FF12 finds remedy for apartment resident’s headache

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Factfinder 12 often undertakes months long investigations. Investigators sort through thousands of pages of documents a year for the stories they cover, but sometimes even smaller seeming problems demand their attention. Such is the case of a woman who moved into a Wichita apartment complex and discovered that the business had listed her personal cell phone number on their website as their own. It’s a problem she says she could not fix, but thought maybe Factfinder 12 could help.

Pretty much everyone understands the headaches of moving into a new place. The boxes, the packing, the calls from other renters trying to figure out how to pay their rent. Wait. That’s not one is it? Rachel Paris says it is.

“So basically, as soon as I moved into the apartment complex, I started receiving, like awkward calls,” Paris explained.

The calls were from other residents at the 21W at Wichita State apartment complex where she’d just moved and mostly involved residents concerned with rent payments.

“Obviously, something that I have no control over, I was very confused,” she said.

Somehow, apartment management listed Paris’ personal cell number as the contact number for apartment management.

“I reached out to the office about it, and they told me that they could not discuss it with me, even though it was my phone number, which made me very confused,” Paris said.

Once the calls started, Paris says, they didn’t stop. She no longer lives at the apartment complex, but received the calls for much of the time she lived there. As residents continued trying to pay their rent, she kept trying to get her number removed from that website.

“I tried calling them… straight to voice mail, leave messages, no call back. Even going as far as going to their office. Like physically, the doors were always locked even though their hours said they were open,” she said.

She even called a lawyer, but no luck there either. That’s when she turned to Factfinder 12 investigator Alex Flippin. The first call to the apartment complex office was not answered, but within hours the message was returned by someone in Kansas City. The man was a representative for the company that owns 21W at Wichita State. He said he had no idea how Paris’ number got on their site and agreed to work to get it taken down. Within a few days Paris’ number was changed to the actual phone number for the apartment complex, and just like that, no more rent calls for were going to Paris’ phone.

“I am very excited. It’s nice to get a phone call and not be expecting it to be someone random,” Paris said. “It’s nice to be able to pick up my phone and it be someone that I know.”

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