Thanksgiving weekend in the mountains

Guest: lukette (Knoxville, TN)
Date of Stay: 11/24/11 Review Submitted: 11/28/11

I took my children, their significant others and my granddaughter to Ductown for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. The cabin was very large and spacious. There were two docks for fishing and the kids took their four wheelers, there were lots of trails in the mountains for them to ride on. The only real negative for me about this property was the lack of a dish washer! I had to hand wash lots and lots of dishes as we had our Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings at the cabin. Also, the hot water was turned up so high that it was scalding. Very secluded and private!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing.

Renter Beware!!!!!!

Guest: Traveler (Goodlettsville)
Date of Stay: 09/23/11 Review Submitted: 10/20/11

Please read all reviews before considering this property. As stated by others this property is NOT as described. Although the owner states how clean her property is kept, well it's just not true. Outdated, just plain dirty and musty. Air conditioners without knobs, broken handles on appliances just not what you would expect.I have pictures to backup my claims to many other issues as well. The linens were so bad we had to remove the comforter find some sheets just in order to be able to sleep. The location of this property is in a questionable area and the photos do not accurately represent the property. The owner sent maintenance men to work at the property will we were there? I was trying to enjoy a quite weekend away with my wife and these two interesting men show up to replace a table. There were no rentals scheduled at the time(now I know why) for at least two weeks and yet the owner sent uninvited guests while we were renting the property. The owner asked me to write a positive review but being a man of integrity I cannot. I found it interesting being asked to write a positive review. My credit card was charged additional fees after we left for an additional day that we did not use and this is where it really went wrong. The owner acts confused about the charges and states she will refund immediately but it never happened. To date 29 days at time of writing, I am still without my refund for the "extra day" or my security deposit. My account was credited and IMMEDIATELY debited from my account for a net of zero! The owner states how wealthy she is and doesn't need the income but yet I have had contact VRBO and my bank trying to get what little of my money back that I can. Be assured the owner will write a review relieving herself of any wrong doing and how innocent she is of these claims. The run around and excuses from the owner are one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. I am a professional business man and travel almost weekly so I know what is expected of regular business practices. My family and I have rented from VRBO for many years now with fantastic results until this one. Again please be careful in considering this property. I am not being hurtful just honest. I don't like to be mislead or taken advantage of and don't want others to have the same experience. Again the follow up from the owner will be to smooth things over and free herself of any wrong doing I assure you this is not the truth. Please be very very careful!!!!

Owner response:We appreciate the renters comment about the sheets and we have replaced them with designer linens. The property is located on 3.4 acres and typically in the Tennessee country area you will find a nice home and perhaps a block away from a not so desired property owned by less privileged neighbors, but certainly not dangerous. This is not uncommon in the Tennessee country areas. The two interesting men, work for me, and delivered a new deck table to replace the damaged one. Sorry we did not mean to disturb the renters weekend. Yes, I made a mistake I charged this renter for an additional day which was meant for a different renter. Soon after this transaction I received a call from renter, I apologized and explained my error and immediately credited his card. This was on September 28th. Normally it takes 2 weeks for the renter to receive a deposit refund. In addition 9 days later on October 3rd I issued his deposit refund. I received continuous phone calls and threatening emails stating that he was going to report me to VRBO and I explained that a refund process takes between 7 and 10 days and must go thru this normal process threw my merchant service. The renters condescending comments and accusations of my bad business practice are not acceptable. I told him that I was not financially desperate and had no need to keep his money and that is when he replied “if you are so wealthy why don’t you send me a check” How does a professional traveling person have the time to spend on the computer,phone and write long letters? He does this so well that I believe that he has written many in the past. He has insisted on a full refund, which is not justified. Obviously he had an agenda and wanted a free vacation. After 40 years of doing business and interacting with people I recognize this type of individual fortunately uncommon. I hope that VRBO will decline posting this review. Sincerely Marietta Ringger.

Recommended for:

Not very clean or safe

Guest: JW (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 07/21/11 Review Submitted: 10/17/11

The cabin was not very clean on arrival -- we had to clean all dishes and linens. The carpets were very stained/soiled. The downstairs was infested with fleas -- I had to put my dog on 2 flea meds simultaneously to ensure she stayed flea free. The A/C unit in the upstairs bedroom didn't work. As a previous reviewer stated, the couch is extremely uncomfortable -- this has nothing to do with it being a sleeper couch, but rather it being so old, parts are sunken in. The owner expected us to give up our vacation days to sit around waiting for repairmen, so we quickly learned to not call about issues, and she even asked if we would stay around for her to send in some guys to do remodeling work! The neighbors are very sketchy. One broke into the cabin in the middle of the night and we had to call the police. Things left on the back deck disappeared. So why didn't we leave? The owner was extremely unprofessional and I doubted I would get any refund, and it was either stay here, or give up our entire vacation, so we made do. I did mess up the end date on the rental, and was late leaving due to my misunderstanding, for which I fully expect to be charged as that was my fault. In short, I would never stay here again. I highly recommend finding another cabin -- we stayed at a different cabin for another 3 weeks instead of extending our rental here and were much happier. If you do stay here, call about every little issue, regardless of how much it will inconvenience you!

Owner response: Fortunately the new renters were very understanding and patient while Ana prepared the cabin. The cabin is in the country and sits on 3.4 acres there are neighbors nearby but typically in this environment there are undesirable residents and have no county restrictions on there properties, therefore this is something that I can not help. The most startling information in this review was that they claim a break-in in the middle of the night and had to call the police. Why was I not informed about this incident immediately? This is very serious! Could they please email me the date, the time, and the police report, so I can follow up on this serious incident. My phone conversations with the renter all seemed to go well and they extended an invitation inviting me there for dinner and in a later conversation we planed to meet for lunch. I do not recall being unprofessional. The new renters called me at 8am the following morning to tell me that they could not stay due to a serious flea infestation. Consequently I had to refund all there money and lose the income during our busiest season. Perhaps the damaging review may have been caused by the fact that I had to charge their credit card for damages as follows New renters refund, extermination charges, heavy cleaning flea. A certified letter with copies of all charges was sent with a letter of explanation and apology. After reading this response I hope that VRBO will not post this damaging review. I am presently researching a low cost of $40 mandatory insurance policy to all renters rather than charging a damage deposits. I hope VRBO will carefully review my response to find it unfairly justified and not be posted on my sight.

Recommended for:

Great Getaway!

Guest: Pam (Goodlettsville, Tennessee)
Date of Stay: 06/02/11 Review Submitted: 06/27/11

Marietta, My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at your cabin. It was located close to all of the rafting outfitters. It was also close to the Blue Ridge train and the City of Copperhill, TN where we found an excellent Mexican Restaurant and shopping. The cabin itself was great. All you had to do was bring your groceries. We enjoyed grilling out on the deck and listening to the bullfrogs and getting in the hot tub after a full day of rafting. It was easy to find yet you didn't have the hustle and bustle like you do when you go to your most popular vacation destinations. It was very laid back and relaxing. No doubt, we will be returning!

Owner response:Thank you Pam for your wonderful feedback. It is guests like you that make our rental business a pure delight. We look forward to your next visit. Marietta

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Beautiful...

Guest: Sue (Michigan)
Date of Stay: 04/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/16/11

We chose to stay in this place because we have family in Chattanooga, TN and in Murphy, NC. It was only about 15 min. from Murphy and just over an hour to Chattanooga. Sitting in the hot tub both morning and evening, we were refreshed by the beauty of the property on which it sits. There is a trickling stream that flows into one pond and a culvert that takes the water to the small lake/pond next to it. We spent time fishing from the dock, where the fish preferred real worms to fake ones. The water was brownish from a heavy rain, but nice none-the-less. There is no longer a boat, but there was a nice dock with seats on the edges where we fished. The cabin is very nicely decorated and super cute! My teenaged sons and my husband enjoyed the golfing. (Pool was not open until Memorial Day.) We also were so close to our favorite river/hiking spot on the Ocoee River. We took millions of pictures, but none of them even do justice to actually being there. Great place to spend a spring week!! Very relaxing and enjoyable!

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers.

Much appreciated

Guest: deb (memphis)
Date of Stay: 07/26/10 Review Submitted: 08/03/10

Thanks so much for the opportunity to stay in your beautiful home. We had a wonderful time and it was just as described, and immaculate. The beds were very comfortable and we felt like we were "home away from home". The kids had a blast on the nearby river and granny got some well needed rest. We hope to be able to come back in the fall if it is available. Thanks again. Deb Obrien of Memphis

Recommended for:Age 55+, pet owners, adventure seekers, sightseeing, girls getaway, romantic getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children.

pbb

Guest: pbb (Prairieville LA)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 08/01/10

We were very pleased with the cabin and its accomadations. The hot tub was a great extra and everything was extremely clean and neat. We would definitely recommend this to anyone.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers.

Vacation in the Mountains

Guest: Judy (Baton Rouge)
Date of Stay: 07/10/10 Review Submitted: 07/18/10

Marietta, We really enjoyed our stay in your cabin this past week. Everything inside was great! Our White Water Rafting trip was the highlight of the trip. We did get to take a horse trail ride, but it was quite slow. We spent one day in Chattanooga and visited the aquarium. Fishing in your lake was fun for our son. The few Bass and Brem he caught were put back into the lake for future fisherman! Our other son spent time in the woods collecting insects. He is a horticulture major and took a class about insects this past year at LSU. The only problem we had was getting the TV to work. The satellite gave us a few problems, but we managed. We have cable at home. Thanks again and we will recommend your cabin to anyone who is looking for a place to stay. J.C

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, sightseeing, families with teenagers.

Not a good experience

Guest: Disappointed (Georgia)
Date of Stay: 04/08/10 Review Submitted: 06/29/10

Property hard to find and not what I expected. Very outdated and needed a thorough cleaning. Lots of cobwebs and spiders inside the home. Living room furniture very uncomfortable - no support in couch cushions. The pond in the backyard was a stagnet home for misquitos and was dirty and muddy. Hot tub on back porch did not even have an outside light so we could not use it at night. BEWARE: Lease does not include a clause for when damage deposit would be returned. I received information in an email that it would be returned within 2 weeks of departure date. That time came and went and NO deposit. It took several phone calls, emails, a complaint to VRBO and my bank, and owner finally sent me a check after about 4 weeks.

Owner response:In defense of ths customer comments, I have proof of the following statements *Each renter is emailed clear and simlpe directions. The cabin is approx 2 city blocks off hwy 64 east. * Since I am in the furniture business, I newly furnished the entire cabin less than 3 years ago.in the proper decor. all other renter have commented just the contray to the above complaint. * The sofa is a sleeper and does niot have the same foundation as a regilar sofa. * The water in the pond comes directly from the mountains running through my property creating constant circulation After a rain the water is merky as is in all waters fed by the mountain as is on the famous Ocoee Whitewater Center. It takes a few days to clear. Sorry, I can not fight Mother Nation. * The renter departure date was April 13 and I mailed their deposit check on May 1st. I have a copy of this check. * I did not receive as many calls and email as they state. The day following of this complaint, a new renter, just than occuyping the cabin, called to tell me how beautiful the cabin was and how happy her family was. I am sure I can get many witnesses to back up all my statments. My house keeper of 3 years takes care iof my beautiful home and the cabin. She is aware of my strict demands on how particular I am and she is the best there is, or she would not be in my employment. I HAVE TO QUESTION, IF THE CONDITIONS WERE AS BAD AS THEY CLAIM, WHY DID THEY NOT JUST NOT LEAVE.?

Recommended for: