Deceptive Description

Guest: shaneyboy (IL)
Date of Stay: 08/10/11 Review Submitted: 08/20/11

I had medical emergency come up and landed myself in the ER in eastern Michigan. I called Nicole the following day and she was nice enough to mark the cottage as available as well as contacting people who'd previously shown interest in renting the house. However, no takers. Their policy was explained to me and I asked if she could please contact the owner and I'd have the hospital provide whatever necessary documentation was needed to waive the full cost of the rental. I had no such luck. I wasn't expecting my deposit back but was hoping to be able to return home so I could get to the doctor. We had to leave 2 days early and I came home to find myself admitted to the hospital in St. Louis. This review is being made excluding my feelings (except for this line) of the owner's complete lack of consideration for a medical emergency. Upon arrival we realized there are NO shades or blinds anywhere in the house! The house does sit directly on a highway with neighboring houses so each time we left, we "hid" our laptops in case someone would happen to come around. We taped up aluminum foil on the easterly windows in the bedroom otherwise sleep would have been difficult at best once the sun rose. Bare light bulbs were exposed as light fixtures in several rooms.The bathroom window had no screen and the window was open when we got there. We couldn't shut it because the crank wouldn't operate. We had a MAJOR fly issue because of this. Two bowls stacked inside of one another in the cabinet had popcorn kernels in them. The dishwasher was loaded and the dishes were clean but that is not the renters job to put the dishes away when we don't know where anything goes. There was no note telling us what to do upon checkout or giving us any numbers to contact in case of an emergency. It took us over 30 minutes to figure out how to operate the television. Again, there should be a note explaining what av feed to have the television on and then an explanation stating to push channel up once on that av feed otherwise it displays no signal. The television in the bedroom could not be scanned through using the channel buttons. You have to enter channels manually and there is no list telling renters what the channels are so this takes forever to say the least. Also, the water has sulfur in it and wreaks! The toilet runs nonstop which kept a light sleeper awake much of the time. I've rented 7 houses and this was by far the most disappointing one of them.

Owner response:While I sympathize with any medical situation, the cancellation policy was explained at the reservation time, and there is no exception for medical issues. Unfortunately, there are many times when people have to cancel at the last minute, and I couldn't afford to continue giving renters their money back. I am always willing to return to the renter 80% of their payment (the deposit is non-refundable) if I can find someone to rent during the cancelled days. With only a notice of two days, we could not find anyone to rent it during the time mentioned in this review. As to the remaining issues: 1. The dishwasher absolutely should have been emptied and the cleaning service will be contacted both about this and the dirty bowls. 2. I was not aware of the crank on the bathroom window or the toilet running, as no renter this summer has notified the property manager of this. The only way items can be remedied is if we know of them and no one else had complained of either item. 3. There are curtains on all of the windows in the home. The windows which this guest felt necessary to cover with foil are covered with fairly sheer curtains and he obviously preferred something darker. However, this will not be changed. 4. Instructions for checkout are always given when the final payment is made, and the manager can always be contacted for any issues you may have. This has never been a problem in the past and I don't anticipate a problem in the future. If there should be any other emergency, 911 should be called. 5. I was not aware of any issues with the televisions, but this will be looked into. Again, as noted above, problems cannot be fixed if I do not know of them. 6. I apologize for the smell of the water, but this is something that cannot be changed. I try to make the stay enjoyable for all guests, and am always happy to address anything you would like to post in a review!

Recommended for:

Great Find!

Guest: kelly (royal oak, mi)
Date of Stay: 08/07/10 Review Submitted: 08/12/10

I stayed in this house for two nights during an upper peninsula road trip. It was such a great find! Nicely decorated, extremely clean, very comfortable all around. We enjoyed the porch in the morning while drinking coffee and had a bonfire one evening. The location was great in terms of only being 5 miles from all the restaurants and downtown Houghton. Thank you!!!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children, romantic getaway, age 55+.

Guest: The Mason's (Perrysburg, OH)
Date of Stay: 07/08/09 Review Submitted: 07/08/09

Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with our family. We had a wonderful week out on the canal and the location was perfect for seeing all of our family. We were even lucky enough to see the Ranger heading out to Isle Royale one morning. Sitting on the steps watching the sunset along the water brought back many happy memories. Thank you again and we hope to come back next year.

Owner response:I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Just a little FYI - the Ranger goes out on Tuesdays and Fridays around 9:50 AM and comes back on Wednesdays and Saturdays around 2PM. It also takes a quick trip every other Thursday evening. Speaking from experience as a little kid, if you make the "honk the horn" gesture and the captain sees you, he WILL honk the horn for you! :) Hope to see you next year!

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