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.

All accidental breakages as a cost of running the business IMO. Small things are routinely replaced, larger ones would be covered by insurance.

The rentals are priced to account for a sensible replacement programme. Nothing precious should be in a holiday let.

It's a risk of the job! They get paid and should accept things will get broken. They should be allowing for a certain amount of breakage in their costs.

There is absolutely no such thing as a "£5 rule"! Utter tosh. The owners are trying to pull a fast one on you. You should perhaps have left a note mentioning the breakage, but literally that is all.

I stay in a LOT of holiday cottages.

Have you not bothered to read the rest of this thread? We’re not opposed to paying for a replacement. What we object to the expectation from the owners for us to take a very specific course of action (i.e. to source a replacement ourselves or leave a £5 note) when this instruction is not given anywhere. We’re not mind readers! Plus, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to buy a replacement or go to a ATM due to the rural location of the property and early check out time.

Sorry what? They are likely making a small fortune from their holiday let. Small breakages and some slight inconveniences are a given.

Do you have any friends? Embarrassed for you.

I don’t think I would of even told them tbh.

Haha, I can't believe the number of people telling you to hand over £5 for a broken wine glass. I'd have told them with the full expectation that they'd say "These things happen. Hope you enjoyed your holiday."

It is courtesy to tell the owner. Of any restaurant, pub, let or even friend.

And it is courtesy of the owner to say don’t worry it doesn’t matter but thanks for letting me know.

A deliberate spree of vandalism is entirely different to an accidental smash of a cheap glass.

That’s what damage deposits are for? I’d have messaged and said deduct from the deposit.

We stayed in one cottage many years ago where there was a price list taped inside each kitchen cupboard listing the replacement cost for each glass,cup,mug,plate,bowl,saucer...😄

So you’re complaining that they did not tell you in advance of you breaking the glass what the cost would be? I find that odd, you are not mind readers but equally they are not fortune tellers who see into the future and know you will break 1 wine glass the last night of your stay.

If there’s no damage deposit, I’d leave a £5 note. It’s a fair cost for the damage.

This is why most holiday apartments look like IKEA catalogues now. Precisely because it's cheap and easy to replace breakages.

The best thing anyone running a holiday let can do for their finances is encourage repeat business, to minimise voids and generate positive word of mouth. You will never go back to this house now so they could end up with an empty week you might have rebooked for for the sake of £5 (to pay for a 50p wine glass).

No one should be running a business who isn’t prepared to meet the fair costs incurred.

They’re poor landlords if they can’t foresee accidental breakages and set out what they’d like to see happen - and then take it personally.

They haven’t taken it personally?! Saying leave £5 or replace the glass is not taking it personally. It’s the OP taking it like a personal insult that she has to compensate or make good on the damage she caused.

I've never heard of this rule. It's what the deposit is for, isn't it? And this, leave a five pound note weirdness? This is not a custom/rule I'm aware of. Or replacing anything, I wouldn't presume to know what they'd like me to replace it with.

We stayed in a really lovely, more upmarket than we'd normally afford, holiday let once.

It had wool carpets throughout. My son vomited on 3 of them (Doorway of his room, doorway of our room and the landing). They were beyond gracious about it. I was so embarrassed.

I have a holiday let abroad and I wouldn’t think of charging for accidental breakage unless it was an expensive item and seriously negligent, like setting the couch on fire 🤣

It’s just one of the associated expenses of owning a holiday let.

Plus I probably wouldn’t even notice until the glasses/cups/plates were too thin in the ground and then I’d go and buy ikea replacement sets.

Totally bonkers

They sound nuts

No, you are right to say it’s not taking it personally. I apologise to them out there wherever they are. Although demanding £5 for a broken wine glass is not professional or good business sense.

If someone came to my house and broke a glass, i would not expect them to leave a fiver. Or buy a new glass

Wine glasses break all the time. That's life

I think they should require a damage deposit so it’s easy to deduct damages.
If the holiday let is in a popular destination, it’s good business sense to charge for damages. You’re not going to lose business over it enough to stop being fully booked.
I think £5 for a wine glass is reasonable.

The owner is being petty you can buy a wine glass in a charity shop for less than a £1,

Advice to holiday landlords is always not to sweat the small stuff. To make sure your guests have a good experience and come back. Insurance and damage deposits cover any major damage. Small everyday breakages just get swallowed up into your running costs. And £5 for a wine glass is insane for a small holiday cottage. It’s profiteering.

I think we must book completely different sorts of holiday cottages.