I am writing to provide a clear and professional summary of my experience at the property during my recent stay in Deal.
Our initial communication with your company was excellent, and my guests and I were genuinely excited about the trip and the accommodation shown on your website. We also appreciated being allowed early entry. However, upon arrival, two members of your team attended the property to investigate an issue that had already been reported, which immediately suggested that there were existing concerns.
Unfortunately, the house did not meet the standard we expected. The property appeared tired, with scruffy walls, blinds in the bedrooms that did not close properly, and a damp smell in the basement. While the layout and space are lovely, the house clearly requires some care and attention.
During our stay, I contacted the office to report a number of issues. I was initially told that repairs would not be possible that day, but on Saturday someone did attend. Below is a summary of the problems encountered:
The blinds in the bedrooms did not close properly, allowing significant light in and preventing a good night’s rest. This was not resolved.
The kitchen tap was loose. This was resolved.
The bathroom sink plug did not function, meaning the sink could not be used until repaired. Once repaired, the sink tap then became loose.
The toilet flush in the middle bathroom was extremely loose. Although temporarily fixed, it became loose again on the next use.
Two of the keys provided were bent, leaving eight guests with only one usable key. We were told a replacement would be cut on Friday, but this did not happen.
The oven was extremely noisy. I was informed that an engineer was required, so this could not be resolved during our stay.
At the end of the stay, I emailed the office with further concerns:
A dirty black sock was left on the floor of the top bedroom, and the floor appeared not to have been vacuumed.
There was no frying pan available in the kitchen.
There was no small sharp knife, only three very large ones.
None of the bedrooms had opening windows, making the rooms uncomfortably hot in warm weather.
Despite having three bathrooms, the water pressure was extremely poor. Only one person could shower at a time, meaning we had to schedule showers.
The garden paving was hazardous. A partially sighted guest nearly fell several times due to cracked and unstable tiles. The garden appeared neglected, with weeds and broken paving.
Some of the garden furniture was old, rusty, and unsafe. A guest could easily have fallen through the damaged chairs.
Given the cost of the property and the number of issues, I requested a refund. I was initially offered 10%, and told the owner would be contacted regarding a further refund. I received no update and had to follow up several times. Eventually, I was informed that a 20% refund would be issued, which I accepted. However, the payment did not arrive, and again I had to chase repeatedly. I received only a partial refund at first and had to call for clarification. The response I received over the phone felt dismissive and uninterested. The remainder of the refund arrived days later. Had I not continued to follow up, I am not confident I would have received the full amount.
This was a special occasion for me — my 60th birthday — and I had paid for my friends to join me. The house is a wonderful size and in a brilliant location, but the condition of the property and the handling of the issues by the office left me extremely disappointed. Although I appreciate the offer of a substantial discount on a future booking, I am unsure whether I would feel confident booking with your company again after this experience.