This property should NEVER have been rented. The following REQUIRED safety features were NOT in place BEFORE we EVEN ARRIVED: 1) several entry level doors (main/bedroom doors with direct outside access) did not lock. The Host validated this IN WRITING via the VRBO portal, stating that she knew about this safety issue & it could NOT be fixed because the parts were on order and not yet received...so, she rented her home to us KNOWING this KEY SAFETY REQUIREMENT was NOT in place & chose NOT to tell us about it! 2) We opened several entry level windows only to find out they could not be closed; 3) there was spotty to no internet connection & the landline, which we successfully used to call the Host with our safety concerns, and received a call back from her on, suddenly STOPPED WORKING! Seriously, it was like a bad Halloween movie! 4) During the night, one of the smoke detectors started chirping... on our hunt to find the right smoke detector to disengage, we found several other smoke detectors completely disengaged with the battery door/connector hanging down! 5) We noticed upon arrival that the lock box was not only wide open, with the key visible and easily taken by anyone walking up to the house, but it was also set to the exact combination that the Host gave us to check in. While it didn't initially cause us major anxiety, given all the other safety issues & the remote location, it raised concerns as to how many other folks could access the house while we were in it!
We communicated all of these issues immediately and on an ongoing basis that night and into the next morning with the Host via the VRBO portal (as mobile phones and landlines were not working). She became irate, stating that we were bombarding her with issue after issue & not giving her a chance to correct...at which point I made it clear we did not want to stay, to which she replied - IN WRITING via the VRBO portal - that she would not charge us for the night because of the MULTITUDE of SAFETY concerns we experienced.
Please note we have photos and videos in support of all of these safety issues & 4 other professional women who are happy to share their personal experience.
We were fortunate to find another VRBO Host in Lake Placid that had ZERO issues, safety or otherwise, and managed to finally relax & enjoy the remainder of our stay.
I am disputing VRBO/the Host's refund of 56%, demanding their justification in keeping 46%, or $914, for an UNSAFE/UNACCEPTABLE 1 night stay.
