Disappointed
Submitted: August 17, 2012
Stayed: August 2012
We found the rental home on your website. The pictures were inviting and the reviews (2) were both 5 stars from several years ago. We arrived late afternoon, the owner was there to show us around. The floors were clean and shiny and the furniture polished. The home smelled like it had been newly cleaned. As we unpacked and put our food and clothing away in bedrooms and kitchens, I had a more thorough look at the cleanliness, or lack of it. The refrigerator downstairs had drawers that weren't thoroughly cleaned. The microwave had drops of heated food in it that were easily removed with a cloth. The refrigerator upstairs had not been cleaned for some time and we easily cleaned it with a cloth. There was only one shelf in the freezer. The oven had been cleaned with heat; the ashes had not been removed. Mice droppings were in the drawer to the right of the sink. More appeared every day after cleaning it out. Appliances were not cleaned and the toaster did not toast on both sides. Down stairs behind the bar a metallic tray was growing mold. All the baseboards had not been cleaned for more than a year, possibly two. The stairs to the bedrooms had not been swept and there was a considerable amount of dirt on them. The kitchen lights over the counter had dust and grease on the metal shades; no spare bulbs. We moved a bed to retrieve a dropped object and there was considerable dust and dirt that had collected near the headboard. When the odor of the cleaning agent had disappeared, there was a very strong odor of mildew and dampness The bathrooms were clean; the linen was fresh. They had plenty of towels and paper products; needed more washcloths and dish towels (only2). I looked again at the pictures on the website, wondering what I had not seen when I looked originally. The pictures are from some time ago, because the hedges on the front of the house are much larger now. There is also ivy that covers the well near the side door. The pictures don't match the actual. The yard was mowed but there were weeds in all the beds and bushes. This home has the potential to be a wonderful vacation spot. However, it needs a tremendous amount of attention at this time. The view in the back yard is wonderful. The gazebo had to be swept several times just to get the dirt and grass from the floor. A window AC unit on each floor did not make for comfortable sleeping. The fans provided were filthy. Because of all this we left earlier than planned.
Owner's Response: In a hundred and fifty odd stays we've never had a complaint about cleanliness indeed quite a lot of compliments. There is a backstory to this review and it's that the property was inspected by the party some months prior and so the property does match what was seen in person prior to their arrival. Also these guests were allowed in a day before check-in in order to save themn the expense of a motel room the night before and when this woman called up to complain, and despite the beds and so on being used, we immediately offered a full refund, which she declined. Then within half an hour one of the owners appeared to inspect her complaints, she pointed out dust on the lights hanging over the kitchen counter and som tiny rust marks on the side of what is admittedly an old, but quite serviceable refrigerator in the otherwise newly upgraded upstairs kitchen. Another part of the backstory is that the guests they were expecting to stay over with them (and share the expense?) cancelled, but since this not the property owners problem, we declined to make an offer of a partial refund.
Helpful votes: 1/1
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