Be careful what you wish for
Review Submitted: August 2, 2008
Date of Stay: April 2008
We have stayed in this house twice, each time for 10 days. The first time, we asked the owner's local agent how to turn on the jacuzzi, but he never came to show us, so we never got to use it. The house itself is a bit dated, but quite comfortable. The blinds in the master bedroom are missing one or two panels, so it's difficult to sleep past sunrise if you are a light sleeper. At the end of our stay, we suggested that a full-length mirror would be a useful addition to the house, as well as a hair-dryer. The agent said he'd take note. When we decided to return a few months later, I corresponded with the agent, who promised that he'd get the jacuzzi going and we'd have a mirror. When we arrived, there was no mirror and and the remote control for the master bedroom TV wasn't working. It took 3 days for someone to come, and he had no idea how to turn on the jacuzzi nor how to fix the remote. At some point during our stay, a handyman came and hung a mirror on the inside of the bathroom door, making it not only useless for dressing, but also making the bathroom experience a bit creepy. (the agent is now blaming us for not having been at home when the handyman came, so we could tell him where to hang the mirror! Sorry - I was on vacation and not obliged to sit in the house to deal with maintenance problems.) He left sawdust all over the floor and towels.
At the end of our stay, I contacted the agent and asked for some sort of compensation for not being able to watch TV in bed at night and he said he'd have to check with the owners. He never did. I contacted the owners again 2 months later and they said they'd have to get the story from the agent. He eventually wrote and told me we should have asked the pool maintenance people about the jacuzzi and that since we didn't pay a cleaning fee of $89 (there was no extra charge in the contract), we had been well compensated for our lack of the use of a basic amenity.
We're on our way back to Sarasota in September. Guess where we're not renting!
Owner's Response: We have rented our house to this guest on two occasions and have never received a call aboout any dissatisfaction until July 26th (3 mos after the April rental) when as an attacment to a request to rent from Sept 8-18 we learned of the problems noted. After a series of copied e-mails, on July 31 we authorized our agent to pay this guest a sum we thought reasonable for her inconvenience. We regret she chose not to rent in September as we try to be as responsive to guest concerns as possible. In defense of our house - it is freshly painted , has a one year old tile floor in both bathrooms and kitchen, and a remodeled master bath which now has a full length mirror. All the furniture, high quality mattresses and Maytag washing machine are less than 3 years old. The pool (which is not heated) and its spa area are serviced weekly by an excellent pool company. We have reviewed the stated concerns with our agent to ensure that future guests have a working bedroom remote, instructions to use the spa, and overall excellent service.
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Helpful votes: 8/8
