Thames Valley University

hoagy

A few things about Paragon you'll want to know if your planning on living there....just a few!!

I was in C block floor 12 for its opening year. i think things were so bad partly cause we were experiencing the teething problems of the building cause it had only just been made ready a day or two before we moved in and it was still mostly a building site. But to be honest a lot of the "teething" problems were going on the whole year through...and some I don't think have been fixed properly even now 10 months later.

Problems like (on one occasion) there being no power or water for about 2 days. The lifts were constantly breaking. They went through a bad patch were 1 or both were broken at times and we had to walk 12 flights down to use the washing machines and 12 flights back. Then again to dry the clothes. They became more consistent later on though i must admit.

The most annoying problem of all was the fire alarm http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEyXCTz8Dc see how long u can stand it...hehe It broke one time and was going off in the night and the morning.

Only a few times we were told to evacuate the building which means walking the 12 flights down....Again! But i suppose when things are annoying for everyone at the same time in the flat then its just funny. U just laugh at how s**t things are. But i wasn't laughing at all during the final stages of my 3rd dissertation project listening to a fire alarm go nuts whilst your trying to work or sleep.

There's been a fair amount of theft as well. Our flat lost a decent TV that must have been taken by people in Paragon cause it didn't show up on the one CCTV camera on the ground floor. People tend to steel things really early on Sunday morning u might be interested to know. I also had my expensive bike nicked from outside as well. They say there's CCTV setup outside the perimeter but there isn't. If u have a car instead i don't think there's a decent place to park anywhere nearby yet either. Paragon security members are mostly severely retarded or don't speak a word of english or both. Kind of amusing if your flat is making too much noise and the security guy visits u. He could tell u that he understands you're young and u need to let off steam but that there are much more considerate and constructive ways to do this. Instead all he says is "music?" then looks at u for ages smiling. Not so good if there's an emergency and the building needs to be evacuated and the same guy is the one coordinating it and he still hasn't learnt any more words then "music?". Doesn't explain how to evacuate a building now does it.

The internet service is practically criminal and students have been signing a petition at gopetition.com to try and get Paragon/Touareg to do something about it. Basically its a 200-300 kbps service on average for £20/month. The price may have come down this year from what it was for us...(an extortionate £20 to £25 a month which normally buys a service just over 20 times better value for money) But even if your paying a lot less for it. u still don't have access to a decent service. There are daily download limits of either 500mb (£20/month) or 1gb (£25/month) and its temperamental like everything else.

This year the internet is inclusive with the rent so who knows which of the three internet services come with the rent. The £8, £20 or £25 service. You might want to give Touareg a call and hassle them to find out what they're offering. Then shout "t***s!" just before hanging up.

C or F block on the motor way facing sides are worse for noise, especially if your right at the same height as the M4 flyover. Think it might not be too bad if your right at the top of C block though. (Floor 16) Puts a bit of distance between you and the relentless traffic. You have to seal your sound proof window to drown out the combined noise of the A4 and M4 motorways. It makes being in your room like putting a bag over your head, there's so little air in there before long. Then opening the window means putting up with the noise again. In winter usually it stays closed all the time but when it gets round to the end of the academic year (and the hot weather) it really gets to u.

The windows facing the other way into the courtyard area aren't sound proofed at all so a lot of people complained they'd always get woken up by pissed people shouting outside. You can quite easily move flats though. I think i would go for E block if i moved. Its furthest away from the motorways. Students don't tend to be that considerate when it comes to making noise. Unfortunately if u hear someone blasting music whilst your in your room u can't easily tell who which room its coming from. it can be a few rooms above or below. But Paragon security will tell them to keep it down if you tell them where the noise is coming from. That is if they understand a word your saying.

Im not sure if id have lived there or not if i'd known how s**t it would be i'd seriously think about it. The Internet is one of the biggest problems for me. That's one thing i really rely on! I did meet loads of great people though and had a wikid laugh with them which is the only thing i'd have stayed for. But it always felt like it was against paragon's intentions. for example being so bored in the flat sometimes that you have a fire extinguisher fight until the air probably isn't safe to breath or laughing at a security who only knows the word "music?" and hopes that you get the general idea of what he means.

Basically, if u have to spend a long time there, if u don't have a job or u just don't tend to go out much, the things that are wrong with the place p*** u off quicker then if u do get out. I found that the people who didn't mind living at Paragon were the ones that work a lot in the day at jobs or at uni. The people that like there own space more or are too busy to go out are the ones who found it hardest. Paragon need to get there act together and treat people who are paying they hard earned cash with enough respect to sort these problems out. A lot of money is going into that place so there's no excuse.

anyways hope this has been of use to people. If you're still in two minds about living there maybe this will help your decision...enjoy!!! uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEyXCTz8Dc

hoagy

A few things about Paragon you'll want to know if your planning on living there....just a few!!

I was in C block floor 12 for its opening year. i think things were so bad partly cause we were experiencing the teething problems of the building cause it had only just been made ready a day or two before we moved in and it was still mostly a building site. But to be honest a lot of the "teething" problems were going on the whole year through...and some I don't think have been fixed properly even now 10 months later.

Problems like (on one occasion) there being no power or water for about 2 days. The lifts were constantly breaking. They went through a bad patch were 1 or both were broken at times and we had to walk 12 flights down to use the washing machines and 12 flights back. Then again to dry the clothes. They became more consistent later on though i must admit.

The most annoying problem of all was the fire alarm http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEyXCTz8Dc see how long u can stand it...hehe It broke one time and was going off in the night and the morning.

Only a few times we were told to evacuate the building which means walking the 12 flights down....Again! But i suppose when things are annoying for everyone at the same time in the flat then its just funny. U just laugh at how s**t things are. But i wasn't laughing at all during the final stages of my 3rd dissertation project listening to a fire alarm go nuts whilst your trying to work or sleep.

There's been a fair amount of theft as well. Our flat lost a decent TV that must have been taken by people in Paragon cause it didn't show up on the one CCTV camera on the ground floor. People tend to steel things really early on Sunday morning u might be interested to know. I also had my expensive bike nicked from outside as well. They say there's CCTV setup outside the perimeter but there isn't. If u have a car instead i don't think there's a decent place to park anywhere nearby yet either. Paragon security members are mostly severely retarded or don't speak a word of english or both. Kind of amusing if your flat is making too much noise and the security guy visits u. He could tell u that he understands you're young and u need to let off steam but that there are much more considerate and constructive ways to do this. Instead all he says is "music?" then looks at u for ages smiling. Not so good if there's an emergency and the building needs to be evacuated and the same guy is the one coordinating it and he still hasn't learnt any more words then "music?". Doesn't explain how to evacuate a building now does it.

The internet service is practically criminal and students have been signing a petition at gopetition.com to try and get Paragon/Touareg to do something about it. Basically its a 200-300 kbps service on average for £20/month. The price may have come down this year from what it was for us...(an extortionate £20 to £25 a month which normally buys a service just over 20 times better value for money) But even if your paying a lot less for it. u still don't have access to a decent service. There are daily download limits of either 500mb (£20/month) or 1gb (£25/month) and its temperamental like everything else.

This year the internet is inclusive with the rent so who knows which of the three internet services come with the rent. The £8, £20 or £25 service. You might want to give Touareg a call and hassle them to find out what they're offering. Then shout "t***s!" just before hanging up.

C or F block on the motor way facing sides are worse for noise, especially if your right at the same height as the M4 flyover. Think it might not be too bad if your right at the top of C block though. (Floor 16) Puts a bit of distance between you and the relentless traffic. You have to seal your sound proof window to drown out the combined noise of the A4 and M4 motorways. It makes being in your room like putting a bag over your head, there's so little air in there before long. Then opening the window means putting up with the noise again. In winter usually it stays closed all the time but when it gets round to the end of the academic year (and the hot weather) it really gets to u.

The windows facing the other way into the courtyard area aren't sound proofed at all so a lot of people complained they'd always get woken up by pissed people shouting outside. You can quite easily move flats though. I think i would go for E block if i moved. Its furthest away from the motorways. Students don't tend to be that considerate when it comes to making noise. Unfortunately if u hear someone blasting music whilst your in your room u can't easily tell who which room its coming from. it can be a few rooms above or below. But Paragon security will tell them to keep it down if you tell them where the noise is coming from. That is if they understand a word your saying.

Im not sure if id have lived there or not if i'd known how s**t it would be i'd seriously think about it. The Internet is one of the biggest problems for me. That's one thing i really rely on! I did meet loads of great people though and had a wikid laugh with them which is the only thing i'd have stayed for. But it always felt like it was against paragon's intentions. for example being so bored in the flat sometimes that you have a fire extinguisher fight until the air probably isn't safe to breath or laughing at a security who only knows the word "music?" and hopes that you get the general idea of what he means.

Basically, if u have to spend a long time there, if u don't have a job or u just don't tend to go out much, the things that are wrong with the place piss u off quicker then if u do get out. I found that the people who didn't mind living at Paragon were the ones that work a lot in the day at jobs or at uni. The people that like there own space more or are too busy to go out are the ones who found it hardest. Paragon need to get there act together and treat people who are paying they hard earned cash with enough respect to sort these problems out. A lot of money is going into that place so there's no excuse.

anyways hope this has been of use to people. If you're still in two minds about living there maybe this will help your decision...enjoy!!! uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEyXCTz8Dc