A recent thread involving multifamily blew up on Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit. The post (which was removed, but you can read the comments here) details the author driving an hour for a scheduled apartment tour, only to find the leasing office was closed on Saturdays, despite a confirmed booking.
“I just drove an hour for an apartment tour that I scheduled online. I got here and the place is closed.”
That single post racked up over 15,000 upvotes and 700 comments, mostly from others who share similar horror stories about no-show tours, broken scheduling systems, and unanswered questions.
But what started such an outpouring? A screenshot of the chatbot confirming the Saturday appointment.
For the record, that bot wasn’t ours (and thank God for that). We saw the post before it was taken down, and so we know that it’s one that everyone in the multifamily industry knows.
Why Your Chatbot Is Part of Your First Impression
I’ve said it before, and it almost always falls on deaf ears:
Your chatbot is the most important part of your AI leasing system.
Here’s why it matters:
- Everyone who visits your website is impacted by how fast it loads
- 10-15% of visitors will engage with your chatbot
- 72% of those users will ask to confirm availability or book a tour
Given these, the bot you’re using has to respond quickly and accurately!
And what if it schedules a tour on Saturday and you’re not open? You’re not just losing a prospect, you’re wasting someone’s time and burning up your reputation.
The Real Culprit is Often Bad Tour Scheduling APIs
In this Reddit thread, people jumped in and blamed the “settings.” It’s usually a little more complicated than a simple setting. More often than not, the root issue is a tour scheduling API that wasn’t configured properly. This can result in scheduling tours at times that aren’t available.
And yes, you need to make sure your regular office hours and blackout dates and times are perfect, too. But if the API isn’t delivering the data in the first place, this will only get you so far.
This Reddit Thread Proves It: Renters Do Care
This Reddit thread proves that people not only care but also care enough to complain about it in public forums. Loudly, publicly, and permanently (in the case of the comments).
Apartment searchers assume your tech works. When it doesn’t, it reflects directly on your brand and occupancy.
Take the Time to Test Connections
Not 100% sure your chatbot, tour scheduling system, and pricing integrations are working properly? Now’s the time to check. Speak with your provider, run through a few common questions, and confirm things are firing the way they should. It’s much easier to fix a bug behind the scenes than clean up after a viral Reddit post.
Want the most reliable, fully-featured AI chatbot built for multifamily?
Schedule a sneak peek at our brand-new Respage chatbot. It brings together the best conversation AI with features your teams need, like integrated photos and videos, waitlists, cross-selling, automated prospect prequalification, and more.
We’re rolling it out now, and it’s already doing what every bot should: making leasing simpler, not riskier.
From the desk of Ellen Thompson, Co-founder and CEO of Respage >> Since its founding, Respage has helped over 10,000 communities attract, engage, and retain residents. Its platform assists properties in generating leads, automating leasing, and managing reputation and social media. Thompson is also the Founder of Results Repeat, a digital marketing agency that has helped hundreds of companies create a digital presence and use SEO and paid marketing to generate more business online.
