Guestbook Comment

Owner's Response: This was a very unfortunate situation that occurred while I was away on vacation.

The renter didn't mention that we immediately offered to have our cleaning people clean the house again when she first mentioned that she saw mouse, not rat, droppings. We also explained several times that what she saw were gecko droppings.

We understood her concern and exchanged courteous e-mails. She sent us photos of the rodent droppings in question which I felt would help to find the problem areas.

The refund was sent 12 days after their early departure from the house. Here is the letter of explanation I sent to her with the refund.

Aloha,

Sorry for the delay in getting this refund to you but I had to talk to the pest control people and the cleaning people so I could show them the photos and get explanations as to why you felt the house was infested with rodents. Both companies inspected the house. Thank goodness you were wrong. The pest control company verified what I thought. It was not mouse dirt but gecko poop. Geckos, as much as we love them because they eat the bad creatures, are very messy. And the larger size droppings were just made by large geckos. Geckos are also creatures of habit and will leave their poop in the same places, night after night. Hawaii is in the tropics and we cannot keep them out of our homes or keep them from pooping. They are our guests too.

Refund is enclosed. Also, your refundable damage deposit is enclosed. The discounted rental fee was based on staying eight nights in September. We have no two night special package rate. Therefore, the two nights must be based on the open rate.

The cleaning fee is a departure cleaning. The cleaning company cleaned after you and your family left. It takes the same amount of time whether someone stays one day or eight days. The same procedure is used.

Although we have a no-cancellation policy and a no-refund policy for early departures, we feel very badly that this occurred. We apologize for any inconvenience to you and your family.
Mahalo.

One of things we pride ourselves in is our aloha to all of our guests. We do our best to rectify all problems. We offered to clean the house again. She refused the offer. Contact with pests and/or pest droppings inside or outside of our home is not reason for termination of our Agreement nor is it reason for a refund. We still sent a refund for six days.

Owner's Response: We were sure that we had explained that the kitchen cabinets are in the process of being refurbished. And, we apologize for not making that clearer. They are being re-done in between our guests' stays. And, the bathroom shower tiles are next. We don't want to rip everything up while guests are here, so everything is put back together each time we have guests arriving.

Everyone in Hawaii suffers from the heat and humidity in September. This is our hottest month and we never know when the trades will shut down for a few days. The small fans are brand new and quite effective when positioned strategically. But there is only so much one can do when it is 87-89 degrees and there are no breezes. The best part is that it only lasts a few days here in Kailua. We usually have lovely ocean breezes. When the smaller bedroom is not being used, I don't explain that if you leave the windows open, the breezes come from that direction. And, there are ceiling fans in all the bedrooms and living room. Hawaii is definitely tropical. Sometimes it takes a little time to get used to this type of climate, There's a reason why we have extra blankets in the closet. They really do come in handy on a cool January evening.
The kitchen cabinets and shower tile repairs will be completed soon - that's "soon" in Hawaiian time. Things move a little slower in Hawaiian time. Much aloha!