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Original poster

Rural Retreats Mouldy Cottage Disappointment Rant

39 replies

Clayhead · 08/09/2007 16:22

Am absolutley gutted with the service we received from Rural Retreats - we booked a cottage for 8 this summer, costing around £1,500 for the week. The brochure promised the highest quality properties and the highest standards of cleanliness.

When we arrived it was to a mouldy kitchen and bathroom (bathroom was also dirty), there were not enough glasses for 8 people, all the crockery was chipped or damaged and there weren't even enough easy chairs for 8 - we had to rotate around! The beds were awful and one bedroom was so small that the bed had to be climbed over to reach the other side of the room. There was outdoor seating, as advertised, but only for 6, not 8.

We complained to them and they've admitted cottage needs more of a clean (had photos so hard for them to disagree) and that it is not set up for 8 but are not willing to refund anything other than an insulting low amount of money. Each letter I write is answered by a different person and they have promised me that it will be cleaned/sorted out but that doesn't help me!

The main thing that angers me is that we fell for the marketing and believed it would be better than the run of the mill property and it actually turned out to be worse!

Rant over, just wanted to warn anyone thinking of booking with them!

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WendyWeber · 08/09/2007 16:30

I've just looked at their website, Clayhead - they are plainly in breach of contract They will keep fobbing you off if they can - don't let them!

We were in this situation with Safestore, who let a roof leak for months and ruined a lot of irreplaceable stuff of ours while continuing to take £50 a month from us. They tried to refuse compensation on the grounds that we had not taken their insurance, but I signed up with Which? legal service and they gave me a few key phrases to use at them (negligence and breach of contract were the main ones - their website says "clean safe dry storage" ) and we eventually got £500 back.

Try Which!

WendyWeber · 08/09/2007 16:33

Which legal service (hope the link works) - it's £12.75 a quarter for non-members, £9.75 for members, well worth it

Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 16:45

I spoke to the trading standards people who suggested phrases too, they were really helpful. Trading Standards said I would be fobbed off initially but should keep writing.

I have pointed out that they breached the contract but they don't seem in the slightest bit bothered about it or interested in my distress (it was a family gathering which had been saved up for to get somewhere special).

Thanks for the link, I will investigate!

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WendyWeber · 08/09/2007 16:56

Oooh, just remembered, they went on fobbing until I mentioned that my legal advice was coming from Which. They coughed up sharpish after that...

bagpuss · 08/09/2007 16:59

Gosh Clayhead, apart from the mould it sounds a lot like the cottage we've just stayed in through them. Where abouts was it? [nosey emoticon]

We had a similar experience last year with one of their newer properties and I was annoyed at the time but didn't complain.

WendyWeber · 08/09/2007 17:03

A Which legal person will also suggest a specific figure to ask for - £500 was more than we would have said, we had been just thinking of a refund of our monthly payments since the leak was first detected - about £300.

I bet you should ask for at least half the cost of the holiday, partly for the breach of contract and partly for the distress (bastards!)

If they still persist in the fobbing, Which will draft you a legal letter (that costs extra, but less than a solicitor and should put a rocket up them)

Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 17:26

Mid Wales, Bagpuss, Tynycornel.

Am especially annoyed as we stayed in a property belonging to Coastal Retreats in Northumbria last year which was just beautiful. Decided to go to Wales for a change and now gutted that we made the wrong choice.

Am actually asking for £400, which I thought was reasonable given that we did stay there and had the use of it for the week, albeit with issues.

One of their main arguments is that no one else has complained but I don't see how that makes my complaint any less relevant!

Nearly £1,500 and they didn't even leave a spare bin bag for us either... I've had better service with places costing less than half of that and they were clean!

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roisin · 08/09/2007 17:29

That's a real shame Clayhead. We've stayed with Rural Retreats several times in the past (though none very recently), and the properties were always superb in every way.

Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 17:32

It is a shame

2 family members only stayed for 3 nights in the end due to the issues with seating/beds.

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bagpuss · 08/09/2007 18:51

That was our cottage!! We stayed two weeks ago. DH asking where the mould was in the kitchen - neither of us noticed [slattern emoticon]. There was mould in the small bathroom though, I'd agree. We came home a day early because I woke up on the friday and decided that I couldn't spend another night in those beds!

We have stayed with Rural Retreats once every year for the past 5 years and all our cottages have been fab, this last one and the one we stayed in last year were below par though. There were bin bags when we stayed there but no diswasher tablets (pet hate of mine as they are always provided).

SofiaAmes · 08/09/2007 19:01

Wow...try abroad next time. For the same price you can stay for two weeks in a beautiful place at the seaside in Italy with daily maid service, kitchenette and eat on terrace with awesome views of the sea. Buy your plane tickets enough in advance and it'll cost less than petrol to a place within the uk.

WendyWeber · 08/09/2007 19:03

Even for 8 people, Sofia?

chocolateshoes · 08/09/2007 19:12

(Thread hijack!) Sofia - do you have the details of that place in Italy. It sounds perfect!

Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 20:37

Bagpuss, we were there early August and apparently it has been cleaned since then... The mould was all around the sink.

Posted this today as have got fed up with them not taking my complaint seriously.

Seriously crap bed though, I agree

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Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 20:38

Bagpuss, we left the bin bags!!

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Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 20:39

but took our dishwasher tablets

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LadyMacbeth · 08/09/2007 20:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LadyMacbeth · 08/09/2007 20:47

(I will avoid said cottage like the plague )

LadyMacbeth · 08/09/2007 20:49

(Can I just add that my comments RE Rural Retreats are my opinion only - just read a thread RE libelous statements on forums!)

handlemecarefully · 08/09/2007 20:51

Surprised. We had an excellent high spec cottage in Wadhurst last year. It was clean, aesthetically pleasing etc

I might not use them again however if this is their inadequate response to a fair complaint

chocolatedot · 08/09/2007 20:51

I have had an unhappy experience with Rural Retreats. We stayed in a converted barn in Norfolk which had the communal jacuzzi attached. The pump was broken and it made an almighty noise which made sleep impossible. They were not interested in any refund.

To cap it all all, 8 weeks after the stay they contacted us to say one of the mattresses had urine on it (we saw no sign of this and the bed was occupied by our 8 yr old who hasn't had an 'accident' since he was 3) and demanded we pay for a new mattress.

DarrellRivers · 08/09/2007 20:53

I love the fact that one mumsnetter left her binbags for another mumsnetter.
A lovely story
I will avoid RR.
Hate it when cottages are a disappointment.
We stayed once in a self-catering cottage in New Forest which was horrbly damp and it had no more loo paper than 1 roll.
We asked the owner and she said 'well it is self catering'
don't know how that answers the toilet paper question.
We have only ever used Classic Cottages and they always have toilet paper, binbags , cleaning stuff etc.
I don't mind supplying my own food but cleaning stuff is taking things too far

LadyMacbeth · 08/09/2007 21:07

(shock) Chocolatedot!

LadyMacbeth · 08/09/2007 21:08

what a ninny.

Original poster
Clayhead · 08/09/2007 21:19

In Rural Retreats' letters to me they tell me that the shower will be re-grouted this winter.

They are also apologetic for only offering 4 glasses between 8 people and will buy new glasses.

They will replace the chipped crockery (bad idea to give chipped crockery to the clayhead family )

They thank me for bringing the threadbare towels to their attention and will assess if any need replacing.

They will look at getting enough easy chairs for all guests.

What they don't seem to understand is that I DON'T CARE AS MY HOLIDAY IS OVER!! I am pleased that future occupants will not be met with what we were but I still feel ripped off by them and that they did not provide what they said they would.

However, as they say, 'we have not received negative feedback previously' and so I should put up and shut up. That's the impression they convey.

Glad to be of service on the binbag front .

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