3
Maintenance issues mar quiet beach house vacation
Villa Cecilia is an attractive house with a great view and a nice pool; it also has a terrific beach for sunbathing, swimming and walking. Unfortunately, the day our extended family got there, the air conditioning and fridge stopped working and were not repaired till more than halfway through our stay. There is a small wine refrigerator that we put some essentials in, but it was quite inconvenient for a large group. There were also a number of other aspects of the house not in good repair—dishwasher didn’t get dishes clean, blender broken, screen door handle broken and rattling in the wind, one of bedroom showers not working well, several lights burnt out in different rooms, etc—each one of which by itself wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the cumulative effect, combined with the larger problems, left us feeling that we did not get what we paid for. The property manager was apologetic and did what she could to get the AC and fridge repaired, but the owner offered no apology or compensation after our initial email detailing our concerns. When we contacted him more than a week after leaving, he was hostile and accused us of causing several of the problems.
Owner's Response: Dear Tiana:
I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you and your family may have incurred during your recent stay at the Villa Cecilia. I am sure you realize, on a remote Caribbean island, materials and labor are not nearly as accessible as they would be in the US. Never-the-less, Chrischelle and I responded immediately to your problems and had them repaired as quickly as possible and with as little inconvenience to you as possible.
What I am having real difficulty understanding is, even after we went above and beyond to resolve your maintenance issues, you state I was rude and did not offer an apology. That is simply not true. I never spoke to you directly at any time before, during, or after your stay. All of my communications regarding your stay was with your sister, Anneka. I offered her my sincerest apologies as well as agreeing to compensate your party for the minor annoyances you encountered. Anneka, for whatever reason, decided to decline compensation.
Over the past 3 years we have processed and serviced more than 100 bookings. During that period, we have received accolade after accolade regarding the Villa and our customer service and have never received less than 5 star reviews. Furthermore, I can assure all future guests that they can expect nothing less than the same excellent customer service all of our past guests have received.
Sincerely,
Dan & Joetta Silva
Chrischelle Gardiner
Sue Mullins
Helpful votes: 5/5
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