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AIBU?

To be puzzled and upset over holiday rental complaint

239 replies

violets17 · 23/07/2018 20:35

I rented a villa last month and a week after I had left I received an email from the villa owner's husband saying that I was the messiest renter they had had in 2 years and not to bother trying to rebook (which I hadn't). I emailed back asking for more details and he emailed back saying "it was a mess" with no further detail.

I've really racked my brains and asked my eldest son who was with me to help me remember everything. This is what I did/didn't do:

Positives
I took out all our rubbish and put it in the correct public bins
Emptied the fridge of our leftover food
Put most things back where they were (see negative list)
Didn't use BBQ therefore no mess
Roughly wiped down sides in kitchen
Checked all over for obvious spills/toothpaste etc

Possible Negatives
I didn't put all the towels in the bath because there wasn't instructions to do that so wasn't sure
Left dishwasher running with a few morning things
Replaced coffee I had used with half a jar I had bought, replaced sugar I had used with some sugar packets
Left a lilo (still working) by the pool for next guests
Left a half used bottle of laundry liquid in the laundry room
Left a brand new (unused) insulated cool bag on top of cool box

Negatives
Did not put clothes horse back in correct place
Did not put hairdryer back in drawer
Placed sofa throws on correct sofas but didn't fold them
Didn't wipe outside table (a bit tacky)
Didn't wipe glass coffee table (a bit tacky)
Didn't actually clean anything just looked for obvious toothpaste/spills/toilet stains and dealt with that - ie didn't sweep/mop/get out the cif

I then got a "guest rating" which only gives star ratings out of 5. They gave me the following

Overall experience - 1 star
Cleanliness - 1 star
Communication - 2 stars
Following house rules - 2 stars

I'm flummoxed - house rules were no smoking inside (I didn't), no house parties (of course not), no excessive noise (um - I don't even drink and had no music on).

Communication was ordinary until he emailed me to complain and I asked for details which he didn't give and neither of us communicated further.

This is about the 10th holiday villa I have rented and it has always been positive with owners asking me back and refunding my deposit immediately - luckily there was no deposit with this one.

I know I have given this too much thought but I honestly feel like I don't know what he was talking about. Why did he wait a whole week after I left to email me?

Sorry for long post - didn't want to drip drip

OP posts:
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WakeUpSlow · 23/07/2018 20:38

Could they have confused you with the people who rented the week after you do you think?

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wellBeehivedWoman · 23/07/2018 20:38

How bizarre. I wonder if it was sent to you in error? You shouldn't be expected to properly clean a holiday rental, just have a bit of a tidy which you did.

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wellBeehivedWoman · 23/07/2018 20:39

I would email back to check - the fact that they sent it a week after you left makes me think they maybe sent it to you by mistake when they meant the people after you.

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cuckooplusone · 23/07/2018 20:42

Where was it? I know that in France you are expected to clean thoroughly or pay for a cleaning service.

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PandaPieForTea · 23/07/2018 20:43

Expectations on how clean you need to leave a holiday rental seem to vary between countries. Was an end of let clean definitely included?

As an example, we’ve never rented in France because it seems almost impossible to find one that you don’t have to clean completely at the end of your stay and spending the last evening cleaning strikes me as a way to ruin a holiday.

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Thatssomebadhatharry · 23/07/2018 20:45

Agree with others bet it is meant for someone else. When you asked for details they realised mistake and chickened out in reply.

You could ask them this.

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Moltenpink · 23/07/2018 20:45

I’m feeling angry on your behalf now! Can you ring? Have you rated them?

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GoofyIsACow · 23/07/2018 20:47

How strange! I would definitely be ringing or getting in touch again somehow!

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violets17 · 23/07/2018 20:48

It was Canary Islands - I commented half way through to my son that it was a little grubby (ie floors a little tacky faint whiff of pee in one bathroom). But I wouldn't have bothered mentioning it to them.

I don't think he mixed me up with someone else.

OP posts:
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ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 23/07/2018 20:49

Ooh, that would really upset me! Probably one of those things you should just let go, but I know I'd be dwelling on it.

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londonrach · 23/07/2018 20:53

Just leave honest feedback and let go.

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violets17 · 23/07/2018 20:54

The "star" rating was given about 2 weeks after he sent me an email so I really don't think it was an error.

I know I have lost the plot over this but it has ruined my Summer and I feel like I don't ever want to go on holiday again. If I had thrown a party/smoked inside/broken something I would shrug my shoulders as it would be justified (not that I would do those things).

OP posts:
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Passonthemessage · 23/07/2018 20:54

Was this Airbnb?

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iamyourequal · 23/07/2018 20:54

OP it must be a mistake. I’d say not wiping surfaces etc when you left was a bit grubby, but hardly a heinous enough crime for a 1/5! Complain back to the owner!

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Thatssomebadhatharry · 23/07/2018 20:55

Maybe he doesn’t like you for whatever reason and maybe finding excuses that hide his actual reasons.

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violets17 · 23/07/2018 20:59

iamyourequal - I agree, it was a bit grubby not to wipe the coffee table and outside table. I wish I had taken those extra couple of minutes now.

OP posts:
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1sttimeunicorn · 23/07/2018 21:02

Hi @violets17 I just wanted to give you a wave... the EXACT same thing has just happened to me. Annoyingly, it was just after I had left a glowing review as the owner had been so nice! Really the property wasn’t that brilliant, definitely not the best equipped etc, and basic facilities. We left it very similarly to how you described, the main thing I didn’t clean properly was the high chair because it was a bit rickety (old) and to clean it I would have needed to take it apart completely, and I didn’t want to in case I broke it. We left everything as we found it, there were absolutely no house rules listed so nothing to break (but we still got 1 star!) we were just me, DH and a baby so hardly been wrecking the joint!
I have complained to the company as we have used the site for a long time without any issues, hoping they will delete!
It’s annoyed me too (I feel like it’s spoilt my memory of the holiday cottage, and holiday time is precious). Sad

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violets17 · 23/07/2018 21:02

Passonthemessage - It wasn't Airbnb it was Homeaway/Owners Direct.

OP posts:
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Passonthemessage · 23/07/2018 21:03

I can't see any reason for complaint - not wiping surfaces? I'd expect the cleaner to wipe surfaces just to make sure they were properly clean.

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Passonthemessage · 23/07/2018 21:04

I'd contact Owners Direct and raise a complaint. What a downer though to come back to that.

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OlennasWimple · 23/07/2018 21:06

If the bathroom was a bit stinky half way through your holiday, maybe by the time someone else went into it (cleaner or next holiday maker) it was really gross

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Florabella · 23/07/2018 21:07

I had exactly the same from a Homeaway owner in Lanzarote and was really cross as we had left it in a good condition.

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SqueakyBinders · 23/07/2018 21:08

I didn't know that owners could rate guests on HomeAway. I've used them loads - where would you find your rating?

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1sttimeunicorn · 23/07/2018 21:08

@violets17 yup owners direct here too

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Friendofsadgirl · 23/07/2018 21:09

@violets17, if it bothered me so much, I would email back with:
"Can you please confirm the dates of the stay and examples of the issues involved here as I am not aware of a mess being left or rules broken during our visit?"
If he still insists it was you but will not give examples then I suspect he's made a mistake he won't own up to or he's a lying git.

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