Looks like a deserted place needing total revamp
Review Submitted: September 9, 2011
Date of Stay: July 2011
When we first pulled in, we couldn't believe this was the cute property we saw on the VRBO site. Not seeing a house number and seeing all the overgrown weeds on the front and rear patios and around the house, the dirty picture window etc (did not look like it had been lived in for a long time) made us drive away thinking we must be mistaken. Then we noticed the house number on another house and remembered that there was a barn and a pottery business, we assumed this must be the house and drove back.
While portions of the inside looked nice (living room, kitchen area), the house was not left clean or well maintained (e.g., could not see out of the front window, something sticky on the floor by the couch, broken screens on sunroom door, broken window in laundry room with a piece of wood nailed over it). The view out of the kitchen was one of the broken window and what looked like the old top from a pick-up truck(??) or something similar laying in the yard. The sunroom with the screen torn on the door had filthy windows and the furniture was very old, that we didn't dare sit on it. The small deck off the sunroom was unusable with a tree growing up through the deck.
Upstairs we were very disappointed by the comfort of the beds, the state of the floors with broken tiles, and a mirror leaning against the wall (very unsafe). The website said there were 4 bedrooms, however the 4th bedroom could not be used (no bed or any other furniture). All it had were the skeleton of an old bed. In the bedroom where the mirror was against the wall, the pillow had a stain on it, so we didn't even use that bed.
Of the various properties we have rented on VRBO and other sites, we have never stayed in conditions like this anywhere. The pictures on the website presented this place as a cozy, beautiful place. We were very disappointed to think we had to stay here for 5 nights. We actually considered going elsewhere the first night. But, it was too late. However, we managed to find a place for the 5th night and left early, taking our loss. This property is a run down place with minimal upgrades. The owner really have misrepresented the property on the website.
It took the owner over 3 weeks since we checked out to refund us our security deposit.
Owner's Response: Most of these comments are inaccurate, and convey a very distorted picture of our Margaree property. The cottage is cleaned and equipped thoroughly after each visit, and reviews from other guests attest to this (notice all of the other reviews are five-star and are submitted from guests, and not “owner-submitted” reviews). Our lawns are well kept and described as “immaculate.” Other relevant comments: “During our home time, we were very comfortable and fully enjoyed all the creative touches and luxuries the home delivered;” another review from the same period this summer says “It is spotlessly clean and well maintained and decorated with really beautiful artwork.” Or another review: “Everything was clean and up to date. The grounds were immaculate and offered a pleasant venue for relaxation.” We have a pottery gallery on the premises, and there is someone staffing the gallery full-time, seven days per week, who attends to the grounds and cottage. There was a short time this summer where we needed to repair the riding lawnmower, but this was a momentary lapse, and we had a person lined up to do the lawns should the repair take too long. Most of the beds and/or mattresses in the cottage are new, and although the extra room with the mentioned “skeleton bed” was not locked, it was not available to guests this season, because the bed is being replaced and the room is being upgraded. (No one arrived or booked expecting or needing to be able to use this last room/bed, and our listing, which initially mentioned a 4th, bedroom, was corrected during the season). The floor upstairs is original linoleum, but there are no “broken tiles.” The “unusable deck” is a small deck which was built around a tree deliberately, (not a tree growing up, or through), and is usable should someone like. Although there is older, original furniture in the cottage, this is part of the cottage’s charm, and it is clean and perfectly usable, as is the furniture on the screened porch. In terms of the deposit, we were on vacation for the first two-and-a-half weeks of August, and the deposit was returned a week late as a result, but this was an aberration. (In the lease we usually allow for two weeks, but generally return it within a week. We decided in August to discontinue charging damage deposits.) We think we offer a nice, traditional house in a great location at a reasonable price.
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