Not what it looks like
Review Submitted: July 9, 2008
Date of Stay: June 2008
Althought the owners were amenable to us in trying to correct/remedy the situation, I simply couldn't let someone else stay here without knowing fully what they are getting into.
The upstairs A/C was broken upon arrival and the two supposed upper bedrooms registered at 98'. One of the guests had an alarm clock with a thermometer. This was fixed during our stay.
Those 2 upper bedrooms did not have any ventilation or windows which I assumed could not qualify as a bedroom.
Birds in chimney arouse you at 5:30am - not a problem in master bedroom, but if you are sleeping on a mattress in the living room because your bedroom is too hot, it's distressing. Owners are aware of this and said it was on the "to do" list.
Lastly the home is listed as 3600 sqaure feet, with a back view of two full floors of living space. After my check had cleared for the full rental amount, the owner casually mentioned that their son lived in the basement. But not to worry, he had a sperate entrance. I was notified of this 2 days before checkin and Pinehurst is sold out of rooms. There was no lock between main floors and basement, and we were a group of 6 women. Even if the guy is ok, what about his friends?? What about the fact we had no securtiy whatsoever?? Well not to worry, the folks and dog stayed too!
I also have a small probelm with the garage being unaccessable. It would have been nice to park our cars indoors during the heat of the day.
The owners refunded 50% of the rental due to the A/C malfunction, but I doubt I will ever go through a service that does not have a professional management company. The house simply is not as stated.
Owner's Response: Owners’ Statement of Facts(Review # 111506): (Please take time to read)
While it is true that the A/C was “not working in upper level, A full picture includes the following: the A/C malfunction had just happened as the property had been checked the day before. We were notified late Wednesday evening by the renters and the repair service came the next morning. We refunded 50% of the rental fee. Unforeseen problems can occur; all we can do is to react as quickly as possible.
While it is true that our son lives downstairs in the home, so do my husband and I. Our usual process is to notify each renter that we live on site upon their confirmation (with their 50% deposit) -- ordinarily 30 - 60 days before arrival. However, this renter confirmed only a few days before arrival, by payment in full. If the renter had confirmed per the usual 1 - 2 months in advance, they would have had more than sufficient time to find alternate accommodations. In fact, we made an exception in working with them regarding dates and payment methodology. It is not our responsibility that this renter made such last minute arrangements. The comments about their concerns about security aspects don’t deserve any response. The implication that there was some sort of negative effect from the presence of ourselves and our dog on the lowest level is insulting and has no basis; we heard them; they did not hear us.
The statement that the owners knew & had not remedied the problem “birds in chimney” is untrue. An owner did state that such had occurred before, and that it would be taken care of now that we knew.
As was explained to the renters, the bedrooms “qualified” when the house was built 20 years ago. Further, this is the first complaint we’ve had in over 8 years. In fact, we have had a couple of comments that this was a positive aspect, conducive to “sleeping in”.
We always personally check on our guests at least once during their stay. Their comments have consistently been very positive. We fervently hope that this one-time negative posting - in over 8 years of hosting - will not influence you, who are now reading all of this.
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Helpful votes: 4/5
marks the location of the property in North Carolina Piedmont
