Dear Erin,
I just wanted to reiterate- as I did during your stay- how very sorry I am that the AC went out during the time that you spent at Barefoot Bliss. That being said, as the owner of the property management company, Turtle Town Vacation Rentals, it is my responsibility to mediate between the guest, and the homeowner. I have no control over how the homeowner chooses to compensate a guest when there has been an issue during their stay. The best that I can do is convey the situation, make recommendations, and from there, the homeowner makes the decision at their discretion. Regardless, I understand your frustration, but I do not feel it is right for you to exaggerate the truth on the matter. You did not go without AC for 4 days; it was 2 at best. You did not contact me regarding the air conditioning trouble until your second day- Monday late evening way after hours, I believe 9:15 pm. I still proceeded to call several different air-conditioning companies who market themselves as 24 hours, none of which were available to come out that night. I am at the mercy of their availability. You hadn’t told me about the issue the first day, so by the morning of the third day, Tuesday morning, we had somebody scheduled. Unfortunately, you reported that the ac started working fine early Tuesday morning, at 4:30 am, and that you would keep an eye on it and let me know if anything changed. Therefore, we canceled the scheduled technician. I assumed everything was fine until you contacted me, again after normal business hours, late Tuesday night at approximately, 5:35 pm, to inform me that the AC stopped working again. I proceeded to call all the companies we normally deal with, as well as the advertised 24/7 companies, but again no one would come out until the following day, Wednesday. Again, I know how terrible another night with no AC must have been. But we can only react as quickly as when we hear there is an issue. We are not an AC company. We are at the mercy of their availability. The homeowners decided that you would not be compensated unless you rebooked, because they felt like we handled everything in a timely manner.
Regarding you purchasing $200 worth of fans the second night; That is a misleading statement. We talked the day after you purchased those fans and I told you that my company, Turtle Town Vacation Rentals, would purchase those fans from you, so that you did not have an out-of-pocket expense for something that was also out of your control. It’s disheartening to see that you leave this part out of your story. My company fully refunded you the $200 for those the day you checked out, after we discussed it and I was under the impression you were leaving them. Unfortunately for me, upon your departure, we could not find the fans anywhere. I guess that was my misunderstanding, thinking you would leave the fans, as I purchased them from you. I hope you realize; I own and operate a small business. We do not take a large percentage for bookings, so this was a major pay cut to myself. I take my job very seriously; I try very hard to make sure every guest has a positive experience. I am sorry this happened during your stay, but again I can only remedy the situation upon hearing about it. And then I am at the mercy of the repair company, as are the homeowners. Also, I would like to point out that in the rental agreement you signed to rent this property, it clearly states the following;
“Management cannot guarantee performance and operation of amenities or appliances including but not limited to TVs, AC/heating units, fireplaces, ice-makers, pools and spas, etc. NO COMPENSATION OR REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN FOR MECHANICAL & APPLIANCE FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS.”
Therefore, No compensation should be expected by a guest if this occurs during their stay. Since we handled everything in a timely manner, as best we could with the information we were given, the homeowner decided to offer the free night with another booking. If this property were run down, and not well maintained, I could see that you have a valid argument for some kind of compensation. However, that is not the case. These homeowners take great care in the maintenance of their home. I completely understand that your stay was dissatisfactory and I do apologize on behalf of Turtle Town, however we did the best that we could to mend the situation with the resources that we have. I do not feel as though it has given my company a bad name, and I do apologize that it was your takeaway. We manage multiple homes in the area and we pride ourselves on our customer service and satisfaction to the best of our ability. Again, what each individual homeowner decides to do, is at their discretion and not ours. I wish that you had not reflected so poorly on all the attention and efforts and compensation my company provided personally for you.
Sincerely,
Natasja - Turtle Town Vacation Rentals