Being nosy - Holiday home owners - do people steal stuff?

[Polkadotpjs]

On the back of the other thread about what people want to see in holiday homes I wondered if half of it is practical or workable. I was thinking about y work where we have a dishwasher that can't be used because if dishwasher tablets are left for it, people steal them ! Ditto spare loo rolls in the cubicles or nice hand soap! I'm not a journalist so don't think that. Just wondered if there's a balance between nice stuff and risking it going walkabout.
We went away last weekend and was pleased to see dishwasher tablets and laundry liquid but then disappointed there was no foil ! I'd have taken some and left it if there if I'd thought

I “stole” a corkscrew once. Found it in one of my kids bags weeks later. I felt awful as it’s the sort of thing that wouldn’t necessarily be noticed by housekeeping but would be annoying pretty much straight away for the next guests! 😬

On the flip side, I’ve donated enough Apple chargers over the years to fill a shop!

Why do you think this is ok? Is it like kleptomania? I just wouldn't feel ok about it! Or do you feel paying somehow entitles you to nick something too?

This thread shocks me.

I once broke a wine glass in a holiday let so bought a new set of 4 and left a note.

That is my idea of normal. Not nicking decorative items and loo roll.

I have on occasion taken a book if I'm
half way through it but only when I’ve left books to fill the gap on the shelf.

I think people should consider that it might also be the cleaners. I have had my bedding switched by a cleaner. I bought all new bamboo bedding (just plain white but light, super soft and quite expensive) and got rid of all our old mismatched stuff. After coming back from holiday we still had plain white bedding but it was cheap polycotton from asda..

I’ve often thought things were nice but would never dream of taking anything. Our first holiday cottage booking about 30 years ago said it slept 10 people, there were only 2 knives and forks, no flying pan, no corkscrew. We had to buy these things in Woolworths. Garden furniture was also all broken. Owner came by said he didn’t have anything to do with running the cottage, but had a sit on mower to cut the grass. I have taken books, but have left the books we’ve read, only paperbacks I wouldn’t take hardback books in case they were the owners private collection. If I break anything, say a glass or mug I leave a note as it must be annoying not knowing. I found a previous guests medication once, quite a lot of it in a kitchen drawer. I phoned the owner and was told to throw it all away. I said there’s a lot and it has the owners name and address on it, but was told it was nothing to do with me, so I left them on the worktop when we left. We won’t be going back there, I’d like to think if I left anything behind it would be posted back to me.

I have never stolen anything from a holiday home. The worst I would take would be the shower gel but that’s in hotels really!
i suppose the trick is just to leave enough dishwasher tablets/loo roll for the duration of a stay so people don’t steal / or at least not excessive amounts.
it’s mad that people steal furniture and crockery / I suppose the trick is just to buy from ikea!
we are going to a holiday home shortly which reviews say is very well equipped & won’t be stealing anything!!

Hair dryers, irons, charging lead for vacuum cleaner, cushions, pillows, Egyptian cotton plain white bedding swapped for Asda white polyester bedding, towels, mop and mop bucket, floating tablet dispensers from hot tubs, scissors, pizza wheels.

We’ve had guests steal our books and leave their shit unwated books behind, stealing isn’t okay if you leave your own crap behind.

I'm shocked at cleaners nicking the bedding and replacing it with stuff from Asda. That takes planning.

It would never occur to me to do half the things on this thread

I have broken a glass or two in the past and not mentioned it to the owners so I will make sure I do that in future

Do you not all charge security deposits to cover this?

iv only ever taken 2 things by accident.

A small white genetic hand towel. It must of been on my daughters bed when she packed her clothing away…. Aka didn’t look and shoved everything in her bag.

Washing up liquid… no idea it wasn’t ours… went away with a another couple and the men did all the shopping so when I was packing away all the left over food and bits I just presumed it was ours.

How many loo rolls are people leaving to know someone ‘stole’ them? I think the most we have ever been left is one in each loo which Iv lasts all of a day or 2 when you have a family.

Now I'm feeling bad. I've often done the replace a paperback with one I've finished. I thought that was fairly standard in a holiday home with paperbacks.

Definitely wouldn't take anything else though.

I have taken books, but have left the books we’ve read, only paperbacks I wouldn’t take hardback books in case they were the owners private collection

You don't consider that the paperbacks could also be part of their private collection?

To be honest many many hotels and guest accommodation operate a paperback exchange situation so I’m not going to loose any sleep over taking a dog eared John Grisham with a £3.50 from Tesco sticker on and leaving behind my completed Maeve Binchy.

If this isn’t acceptable then accommodation should say so given that it’s so widely acceptable.

Ok I'll admit it I always steal something from every cottage or hotel I stay in. I don't know why - I just have to.

Stop behaving like a selfish twat and go get help with your kleptomania.

I don't think I've ever stayed at a holiday cottage where the stuff there is better than my stuff at home. Maybe I need to choose a higher standard of cottage?

I do get annoyed at cottages not having enough toilet roll, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid etc for my stay though - and now I know why they don't.

I'd much rather that cost included in the price I pay, that have to cart that kind of stuff around the country or waste time and money buying uneconomically small packets for the holiday.

I'd also assume a bookshelf of paperback books was there for the swapping. I never do because there is never the kind of books on there I read and I often prefer a kindle book. But I have left a few behind where, for one reason or another, I find myself with a paperback I've finished reading. It's never occurred to me this might not be welcomed.

I've been away a few times just after having my hair dyed and I take an old towel to put over the pillow so the dye doesn't get onto the bedding. I'd be mortified if it did!

I used to be a property manager / reservations manager for a holiday company abroad, we once had a Spanish family take the microwave 😁 it was brand new and a medium range one

Ok so bed gate.

MIL had many regular guests, this couple came every year.

They used to change things they thought would be better, move pictures, change pans etc.

One year they turned up with a brand new television, took away hers. They had won it in a competition.

The next time she went to do a turnover after they had left. The bed had gone. It was a wooden frame.

She called them, after randomly asking us who had taken it.

They said they had left a TV the previous year and loved the bed so much they had taken it as payment for the gifted TV.

They had a small van they came in. Must have taken it apart and off they went.

It's a bit of a family joke now, can I borrow milk, yes but don't take the bed. Does anyone want this x item, yes but don't take my bed.

I have on occasion taken a book if I'm
half way through it but only when I’ve left books to fill the gap on the shelf.

It's usually clear if it's a book exchange or the owner's own collection.
If it wasn't I would never assume it was the former.

I am naive and innocent it seems, although surely if such behaviour was so endemic then there wouldn't be such a thriving holiday home market; people just wouldn't bother.

We are just back from a w/e away in an AirBnB. One of my sons blocked the loo and despite my best efforts I couldn't shift it. Owner was on site so I spoke to her (SO embarrassing). When I got home I remembered that the sink plug was already broken and we'd relocated a light bulb so get more light in one room. I reported both of these to the owner.

I have never taken anything that isn't mine.

Pr

Never take anything but have frequently left small kitchen appliances, kitchen knives and books . One place we stayed regularly we left three stick blenders in a year. It's the sort of place where homemade soup is lovely to have - it got to the stage where every time we booked DH would nip off to Tesco and buy another stick blender.

We once asked if we could take a duvet cover and pillow case. DS was 3 and was absolutely obsessed with the bedding - one day it took us hours to get him out of bed because he didn't want to leave the hedgehogs We couldn't find it online anywhere and finally established it was discontinued so we emailed and asked if we could take it and replace with another set made by the same company which they were fine with.

Otherwise I think I've accidentally taken the odd teaspoon in the bottom of picnic bags.

We often leave shower gel and books behind for the next person

Nothing annoys me more than paying £1K for a week in a holiday cottage and finding I need to buy loo rolls or I can't run the dishwasher enough.

(I don't go back to that sort of holiday home.)

It's completely mad and mean for owners to leave something like 4 dishwasher tablets on the basis you might run it every other day, or not enough loo rolls.
I also get annoyed when there is no cling film or foil, no kitchen roll, or cleaning stuff - like 1/4 bottle of washing up liquid.

The cost to them is minute but the inconvenience to the client of having to shop for basics like this is not on- it's a holiday FGS!

Why they think anyone would steal a loo roll when they are paying £1K for a week ,beats me. And if they do, the cost to the owner is nothing.