Beautiful Property / Area - Not worth the frustration
Submitted: July 20, 2011
Stayed: June 2011
The location and accomodations were beautiful, we had a perfect week on Glen Lake and it's only a 5 minute drive to the Dune climb. The house was very clean, very well maintained and comes with everything you need, including WIFI. Sheets and Towels were extra so we brought our own.
The frustration came the week after we got home and the property owner cashed our security deposit. In the end we did get approximately half of our deposit back but we were charged for a couple items:
* Property owner said there was a tear in the King Size mattress pad and charged us for a replacement pad. Since we brought our own sheets, we saw the mattress pad upon arrival (when putting the sheets on) and departure, and we did not notice any rip in the mattress pad.
* When we left we accidentally brought home the wrong blanket and pillow, leaving ours at the cottage. I offered to ship their items back but they never got back to me, instead they deducted money from our deposit. They will refund the money for the blanket and pillow but only once I ship back their items. If I want my items back I have to pick them up or send them prepaid shipping information which at this point isn't worth the frustration.
* Check out time is 11:00 am, I called the owner at 11:12 to let them know we were leaving and just wrapping up and they said no problem, never indicating that we'd be charged a late fee for leaving after 11:00. Additional money was deducted from our security deposit for "Late check out without notification"
*Finally when I did end up talking to the owner they indicated that we left the counters dirty and left dirty dishes, which they weren't happy with. The reason we were charged for the late check out was because the cleaning crew couldn't get in at 11:00. I don't remember leaving the counters excessively dirty , but even so, isn't that what the cleaning service is for -- to clean? As for the dishes, we loaded the dishwasher before we left and ran it.
When we first looked at this location we were cautious because there were no reviews from past renters, now I know why. I feel this property owner took advantage of us and cheated us out of half of our security deposit. I'm not posting this expecting to get my deposit back, I just want to make sure others know what they are in for.
There are plenty of other rental properties on Glen Lake with positive reviews to choose from, we would not rent from this owner again.
Owner's Response: Sterling Heights family was first upset because we would not allow occupancy change to eight. Maximum is six. Only $130 was not returned from the security deposit of $300. This was used to cover replacement cost of (additional refund $35 if returned) blanket, pillow and case taken from premise. Also 1/2 hour additional wages for the 38 minute wait for housekeeper entry, torn king mattress pad replacement, excessive cleaning of urine stain and food from sofa cushions along with thorough kitchen cleaning. We provided a local address for return to avoid mailing charge. For the benefit of guests, we offer a later (11am) checkout and earlier (3pm) check in time. A $300 security deposit is refunded after departure provided there is no damage or excessive wear. Several families return, and we enjoy the glowing notes in our guest journal. We are sorry we could not please this family. We wish for years of happy memories for all to look back at, especially the children who bring their families back to Sleeping Bear!
Helpful votes: 2/2
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