I got hypnotized, like many others upon entering the Palava sales office and booked a ready to move in flat in Casa Rio on 11th May, 2014, feeling gung ho about buying my dream home, at a staggering price though, at least 3-4 lacs higher than the prevailing market rate.
They qualified me for the loan, without factoring in the rent, assuring me that I will be getting possession by Nov 2014 latest. A few days later, the CRM informed me that the'ready to move in' flat is not quite ready, but tentative fit-out will be no later than Feb 2015. So I stretched my budget and went ahead with the deal, adhering to their stringent payment schedule, going with one of the banks endorsing this project, trusting the architect's certificate stating that 95% of the work had been completed, and made the entire payment by July 2014.
I was convinced that I had taken the necessary precautions to avoid going through the mental torture and harassment that all Palava buyers have been put through, till I received a letter in November 2014 stating that the fit-out date has been extended to May 2015. Internal sources confirmed that the work is far from complete and possession of the flat will not been given before Nov 2015.
That is when I realized that I had been taken for a ride.sold an overpriced under-construction flat due to be delivered 1.5 years after the booking date, the time taken to construct an entire building! Closer inspection of documents revealed that the ‘ready to move in’ phrase had been ‘accidentally’ eliminated from all written communication from the builder, who’s definition, by the way keeps changing, depending on the gullibility of the buyer. The sales and customer service team had nothing much to offer except for apologies and false assurances. If it was not signed and stamped they are not bound to abide by it.that is the reality of Palava, which, by the way would take at least 15 years if everything happens with clockwork precision…except that the clock will have moved backward by the time you have coughed up 20% of the flat cost and are about to sign the agreement.
A new way to live or a new way to lie? Don’t ever fall into this trap unless you are buying an investment property. You will get much better deals on resale flats in the same project from local brokers, who by the way, are far more trustworthy than the builder. Trust me, your wait for the perfect home would be worth it.
But God bless you if you choose to buy a flat from these crooks.your dream home will soon turn into a nightmare!
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