Something not working in holiday rental - annoyance or money back?

[oneveryannoyingthing]

Currently staying in a holiday rental in Devon, due to leave tomorrow.

The hot tap in the kitchen hasn't worked at all since we've been here, it's a Quooker as the main tap, so given it is not working we haven't had any hot water in the kitchen at all. Not even luke warm. Stone cold.

We've tried doing a reset on it a few times but not had any luck. Raised it with the holiday let company on Tuesday, on Wednesday they said they would send someone to look at it and to leave the key for them. It's now Thursday and no sign of being fixed before we leave tomorrow, despite chasing.

We paid a decent amount for this place as it's on the higher end spec.

But we've not been able to wash up without boiling the kettle several times (it's a huge sink) and need to go to a different floor to wash hands etc. Hot water is fine in the bathrooms.

Would you ask for any money off given the inconvenience and fact we paid for a 'premium' rental. Or just suck it up as one of those annoying things?

I don’t know who you’ve booked through, but who we use let you leave a review for owners only before you do a review that gets seen on the website. You notified the holiday let company who advised someone would call in and fix it, this hasn’t happened and you wonder if the owners knew about it before but hadn’t repaired the tap (by the way, these taps are rubbish when they go wrong). I would ask for a refund as no hot/boiling water in the kitchen would be a major problem for us. Even if they cannot get out to repair the tap, they should provide a recent kettle.

We're in a decent static caravan atm and our kitchen tap isn't working at all.We have water in the bathrooms and the dishwasher is working so we're not going to complain it's just a minor inconvenience as can fill kettle from bathroom tap

We're in a decent static caravan atm and our kitchen tap isn't working at all.We have water in the bathrooms and the dishwasher is working so we're not going to complain it's just a minor inconvenience as can fill kettle from bathroom tap

I would decide what you want and push for that. It's much more difficult to get a refund than, say a voucher or discount for another booking, generally.

Pah ha ha

'Created a problem' in how I choose to wash up?

With hot water and washing up liquid? Like 99.9% of the population (except you obviously)

What a batshit thing to say.

We have a slimline dishwasher, and there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't fit pans in it OP. Presuming that you weren't paying electricity by the meter, then you should just run the dishwasher as many times as necessary to get the pots done. How many of you are actually staying at the property, as if it's more than 4, I would have expected a full sized dishwasher, but we certainly don't have a problem with washing pots in ours.

I certainly wouldn't bother asking for a refund, but would mention in the review that the Quooker wasn't working, and appears to be the only form of hot water in the kitchen.

I think running hot water in the kitchen is a pretty basic requirement, so on that basis i would ask for some money back.

I'm certainly not going to push or 'expect' anything...I just want to know if it's unreasonable to ask for something

I'd let it go. Things happen, they might not be able to be repaired immediately due to parts etc, and really it's a pretty minor inconvenience.

The presence of a kettle would imply to me that they knew the quooker wasn't working. Isn't the whole point of a quooker - that you don't need a kettle?

Did you message again after no one turned up to look at it when they said they would?

Some of these responses are bonkers

Of course there should be hot running water ffs.

99.9% of what population? Where I grew up we had hot water for showers. Your ignorance (and lack of understanding that you can STILL clean things with soap and cold water) is showing. And yes of course you use washing up liquid, that’s the cleaning agent.

By ‘choice’ I meant by having to fill the sink, as opposed to washing under the running tap. I already said that.

I know many people in the UK that don’t use hot water for hand washing?

Agree with PP they knew the Quooker was not working and that’s why they provided the kettle. I would be slightly annoyed too purely because of the lack of communication (not explaining it was broken, saying someone was coming to take a look and then nobody arriving..).

However, I probably wouldn’t follow up on it any further because you did have hot water via a kettle, the Quooker wasn’t advertised at booking anyway, and you had a dishwasher. I would have just ran the dishwasher X times to clean the pots and pans etc.

My parents got a Quooker fitted in their new kitchen and had it removed within 6 months! It never worked.

I am hoping you aren't one of my friends whose home I sometimes eat at then

I know many people in the UK that don’t use hot water for hand washing?

Gross.

Only on MN would people think that having to boil kettles to get hot water for the kitchen sink is no inconvenience. That may be how you choose to do things at home for your own reasons, but not in a holiday cottage where people will reasonably be expecting to make use of a fully functioning kitchen. Not everyone lives off pre-prepared food or takeaways. Some people cook from scatch — even on holidays.

Yes, OP, this is a a really annoying and potentially dangerous issue. How are you supposed to clean dirty saucepans, roasting tins etc in cold water? Washing up in cold water is really chilly and unpleasant. But even more than that, this is a health and safety issue, surely? I don't have one of these Quooker taps but as I understand it they dispense boiling water. So you're chopping up raw chicken in the kitchen and you need to wash your hands and the chopping board well, in case of salmonella, and you have the choice of a cold tap or scalding yourself with boiling water. So I presume you have to use both the hot and cold taps to blend till you have water hot enough to kill bugs but not so hot as to scald you.

By the way, why do they supply a kettle if they've got the Quooker? Sounds as if it's packed up before. I'd point all this out and say you'd like the considerable inconvenience and potential health risk to be adequately compensated for. These rentals aren't cheap, you certainly should have hot water at the kitchen sink.

Why? I use washing up liquid, it gets clean. You’re aware that in many countries around the world this is very common? Both on the cold water and washing under the tap front?

My one friend (thankfully the only one) who fills up the sink to wash her dishes is the one with the questionable dish cleaning technique. Nothing worse that ‘cleaning’ dishes while bits of food are floating around 🤢

Why? 😂 we’re using SOAP.

@coffeesaveslives
I read that to have water at a high enough temperature to make much difference would burn your skin! Cold water and soap is the way you go.
That said, I use hot water still, it just feels better!

This happened to me once when I had no hot water for 2/7 days in a stay. Hot water is a must.

I'd find it annoying and a bit inconvenient, but I'd just fill the washing up bowl from the bathroom hot tap, or do the washing up in the bathroom for the few things that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher.

I'd make them aware it wasn't working, but I wouldn't expect a refund tbh. It's a minor annoyance, not a big deal.

Why are you saying gross? There's no difference from a hygiene point of view as it's the soap that's key, not the water temperature.

User364837
5 times as long? How many times do you fill the sink!

The kettle is shite and takes an age to boil a full one

//

This is a good point as once fancy hot tap is introduced people cut corners Ona decent kettle as you know, that's what the fancy tap is for.

I agree that it should be a basic requirement especially for a high end rental. Too many (not all obviously) cottage owners and Air BnB'ers seem perfectly ok with changing the earth for what often turns out to be questionable style over substance while sitting back and watching the ££ come in

Especially on the basis you raised it early, they promised action which didn't happen, I think it's worth raising again to seek a small £ gesture. Perhaps if you likes the place otherwise, assumed tap would get fixed and would return maybe a discount off a future stay?

I'm with you, OP. I would find lack of hot water in the kitchen very inconvenient and annoying, especially considering you are paying for a premium rental. I would ask for a partial refund in what you paid.