to expect a partial refund on holiday house

[Monkey533]

Just spent 5 days on holiday with extended family in a rental house on a small island. There were 16 of us from 4 to 75. Holiday was great except day 2 the fridge freezer broke down. We notified the manager immediately and he came around with a handyman first thing the next day. He said it couldn't be fixed and that we'd just have to use ice and he would't be able to get a replacement until after we had left.

The problem is this is a small beach island with no real stores and only (expensive) ferry access to the mainland. There was a small store near us where we could get ice and some supplies but at greatly inflated prices (2ce what you'd pay on the mainland.) We had some in the fridge but ended up buying 5 more bags of ice that day, and still had to throw out a lot of food that didn't make it. We also spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up melted ice, and running back and forth to the store.

When I complained, he sent over 3 more bags of ice. We're home now and survived of course, and had a good time despite all of this so some in the party think I should just let it go, and that it wasn't his fault. I think he needs to offer us some sort of refund though I'm not sure how much (rental was around £3k).

WWYD / AIBU to think that a fridge is pretty vital for a rental when there are no supermarkets available and if fridge is not working a partial refund should be made?

We have a second home that we rent out for July and August. We don't move our personnel knick knacks as it is our home, also I feel if people using it see it as someone's much loved home they treat it with respect. As we are not on site we rely on our renters letting us know about any problems, which we would work hard to resolve. We use a third party to take our booking to protect both us and the renter.

We have stayed in properties that have not been as "advertised" unfortunately once they have your money it's a bit difficult to get it back. I have however made sure they knew that any breakages or cleaning issues were not to do with us.

No, but you're not renting your house and boiler out to people and charging them money for it.

Even professional landlords are only expected to replace/ repair items within a reasonable time, that being the time it would take a homeowner to do it.

You don't really think that landlords have spare boilers and plumbers sat around do you?

Our boiler blew up. Should I have had a spare?

No, but if you're in hospitality business you should bust a gut to ensure that there's a remedy ASAP for your guests who have paid you a sum of money that reflects the fact that they expected to be in a house with hot water and, where necessary, heating. You have to bear in mind that, for many if not most people, they only have one holiday a year, and if it's spoilt because you won't put yourself out to help them, they're entitled to feel unhappy. So, if you can't get that boiler repaired immediately, you need to be looking quite seriously at putting them in alternative accommodation. And if you don't, you really are not entitled to moan about a bad review.

I am actually Nikita! And our boiler blew up. Nothing I could do.

It is out of spite though isn't it, if you actually had a great holiday? As an owner you should do everything in your power to make things right.

But having a spare fridge freezer, cooker etc? Where would you expect the owner to put them?

In remote areas you really do have to accept you wait longer to get things fixed. I go away to remote Greek islands, same applies there.

As an owner or manager I would have taken my own fridge round. But he shouldn't be punished 1k for not doing it!

A bad review, unless really justified, is punishment. Imagine you make a tiny fuck up at work and you get sacked.

As for 'pocketing' 3k, no, not a chance. There is probably a mortgage (which needs to be paid all year), water rates, cleaning on a house that size would be around £300 (with all the sheets to wash). There is replacing stuff people damage or steal. Rates are high in August, but not in low season when all the bills still have to be paid.

If you can’t afford to rent out the house as a business then don’t. The rent is set at a rate that covers all costs including cleaning and still makes the owner a profit.

As a property owner I would expect a review detailing the problems with this stay and it’s only fair to warn other potential renters.

It’s a contract: you pay to rent a house, they undertake that it is as described. If not, then it’s breach of contract and damages follow. Those would include time and expense of getting ice, lost enjoyment of amenity etc. Simple contract law, frankly. If you don’t like it as a property owner, then go into a different business.

Sort of Hector2000 BUT unless some of the beds and sofas were broken, the boiler was bust and the cooker stopped working too, there's no way that any court would agree that £1000 (plus the cost of spoiled food/ice purchases) was a suitable compensation and the OP shouldn't waste her time/risk looking foolish by trying to demand it.

I wasn’t commenting on whether £1000 was reasonable compensation, but whether compensation for loss was claimable, which it clearly is. Once the owner accepts that, the rest is subject to a deal, if the OP can hammer one out. I rented a cottage via Airbnb in France and despite cleaning thoroughly (cleaner was included) and no breakages or spills to report, the owner refused to return my 100E damages deposit. I had little option but to give a poor review as a warning to anyone else - the cottage was fine, our holiday good, but it cost 100E more than advertised.

I'd be asking for a refund of at least half. Lol at the pp trying to make us pity someone with a second home to rent out!

Can’t believe people are suggesting £1000+ refund for lack of one facility! Sorry but that’s ridiculous. I know it must have been a huge pain, but taking all other facilities into account, that would not be a proportionate refund. I do agree some kind of comp would be suitable, but you need to be reasonable x

A third off the rental price for 40% of your time without one appliance is way overboard. It didn't have that dramatic an impact on your holiday. I would think all your costs and then a hundred or so as goodwill would be more than reasonable.

But YANBU to expect something.

I would expect some reimbursement.

I think about £500 compensation would be about right. Sounds like a huge pain to have to sort that out on your holiday and it feels like the owner should have done more.

Well if I had been there with 15 members of my family, two of them would have had medications that had to be kept in the fridge.

I think £1k refund is completely reasonable.

Use your own fridge, ask around or get your ass to the mainland. This lack of customer service drove me mad when I was in the highlands, as if tourists should just be grateful you let them stay!

101 of your neighbours will have agricultural sheds in which every conceivable bit of household stuff that may be used is likely already stored.

Folk coming to Scotland for likes of WC500 need decent good quality accommodation.

20-40% recompense sounds completely reasonable

The owner couldn’t help the fact the fridge broke but they definitely could have done more to help, that’s what would bug me. I would ask for some compensation. If they are arsey about it then I’d mention this happening in your review but also list the other great things about the place. They can’t treat you badly then expect you to lie in your review to do them a favour!

for lack of one facility

It’s a important facility and a major inconvenience that detrimentally impacts their whole stay. It’s something they’re using consitently at least 3 times a day. It’s not like a washing machine that may only get used once or twice.

Women would say ‘be reasonable’. Men would go in playing hardball @ 1k and negotiate a final agreement halfway between the two positions.

They should have brought their own fridge over. Yanbu wanting some compensation of a few hundred.

It is out of spite though isn't it, if you actually had a great holiday?
No, it's a warning to other people that if anything goes wrong this is how the owner deals with it.

having a spare fridge freezer, cooker etc? Where would you expect the owner to put them?
A shed? A basement? Or having more than one freezer in the house to start with –TBH in a house purporting to sleep 15 people, I'd expect more than one fridge-freezer, or one giant one.

Just out of interest, OP, if you get a refund, how are you going to treat it? How will you explain to the people who said let it go that you've gone against their wishes? Or do you intend to just not give them their share of the money?

I do get it is a very important facility, but so is a lot of other aspects of the accommodation. I’m just saying that would not be classed as a proportionate amount in the travel industry, and I’m sure abta would agree to that. Refund all ruined food costs by all means then extra for the inconvenience, but I would say in the region of £500 would be more reasonable. I do get it completely, and sympathise, nobody wants that hassle on their holiday.

I also don’t agree with slamming them on social, yes is does sound as though more could have been done to help, and I agree with providing honest reviews, but if it was still a lovely holiday and everything but one facility went wrong, that also needs to be said.

Refund all ruined food costs by all means then extra for the inconvenience, but I would say in the region of £500 would be more reasonable.

I don't disagree. I think £1000 as suggested by some here is a bit high.

And I think a review that said 'nice holiday except when the fridge-freezer broke, left us stuffed, and the owner couldn't/wouldn't do anything' would be an honest review and completely reasonable.

I agree Nikita. Things do go wrong sometimes, but that won’t be everybody’s experience. The things is people so tend to judge on how things are dealt with rather than the things that unforeseeably go wrong, which I do get.

I had a problem with a holiday let, put it in writing and got a partial refund and a massive discount on another holiday with the same company. This was definitely a huge hassle for you and they need to compensate as the advertised fridge was not available for the duration.