Miserable Hovel in Paris
Submitted: October 31, 2012
Stayed: October 2012
We arrived at the apt. and were told to be there at 2pm to meet the owner. We stood outside for a considerable amount of time, only to find out he was in the South of France. He had left no instructions with anyone regarding our arrival. His housekeeper finally let us in the apt. When we arrived inside we were shocked and upset. There is debris everywhere. He has blanket in plastic bags stored ontop of the kitchen shelves. The bathroom has a shelf above the door where he has all of his painting supplies stored. The living room has a bed in it instead of the couch. He tried to instruct the cleaning lady to collapse it, insisting it was very easy, but neither one of us could turn it into a couch. There was laundry hanging down the stairwell to dry. When I asked the housekeeper to put it away before she left, the owner called back on her phone and told me to just go ahead and find another apartment. He said "he was tired of my behavior".
There is no closet. The one little set of shelves with a drape to cover it is full of the owner's toiletries and more linens, blanket, towels.... Our suitcases all went under the stairs in the living room. There was no where else to store them.
The photo makes the place at least look organised. Every corner is full of debris, fans and cords.
There are no instructions for the dryer. Wet sheets were left in the washing mach We had no idea that it was our job to do the last persons laundry. However, we did want our deposit back so after spending much time trying to get the washer/dryer to dry the towels, we hung them in the stairwell.
Because of the location, we heard the Gallerie Lafayette's trucks unloading their shipments every morning at 5am.
All in all it was a miserable place to come home to.
Owner's Response: Very disappointing and frustrating review.
- The apartment had been remodeled a few weeks before that and was spotless, organized, and very attractive (reviews before the remodeling and re organization were quite good)
- The tenants seemed very aggressive right away when talking to me on the phone that day starting the conversation by “we cannot stay in this place” and retreating right after I invited them to find another place and refund their deposit….to ask for a discount that I refused, stating either they stay and pay the agreed price or they find another place. All this seemed a pre organized strategy to me that backfired on them and left them frustrated and ready for any malicious action such as what I believe is a grossly inaccurate review that is unfairly causing damages to my reputation and business.
- Meeting with the cleaning lady was coordinated with them and me before hand by email..they arrived 1 hours earlier than stated so had to wait..and saw a drying sheet that the lady would have folded and put away would they not have arrived earlier!!
- They conceded on the phone that the apartment was CLEAN!! (and certainly no “debris??!!) but different from the pictures…yes I had not yet put the new pictures after the remodeling on. For example complained about an old rocking chair that was not in it any more...
- The couch was organized as a bed because they wanted separated beds!!!! And the panicking cleaning lady was not able to fold it back under so much pressure from them.
- I have acknowledged in the past issues that may have occurred. Previous reviews and my replies can testify of these…and that is also why I went to extensive remodeling so that my apartment would be even better and more pleasant to stay in. But in this case I have to say that unfortunately I was in the presence of the very few bad apples that cause problems.
- I am asking any customer who may be hesitating after having read that review and my reply to call me so we could discuss these issues at length. And I am ready and prepared to organize webcam session of the apartment for anyone who would like to see it.
- It was very frustrating to me to get this unhappy customer after all the care and attention I had put into remodeling the apartment that I believe looks and feel great. Modern, cleaner, more functional, more organized, much less clutter, and more stylish. I would be happy to welcome you in it soon and you would be the judge!!
Helpful votes: 3/3
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No
