took over. The proper thing you should have done back then would be to hire an Architect/Engineer who would read and evaluate the specs and drawings of the property and validate that it is worth what you are paying for.

    2. Again on the same subject, Quality of finishing, dull marble, cracks, leaks…etc. Dear friend, these are neither the mistake of Ecovert’s nor Al Dar (and I am not related to nor defending Ecovert, I am just some employee/engineer working for a goverment related department). These are due to the lack of workmanship from the contractor which was hired to do the job and the incompetence of the consultants who supervised the contractor. This is an issue which during the past 12 years of my career and the past 7 years in Qatar, I failed to understand. In this country clients pay Consultants/Designers/Contractors double what is normally paid in other countries (Europe and/or the states), yet, over here Investors happily receive what is 50% (quality/design/esthetics/architecture/engineering) than what they would get in Europe or the States. There could be so many reasons for this phenomenon; I have seen many investors in the region drooling over the “COST SAVINGS” and fast Turnovers. You can’t blame them, after all money is their best interest. So it seems also to be the interest of many of those who bought apartments in those two towers. I know some ZigZag apartment owners who didn’t even bother to check their apartment at handing over; they simply took over the keys and went straight to real estate agents to rent their property out, some were even promoting it even before the towers got the occupancy permit. If one did care and wanted to guarantee the quality delivered after the construction is done it is essential to ensure the following (in brief):
    a. Investigate the Contractor to be awarded the construction of the project and would be beneficial if you drive around in Doha and see some samples of the projects they previously done. With all due respects I can name to you more than a couple that this contractor have built and they are not of a better quality than zigzag.
    b. Check on the Consultants being hired to supervise the construction. And don’t let flashy English/French or whatever foreign Firm names fool you. I can name you a handful names of local Consultants in Doha if you check the engineering/architectural level and knowhow of their engineers you’ll be shocked.
    c. Hire the services of an expert/competent architect with a good reputation to look after your investment even if your ego doesn’t allow you to admit that Design, engineering and Construction is not your trade. (3tee khibzak lal khebez law akal nosso.)
    d. Ensure to include in your purchase/contract all the specifications, drawings and material you are expecting to receive as an end-user.
    e. Conduct periodical inspections and visits to verify the quality being executed.
    f. Ensure that all services (Electro Mechanical in general) were tested and commissioned before you take over the facility/apartment. Tower B was not tested and commissioned before tenants started moving in.
    g. And much more …

    3. To come to the fact of voting with regards to hiring Ecovert, before you vote for hiring you should be more concerned that the hiring was based on a tender where the bids should have included the portfolio of the bidders and what they will offer in order to ensure that you are getting the best service for the best offer. It’s not Al Dar paying them to do the service; it is you who pays a fee on a yearly basis for the maintenance. I doubt Al Dar is a charity service that took the maintenance on their behalf and for free. I will not even discuss the competence of Ecovert since I am neither legally nor practically eligible to go into that but I can say for sure they do have some flaws which I witnessed myself. (I called in for an electrician to fix the appliances to the socket-less outlets; they sent two days later a plumber. The funny thing is I called in for a plumber a few weeks later cause of a leakage and I received an electrician but hey mistakes can happen. Furthermore, maintenance should be 24/7 just for the sake of emergency. Ecovert apparently does not provide that service after 6:00pm but again this may not be in their contract so they don’t have to hire a maintenance crew for the night shift)
    As for the security guards, except for one guy in tower B who obviously feels he is some big shot VIP and a Don Juan, all the front desk personnel are kinda nice and polite. Well, there is also the fact that Ecovert should instruct some of their front desk managers and employees (instead of giving tenants contradicting speculations) to direct all queries to the management where a competent and more public relation oriented engineer with good communication skills can cater the replies. This would give Ecovert a better image I believe.

    4. The Alarm issue is something which neither Ecovert nor Al Dar can deal with. The fire alarm system installed is not really top of the notch (giggles) they could have been more convenient if the detectors was not installed right on top of the cooker. This thing can even trigger if you boil water, it doesn’t need 10 Indians in 1 apartment to get the fire alarm go berserk every 10 minutes. Lately, the alarm hasn’t been triggered I hope that they didn’t just disconnected. As for the gas cookers being allowed or not, the civil defense department, NFPA and many other international standards has strict specification which I believe both Al Dar and Ecovert should be implementing as part of the fire and safety strategy. (PS: some fire exit doors are not even close which is against the mentioned regulations due to more than a couple of reasons, not to mention that this also busts the Air Conditioning in the elevator lobbies and is also causing the condensation from the supposedly insulated pipes above false ceiling which again is ruining all the badly specified gypsum ceiling tile. Any novice engineer would rather install metal/Aluminum ceiling tiles where services are passing (less maintenance, better handling and less deterioration due to leakage/condensation water dripping but this is again not Al Dar’s mistake it’s a design deficiency related to the designers/consultant/contractor). PS: you don’t need a law suit to get anyone to implement the approved fire and safety engineering plan, file a complaint to Qatar Civil Defense with photos and they should have ways to enforce it. BUT you might need the original QCDD stamped drawings to verify if any requirement has not been implemented. (Fire exits is 1 good luck on the rest)

    5. The Gym should have been shown on the design drawings when you bought the apartment wasn’t it? If it was showing bigger yes you can complaint. If not, then you’ll have to live with it. By the way, the gym downstairs is almost as big as that at the Marriott and slightly smaller than that at the Intercontinental. As for the housekeeping time sheet, well you are right about that. For this it would require to have a look at Ecovert’s Quality Control and Quality Assurance manual which should have been submitted when they were awarded the contract for maintenance and housekeeping of the towers. Yet again, you need as a landlord, to have a look at the base offer and what was negotiated in terms of services to be provided just to be sure what they are liable for before you blame them.

    6. If I own an apartment at ZigZag, I would have also complained about the issue of having pending snags which are not yet fixed after several months. However, you should bear in mind that this is not Ecovert’s mistake. I am not defending them, but it is a fact that these two towers are still under the Defect Liability Period. And those snags are the responsibility of the contractor. Al Dar should push them to fix all of these. Personally, I did manage to get in contact straight with the Contractor’s staff due to the fact that Al Dar office at ZigZag has no engineers to follow up on snags. The Contractor did fix all the basic snags. Again, in the event that you do not like material installed, you should put that in written as a snag list and officially forwarded that to the party you bought the apartment from before to you took over and used the apartment. In this regards I would like to highlight to you only two of the two snag items mentioned in your post and which should have been reported before you took over although at the present they are somewhat useless in case you have the intention to use in form of legal action since you already moved in and used the property:
    a. The Omani Marble which you obviously do not like, was either not factory polished or was most probably not properly protected during execution of the services above false ceiling or during the installation of false ceiling. These scratches could be the traces of either the scaffoldings and/or the miss-coordination of overlapping trades. Unless your contract mentioned the source and color of the marble you cannot object on the installed Omani, Indian or Chinese marble and granite. The only thing you could have objected on is the fact that it is either scratched, broken, damaged and/or not polished however this you should have put in written way back cause at the present it is not a valid since they can claim that you took over and the cause could be due to moving in.
    b. Toilets not flushing could be due to many reasons, mainly the mechanical (plumbing) should have been tested and commissioned before you were handed over the apartment and yet more to say you should have tested and verified that it is working properly before moving in. As far as the contractor may care at the present, is that the end-user has dropped a towel and blocked the drainage system. Further to say, if you didn’t know, the toilets of superposing apartments are connected to one single riser I don’t want to go further into the issues that can cause but I can mention to you one incident where someone knocked my door at 11pm in the evening for a water leakage in an apartment several floors below mine. This is again falls under design/construction defects which should have been resolved either when the towers were designed or further to pin pointing it when services were tested and commissioned. Again do not blame Ecovert or Al Dar for that blame the competence of the Designer and the Contractor executed it this assuming it was designed the way it is. What can you do about it? I have no clue what you signed on when you purchased your apartment(s) if you didn’t review the MEP drawings and commented them before you signed, you practically can do nothing. If you didn’t check the testing and commissioning reports/certificates before you took over and rented the apartments, you can again do nothing about it.

    7. Lastly and with regards to the Qatar Bid 2022 issue, one has to admit that the view was extraordinarily beautiful especially the one they are now covering with the poster; however, as an expat who has been living and working in Qatar for the past 7 years, I personally see this as a mere contribution I can make towards supporting the Qatar Bid for world cup 2022 even if it is at the expense of compromising a West bay and Sea view for 3 or 4 months till the bid is over. I assume that after the bid is over, and Qatar wins I hope, Ecovert/Al Dar will remove the posters for us to enjoy the view again. They are temporary and there would be no point in keeping them on the façade after the 2nd of December 2010. I just hope they will be removed properly and the façade maintained properly. One thing though, Ecovert/Al Dar, out of courtesy could have done this in a more diplomatic way by announcing it to the tenants and landlords in a more professional and comprehensive manner instead of posting a cheap notice at the elevator lobby in the ground floor. I doubt anyone would disagree to any contribution FOR QATAR. (PS: one remark though, to whom it may concern from Al Dar and Ecovert, the joints of the structural glazing – ie: the external side of the façade, have not been filled with sealant, which is the right way of the practice. It would be so kind of them to ensure this is looked after to ensure that we will not be facing serious water leakage problems during the heavy rain season. Furthermore, it is advisable to verify that posting the stick-on posters will not void the warranty provided by the Aluminum and glass subcontractor. (usually a warranty of 10 to 20 years is required for this trade unless this was missed out in the Contractor’s contract)

    I have seen and personally inspected several towers in Doha some of which are considered luxury and top notch state of the art and I can tell you that Towers A and B are still considered better than some of those towers. As a summary if you are really looking forward to a court case, I sincerely wish you good luck. It will be a very tough ride and to be honest, your chances are very slim. My personal opinion, try to negotiate to resolve your issues in a diplomatic way and with the right people rather than ranting over these issues and complaining over some insignificant behaviors of one or two employees which I am sure if you would bring it up to the right people in Ecovert or Al Dar they would instantly take the proper action towards that employee. Otherwise, live with it (that’s if your main residence is at ZigZag and you are not just renting the apartment out).

  • MadLeb

    PS: with regards to the photo of the complain notice which you have posted, I do have a complaint to whoever placed it. If they are so preservative and care about the welfare of the neighborhood we are living in, it would be more appreciated if they would step out and discuss it in the open with other tenants instead of sticking another advert in the elevator lobby requesting us to go complain at the front desk / reception. Moreover, if the façade is not a billboard, as stated in their notice, they ought not to stick announcements in the lobbies and hallways. People can criticize and complain in a more civilized and neat way instead of making another wall of these towers a Stick on bulletin board, it’s enough with the ground floor lobby which doesn’t even have a post it bulletin board.

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    Hi there MadLeb,

    While you raise some valid points, I’m sorry but I have to disagree with the rest. (On a side note, please do let me know where you think I’ve exaggerated as I’d like to support my arguments)

    I’m actually an Contract Lawyer and I can tell you that there are terms in the contract that have not been fulfilled and raising one’s expectations can be seen as deceiving an interested party.

    1. If you go through my blog, you’ll see that I’ve been raising these issues from well before the towers were handed over, in fact, I have a written letter stating that the current condition of the apartment isn’t the ‘final’ condition. That it would meet expectations that any ‘normal’ person would consider luxury.

    Even if I didn’t have a letter, do you think that use of the term luxury is correct?

    2. You are wrong. Who sold the property? Al Dar. Who was responsible for seeing it completed for handing over? Al Dar.

    If Mercedes sells you a car and the company that manufactures the airbag installs a faulty airbag, do you blame Mercedes or that company?

    It was Al Dar’s DUTY to ensure that the apartments were handed over in the manner that they had promised.

    At the end of the day all the points you mention are all well and good, but it comes down to the company that manages. I’m the time of person that blames a manager than an employee. The manager is the one who’s supposed to ensure that standards are met.

    3. You are right and it’s just that, that I am saying. The tentants association should have been given a list of candidates (anyone should be open to tender) and it’s the tentants that have to make the decision.

    I agree with everything you say.

    4. I really don’t understand why you do not think it is the responsibility of the company that maintains the building to sort it out.

    Al Dar is the LINK to the contractors and should manage the process of getting it fixed. You are telling me that one and a half years later there’s still no solution? If Al Dar didn’t have the right agreements in place to get this sorted in the first place then it’s their fault.

    5. Yes, the plans showed it to be significantly bigger and I also think that it’s fair to assume that the equipment installed in a ‘luxury’ building would be brand new and not used. (YES USED!)

    As for your second part, WHY do I need to look at their offer and discuss this with them. I do NOT want ecovert. I did NOT vote for them. Between myself and friends, we own 29 apartments and neither one of us had a say in this!

    6. again go through my blog and you’ll see how many times complaints have been raised. You didn’t think I just blogged without action did you?

    Sadly a lot of your arguments are based on the fact that there are no circumstantial evidence however if you actually were involved with purchasing a property you would see that things are not as simple as abc.

    Handing over the apartment took 5 months because I refused to sign. They then FORCED me to sign if I wanted the keys to get anything done (like paint the walls).

    a. The marble was chipped. My other apartments were perfect, sadly the one I actually live in had damaged marble. 3 shiners later and it’s still pretty dull. The quality of the marble is just poor.

    7. Doesn’t matter if it’s a contribution, if they asked I probably would have said fine. They didn’t. It’s my right to say no. They don’t have the right to do whatever they want with the properties that many of us bought. They also don’t have the right to think up new ways to make money when the building still looks and smells like crap.

    I really don’t mean to be rude, but your mentality is that typical of how many run projects in Qatar.
    I’m sorry but you seem more concerned with trying to explain why something could have been damaged when at the end of the day, as a customer, I don’t care how it was damaged, I just want what I rightfully paid for and expect. This is based on the expectations they raised and also in comparison with other apartments. Simple. You also seem to assume quite a lot before properly understanding the individual that’s complaining the first place.

    Again. I’m not trying to be rude, but a find it slightly condescending. (e.g. assuming that I haven’t already complained to ecovert management about the attitude of the staff, which I have, and seeing no change. So are you so still so sure?)

    So yes I blame Dar. And I’m sure 99% of people out there will agree with me.

    I’ve gone through litigation with 2 other construction companies, one in Qatar and one in the UK, the courts seem to agree with my logic il hamdilah. It’s quite a simple case of Al Dar breaching their contract multiple times.

    The purpose of this blog is to publicly share my own emotions about a certain topic, that’s the purpose of most blogs.

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    P.S. You’re actually complaining about someone trying to rally support and advise people to raise their voice?

    Have you yourself ever complained to ecovert for anything? Or perhaps your satisfied with the quality of the tower itself?

  • MadLeb

    As I’ve said you being furious is totally understandable and I do respect your point of view. I did say in my post that that my I have no right to judge either parties since I have no contractual back up documents of specifically your signed contract so I based my arguement on the contract of the landlord I rented the apartment from and engineering/archtectural technical facts. With all due respects to your qualifications and expertise I can pin point to you snags to fill 30 pages but what’s the point if you already signed. You again reply to say they forced you to sign which is a very serious accusation. Hence I have no further comments. (you still signed…which leagally means you accepted unless your signature included “as noted” to keep the first party liable towards your complaints. Leagally, what’s on paper is what counts.

    Regards to the complaint notice in the lobby, no I’m not discouraging them and yes I am complainning on the way it is done. Why is it from an anonym person if that person is so couragous to raise his voice. What is it a call for a revolution or to conspire? If you are a contracts lawyer, you should be aware that this is one way to interpret it too. You should also know that this only could lead to further havoce and misunderstading. By the law you are entitled to have a tenants committee. Why don’t you or the rightios anonymous complaint poster call for it instead of making posted advert on the nicely painted lobby of the floor I live on.

    Ps: yes I did complain and got the problem fixed sometimes instantly and sometimes in a few days. More or less nothing was serious. I did repaint cuz I wanted different colors but that’s something which I want cuz I white first go with my taste.

  • Hilarious

    It makes me happy that for once, the cheap labour and poor construction methods adopted by greedy Qataris actually affects them, instead of just the poor expatriates and cheap labour who usually suffer.

  • SaraCute

    I disagree with MadLeb. He sounds like he works for Al Dar or something. no owner or even tenant would speak from his view.

    i think it is funny that he thinks that posting a notice to ask people to voice their concerns can cause havoc.

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    @Madleb, you need to stop assuming… *sighs*

    1) Yes indeed I did make a note in the document that I had signed and also took a photo of it. I don’t understand why you feel it necessary to ask me to explain myself, even more I don’t understand my compulsion to do just that…

    2) Well I personally don’t think that the individual was actually thinking about anonymity. I once posted a note in the garbage chute area saying “Cleanliness is close to Godliness, please don’t let us live in filth” because people were throwing garbage on the ground. In FACT, workers were PISSING in there. Al Dar themselves told me that this was a PROBLEM they know about and shout at their workers! Anyway, when I made that note, I hadn’t thought about saying “by the way, I’m Khalifa Saleh Haroon, Apartment 2010a, blood type A+”. It was definately not me hiding behind anonymity. But then again, I’m doing the same thing here and assuming what the posters motivations were.

    3) How is saying, ‘Voice complaints at reception’ even close to calling it a revolution or conspiracy? There is no way anyone in the world would ever assume that.

    Consipiracy: a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act.

    Revolution: a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving

    4) Why don’t I call for it? Perhaps my main post or my responses were not clear enough. I AM following normal routes. Again this in PARALLEL with me posting on my own blog.

    @Hilarious, Another lovely ignorant racist that despite his own self-created loathing for Qataris, finds himself following a Qatari blog.

    If you honestly believe that all Qataris are the same, especially when it comes to actions and mentality, then ignorant is the perfect term to describe a person like you.

    I also feel sorry that you find joy out of another person’s agony.

    I seriously hope that you aren’t living in Qatar. Boohoo, poor little expats who didn’t come here for the money.

    If you knew anything about me or my company you’d know that I work so hard to bridge the gap between communities. Sadly, I’d prefer you to remain on your own pathetic narcissistic island.

    (Can anyone tell that I have a low tolerance for racism? Now I’m off to be the greedy Qatari that I am and make arrangements for the Labourer Iftar tent I’m volunteering at tomorrow).

  • londonalgiers

    I have been reading all your comments and I have to say that it is the first time i get a proper insight into the conditions of living in the ZigZags. I get a housing allowance from my work place and was thinking of investing my money in a finished property I think the options in Qatar for now are limited to the Pearl and ZigZag, i am talking about finished and ready to live in apartements. I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea or not, I need directions and advice, whats agencies to contacts, where should I buy. I simply want to use the QAR12000 I receive as mortgage repayments but I am totally inexperienced in the field of real estate investment. I hope I am not hijacking the thread, If i am then do let me know.

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    if you’re just renting, then the zig zag is fine. It’s not luxurious though. For investors like me, I had expected it to be significantly more higher quality, that’s what pulls me down.

    The pearl is better although more expensive, the reason I chose the zig zag was because it was right outside the pearl, so I could go and enjoy the pearl without worry of traffic.

    I also bought it because the new underground station is going to be right outside the zigzag too which makes it an even better investment.

    I’m just an owner who wants the place to be the best it can be for when I sell it or rent it.

  • londonalgiers

    I thought in 2 weeks i’d get at least one reply hehehe guessed wrong.

  • Kei

    I was on vacation. First one in a year.

    At 12,000 qr, you can borrow around 1.4m qr

    That’s a studio or one bedroom apartment at the pearl.

    Check out the classifieds on http://iloveqatar.net

    Agencies use it as well like the wall real estate and al asmakh

    You can also try coreo

  • Noussy

    Hello Kei, I am a co-owner at the Zig Zag tower. I find your point of view more or less on point, have you applied to be part of the owners committee? You seem to be well informed and i beleive that when “competent” owners run the show then things can be done to improve on our living. Wether owning or renting we all have a responsibility to keep a good standard in the building.

    My main concern with the building is the lack of security. Anyone can go in the building, no security cameras, yes we have security guards, but i doubt that many are even qualified in security measures.

    No formal way to contact people living in zigzag except with papers plastered to their doors.

    Since i lived here in June i have not few if any requests for meetings to discuss building issues.

    A visitor parking that i am sure is not catering to visitors (back in canada owners/renters were not allowed to park in the visiting parking lot or they get their car towed).

    I am sure much more is to be discussed regarding the Zig Zag issue.

    MADLEB

    While I am sure you are tying to take an objective point of view of what is going on in the ZigZag tower, you have to understand the frustrations tenants and owners feel and the carelessness and helplessness. There is no system in place for awareness, no initiatives being made to deal with problems on a priority basis as well as no clear communications venue with Al Dar and people living in ZigZag which in turn creates these problems. You may have had a descent experience and i am sure there are people who find things to be normal, but you will also have those who invested in the building with certain expectations that were stated and well those were not fully met nor are being maintained.

    I hope the owners comity (i hope i get to be part of it) can hopefully pick up the slack. The problem is how much is there to pick up….

  • http://www.iloveqatar.net Kei

    Hi there

    I agree with you very much!
    Yes I’ve applied to be head of the committee.

    I do believe that we need to form a strong team of people and those that live in the building as well.

    Sadly they arranged the vote during work hours!!

  • Noussy

    Hello Kei,

    I do not remember what time the meeting will be held, my husband appointed me on his behalf since i am staying at home and not working (although studying online) It is quite unfortunate they put the meeting time at work hours. I don’t know what they are trying to accomplish buy doing that. Either people have to take a long break to come for the vote or disregard it completely. But i believe you can assign someone to speak/represent you and vote for you can’t you? It would be great to have you as head of the committee from what i have seen you know and can do.

    Crossing my fingers things will go well. We’ll see.

  • http://www.snclavalinom.com Shaz

    Hi everyone,

    i read all your comments above and beleive me i am not shocked at all (price before quality).First please allow me to introduce myself to you i am the Busienss Development Manager for one of the biggest facilities management company in the world SNC Lavalin O&M which is a canadian subsidiary of SNC Lavalin group in Canada. I got interested in your discussion because we were just awarded the complete operartions and maintanance of the Lagoona mall which is located under your towers. i strongly recommend whoever is in charge of the owners committee to contact me for a meeting so i can properly introduce what we do and how we do it. Due to the fact that we were awarded the O&M of the Lagoona mall I am 100 % sure that our cost of operating and maintaining the towers will be dramatically lower and more competitive than any other company. taking into consideration that we are currently operating and maintaining the Al Waab City development and operate under the highest quality and ISO standards.

    i usually dont blog on social sites, its against the companies standards but beleive me i was compelled after reading all the negative comments.

    once again good luck in running your building! (YES it’s yours now) :)

  • neoBusa

    Hi. Very interesting thread. I was hoping you guys could assist us (wifey & I) in deciding whether or not it’s worth buying in ZigZag.

    I know the decision os ours and we don’t need someone to tell us what to do, but hearing advice/recommendations will be of assistance in our decision making process. We found an apartment in Tower B facing Tower A, and we just wanted some info from owners and tenants. Main reason for buying is so we don’t throw away rent money.

    Any info is valuable. Thank you for your time and efforts in advance!

    ZigZag2beornot2be

  • http://twitter.com/iloveqatar Khalifa Saleh Haroon

    Sorry for not replying sooner. The zig zag in its current state is alright, but not excellent. Once the mall is done and the offices open near by this place will be a great investment.

    I bought in the ZigZag as well because the underground station which is being built will be right next to the zig zag which is another great advantage for owners.

  • neobusa

    Thanks Haroun. I ended up buying.

    BTW I you were unofficially introduced to me twice and been told that you and I must meet up as we share similar business motives. A mutual acquaintance will soon tell you about me. We may add value and compliment each others motives.

    Anyways thanks again for the valuable input on the towers. and great work on the blog and site.

  • amnesia

    sure thing. drop me an email at kei —-at—- iloveqatar.net

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