BEWARE - CONSTRUCTION!!
Review Submitted: December 17, 2011
Date of Stay: November 2011
We have travelled the world staying in VRBO and Homeaway rentals. We have never been disappointed and our reviews have always been glowing. We list a lakeside property on VRBO and as absentee landlords ourselves understand the challenge.
We chose this property from among many because of its prime location and we concur with the comments of others regarding the apartment itself. However, during our week the entire area directly in front of the studio and beside the building was a construction zone with heavy trucks and bulldozers on the beach. Fibreoptic cables are being run to Texas and clearly this work has been going on and will continue for some time. Compressors ran every day from 8:00-5:30 (except Thanksgiving afternoon and Black Friday) and the noise was unbearable. At breakfast (the only time we spent in the unit because of the noise), we had to close the windows and turn on the noisy A/C box (comments from other tenants in the guestbook about this). Further, at times the sidewalk to the beach was completely closed which, the one time we wanted to use the beach meant a late afternoon 3 block walk to get there. Plainly put, the construction rendered this apartment uninhabitable and the beach unusable during the daytime hours. It was, in fact, deserted each day as bathers went elsewhere.
Upon our return I requested a 50% refund given the severity of the problem and that we were not informed in advance and given the choice to book elsewhere. I included a video we took as evidence (this website will not permit me to post my email address, please ask Debora for it if you wish to contact me for the video and pictures). Debora’s response (after I sent a reminder note!) was that she was unaware of the construction, it was beyond her control, outside the terms of the lease and she did not feel our problem “rose to that level” of severity.
Also of note – the overhead ceiling fan, the main car gate opener and – the smoke detector – did not work while we were there. Debora said it was a battery problem but we question the maintenance of these items.
In the end, Debora did agree to refund of $100.00, scant compensation for the impact on our holiday. We would certainly have chosen to stay elsewhere had we been informed of the construction. Clearly, as an absentee owner Debora needs an on-site person to keep her informed of what is going on both inside and outside of the apartment. Sadly, we paid the price for that negligence.
Owner's Response: I was very saddened to read this guest’s review. I pride myself on providing exceptional customer service both to my guests and in my professional life, as the many positive reviews of our property will confirm. I was very surprised to receive an e-mail from this guest citing several grievances regarding her stay and which wasn’t sent until after she had returned to her home. We had several e-mail exchanges during her stay, and not once did she mention that she was upset in any way. In fact, to the contrary, she sent a complimentary e-mail about the apartment, the content of which I have pasted below. While I do not reside in Puerto Rico, I do have individuals onsite who can assist my guests should something go amiss during their stay. Had she simply contacted me via a phone call or an e-mail I would have gladly addressed the problems that were under my control. Most of the issues cited were a simple and easy fix that only required new batteries. There are extra batteries kept in the apartment for just such random outages. I respectfully looked into this guest’s claims upon receiving the e-mail she sent after her stay. None of the other owners (in the same building) received complaints regarding the short term construction, nor were any of us provided advance notice of the construction by the city of San Juan. I made sure to coordinate closely with the guest who checked in immediately afterward. He had no complaints and even said that the apartment had exceeded his expectations. I did agree to compensate this guest an additional $100 to help assuage her displeasure. The construction was short term and has already been completed as of this writing. I am very sorry that this guest was disappointed in her stay and I welcome any questions regarding this posting.
E-mail received :
Hi Debora, We arrived at your lovely apartment yesterday afternoon and we could not be more excited and delighted with the location! Million dollar view for sure with balmy breezes washing over during the night. So peaceful and like sleeping outside in the fresh air but with a comfy mattress and pillows, One thing I am wondering...can we drink the tap water? Will probably buy bottled but can we make coffee/brush teeth with it? Off to El Yunque and Luquillo with evening trip to Vieques bio-bay.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No
Helpful votes: 2/3
