Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I traveled to ********* from **** for major surgery with a specialist in *********, so I booked the Sleepy Lagoon Cottage from Aug. 1 to Aug 12, 2023. We were busy with pre-surgical appointments and preparations until my surgery on Aug. 3rd, but we did notice that the house wasnt as clean as it should be. Because of the nature of my surgery, I was on five days of strict bed rest, and needed to limit noise and activity around me. For this reason, and because I wasnt in any position to be on the phone or sending emails, I chose to wait to let the landlord know about the condition of the house until we were leaving (I literally sent the email as we were pulling out of the driveway). I sent the following list with accompanying pictures to the landlord:1. Both bathrooms have visible dust and grime along the baseboards, door frames, and bathtubs, as well as dirty grout. There appears to be a possible mold issue in the downstairs bathroom, as well.2. The air filter in the stairwell is very dirty (as was the case last summer).3. The door frame of the closet in the room where I slept has about a 1/4 inch thick layer of dust and grime on it.4. The top of the refrigerator was filthy (see the photo of the paper towel that we used to clean it with ).5. The couch and chairs in the family room have seen better days, and the cushions are flat and uncomfortable. 6. The upstairs toilet wobbles when it is sat upon, and there is an intermittent dripping sound when it is in use.7. The remote control for the family room tv is damaged from being dropped, and it doesnt work well.8. The hand towel holder in the downstairs bathroom is coming loose from the wall.9. The baseboards and grout in the whole house are dirty.10. All of the towels are old and dingy. She offered a 10% discount on a future stay. I told her we would not be coming back, and was told that since I didnt tell her during our stay, she could not honor a discount. She has stopped responding to me.

  Business response

  08/25/2023

  As ************** admits, she stayed at our property for a total of 11 days and did not mention that she had any issues whatsoever during that time. She claims that she didnt report any issues because she did not want to be disturbed following her surgery, but she also admits that she was in the home for 48 hours before she had the surgery. All of the valid issues shes reported here could have been addressed and remedied by our cleaning team and handyman in less than an hour (change the air filter return, wipe off the dust above the refrigerator, wipe the baseboards, change out the remote with the extras we keep on hand, tighten the toilet seat and hand towel holder) but she never gave me the opportunity to fix things that she was uncomfortable with. Some of her other complaints are either simply not valid or are a matter of preference. Specifically: She claims that the slipcovers for the den furniture had seen better days but all of them had just been professionally dry cleaned just one week before her stay (receipt attached here for proof). And the fact that she finds the cushions flat and uncomfortable are merely her opinion. The cushions are down filled and guests comment quite often how comfortable they are. Her opinion that the towels are old and dingy is also a matter of opinion. We do in fact leave extra towels in a very top shelf of the linen closet for guests to use as extras either for pets or for use when going down to enjoy the river. But there are also EIGHT completely fresh and white SETS of towels also available for guest use. 

  
  

  I don't offer refunds for circumstances brought to my attention after check out. I do feel this could have been quickly remedied had my team known of the issue while ************** was here. While dust accumulation is a valid issue and complaint, I do still feel that an all inclusive rate of $237 per night for a four bedroom, two bath home with full kitchen, den, and laundry is more than a fair price. I have included photos of the home to show how nicely appointed the spaces are. I did offer ************** a 10% discount off of a future stay, but she declined the offer. I never responded back to her simply because there was nothing further to communicate with her at that point. 

  
  

  Lastly, I am attaching photos of our homes reviews on both Airbnb and VRBO. The home has been operated as a short term rental since 2020 and has NEVER BEEN GIVEN ANYTHING LOWER THAN A FIVE STAR REVIEW. The home has been reviewed by 95 different guests on Airbnb and 36 times on VRBO. All 5-Star ratings. I am also attaching photos of the actual reviews from the past four guests who stayed in the property in the weeks before her arrival. You can see from their comments how pleased they were with their stay. I would also like to point out that in **************** original complaint to me after check out she ended her message by saying overall she truly enjoyed her stay, which I find confusing. My husband also had a very nice exchange with her husband one afternoon during their stay when they met each other outside. He never reported any concerns or complaints about their stay. In fact, he said they were enjoying it very much. 

  
  

  I am a full-time short term rental host and my number one reason I love what I do is that I get the chance to welcome people into our homes and give them an exceptional experience and stay. I regret that ************** feels that I didnt hit the ***** Unfortunately she didnt give me the opportunity to do so. 

  
  

  
  

  *************************** ****
  

  Rare Find Rentals
  ************
  ********************

  Customer response

  08/25/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Staceys response is frustrating and lacks compassion for my experience. I will never stay at any of her locations again, and would not recommend her to anyone.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
   
  

  Business response

  08/25/2023

  I am disappointed that ************** considers my position as lacking compassion. That couldn't be further from the truth. I make my living by being hospitable, understanding, and quick to answer any concerns/issues with all of my guests. My five year long track record of outstanding reviews supports this. In all of my personal messaging with **************** expressed concern and understanding. Once I was informed of her complaints (after check out) it was too late to remedy the situation. I simply couldn't fix a problem I was unaware of. When complaints are valid and are brought to attention I ALWAYS respond to the issue immediately and I take pride in this. I wish ************** and her family all the best and understand if they do not wish to stay at my rentals in the future. My spaces are obviously not a good fit for this guest. 

*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. ↩