Paignton holiday cottage rental with internet access, fireplace, rural retreat and DVD

Andrew, thank you for your very kind review. I'm so pleased you and your family had a lovely time and we would welcome the opportunity to host you again.

Thank you for your kind feedback and we were very pleased to be able to help you locate and recover the valuables you accidentally left behind. Thank you also for the hand written note of thanks, which was much appreciated and we look forward to hosting you again this coming Autumn.

This review is clearly written out of disgruntlement as a result of our decision to withhold some of the damage deposit to cover additional cleaning costs. I want to take the opportunity to respond to this review in a factual manner. The friends who booked the cottage on behalf of these guests were notified of the problems within hours of the guests departure. Having had a chance to advise their friends (these guests), the response we received within 24 hrs refuted/denied any problems. I then provided the pre-arrival video and post departure images by email within 48 hrs. (The problem was not one of my server but one of receipt on account of the size of the image files). The only delay in responding was that all my communications were being channeled via the friends of these guests, who actually made and paid for the booking. The pre-arrival video clearly showed the property to be left in a very presentable state and the post departure images clearly showed the issues of excessive dog hair on the floor, staining to the sofa throws and fabric curtain. These guests were advised that the damage deposit would be withheld until we could ascertain the cost of cleaning and as all fabrics were washable, we chose this route and not dry cleaning, (which incidentally would have cost more as would replacement items). The nature of the staining required two attempts at removal and the guests (their friends) were charged fairly and accordingly and the balance of the deposit was duly returned. We have been accused, and I quote, "of punitive opportunism" however, whilst we do expect and accept there to be reasonable wear and tear, we believe our actions not be opportunistic but to be fair under the circumstances and the evidence we could also provide. It is a pity that these guests could not be more gracious in their acknowledgment and acceptance of responsibility.

Sadly this review does not reflect the reality of the situation surrounding this group stay. As with all our guests, we are very diligent about keeping copies of correspondence, be they letters, emails or texts, so that, as for these guests, we can refer to communications if required. This group of 5 women booked to stay at the cottage during the summer holidays and made a reservation in full knowledge of the cottage configuration (which is as advertised), including the two reserved parking spaces which is not only normally sufficient for a group of this size, but increasingly rare for rental properties. After clarifying it was a booking for 5 friends, we also made available the use of a sofa bed at no extra charge, including linen and towels. Whilst there were some delays in getting responses to our communications, due to apparent problems with the client’s phone and email, in addition to being in contact in advance of the trip, providing information and answering questions, we were also in contact during the stay to check everything was OK. It was during the stay that we received a text saying “the cottage has been beautiful, even if the weather hasn’t been… “. After the trip we also received an email stating “we had a lovely time and would love to revisit in the future”. This perspective however changed when the client learned that we were not able to return their security deposit. This was based on the fact that on arriving after they had left, as is practice, to conduct the usual changeover, we were required to bringing in extra cleaning support to get the cottage ready for next guests, on account of the amount of grass and sand that was all over the cottage, remains of fake tan in the bath, on some tiles and on 2 towels (which had to be thrown) and the kitchen untidiness. Whilst of course we do expect to clean on a changeover, we also ask (and hope) guests are respectful of the condition in which they leave the property. If needed, equipment and materials are left available. Evidently however, no or very little attempt was made to use them. Contrary to previous feedback detailed above, this guest review has sadly been written purely out of disgruntlement with our decision to withhold their security deposit. These guests have elected to publish a negative public review, rather than liaise with us, or respond in person to our reasons for denying the deposit return. We believe our decision to use the security deposit to cover these additional and avoidable costs, was a reasonable decision and one that many other holiday home owners would take.

Thank you for your recent review, and all your feedback - I'm very pleased you had an enjoyable stay. And yes, the property is as advertised and therefore most of our guests tend to be couples with or without children, who enjoy the facilities and location. Although we do have 4 adults on occasions who understand the property configuration. We hope to be able to welcome you again. Regards.