Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Booked through ******* (we also filed a complaint with *******). The unit rented to my family was not as described online - ***, the owner, uses deceptive advertising. This is not family-friendly. The room was filthy, not maintained or cleaned, there were vagrants and drug use in and around the unit and by the unsecured elevator. There is no parking and the valet service is through a different company and is much more expensive than he states online and on his website. All we care about is a safe, clean, quiet room that is not misrepresented online. We immediately vacated the room and found another room in a reputable hotel nearby. Despite all the issues, *** refuses to refund our money.The room was uninhabitable. They used strong chemicals to try and mask the smell of mold, mildew, tobacco and marijuana smoke. I contacted ***, he told me to just open all the windows my wife has respiratory issues so staying in this room was not an option. The unit was filthy, the linens and sheets looked like they had not been cleaned. There's an outdoor "drag" bar below this unit which had blaring music when we checked in that evening, there was no way anyone would be able to sleep with all that noise. When I expressed concerns to the owner, he denied any accountability and claimed it wasn't his unit it was someone else's, the whole thing appears to be a sham. There is no security nor secured access to the elevator or common areas, despite having a homeless and vagrant population in the area. After checking in, we had to go to a different building where we had to walk down a dark, poorly lit walkway to get to the elevator that went up to our room. When we reached the elevator, the door was unsecure and there was a vagrant loitering in there with a scooter, smoking marijuana. We were extremely fearful for our safety and even hesitated on going up the elevator, fearing he could follow us. We were also overcharged and not charged the correct initial amount.

  Customer response

  12/04/2024

  Hello,

  I would like to add to my complaint that there have been numerous other customers who have experienced the same thing as me.  He advertises this as a hotel yet this is a condo that he privately owns and is renting out, with no real service or cleaning taken care of the unit.  The unit in terrible condition, no help or assistance from the owner, the loud noise from the outdoor bar that is below this unit that specializes in Drag Queen shows.  ***, the owner falsely advertises this unit as "family friendly".   No part of the loud, obnoxious drag bar scene is "family friendly" and *** knows this.  He should be ashamed of himself for his deceptive advertising, how dirty and unkept the unit is and the extreme health concerns (mostly the overwhelming stench of chemicals fumes used to mask the pervasive smell of mold, mildew, marijuana & cigarette smoke) and safety issues (dark, unlighted walkways to building, unsecured access to elevator and other common areas, and vagrants doing drugs in the entrance to the elevator) related to this unit.  There really needs to be legal action taken against *** and he should be forbidden from renting units anymore.  Per the Expedia contract, *** was also only legally allowed to initially charge me $294.12, however he charged my bank card $427.50 (which was also more than the Expedia total contracted amount of $411.12.  After entering the unit and seeing and smelling all the issues, we immediately vacated the unit and found another room at a reputable hotel.  *** claims the $427.50 includes 2 days of resort fees, cleaning fees, etc, despite this not being a resort and that we never stayed in the unit!).  Again, there is a devious pattern here, *** has done this to numerous other individuals -- just look at the authentic reviews online (Expedia, ******* etc.).   *** needs to be stopped!

   

  Lastly, I demand *** refund the full amount of what he charged: $427.50

  Your assistance in this is much appreciated.

  Customer response

  12/04/2024

  Hello, I need to make note that *** ******** uses the name Ocean Drive VR to operate this unit, which is under a different name.  The unit/building or whatever this misleading rental is, is called "Strand Ocean Drive Suites" It was Expedia Itinerary # **************.  So by using a different company name (Ocean Drive VR), comlaints are filed against this name and not the name he's using for the rental -- which ******* him from people seeing many of the negative reports.

   

  Also, the room I rented was supposed to be a "Grand King ***** Partial Ocean View w/Balcony 2".  Clearly there is nothing "Grand" about this room, there weren't 2 balconies, the broken roller shade that was not retractable was in the way and made it nearly impossible to even access the balcony, there wasn't even a partial ocean view.  Everything about this unit was deceptive advertising and misleading.   Really one of the most disgusting experiences we've had.  Action must be taken against *** to stop this.  I did file a complaint with the FL AG and with Expedia as well.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩