What do you think of this holiday rental situation through acquaintance

[holidaysituation]

I was talking to one of my son's friends mums a few months back about our holiday. Long story short, it turns out the mum's cousin owns a flat which she rents for holidays. The mum told me she'd ask her if it was available on our dates.

It was available. Friend sent some pics of the flat and we told her we'd take it. I did ask to put me in touch with the cousin directly but the mum never did and all communication went through the mum.

We never paid any deposit. I asked the friend and she said not to worry about it. So it was all done on good will really, which is why even before we left, we sort of thought that it will be difficult if we aren't happy about something there and we would probably just need to suck it up for the sake of the friendship.

Anyway, the flat wasn't ideal and most importantly really, it didn't have WiFi and one of the beds was so uncomfortable and lob-sided, we had to fit into one bed / put a mattress on the floor.

I think the WiFi thing was the worst thing really. After a few days I informed friend we would be leaving the flat. Friend didn't ask why or if all was ok. Just said OK can you switch for the boiler ? I said I would be switching off the boiler when we give back the flat. We left the flat but didn't officially leave it with the keys etc until the day we were supposed to leave.

We were very gracious about it all but I feel like the friend could have been gracious as well and asked if all was ok. We paid everything up front on arrival. We weren't going to start arguing for money back but she could have asked if all was ok and why we were leaving early in my opinion.

She sort of managed the whole process for us with her relative, which we do appreciate but I think that no WiFi is just unacceptable.

I'm not going to say anything, it's done and dusted but I do feel a bit miffed about the whole thing.

AIBU ?

I just realise I called the friend an acquaintance too.

We are not close friends but just know each other through our kids at school.

We are friendly but no long term friends or anything.

Just chalk it up, I’d forget it and move on

Did you ask if it had WiFi before you booked it?
I don't really see the issue if I'm honest. It's a bit disappointing when holiday accommodation isn't quite what you hoped for but it could have been a lot worse than a wonky bed and no internet.

I wouldn’t have gone in the first place unless I was in direct communication with the owner of the flat, I wouldn’t have gone on the basis of only seeing a few photos, and I certainly wouldn’t have paid any money to anyone I’d never had a single bit of contact with (the owner) or via a third party (your friend).

Lesson learned for next time. Move on.

Whereabouts is that flat? UK or abroad? City or rural?

Did you pay the going rate for the area or less?

Did you ask if there was wifi?

I can’t imagine leaving somewhere early when as you say, the lack of WiFi was the worst thing about it. I can’t see what your friend has done wrong for you to potentially think of ending a friendship.

Did you perform due diligence in enquiring that WiFi was provided? If its so important to you to have broadband available on holiday that you would cut your holiday short because you can't get on the internet, surely you did?

What are you asking? You acted swiftly to arrange a stay without fully finding out what facilities were in place. Turns out it didn't meet your requirements, but you should have figured that out before arranging to take it. You can't be expecting any money back surely as the place wasn't available for anyone else to use.
Take it as a lesson to research more next holiday.

When I booked a place without wifi a few years ago, I did not think how dare they rent it out. I thought what an idiot I was for not checking, and now I always check. One thought process solves the problem for the future, one doesn’t. I suggest you choose the solution approach and move on. (although even if you check sometimes the wifi might be there but it’s pretty weak. I expect that will upset you.)

I didn't think to ask, I assumed every holiday rental would have WiFi as a basic thing tbh.

I also never said I would end the friendship - I'm just a bit annoyed about it and think that we handled our annoyances very gracefully without making a fuss and deserved at least a question back? She was the one who wanted to handle everything.

Tbh the lines were blurred who we actually rented it from because friend met us and provided us with towels etc for our stay and insisted she'd handle it all.

Personally I think a week without WiFi can be a good thing. It means you explore other options to fill your time instead of mindlessly scrolling. Anything you desperately need to look up presumably you have data

I wouldn’t expect wifi unless exclusively told it had wifi and even then in a holiday let wifi tends to be laggy

You would look utterly ridiculous if you told her you had left mainly as there was no WiFi, so it's probably just as well she didn't. Why did you need WiFi?

That's not the only reason we left though, it was also the bed. We couldn't sleep on it and I refuse to spend a holiday sleeping on a mattress on the floor which was also not comfortable.

isn't it sad that this is what people have become...on holiday for a week and left because there's no WiFi. I've heard it all now. * *

Did you ask for help with this, for it to be fixed or replaced?

How many of you had to fit in one bed?
A bed being uncomfortable is not a reasonable reason for leaving either
When you say it was lopsided do you mean the base was broken

That all sounds rather odd and I would have walked away.

Almost sounds as if friend had rented it, didn't want it and was palming it off on you?!?!

Lots of holiday places have no WiFi. Do you NEED WiFi on a holiday?

@Dotto no we didn't ask because we didn't want to bother them and make a fuss. That's all it was. Which is why it would have been nice to be asked if all was alright. Also what were they going to do ? Give us a new bed ? I doubt it.

We gracefully managed it. It would have been graceful to ask, oh is all ok ? How come you're going elsewhere? That's literally it. Not, reply saying - please make sure you turn off the boiler.

You were crazy not yo have direct contact in the first place eith the owner. Did you ask about wifi? You didn’t know if the place met rental safety standards such as carbon monoxide/boiler or anything. How would you even know if the owner had agreed to the rental? How do you know the acquaintance didn’t put a bit on top of the price, or even paid the person?

Think you need to suck it up and be glad you had accommodation available when you showed up - there could’ve been someone else (with a contract) there.

How is a broken bed not a reasonable reason for leaving ? That's the basic thing. It was completely wonky and impossible to sleep on.

Perhaps the previous occupants also didn't report the broken bed, so they think you have broken it and not told them?

I think you should have given them a chance to make it right, instead of feeling hard done by.

The friend met us with the owner on arrival.

Yes, if a bed is broken it gets fixed or replaced. This is how it works.