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BEWARE VRBO #50260. In Jan 10, we entered into a rental agreement with Mrs Jean Coffey (a real estate agent) and Dr Kyle Coffey of Issaquah, WA for their house in Phoenix, AZ. The house was normally rented by the month, but with no Jan occupancy of the property the Coffeys willingly agreed to a “last minute” rental for a one week period commencing 18 Jan 10.
On 18 Jan a major winter storm shut down our transportation hub and we were unable to get to Phoenix without incurring significant alternate transportation costs. I called Mrs Coffey that morning to discuss options. She agreed to a postponement for a week to be determined later in 2010. She retained our cleaning & refurbishing and rent monies for the later week. So far, so good.
In May I called to arrange for a week in Nov 10 that was convenient for her. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. Coffey reopened negotiations on what I thought was a done deal. After many follow-up calls and e-mails, she indicated we could only rent for a minimum half month even though she had no bookings for Nov. She also said we had to pay an additional $90 for cleaning & refurb, on top of the $90 already paid. We settled on a 12 day agreement. When the contract arrived, it called for 11 days for the price of the 12, and demanded yet another $90 for cleaning & refurb (for a total cleaning bill of $270). So much for the week postponement.
I questioned the additional charges. She realized we were unwilling to enter into an inflated arrangement. She decided to return our rent payment. She said she would be retaining the $90 because it was spent on cleaning and refurbishing in advance of our planned arrival in Jan. Interestingly, the Coffeys were the last to inhabit the house in early Jan.
Three weeks later Coffey decided to renege on her decision to return our rent.
The Coffeys realize we are prepared not to let this rest. In the interim, I have offered them the opportunity to make things right, which I will report here. Further action is being considered. Until that time, do not trust Mrs Coffey to keep her word; in fact, be very careful about entering into a rental arrangement with them unless you are prepared to forfeit some of your funds.
9 September - I am pleased to say that the owner has had third thoughts and chosen to do the right thing. She has returned the rent as initially promised. I appreciate the support provided by the site.
Date Added: Aug 24, 2010
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