AIBU for not replacing a broken wine glass on holiday?

[OtterlyMad]

My DH and I have just spent a week in a rural holiday cottage. We accidentally broke a wine glass while washing up on the last night of our trip, so we messaged the owner the next morning to let them know and apologise for the inconvenience.

After we checked out, we received a text from the owner complaining that it’s the norm to either replace breakages ourselves or leave a £5 note. Is everyone else aware of this “rule”?Because we weren’t! In fairness I don’t think we’ve ever broken anything in a holiday let before so no experience of this situation. Obviously if we’d damaged something big or stained a carpet or whatever then I would expect to reimburse them, but I suppose I assumed that breakages of small/cheap things like glassware, crockery etc. would be super common and therefore factored into the price. It’s also quite difficult to buy a singular wine glass. Would they not care about it matching the rest of their glassware? Or do you think they would expect a whole new set?

It got broken around 11pm and we had to check out before 10am the next morning, so frankly we wouldn’t have had time to buy a replacement even if we’d known that was the expectation. The rule wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the online listing or in the welcome pack. We also don’t tend to carry cash, so as above, couldn’t have left a £5 note even if we’d wanted to. Most irritating of all is that lots of the kitchen sets were already incomplete e.g. there were only 3 wine glasses to begin with (the property is advertised for 4 people). We didn’t mind as it was just the 2 of us, but it’s clear the owners don’t actually check and replace items that get lost/broken… makes me think we just shouldn’t have mentioned it. Too honest for our own good!

I feel guilty as we strive to be excellent guests, but I also think it’s a dumb rule and I’m annoyed that they’ve cast a shadow over our holiday for the sake of a £1.50 glass (especially as we paid over £500 for the cottage).

Did we act unreasonably?

YABU - the owner is right, and you should have carried change on you to leave in case of a breakage.
YANBU - the owner is being petty, a broken glass is normal wear and tear.

Airbnb hosts like this give the rest a bad name! It’s so short sighted as well from a business point of view as they could be putting someone off re-booking in the future and risk a bad review.

I have an airbnb and a broken glass is expected wear and tear and I would never expect a guest to pay for it. It is helpful if a guest lets us know although even this isn’t a big deal. One guest broke an espresso mug and ordered the exact set of 4 from Next before they left which I thought was incredibly thoughtful. I buy from ikea normally and have a stash of spare plates/glasses/mugs/cutlery if needed.

I didn't say it was deliberate.

But the truth is you weren't upfront about what happened, so while you were annoyed at being asked to pay for four glasses, she was probably equally annoyed at turning up to find that stuff had been damaged.

I do agree that it's part of owning a holiday cottage - but I also really don't think it's asking much for people to let owners know what's happened.

There are a lot of people on this thread who have obviously never stayed in a holiday home or hotel 😂. There is no rule about replacing broken wine glasses or tea cups/whatever. OK? No rule. The polite thing to do is let the owners know. Many people don't even bother pay that.
There is no unspoken requirement to leave £5 😂😂😂

Plus a tip, to cover time and mileage 😆

Pathetic of them and I would have probably replied with something snarky and then left a snarky review haha. It's normal. Don't let out a holiday property if you're going to be a dick about customers smashing a cheap glass.

Ooopppsss - have i done a 'mumsnet' crime? I honestly didnt realise that was a problem!?

I travel a lot and i always leave a tip for who will be clearing/cleaning my place after i have left. I might be 'old school' and that is out-dated.

I agree. A contract term can't be enforced if you're not aware of it when you first enter into the contract. The owner can't just suddenly decide they have a rule re broken glasses and expect you to comply with that rule. If they want it to be enforceable, they should have made you aware of it as part of the T&Cs before you paid for the holiday!

I've never heard of this £5 rule and we've stayed in many holiday cottages.
It seems very indicative of a certain attitude though. We encountered it when staying at a French holiday cottage as part of a set owned by a British couple. She was particularly unpleasant and when we had issues with the dishwasher more or less blamed us for causing them, when I found a mug with a broken handle that the previous renters must have shoved away she pretty much accused me of breaking it myself and lying about it - a 1 euro Ikea mug !

Sadly I think some property owners get like that over time, or perhaps always have been. I once witnessed a friend who owned a pub with lodgings be spectacularly rude to the Americans at the next table because they had the temerity to ask for peppermint tea at breakfast time.

I'd pay up and leave no review and tell everybody not to stay there.

Out of interest op, did you rent the cottage from someone with a holiday let empire or from a little old lady using it to top up her pension (if you forgive the blunt example) as that might make a difference as to why they found it necessary to question how you dealt with the glass incident. Maybe they are used to dealing with a regular set of visitors in a more informal way which is why they have this notion of what behaviour they expect. Although I agree that you didn’t have time to replace it so the apology should suffice. Just wondering if their reply should genuinely be taken as arsey of if they just have different expectations.

Considering airBnB owners expect you to both clean to an high standard AND pay an extortionate cleaning fee, there’s no way I’d also pay a tip on top of that.

Depending when it happened, I might not even remember a broken glass to be honest so I can emphasise with OP. I’m laughing at the expectation of paying for a broken glass at a hotel. I’m assuming that poster has never travelled anywhere before.

This. I have spare glasses and cups etc and some breakages are expected. I wouldn’t charge someone for a broken glass.

However, it’s really, really annoying when people don’t tell you something is broken to give you the chance to fix it before the next people arrive.

I've rented holiday cottages for years and I only remember one that specifically mentioned anything about breakages. In the folder they left behind they asked that breakages be replaced if possible and listed out where the crockery and glassware was from (which they'd helpfully just bought from the nearest supermarket).

I don't remember them saying anything about monetary replacement, but if I couldn't get to the shop I'd have probably left something.

Nowadays, though, I rarely have any cash on me at all, other than an emergency £10 and I wouldn't fancy leaving £10 for the sake of one wine glass!

If I owned a holiday cottage I think I'd certainly start out having a stock of my own and replacing any breakages myself, but if it was a particularly regularly occurence I could see why it would start to get annoying.

It would annoy me though if they expect you to pay for it, when they haven't given you a full complement of glasses in the first place though. That would be the thing that annoyed me most!

I broke a mug on the last morning in our rented holiday apartment in Spain. I left a note and a 10 euro note. The owner messaged me to thank me but also to say I needn't have left the money as she expected the odd breakage every so often and it was no big deal.

I would never expect to pay for a broken glass in a hotel.

I would however pay/replace anything i have broke in an air b&b.

I have never, ever been asked to clean any of the Air B&B's that i have stayed in. Never washed bed linen/ towels etc.

I tip!

I have a holiday rental and I ask guests to let me know if anything is broken so I can replace it and just in case I miss it in checking. I do expect a certain amount of damage and breakages as part of the deal.

Are they new to renting?? What do they think the rental charge is actually for????

We once stayed somewhere that had a notice pinned to tje crockery cupboard door, asking visitors to replace anything they bought and listing where it was available. A stall on the moral market thst was only open two days a week!! Not sure what we would have done if we had broken something after it had closed!!

• local market not moral market!!!

Not hotel woukd expect you to pay for a broken glass, neither would a pub or restaurant

I don't think breaking a glass goes in under the umbrella of 'normal wear and tear'.
They provide plates, cutlery and glass wear for their guests to use. If each guest broke just one glass and didn't leave some form of compensation, then after 6 or eight guests, they'd be out of glasses. Not normal wear and tear.

Also, lots of these places have a guest information pack (a printed folder with details of tv channels etc.) and usually in that it would include details of what to do if you do break something.

On this matter, I'm completely with the "arsey" owners who you disagree with @OtterlyMad. You should replace the glass.

You should know that if you break something, you should do your best at replacing it, in general. If a friend was visiting you and they broke one of your wine glasses, would you expect them to replace it or find a suitable replacement or pay for the breakage? I would.

If a friend was visiting you and they broke one of your wine glasses, would you expect them to replace it or find a suitable replacement or pay for the breakage? I would.

and the relevance of that is?

Also, imagine expecting a friend to replace a glass they’d broken in your home.

Cringe.

Same here.

I'd send them 1 or 2 if you're feeling generous x Asda 50p glasses - if you order for them to be sent direct from Asda total cost £3.50 or £4

Then in the feedback I'd comment as you have above - what are you expected to do? No instructions were left. You owned up, you had no cash and you had no glasses, and it's otherwise upset what had been a lovely holiday stay for the sake of a 50p wine glass, and note that you've sent a replacement.

Tbh even at a friend's house, who hadn't charged me to stay there, I wouldn't expect to replace a broken glass. I'd offer, but I'd expect them to say don't be so daft and I certainly wouldn't accept payment from any visitor to my home.

If they're running it as a business, minor accidental damage needs to be factored into their regular costs.

Everyone here running this kind of business is saying that, it's "other" people who know better

@rookiemere

It seems very indicative of a certain attitude though.

Yes, indeed, it's the attitude of people who really shouldn't be in business, who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. They fail to see the bigger picture.

I've gone back to holiday homes on many occasions. I've been back to one four times now, others I've been back to on 2 or 3 times. I've also recommended some to family and friends who've gone to them, too.

Why risk losing repeat business and a good reputation for the sake of a £1 glass? It's bonkers and makes no sense, especially when their customers have paid a few hundred pounds (if not over a thousand at peak times!).

It's a bit like a couple we knew who bought a quaint little cafe when they retired. They kept telling us stories about their "awful" customers who expected their tea pot to be refilled with hot water for free and didn't want to pay for another pot, or who'd "use" too much sugar (so they started handing out one sachet per cup instead of leaving a sugar bowl on the tables), or who wanted more milk besides the tiny little jug provided. They hadn't a clue about hospitality and actually looking after their customers and making them feel welcome. Inevitably, their business nose dived and they ended up selling it for a loss.