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?

And if nothing is offered then a clear factual mention of the issue and subsequent failure to address in review, is very appropriate

Hmm. That is right on the borderline of annoyance and money-back. I also wonder if it is really a new problem, since they have a kettle handy and surely the point of a Quooker is that you don't need a kettle too

OP I’m on your side- I would ask for some money back! That faffing about would piss me off, I’d expect better especially when paying premium prices.
All they can do is say no, there’s no harm in asking.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect hot, running water in a holiday rental and I don't think it's unreasonable to hold the management company to their failure to send someone to check as agreed. I would not hesitate to ask for some kind of recompense.

Why? Hot water makes washing up more comfortable, but no one's washing dishes in water hot enough to kill germs.

I mean, I do think not having hot water in a modern world is a problem, but it doesn't make the dishes unsanitary.

@oneveryannoyingthing Only read first page of thread and I'm surprised how many posters are minimising this.
I'd find it very inconvenient and would message owner.
Of course I'd raise it politely and I wouldn't push it but I'd be disappointed not to get £50 or similar as recompense.

I’d complain politely, ask for a partial refund and review once I’d had a response.

I would expect a dishwasher in a high end property!

I wouldn't ask for a refund but I would leave a factual review - blah was broken, contacted owners, wasn't fixed, washing up has to be done by hand with cold water or boil kettle.

Fairly minor and I wouldn’t expect a refund

Tinker tiger** I'd admire your need to find the most extremes of peoples washing up habits just to be able to say YABU. 😂😂

OP YaNBU to be annoyed that in a luxury cottage you don't have access to hot water in the kitchen.

I appreciate we may once have licked our utensils clean but you really aren't being annoyed in the 21st century to think it's a minimum standard!

I think the poster above who said to write an email just expressing your disappointment and seeing their response is an excellent one.

I've always said having problems itself isn't really the issue - it happens. It's people's response to that that matters.

If the dishwasher was broken too I'd ask for compensation.

Washing your hands in soap and cold water in the kitchen is a slight personal comfort rather than hygiene issue; warm water doesn't kill germs.

I now feel weird for only ever washing my hands in cold water and also quite happily washing dishes sometimes in cold water! If they’re not greasy or oily it works fine.

My Qwooker gave up the ghost this year due to scaling in the tank under sink. I've reverted back to horror of horrors boiling a kettle for my hot drinks and using the hot tap for washing up. So 1980's. Was there no hot tap?
Doesn't sound like a massive fault to me

The fact that there is a kettle supplied would make me think the tap hadn’t been working for a while. If you have a working boiling tap you have no need of a kettle.

Just got back from a high-end holiday let. We had a few issues e.g. main oven not working. Absolutely ask for some money back, would drive me mad having no hot water.

There was no hot tap. Maybe try reading the OP's posts before being clever?

Given how long it takes my hot water to come through in the kitchen, it's probably quicker for me to boil my kettle instead! 😂

Boiling the kettle multiple times will have cost the owner more in electricity as well while you've had to do it.

I'd highlight it as a point to say that it was very inconvenient and frustrating that it didn't work and include it in my review of the property. If they want to offer a partial refund, they will, but I don't think I'd be pushing for it.

There's nothing wrong with washing your hands in cold water (I refer back to my first point about my slow hot water - I don't have any choice unless I wait an age every time I want to wash my hands while cooking).

If it had been the bathroom hot water, yes, definitely substantial refund due, but kitchen? It wouldn't bother me massively to the point of wanting a refund, but you're right to highlight it as a problem in your review.

Oh ha ha you're SOOOO smart and clever. So much so, you can't even read

I'd complain.
I'd not bother arsing about washing pots though. Plates/bowls/cups for how many of you? Is that why you can't fit pans in?
Just stick the dishwasher on twice / three times a day?

Seriously, if there’s a dishwasher you can’t have been inconvenienced all that much.
How much time can you have spent washing up a couple of pans!

I’d always boil a kettle for tea rather than use a fancy hot water tap

Ah, the usual pile on and derails I see. Hot water in a kitchen is a fundamental in most people's book. Who would book a holiday rental that said "NO HOT WATER"? Answer - no one. If someone had come around same or next day to look at the problem fair dos, even if a fix wasn't possible, it would have showed intent. But not to turn up, that deserves comments in reviews and,yes, some compensation.

I wouldn’t spend half my holiday in the kitchen, so with a kettle and a dishwasher available I don’t think I’d find it a major inconvenience, really.

Washing greasy dishes that have had say.. lasagne on, roast dinner with gravy, greasy food... washing all that in cold water is really quite revolting. Because there will always be smears of grease left on the plates and dishes that just cannot be removed with cold water, and all that will be wiped onto tea towels.

OP I would be pissed off with it, and depending on their reaction, I would expect a small refund.