Demand Stuytown’s Blackstone & Beam Living To Upgrade & Improve 280 1st Ave’s Laundry Room
The Issue
WE DESERVE BETTER & WHAT WE SAY MATTERS, SO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
As TENANTS we have rights & Blackstone/Beam living are not taking accountability for their shortcomings with our laundry room. Upgrades Needs to happen NOW!
Quality is lacking and we are paying the cost of outdated washing machines and dryers that are constantly in disrepair.
There are not enough machines per residents to start with and to top it off, they are constantly breaking down or not functioning efficiently at all. Other buildings have new, state of the art modern machines, more per building, and varying sizes to accommodate various load sizes. It is unacceptable and the residents of 280 1st Avenue not only deserve better, but demand it!
If you are a resident of 280 1st Avenue and you or someone in your household has had issues with the laundry room please read on and take a stand.
If you feel like the “repairs” aren’t solving the continuous issues and that we need new washing machines and dryers (not replacements parts from a stock of old run down machines that aren’t being made anymore or old machines that are worn down), please sign this petition.
The more residents who speak out, the higher chance change can be made. Signing the petition and sharing your negative experiences is important so we can get some change to happen.
I have been in touch with multiple people at Resident Services regarding the repetitive issues I have been facing for the past few months and suggest that if you are frustrated like me, please keep a paper trail and take photos.
It’s about time we got new machines!
As a resident here since 2010, I can only recall 2 washing machines being replaced and no dryers. The recent one took 6-8 weeks and only having 4 semi-functioning machines for that period of time was challenging.
The middle washing machine is the only one that had been replaced (twice) in the 16 years that I’ve lived here and it is the one that is always notoriously breaking down. It is also insulting that the washing machine that they replaced it with is old, worn, and rusting. This replacement won’t last long.
That aside, my personal experiences with our laundry room is a constant battle of dread and exhaustion. My sister and I have to spend $20 each week when we do our laundry together for only two regular size loads of laundry!
For no reason we encounter washing machines that:
•Have an Err message when you put your laundry card in so, a lot of finessing has to occur to pay for it.
•The load is “unbalanced” so, your clothes are soaked. CSC says you have to rerun the load in these circumstances if you want to get a refund…
•The washing machines are not cleaned and leave grease stains on what should be cleaned clothes (then we have to rewash them in a different washing machine).
•The water doesn’t drain or sometimes the drum has bubbles remaining in the drum. Either way the clothes are soaked or the washing machine didn’t run properly, so the detergent still lingers. This requires the load to be run again.
•The washing machines don’t open and you must get instructions from Public Safety, since it’s a weekend and it’s after Resident Services has closed. They advise you to unplug the washing machine and wait 20 minutes before plugging it back in. You then have to climb onto the machines to access the plug to the washing machine, since it’s not at the end. After the twenty minutes are up you have to once again climb up on the machine to replug it back in. After all of that, it doesn’t work so, you have to kick the door to see if it will open and that works, but a ton of water flows out. And the clothes are soaked and you must find another machine to rewash it to see if you can get it to be less drenched by wringing it out.
•CSC has a 48hr window to call in a complaint, which is nowhere on the signage in the laundry room. That being said if you have a problem on a Friday night and a Saturday over a holiday weekend then you are out of luck if the customer service rep is a stickler for rules and need them to consider the flaw in their policy. So if you have a problem and need to make a refund claim you will almost always run into issues even with their prompt to discuss a refund.
Then after that hurdle, in order to dry your two loads:
•You learn that the only way your clothes will actually dry is a 1:2 ratio where each washing machine load must be divided into two dryers.
•But even that won’t get your clothes dried in the dryers standard or so minutes, so for an additional $0.25 per every extra 4-5 minutes, you need to add enough extra money for each dryer to get to 63-72 minutes to not have to run the dryer again. However, for the price of extra minutes the machine still finishes earlier than the runtime states.
•The lint catchers have holes in the metal netting, so it doesn’t collect all of the lint and hair properly, which is scary since it can lead to fires if not emptied.
•The card readers don’t always work and require work to not get an ERR message.
•The heat isn’t consistent so, some machines do nothing at all. Do, you have to rerun the dryer at your financial expense.
•The bottom middle dryer is missing one of the blades, so there is potential for clothes to get ripped or snagged (we avoid it for that reason and don’t feel like testing it).
•The dryer turns off mid cycle and if you don’t stay down there then you’re out of luck.
I am tired of wasting my time and energy because doing laundry has become so time consuming that I must set aside and dedicate 3-4 hours since that’s what it takes to get it done and that is not acceptable.
There are at least 90 units at 280 1st Avenue and only 5 washing machines and 6 dryers that are always broken, not functioning as they should if they are working, and too many people who need to share poor quality machines.
Thank you for prioritizing your needs like me.
Your neighbor,
Gilli
This has been a mere snippet of and my sister’s experiences, but I’m sure you equally have your own that have created much frustration. I would love for you to share them, so I can share this with management.
40
The Issue
WE DESERVE BETTER & WHAT WE SAY MATTERS, SO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
As TENANTS we have rights & Blackstone/Beam living are not taking accountability for their shortcomings with our laundry room. Upgrades Needs to happen NOW!
Quality is lacking and we are paying the cost of outdated washing machines and dryers that are constantly in disrepair.
There are not enough machines per residents to start with and to top it off, they are constantly breaking down or not functioning efficiently at all. Other buildings have new, state of the art modern machines, more per building, and varying sizes to accommodate various load sizes. It is unacceptable and the residents of 280 1st Avenue not only deserve better, but demand it!
If you are a resident of 280 1st Avenue and you or someone in your household has had issues with the laundry room please read on and take a stand.
If you feel like the “repairs” aren’t solving the continuous issues and that we need new washing machines and dryers (not replacements parts from a stock of old run down machines that aren’t being made anymore or old machines that are worn down), please sign this petition.
The more residents who speak out, the higher chance change can be made. Signing the petition and sharing your negative experiences is important so we can get some change to happen.
I have been in touch with multiple people at Resident Services regarding the repetitive issues I have been facing for the past few months and suggest that if you are frustrated like me, please keep a paper trail and take photos.
It’s about time we got new machines!
As a resident here since 2010, I can only recall 2 washing machines being replaced and no dryers. The recent one took 6-8 weeks and only having 4 semi-functioning machines for that period of time was challenging.
The middle washing machine is the only one that had been replaced (twice) in the 16 years that I’ve lived here and it is the one that is always notoriously breaking down. It is also insulting that the washing machine that they replaced it with is old, worn, and rusting. This replacement won’t last long.
That aside, my personal experiences with our laundry room is a constant battle of dread and exhaustion. My sister and I have to spend $20 each week when we do our laundry together for only two regular size loads of laundry!
For no reason we encounter washing machines that:
•Have an Err message when you put your laundry card in so, a lot of finessing has to occur to pay for it.
•The load is “unbalanced” so, your clothes are soaked. CSC says you have to rerun the load in these circumstances if you want to get a refund…
•The washing machines are not cleaned and leave grease stains on what should be cleaned clothes (then we have to rewash them in a different washing machine).
•The water doesn’t drain or sometimes the drum has bubbles remaining in the drum. Either way the clothes are soaked or the washing machine didn’t run properly, so the detergent still lingers. This requires the load to be run again.
•The washing machines don’t open and you must get instructions from Public Safety, since it’s a weekend and it’s after Resident Services has closed. They advise you to unplug the washing machine and wait 20 minutes before plugging it back in. You then have to climb onto the machines to access the plug to the washing machine, since it’s not at the end. After the twenty minutes are up you have to once again climb up on the machine to replug it back in. After all of that, it doesn’t work so, you have to kick the door to see if it will open and that works, but a ton of water flows out. And the clothes are soaked and you must find another machine to rewash it to see if you can get it to be less drenched by wringing it out.
•CSC has a 48hr window to call in a complaint, which is nowhere on the signage in the laundry room. That being said if you have a problem on a Friday night and a Saturday over a holiday weekend then you are out of luck if the customer service rep is a stickler for rules and need them to consider the flaw in their policy. So if you have a problem and need to make a refund claim you will almost always run into issues even with their prompt to discuss a refund.
Then after that hurdle, in order to dry your two loads:
•You learn that the only way your clothes will actually dry is a 1:2 ratio where each washing machine load must be divided into two dryers.
•But even that won’t get your clothes dried in the dryers standard or so minutes, so for an additional $0.25 per every extra 4-5 minutes, you need to add enough extra money for each dryer to get to 63-72 minutes to not have to run the dryer again. However, for the price of extra minutes the machine still finishes earlier than the runtime states.
•The lint catchers have holes in the metal netting, so it doesn’t collect all of the lint and hair properly, which is scary since it can lead to fires if not emptied.
•The card readers don’t always work and require work to not get an ERR message.
•The heat isn’t consistent so, some machines do nothing at all. Do, you have to rerun the dryer at your financial expense.
•The bottom middle dryer is missing one of the blades, so there is potential for clothes to get ripped or snagged (we avoid it for that reason and don’t feel like testing it).
•The dryer turns off mid cycle and if you don’t stay down there then you’re out of luck.
I am tired of wasting my time and energy because doing laundry has become so time consuming that I must set aside and dedicate 3-4 hours since that’s what it takes to get it done and that is not acceptable.
There are at least 90 units at 280 1st Avenue and only 5 washing machines and 6 dryers that are always broken, not functioning as they should if they are working, and too many people who need to share poor quality machines.
Thank you for prioritizing your needs like me.
Your neighbor,
Gilli
This has been a mere snippet of and my sister’s experiences, but I’m sure you equally have your own that have created much frustration. I would love for you to share them, so I can share this with management.
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Petition created on July 26, 2026