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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Pants honeymoon

128 replies

Hughfearnley · 04/08/2014 23:19

got married on Sat. Wonderful day. Perfect in every way. Hired a holiday cottage in this country from a company billed as selling luxury cottages- the finest self catering holidays blah blah blah.
We turn up and there is dirty crockery on the table, the master bedroom is not big enough to walk round the bed (not conducive for planned shagfest) , no parking (layby down the rd we have 6 month DS)
Travel cot is damp. No BBQ despite inventory stating it and no TV reception as Aerial is buggered. TV screen only as big as small laptop screen anyway.
Mould in bathroom.
I am in tears and want to go home. DH very laid back, wants us to have a holiday and relax. Emails to letting agent will sort out TV aerial and BBQ. Refusing to acknowledge any other problems.
Supposed to be visit England 4 star. I have emailed them too.
We have paid £1.5k for 2 weeks. AIBU? WWYD?
Should I just get over it?
This is day 2 of 14 Hmm
I would rather be at home with decent bed, TV, decent cot etc etc

OP posts:
deakymom · 05/08/2014 09:16

£1500 is more than i paid for my wedding! (unhelpful) ring and moan don't let your passive husband sort it out facebook and tripadvisor the evidence just how different is the pictures on the site to the reality? more furniture put in or what?

congratulations by the way Grin

Monopolice · 05/08/2014 09:17

Hugh it's not luck - it's use of Google Maps, Streetview, checking every photo on every website, every review, only going for places that have floorplans, getting a list of questions ready - basically not assuming anything or taking anything on trust.

I've also stayed in a mouldy, dusty, smelly 4* cottage with various things broken or missing. That was also in the middle of zero phone reception so you couldn't even phone the owners or agency to complain Hmm

outtolunchagain · 05/08/2014 09:20

Hmm we have done a lot of holiday lets , for really upmarket in August would expect to pay closer to £1500 for a week not a fortnight but depends where you are .Seaside etc.We stopped going to the West Country because everything was so expensive

Marylou62 · 05/08/2014 09:26

As an x 4* holiday let cleaner...dirty crockery on the table!!!! It sounds like no one has been in to clean...I left it sparkling...mopping as I left the door. I don't think you can moan about the size of rooms...but damp travel cot, broken TV etc you have every right to complain...

NigellasDealer · 05/08/2014 09:28

you must complain = in fact make a fucking project out of it. complain loud and incessantly enough and you might get your money back and at that point you can re-book the honeymoon somewhere nice like the seychelles.

Johnogroats · 05/08/2014 09:29

I think we are mugs! We et out our very nice, sleeps 6 comfortably, house in beautiful town in the French Alps for 350. Even in August or ski season. Only to friends or family but they are getting a pretty good deal.

OP it sounds shockingly bad. Also post on Trip Advisor - I always check that. And keep going. The bedruthan steps hotel post was interesting....that got a reaction from the hotel. You could post a link here too....

Gileswithachainsaw · 05/08/2014 09:38

I would use twitter and gave book and upload photos and complain. Loud enough you get a refund and can afford to pay for a now hotel or something instead.

Post negative review on trip advisor and on their web site!!

I hope you get your money back!!!

Oh and it's your honey moon, if you decided to take the post man that's up to you. Ignore the ridiculous comments about your baby. It's your honey moon you can do wtf you like.

LEMmingaround · 05/08/2014 09:42

I think your dh is right. Just enjoy your time. If the cot is that bad find a local baby shop that hires out travel cots. Don't let it ruin your honeymoon. Take pictures complain vociferously when you get home and demand a refund. Trip advisor is your friend and I imagine there will be other organisations that will help.

Congratulations on your getting wed Flowers

revealall · 05/08/2014 10:04

I can't believe the price of a cottage over here.
Even at this late stage you can stay at the Tripadvisor well reviewed,4* Torre Cataluyna in Barcelona for less than £1,400 for 14 nights that has a pool and a gym etc. I know it's not the same as having an apartment but I bet I could find one of those cheaper too if I wasn't on this daft phone.
I second the Daily Mail story on what poor value for money you got.
But I do think you should stay and make the best of it. You'll be fed up and a honeymoon down if you leave.

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 05/08/2014 11:50

she cant enjoy her time she is already up set and no one is doing anything about it.....cut your losses....a honey moon is once in a life time thing.

you could book into AMAZING HOTEL for that price even for a few nights....real luxury!

whatever5 · 05/08/2014 11:51

I think that you should insist that they send a cleaner to sort out the mould and also provide a new BBQ, TV aerial and travel cot. If they say that they can't do that, buy them yourself and demand they refund the cost. I would telephone rather than e mail.

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 05/08/2014 11:54

I would have expected something more decent for the money but maybe that's just not the case anymore. Maybe we should have gone abroad instead

No it is the case, you should be able to get something lovely for that price.

I have never ever paid that much and always stay in really lovely stunning places.....

alister sawday - never put a foot wrong.
owners direct.

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 05/08/2014 11:55

Oh yes - lovely on ones honeymoon battling to get mould removed.

what are we like in the uk!

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 05/08/2014 11:56

she shouoldn't have to insist on anything, they should be running round with cleaners, wine for apologies flowers etc...

the response so far tells me, they don't give a shit or she is speaking to someone very young and clueless when she contacts the rental company!

OnlyLovers · 05/08/2014 12:00

Complain EVERYWHERE – across social media and on their own site. Tell them exactly how much you're complaining. Mould in a bathroom, dirty crockery on the table Hmm and a damp cot is NOT 4-star standards.

I've paid less than that for a cottage in this country and standards were MUCH higher.

Some holiday companies are at least honest and say when rooms are small etc. They might use slightly evasive language but I've never been anywhere and thought I'd been seriously misled.

Those harping on whether a honeymoon with a baby is a honeymoon, that's not the point of the thread.

ChatEnOeuf · 05/08/2014 12:05

Name and shame! And if my DD was six months old when we married, I'd have taken her too.

Kimaroo · 05/08/2014 12:09

I disagree with posters who say for that money you shouldn't expect luxury. For a 2 or 3 bed cottage that is presumably not on a complex with tons of facilities I would expect a lot more than this for my money. We stay in loads of holiday lets and to not have parking or have been cleaned is disgraceful. Especially the way they are marketing the property. Agree though, you really have to look carefully at photos provided, a room can look vast if someone has carefully shot it that way - just look at estate agents!

Gileswithachainsaw · 05/08/2014 12:15

I don't think clean is a luxury either.

No matter how basic or cheap a place is surely being sanitary is a reasonable expectation.

soverylucky · 05/08/2014 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OnlyLovers · 05/08/2014 12:30

Minor point alert:

'or she is speaking to someone very young and clueless when she contacts the rental company!'

People don't have to be young to be clueless, Buds!

Kimaroo · 05/08/2014 12:34

Op, can you put a link up so we can see the webpage?

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 05/08/2014 12:43

Ok lets say someone who doesnt realise the importance of a honeymoon and has little experience with customers...

FunkyBoldRibena · 05/08/2014 12:58

I wouldn't complain just yet. I'd say they have until 5pm today to sort it out with either somewhere else to stay or a refund. Then I'd go home and spend the refund on somewhere nice for next week.

If you get neither, or they don't start making tracks to sort it, I'd go round and take copious photos and let them know that this WILL cost them more than £1500 in lost future business as you will be reviewing this on ALL available websites and it would be easier to give you the refund now and cut your losses.

OnlyLovers · 05/08/2014 14:48

Buds, sure. Grin

Well, they might have plenty of experience with customers but just not be very good at it ... And I'd hope that staff would be trained to know that everyone's holiday is important to them, whatever the purpose, and act accordingly.

They just sound like a shite company. I mean, I doubt that the person she's been dealing with is the same person who didn't get the crockery cleared, or who thought a damp carrycot was OK. I agree with going as high as possible – area manager, as you suggest.

VSeth · 05/08/2014 15:01

How about you pick up the phone to letting agent, explain that the property wasn't clean on arrival. Ask them to send the cleaner back around and ask for another travel cot. Ask for them to send someone to fix aerial. Then go out when the cleaning team come around, buy some lovely food, champagne, dvd's and flowers for table and chill out.