| Vacation Rental Complaints [Tag : Hawaii] |
| 1. |
Sunset Beach Cottage- North Shore Oahu
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The property was poorly maintained and somewhat dirty (there was no actual doors on the cottage only fly screen and therefore when it was windy the cottage would fill with dirt and dust). There were missing shutters on the windows making it difficult to keep clean and dry at times of wind and rain. The cottage was not lockable. The bathroom was of an extremely poor standard- it was unclean filled with dirt and dust, ants nests, animal poop, and it was very open and not private…it was what I would expect of an old camping ground. The kitchen facilities were very basic consisting of a few appliances and dishes in the corner and I found these to be only useful for heating things up but not for cooking as such. The location of this property was OK. It was about a few minutes walk to sunset beach, but unlike the description there were no visible shots of the beach as the cottage is located at the bottom of a hill surrounded by trees making ocean views impossible. There were an extremely large amount of mosquitoes, ants, spiders, geckos and other living creatures in and around the cottage that no mosquito coils or insect repellant could rid.
Furthermore, we experienced a number of drainage issues where on several occasions we had sewerage flow out the shower drain when the toilet was flushed in the bathroom or sink emptied in the kitchen. The owner fixed this each time but blamed our use of the facilities for it…even though there was no improper use on our behalf whatsoever?
The cottage did not feel safe or secure for us. There were no locks on the cottage, there were no curtains on the cottage and the bathroom was very open. Whilst the cottage was located in a secluded spot we still didn’t feel it was safe or private enough… the last straw was when we were shocked to find one morning someone else using our bathroom! This of which the owner flat out denied.
We had booked the property for 6 weeks and after 3 decided to move as we did not find the cottage, clean, safe or comfortable …which is all that we expect in accommodation. The owner was not pleasant to deal with when we made the decision and he refused to reimburse any money unless he was able to re-rent the cottage, which of course did not happen.
We suggest that before booking this rental that you seek further photographs (specifically of the kitchen and the bathroom and the areas surrounding the cottage) and a clear description of what you should expect of the cottage (we were told there a tv and dvd player in there…but alas there was not) to ensure that it suits you and your needs. We were charged a lower rate for a the 6 week booking (working out to be approximately $75USD p.n when it is usually $125 USD p.n)) and we still felt this was too much, especially considering the other accommodation in the surrounding area for a similar price. We were able to find nice places close by for the same amount and were of a much greater standard. We would not recommend this property.
Date Added: Dec 9, 2007
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| 3. |
Old and tired
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"The good: walking distance to beach and Mama’s fish house and the big parrot called Coco that flew in each night at 6pm.
The bad and ugly: In a few word – Old, tired & dirty. The light switches were dark dingy, the fan was filthy so that it was unusable, the walls were dirty with dings, had to use toaster on living room floor due to no spare outlets, no response from owners on initial contact via 2 phone calls (when we first arrived) and one email, took three days to hear back. The bedding was old, thin sheets, dusty windows that don’t open, headboard bangs against wall, not connected. The lamps were not functioning without bulbs, had to buy TP, everything was worn and tired looking. Drapes had holes and worn spots. The door on the smoke detector was open with no battery. The screen door did not function, pictures on web site must have been taken when unit was new. The kitchen fan over stove is loud and scary. Found big dead spider legs in towel, the toilet ‘sings’. Found mice feces and the DVD remote had dead batteries in it. The owners did come out two days before we left (we stayed 8 days as we had to pay in advance) to fix the lamps and provide mouse traps."
Date Added: Apr 12, 2010
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| 4. |
Not a rental home complaint, but avoid Adventure on 2 Wheels
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I highly recommend not renting from this place. Their mopeds are old and the speedometers don't work. But my warning to others is based on the details below:
The Ala Moana shop is a tiny white shed next to Alana Doubletree Waikiki.
I rented a moped for 2 days at $30/day and it was due to be returned at 3:45pm. I ended up running late (I was caught in Honolulu Saturday traffic) and got there at about 4:30. I rushed there because i thought they closed at 5pm. When I got there, there was only a girl in the shop, who told me she didn't work there. She didn't know what to do with the returned moped and she didn't even know where the helmets were kept in the shop. I left the moped with her, helping her lock it up because she didn't even know how to unlock the chain. She told me everything was "all good" and that I was free to go.
Two days later, I got a call telling me to pick up my credit card receipt because they charged me for another $30 because I was late. The person who called told me that their manager Wayne charged my card because it was returned at 6pm. I asked if I could speak to Wayne but was told he was at the other shop. I explained my case to the person who called me and asked if it was possible to get the charges reversed, and because I returned it at 4:30pm, not 6pm. I also had no intention to return it late and that had I known they would charge me, I would have taken it for one more day. The person who called me said he would call Wayne for me and try and talk to him, he then called back about 2 minutes later and said Wayne said he would not reverse the charge. I tried to call Wayne myself at the other shop and was told he stepped out about and would not be back until about 4pm.
It's not about the money, it's the principle. It's so cheap and petty to charge someone for an extra day without any warning and not even bother to call back. He just pocketed $30. And the fact that the person at the shop front didn't even work there shows how dodgy and irresponsible they are.
Date Added: May 15, 2012
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