Freindly local staff but uncooperative owners
sgm
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Review Submitted: February 26, 2008
Date of Stay: February 2008
I was very disappointed in the response that I got from the owners of this property. I reserved February 2nd to Feb 11th and from February 15th to the 18th. The reservation was confirmed by telephone and payment was made for the first portion by courier and I was told that the second portion could be paid on my arrival. Just before we got there the owner canceled our reservation for the second portion because he said that he had another renter that wanted the unit. OK! Then tragically my Brother in law suddenly passed away and I had to return to Canada. My young family had to stay in Panama during my absence and the time period coincided with our final days at this location, so had to move my fammily out 2 days early and get them to the the new location before leaving the country. This last minuite change cost was expensive and we asked him to cancel our stay in the unit 2 days early so that I could get my family into the new location without having to travel for 2 hours in a strange country alone with 2 kids. They refused. It is OK for them to cancel my reservation for the last few days but not OK for me to do the same. This is totally one sided.
When I got here I was a little disappointed at what I found. It was not a Queen bed as stated in the Email. The DVD did not work, the safe was locked and I could not open it, the BBQ was all locked up, the pool has algae growing on the walls and the floor, There were no oven gloves or spatulas in the apartment, In the apartment upstairs we have kids pounding on the floors and people coming and going at all hours of the night. We were woken up numerous times during the last few nights. Along with the other things that have been happening in my life recently, these items added to my levels of frustration. It was not a pleasant stay.
Owner's Response: I am sorry to read this review, knowing how hard we work to make our property special and our guests happy. We're a small exclusive property, frequently booked up. We don't "overbook" like airlines and hotels do, we “hold” a booking for 7 days awaiting payment, and then we guarantee the unit when payment arrives. The courier he used to pay must've been Pony Express because it took 20 days, not arriving until after the guest was in Panama! Normally we don’t allow check-in without paying in advance, but in this case we did. Regarding the 2nd portion of the trip, the 3 night stay was offered, but he never made any effort to send payment. When I had another guest who wanted the apartment and paid immediately, we accepted it. It was not until this reviewing guest was on his way to Panama he said he would mail the payment, but it was too late. When I realized the situation this guest was in (on his way to Panama and having no place to stay for the 2nd portion), I called Panama and after 2 hours calling properties, found and made reservations at another property for him (although he never stayed there or contacted THAT property to cancel the reservation).
Once at the property, he asked me to check out early so he could go to the beach. I certainly did not want to offer a refund so he could go to his next destination early! When I reminded the guest of our no refund policy and offered a 100% credit towards a future trip, he was angry and said “he would never be coming back to Panama.” This was contradicted by the guest asking our manager which schools in Panama are best as he may be moving there (his first email mentioned this). She typed him up a list of schools with their phone numbers, but no mention of that in his review.
Finally, our beds ARE queen size beds, the safe was open and BBQ locked upon arrival, but this is our procedure (explained in a Welcome Packet I emailed in advance). We have never had algae in our pool. We DID forget to put oven gloves and a spatula in the unit as it was just remodeled in December, but the maid apologized and said she gave him new ones within minutes when he asked. We do sometimes ask noisy guests to quiet down and be respectful of other guests. This happens once and a while in a multi-unit property (even hotels), but we strive to make all our guests happy.
I am very proud of how we operate our property and after 3 ½ years of being in business, this is the first negative review we have had.
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Helpful votes: 17/20
