Al Fajar Building

[Dom2307]

Hey everyone,

Am due to start with Emirates next Wednesday. Originally my entitlement was a company villa......however due to an 'internal mistake and policy change' they have said my entitlement is now an apartment.......having planned the last two months on life in a villa you can imagine the wife is not best pleased!! (A mild under exaggeration!)......fighting a losing battle it seems but refuse to give up in what was originally promised and confirmed......

Accommodation have now come back and given me an apartment in Al Fajer Building, Oudh Mehta

Have tried to find anything about the place on Google but failing badly........ Anyone got any info about the place? How many apartments? Floor plans..........absolutely anything would be greatly appreciated.....

[Payscale]

Oud Metha is not the best expat area for your wife or you for that matter. Try to get somewhere along Sheik Zayed road

[Kapitanleutnant]

Dom…

Welcome to Emirates and…. "Welcome to Emirates!"

I hate to put a sour impression on this but things like this will be just the beginning of how things will change at a whim even though you've been told/promised or even signed a contract to get a villa and then get switched last minute. It's standard operating procedure at EK… especially the Housing department. They're affectionally called the "NO" department among colleagues. Hope you can adjust….

Kap

[Peter Chube]

Do you have kids? If you are a married FO with kids and are getting an apartment, then that is a serious policy change!

As mentioned, request along the SZR, Manazel al Safa, Millennium, Manazel al Barsha or Tecom. All better than Oud Mehta.

[GoreTex]

don't accept it, once you are here in this place there is no way that they would move you out.

dont ruin your marriage, cos if your wife is not happy here its just a matter of time

[DCS99]

I confirm: not a place for wife and kids.
Decline it.

[SOPS]

I would not be taking an apartment there.

[checcker10]

Absolutely Do Not accept it. Refuse to come until they promise what was in your initial contract/agreement. It's a common ruse they use all the time.
If it's an internal mistake or policy change that's not your problem and that's not what was agreed.
I know you don't want to rock the boat with a new job but they are doing you over before you join. You have some bargaining power at the moment. Use it. Once you're here you have none.
As said above, your wife will be unhappy and it's not gonna get any better once you're here. Joining now, in summer in an apartment she's gonna go stir crazy down there.
Cannot stress enough, don't get on the plane till it's in writing.
Get angry....they don't like that in HR!!
They will change it as they know they are in the wrong. It's been done before.
Good luck.

[777boyindubai]

Excellent advice from the poster above. They tried the same nonsense with me. Stand your ground. Get it in writing. Give them a deadline. Potential new joiners, please note how the company, allegedly,act. :eek:

[littlejet]

Are you a DEC, or do you have kids which will be joining you?
If any of above is yes then you will get a villa or temp condo or allowance, until a villa is available. Otherwise you will get a condo or allowance should you choose it...
It has been like that forever and they will not move from that whatever was told to you by someone in HR...
If they changed the policy it is your choice to accept it or not and wait for their response. Most probably it will be take it or leave it.

If it's an internal mistake or policy change that's not your problem and that's not what was agreed

If ATM coughs 2mil USD to you, do you think you can keep that money because of internal mistake?

Get angry....they don't like that in HR!!

That is exactly why you will not get anything.
Get facts and valid arguments
Have a copy of a policy sent to you, read it and see what is entitled

[thatwasclose]

That building is a dump .

[ChillinInTheDesert]

Policy change? (seemingly for the worse as explained above)

No announcement yet on pay review?

Starting to feel a little uneasy.

[The Guru]

I heard that people started to look through the building the other day, but you can't get past security unless you have the email from accommodation.

The reason you cannot find any information, is because the building is still under construction. It is brand new, with fit out of the 80+ residential apartments expected in the coming weeks. The commercial office spaces and 'the void' are still all bare concrete with no business leases signed.

On the eastern side there are 3 bed (with and without maid) apartments located on levels 2 through to 5 which overlook the large 10th Street carpark. On the western side is mainly office space on busy Umm Hurair Road. There are 2 bed apartments positioned to overlook the internal rectangular void but have no other view. The pool is located on the roof. The Googlemaps coords are 25.2447, 55.312.

It is a busy area that could be tough for shift workers, but would probably be suitable for management who work daylight hours only. Construction is still ongoing with cranes and concrete trucks still pouring foundations at the northern end of the building.

There seems plenty of info on this thread to form your own opinion....

Goodluck, welcome aboard!

The G.

[ChillinInTheDesert]

Doesn't sound like a nice environment for children. OP, if you do have children then you really need to think very seriously about this.

[bob777]

Don't make mistakes..I did .. Ask for your contract to be honored. Don't accept substandard location ..be very careful, don't compromise on your quality of life an make sure you will not before you join. It may cost your career, family and more... it did to me. Remember there is no law to protect you there and they ( think) can do whatever they want, even send you to a shrink if you complain. I ended up having to resign. You have been warned.

[Dom2307]

Many thanks for everyone's comments and posts.....

So its now 36 hours till I get on a plane to fly out to Dubai and accommodation still not sorted!!
I have been given no choice with accommodation what so ever......

So,itboils down to.......do I get on a plane to Dubai or not?!?!.........this feels more stressful then the birth of my daughter 5 years ago!!!!!

[777boyindubai]

Delay coming Write your line manager a mail explaining the situation and ask him or her to become involved. Good luck...

[Kapitanleutnant]

Dude…

Get on the phone, call them on this as it's not what was promised nor in the contract you signed!!! Easy Peasy…. Like many others are TRYING TO TELL YOU… Stand your ground as once you get here, you are sucked in to their way and have absolutely NO leverage.

I know you're excited about this new life and new career… as we all were but once you get here it will all change and you will see what we are all trying to nicely tell you.

I can only say to you… you should re read this entire thread and take seriously what those have said about standing your ground on this. I can't tell you enough about this!!

Re read this thread 3-6 months from now and read what we all tried to tell you. You will then and only then understand.

Best of luck to you and a warm and hearty welcome.

Kap

[pumpkin]

Sorry to hear it is down to the wire. If you have a 5 year old dtr your wife is going to be very very very unhappy with that location. I would refuse outright unless it is temporary accommodation- but I would get it in writing too that it is temporary if that is the case.(sometimes temporary can be a year b.t.w) With a child you should be in a villa and as we all know, the Meydan villas are available soon if not now, and although we are all maligning them, eventually they will be a community with parks and other kids to play with - they HAVE to be better than being stuck in an apartment in Oud Metha. Honestly you need to delay coming and get this clarified- or at least do not bring your wife and child right now- it is hot and miserable and you will be on course and then fighting accommodation. As others have said, it is not easy to fight once you are here, if fact impossible and you will be too busy with training anyway. I have not yet heard of a married FO with kids being given an apartment as a permanent accommodation- you need to fight this. Your wife will be miserable, and so will you. Good luck !

[ChillinInTheDesert]

You have a child, why would you not be entitled to a villa? What is their reasoning?

[The Outlaw]

Dear Accommodation,

Please provide the accommodation as specified in the agreement provided.

I have delayed my arrival until such time when the terms and conditions of the agreement are in place.

Please advise when the above terms are met.

Best regards,

DOM 2307

CC DVP Accommodation, DVP Flight operations, SVP Recruitment

[BANANASBANANAS]

I'm not saying this is necessarily the case here but one of the oldest tricks in the management book of dirty tricks (industry wide) when they are trying to get you to bend over and accept the broom handle with a smile on your face (in this case, that would be Meydan) is to actually make the initial bad news appear even worse (in this case, that would be Al Fajar) such that when the company 'give in' and offer you Meydan you feel like you have scored a victory when, in fact, it's what the company planned all along. If you accept Al Fajar, well that's just a double bonus for EK Accommodation.

[Instant Hooligan]

Single- 2 bed apartment
Married - 3 bed apartment
Married with kids - Villa
Captain - Villa