To expect goodwill gesture € for disappointing apartment?

[37KAT]

We just rented an apartment in Spain.
We are quite particular with rentals and take care choosing accommodation. The apartment overall was good and as advertised however we discovered that the freezer didn't work (just after we'd been shopping) and then that the oven/grill didn't work. Both reported but nothing fixed during our stay. The owner emailed me tonight to say the deposit has been refunded in full and due to the issues we've had they're not charging us €28 we'd agreed to pay for linen/towels. I'm not sure this goes far enough?
We'd booked a fully equipped apartment for a self catering holiday, it's surprisingly tricky without an oven. We like the option of eating in or out,
Is this small gesture acceptable?
(Paid €1000 so been offered 2.8% gesture)

I work for a letting agent and we would refund guests at least 25% of the amount paid to cover costs of food, eating out etc...

you say the grill didn't work so could you not cook at all? or was it just the grill but the oven itself worked fine

I usually think these threads are about money grabbing entitlement but I think you should have some money returned.

Self catering is usually to save money and therefore the broken appliances meant you had to eat out and save more.

The grill was part of the oven so no oven or grill. Only cooking option was the hob, so limited. I'm not money grabbing, as I stated the apartment was otherwise nice and as advertised. Frustrating that there wasn't a real option of cooking if we wanted a chilled evening (and the freezer didn't work) in a self catering accommodation.
I have received an apology via e-mail with the €28 offer without prompting. DH wonders if they already knew.

So you couldn't have ice in your G&T? I'd want half the money back for that!

Seriously, how on earth did you cope without an oven, grill or freezer, that's ridiculous? 28euros would not cut it for me. At the minimum I would want a third of the rental price back. It changed your holiday, you couldn't sip an iced drink on the balcony, you couldn't cook for yourself. that is very poor and it shouldn't be rented out, they will have known.

@Roussette ha, funny you should mention that! We did miss ice in the G&T. Kids were happy as they got to immediately eat the two boxes of ice lollies we'd bought.

That’s really annoying.

I’d want €200 back to cover not having a freezer or oven.

25% sounds fair.

No you need to complain!
Having kitchen facilities is the reason we prefer apartments over hotel rooms.
How much did you spend on food that you had to throw because it couldn't be stored in the freezer? How many nights did you expect to be eating out? I would say €200 would be a fair amount to ask for and be happy if they give you half. I would also write it on TripAdvisor so the next family doesn't have to deal with the problems you've faced!

I couldn't cope without a freezer on a self-catering holiday! Ice being the main thing, but lots more besides.

The deposit has been refunded? Surely that would be refunded anyway at the end of the stay?
So you've been offered 28 euro as compensation for not being able to self cater at self catered accommodation?
Definitely complain.
I'd want the food I'd bought for the freezer /can only be oven cooked refunded and at least 20% refund of the holiday to pay for the fact you'll have to eat out for the main meal of the day.
We got a 25% refund on our holiday as it wasnt what was advertised - no air con/no BBQ. So I only had a hob to cook on.
Took 3 months though. X

The fact that faults were not fixed means I would be expecting a lot more back.

I think you should have raised it in writing with the owner as soon as these issues arose and been clear that you expected the items fixed or to be compensated.
I'm currently in a villa and there is an issue with the oven, the owner has been very helpful as I explained that being able to use the oven was important for me. Not all families that book self catering bother to use the oven at all.
The amount offered is not acceptable but it might not be easy to get more.

No bluebird, the linen costs were refunded.

I'd persevere with asking for more. If you'd have wanted to eat out more regularly, you wouldnt have booked self catering.

I'd want more too, is it just an independent person renting it out though? If it is there's probably not much incentive for them to give you anything

So you had the deposit refunded as well. How much was that?

Was the place booked through an agency or directly with the owner? Because if it was the first I'd be getting straight on to them

Oh sorry, thought OP meant the deposit paid when you book, ie, some of the rent.

The deposit was €350 and yes I expected to get that back as it was a damage bond - we took good care of the apartment so is neither here nor there however it has been refunded extremely quickly which is great for us but the suspicious part of me wonders if they want the situation done and dusted quickly.
It was a private rental through a well known private rental website so the onus is on the owners to be reasonable. It was agreed that they'd deduct €28 for linen/towel rental but they've voluntarily refunded the entire amount.
I did e-mail them during the holiday to advise them of the issues which they have acknowledged and apologised but didn't resolve. Hope they've advised the people who moved in after us.
I get the feeling that MN feels that IANBU to request a partial refund as it wasn't as advertised. Whether they agree or not is another matter.

Batter in. Good luck.