Tourists find “terrible conditions” at rented condo
We are in the heat of summer and our beaches are certainly seeing their fair share of travelers looking for some relaxation and fun. But one family claims when they arrived at their rental they found the opposite.
The Deeley family of eleven from Pittsburgh described their three bedroom condominium as “terrible conditions”. They contacted 47 ABC with pictures on how they found their vacation home. The pictures included shots of granola bar wrappers and napkins on the floor, as well as stain marks on the wall.
Bill Deeley, the head of the family, claims that the marks on the wall are blood stains. Deeley also states that there was mold growing on the walls. Deeley tells us that he believes that the alleged mold growth is what made one member of his family sick, in which she needed medical treatment.
The unit was rented through Coldwell Banker. A representative told 47 ABC that they responded to each concern that the Deeley’s claimed. The representative also states that they offered a $75 refund and then a $500 refund.
The family claims they spent $3,800 to have a relaxed vacation. But Deeley states it was the complete opposite, “It’s terrible we look forward to this since January about 7 months and then you can come down to your unit you want to relax and have fun and that just ruined the whole vacation.”
Coldwell Bankers statement can be found here:
This guest checked in on Saturday, July 23, 2016. They are the ninth renters who have occupied this property this summer. In reviewing our records, we have had only one reported issue prior to this guests arrival. That issue was related to the dryer and was addressed the same day it was reported.
Listed below are reported issues from the guest staying at the property, and the response to those issues.
-July 24, 2016, 4:15 PM- guest contacted our office indicating that the AC was not cooling adequately.
-July 24, 2016, 5:15 PM- our office contacted guest and informed them that a professional HVAC repair person was in route.
-July 24, 2016, 6:45 PM- HVAC technician reported to our staff that the AC was operating to factory specifications. Thermostat was set at 72 and temperature reading was 74 which was deemed to be normal to excellent given the extreme heat at that time.
-July 27, 2016, 3:20 PM- guest contacted our office and reported black marks on the wall in a back bedroom closet, a hall shower liner with what they reported as blood on its surface, a soiled double bed mattress pad and that a closet door had come off track.
-July 27, 2016, approximately 5 PM- Coldwell Banker Vacations Maintenance Technician reported that all items, with the exception of the black marks in the closet were addressed. He indicated that he delivered and installed the new shower liner and mattress pad, and reset the closet door.
-July 28, 2016, 8:30 AM- Licensed General Contractor dispatched to property to assess black marks on closet wall. Contractor deemed spots to be dirt and cleaned and treated the area. Inspected for signs of moisture and found none. Spot was dry when addressed.
-July 28, 2016, 3:00 PM- guest called our office requesting a refund for the issues they had at the property. While it is clear per the terms of their Lodging Agreement that there are no refunds for issues like they reported and that the owner’s obligation is to work to address them in a timely fashion (which they did) we contacted the owner regarding the guests request.
-July 29, 2016, 12:25 PM- While under no obligation to do so, the property owner offered a refund equal to just over 15% of the gross rental rate ($500.00) paid for the week. One of the members of the guests party agreed to the refund at that time, but approximately 45 minutes later, another member of the party called to decline the request and then requested a full refund of all fees paid for their week-long vacation at the property. The guest also indicated they had contacted a local television station regarding their issues.
-July 29, 2016, 1:50 PM- Per the guests request to speak with the “head of the company” I called and left a message at 1:50 PM. The guest has not returned my call.
As we discussed, we feel terribly that the guests were dissatisfied in anyway, and we acted quickly as their concerns were brought to our attention. The owner of the property did extensive remodeling to the property prior to this season, and we have had no complaints other than the one minor issue with the dryer earlier this month which was quickly resolved. In reviewing all of the weekly cleaning and inspection reports from this season, we have verified that there were no damages or cleaning issues noted on those reports. Upon notification by the guest of their concerns (as detailed above) action was taken quickly to address those issues.
We are sorry that these guests are not satisfied. We feel strongly that the owner of the property and Coldwell Banker Vacations acted in complete accordance with our Agreement with the guests and that their request for a full refund is unwarranted and unreasonable. The property owner acted in good faith to address the issues promptly and went as far as to offer a refund as a gesture of good will.
