We wouldn't stay here again. First time we've said that in all of our time renting from VRBO.
We wouldn't stay here again. First time we've said that in all of our time renting from VRBO.
Submitted: September 2, 2012
Stayed: July 2012
We will not be returning to this house. Manistee, Michigan, Dunes Drive and the house itself are all very beautiful. However, we have stayed in many houses rented through VRBO over the years and have never had an issue with an owner, the condition of the property, returning our deposit – no problems at all, until this house. We understand the need for a large deposit given the artwork in the home, and we understand owners taking pride in their homes just as we take pride in our home. Yet, it doesn’t seem to work both ways with this house, the owners and the rental company. When we arrived at the property, the elevator (marketed in their description) did not work; the second dish disposal did not work – and would stop up and smell when the dishwasher was running; the handle on the outside back door broke. None of these issues ruined the vacation – they were just inconveniences, as were the lack of cooking equipment (no cookie sheets, no pizza cutter, filthy grill – but lots of sets of dishes and china), the 3 beach chairs for a 4 bedroom home, and the fact they have notes all over the house of what to do and not do (e.g., wipe down the cherrywood bathroom vanities after every use). The property rental company was not helpful on rectifying these issues. Bottom line: we left the house in the same condition as we found it, but we had to call and email several times over a three week period to even get our deposit back. Finally, the owners deducted money from our deposit because we washed a colored blanket with white sheets and ruined the sheets – something we found hard to believe if the blankets were washed as often as they should be. Additionally, when we asked questions trying to figure out what happened with the sheets – we received no response other than a receipt for new sheets and towels. All in all, we do not recommend the house – the town of Manistee (including Reel Charters fishing – it was a true highlight of the trip) and the surrounding areas (Traverse City, Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course and clubhouse) are beautiful and we would definitely return to the area – just never this house.
Owner's Response: We are glad that you found Manistee and the home beautiful, and are very sorry regarding the deposit return. It is rare for us to withhold some of the deposit, however we did need to keep a small portion for the ruined sheets. We did not charge for the broken door handle, and did stay in constant contact via e-mail with you after the rental, notifying you there would be a slight delay because of ordering the new sheets. In the end, we only kept roughly $50 for the new sheets and even offered a 10% discount on a future stay (included in the letter with the deposit return and receipt for the sheets), good for any of our vacation rental properties. Also, we have spoken with the owners and have worked to make sure the kitchen is fully equipped and that all the amenities will be in good working order for the next season of rentals (unfortunately elevator repair is very tough to schedule in the middle of a busy summer!). We hope this experience does not deter you from returning to beautiful Manistee.
Helpful votes: 19/19
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
No
