at what point is it false advertising? UPDATE: Owner threatening to sue me.

[coastgirl]

Originally Posted by lampshadehead

Notice how this "kathryn" or whatever her name is, used the word "holiday" for vacation. Sounds like this "kathryn" could be from the UK? Coincidence?Hmmmmm

LOL, good catch, thank you! I was more than a little chagrined that she claimed to be Canadian.

We also rented our first house with a game console we couldn't get to work/no useful games. (And it was also a system we don't have, which added novelty value.) Next time I'll ask first. But if owners want to rent directly, they should have the customer service skills to make sure renters understand what they're getting, not see how little they can get away with. Fortunately there weren't other major issues, and the owner and mgmt co were very responsive when we had difficulties with the internet, for instance. I think that's the difference. A reasonable work-with-you response keeps things from getting worse.

But clearly this owner doesn't have those skills!

[SunkistJoy]

Originally Posted by mrsklamc

We had great experiences with 5mins2disney and romancing the mouse.

Thank you! Romancing the Mouse is my front runner right now. We are waiting to see which week my dh gets vacation before we can book. Since we are a party of 9 (my parents going also), there is only one RtM home we will fit in. So I'm looking for backups...and/or an even better deal! Decisions, decisions...

[hoff41]

Bump. Best thread ever

[Disneymom2kiddos]

I came on here looking for info on WH, but this was AWESOME!! BEST THREAD EVER!! Plus, thanks for the info on different places to stay!

[brunette8706]

Hi OP!

I am for a loss of words! I'm so sorry about the fiasco from this woman.

And to think she gets $1600.00 A WEEK for her home is ridiculous!

Hope you have a better time finding another vacation rental. I'll be sure to put this on my NO list! LOLOL!

Brunette

[Sunnywho]

All this aggravation could have been avoided through a $45 grill rental and a $20 offsite games rental! For lack of $65 and some manners, who knows how much business she has lost.

[Ametista]

I have been thinking a lot about this thread because it bothers me. Now, I can see being disappointed by the Playstation not having games, but honestly, I can't imagine that it would be possible to keep them from being stolen. My own son did not take very good care of games on disks, so how would vacationing kids treat them? That goes for the system remotes too ($50/each every time to replace?). The barbecue, well, they should quit advertising it.

But what gets me is this: I have been to many, many resorts and hotels where some great advertised feature wasn't working. For instance, we went to Cozumel and the hot tubs weren't heated/were broken. One trip to Orlando the water slide at our resort was broken. At another one the pool heat wasn't working. One place advertised three bedrooms but the third was barely larger than a closet and you couldn't even get the door all the way open because the bed was in the way. At one resort the spa/shower setup was like a death trap because the shower sprayed water all over the tile floor no matter what you did.

My point is, you will find a complaint at EVERY place you stay, but do you demand to be compensated or want your money back for it? Or is it maybe easier to just go after a private property owner and threaten to leave bad feedback and destroy their small business? I just don't think the fact that games and a barbecue were missing warrant this thread.

And if the barbecue HAD been there, who do you think would have cleaned it? I doubt anybody would, which is probably why it ended up in the trash. Unless they could find guests willing to pay an extra $20 cleaning fee for the barbecue?

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Originally Posted by Ametista

I have been thinking a lot about this thread because it bothers me. Now, I can see being disappointed by the Playstation not having games, but honestly, I can't imagine that it would be possible to keep them from being stolen. My own son did not take very good care of games on disks, so how would vacationing kids treat them? That goes for the system remotes too ($50/each every time to replace?). The barbecue, well, they should quit advertising it.

But what gets me is this: I have been to many, many resorts and hotels where some great advertised feature wasn't working. For instance, we went to Cozumel and the hot tubs weren't heated/were broken. One trip to Orlando the water slide at our resort was broken. At another one the pool heat wasn't working. One place advertised three bedrooms but the third was barely larger than a closet and you couldn't even get the door all the way open because the bed was in the way. At one resort the spa/shower setup was like a death trap because the shower sprayed water all over the tile floor no matter what you did.

My point is, you will find a complaint at EVERY place you stay, but do you demand to be compensated or want your money back for it? Or is it maybe easier to just go after a private property owner and threaten to leave bad feedback and destroy their small business? I just don't think the fact that games and a barbecue were missing warrant this thread.

And if the barbecue HAD been there, who do you think would have cleaned it? I doubt anybody would, which is probably why it ended up in the trash. Unless they could find guests willing to pay an extra $20 cleaning fee for the barbecue?

That is why you hire a management company. They inspect the home and charge the previous tenant if items are missing (video games). Then they replace them with that money. Every house should have a before and after checklist. They also contract cleaners who clean the home and grill. If you as an owner want positive feedback, either hire a reputable management company you can trust or be ready to make it right. When many other properties charge for the use of a grill, having one included factors into your decision to rent a property. Knowingly lying and saying you have one is not acceptable.

[mrsklamc]

Originally Posted by Ametista

I
But what gets me is this: I have been to many, many resorts and hotels where some great advertised feature wasn't working.

My point is, you will find a complaint at EVERY place you stay, but do you demand to be compensated or want your money back for it? Or is it maybe easier to just go after a private property owner and threaten to leave bad feedback and destroy their small business? I just don't think the fact that games and a barbecue were missing warrant this thread.

What matters is 1) what the issue is and 2) how it is handled. If I am planning on grilling a lot, a missing grill could destroy my food budget. (our last trip was 11 people so messing up a meal could cost a lot of $.) Additionally, it seems this owner has known for awhile the grill is missing but chooses to keep advertising (which you acknowledged she should not do.) And the video games are a no-brainer- you check after each guest, and if they are stolen you buy new ones out of their security deposit. (That's what a security deposit is for- a practice also followed by hotels. ) But the biggest issue is how this was handled. An apology rather than acting like either a brat or a psychopath- take your pick- would have gone a long way.

And yes, if the issue was big enough I would complain to a hotel as well.

[hoff41]

Bump. Just love this thread will bump to keep places like this from messesing with potential clients

[SevenWonkas]

Occasional lurker, first time poster... Just perusing the boards and saw this thread. Thought I would bump it. I agree with some previously posters, that the biggest issue here is how the owner handled the situation....

[ConvenientTruth]

This is rather comical.....how much of a refund were you expecting....No vidya games and lack of grill that can be rented for about $50....

Before renting did you confirm those things were available?

Did you ask what games were available to ensure they were age appropriate for your child?

Do you own said systems at home? If so why not brings games with you? Why trust the owner would have something your children would want to play? Would you have complained if they has games your children did not like?

This seems like one of the lamest complaints possible and your own fault for not confirming certain things before renting.

How to resolve, file complaint, rent a grill and vow never to rent from them again.

[TheShea's]

What a great thread. Sorry for hte OP who had to have a lousy rental and even lousier owner who didn't tend to the issues.

And like another poster said upthread, I too read the negative reviews first when renting property or researching a hotel. Wade through the chronic complainers and you'll typically see some patterns and the "truth" of what a property is really like and how the owners/managers deal with issues.

And this should be a lesson to the owner. Don't create an alt and post opposing veiws on a review website. Your property and the negative reviews associated with it are just getting bumped to the top.

[njgrl622]

*bump*

O....M....G......

I started reading this thread and couldn't stop until I read it all!

[Foxxie52]

OMG! To think I missed Jeremy Kyle this morning! This thread makes up for it! Brilliant! BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!