ComplaintsforHauserman Rental Group, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We rented a vacation home from Hauserman Rental Group 8/10/23-8/15/23 for 10 adults. Whee ******* got there, the fridge and microwave both had signs on them indicating previous complaints and instructions on how to handle improperly functioning appliances. We followed those instructions, and called as the following day and every day thereafter because the refrigerator was not cooling properly. It remained at over 40 degrees (at *** danger level)despite us keeping the door closed, only putting cold food in it, etc. *****,s response was consistently that fridges just work that way and that it was fine. The rental agency left condiments in the fridge for use and we let them know that this was unsafe given that the fridge did not hold safe temperatures and that we threw out the Mayo and ranch and our concern for future renter safety. They had no reaction. My daughter accidentally used the ketchup that had been left in the fridge instead of the one we brought and she got food poisoning. We reported that and they brought us a mini fridge that was not big enough to hold any of the meat nor vegetables we brought. We opened the ribs on 8/13/23 and they were not only completely thawed but also smelled so bad that people came in from outside to see what smelled. At that point we felt that nothing in the fridge was safe. We called again, and were told it was our fault for too much food in the fridge. We explained that they knew we were a party of 10 and that there was no more in the fridge than we use at home with no issues. Additionally, there was hair, blood and crumbs on bedding and towels and they explained it was a perfect storm and were sorry and the owner was buying a new fridge as well as a second fridge for such a big house. I asked for 50% of the $5,000 we had paid up front back given the issues and ***** confirmed that seemed reasonable and would get back to me Tuesday. We didnt hear anything Tuesday and by Wednesday decided we would dispute the charge 100%

  

  Business response

  08/26/2023

  We are sorry for the experience this customer had at our ********************** property. Here is our perspective of the situation:

  There were no "signs indicating previous complaints" on any of the appliances. The signs on the appliances are standard throughout our rentals and this customer apparently misinterpreted the meaning of the signs.

  The day after their arrival, they reported that the fridge and freezer were not holding temperature and items they brought from home (an 8+ hour drive) in their coolers began to thaw in the fridge. They said they had already put their food back into the coolers / ice chests. We immediately sent our maintenance man to check on it. He took temperature readings; the freezer was -7F and fridge at 41F. We also provided a smaller but fully functional back-up refrigerator (apartment-sized, not a bar-sized or "mini fridge") and microwave oven for their use.

  Immediately after they checked out, we sent an appliance repairman and he got a freezer reading of -5.8F and a fridge reading of 39.3F which is well within food-safe standards. He confirmed that the condenser is not blocked by ice and that the coils are clean. (We actually vacuum the coils as part of our deep cleaning process each Spring.) The appliance specialist reported that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the fridge.

  In our 57 years in the rental business, we've often experienced that renters overload the fridge, adjust the controls, and keep opening the door to check the temps. If our advice posted on the sign they photographed is followed, the problem usually resolves itself relatively quickly. Sometimes appliances do fail, but this was NOT one of those instances. The fridge was working perfectly for the previous renters, and it has continued to work perfectly for the 3 rentals following this customer's **********************. We have not had a single complaint from any other renters about this appliance. However, to avoid similar problems in the future, we have purchased a second fridge for the garage.

  On Wednesday, August 16, we confirmed via email to this customer that we had refunded 20% of their rent (not including additional fees, taxes, etc.). We feel this is a fair compensation for the situation.

  As for the cleanliness complaints, we take this type of thing very seriously and have already ordered and received replacements for any stained linens. We provided these renters with full access to the usually-locked linen closet so that they could have extra towels and bedding.

  Again, we sincerely apologize for the rental experience this customer had. We did our best to rectify any problems they reported, but apparently our best was not enough.

  Customer response

  08/26/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:

  1) we never said we put the good bank in the coolers. We said we were using the coolers for beverages.

  2) the frozen food in the coolers we have can stay frozen at a campground for 3-5 days. 
  

  3) We rented the house for 10 people. The previous and subsequent renters may or may not have had that many people and may or May not have used the fridge for food.

  4) we have never been anywhere that posts signs like that on appliances. It is reasonable to assume that this had posting because of prior issues.

  5) Hauserman admits they checked they *** led the fridge after 24 hours and it was well above safe temperatures and stayed that way our entire stay. Its great its working now but it was not working during our stay and they confirm that. Over 49 degrees is unsafe per the *** for all food.

  6) They left condiments in a fridge that made my daughter very Ill despite my best efforts to warn them and get rid of obvious dangers like open Mayo and ranch.

  7) The attached pictures of our sons arm with a rash and bug bites from the bed he slept in are additional proof besides the stained towels & linens that the bedding was not clean. The cleaning manager said he had no more bedding for us. Just towels and some sheets but it was the comforters that were stained and had hair. The cleaning manager said he could not get them clean in less than a day and had nothing else to replace them. That now makes sense that they are not washing the comforters nor pillow shams if renters are checking in and out the same day. The bedding didnt smell clean and logically they would not have time to clean it if they had no back up comforters. The extra in the closets were the ones with hair and stains do those are not getting cleaned either.

  8) 20% is not an adequate refund for the multiple problems and health hazards and bed bug rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. we asked for 50% initially to be nice. We are disputing this 100% now because of all of the time, effort, frustration and poor response times (they assured us theyd get back to us Tuesday and only responded Thursday after we posted a bad review on Yelp).

  9) the replacement fridge was not apartment size. It was a small dorm fridge that could not hold meat nor vegetables, just beverages which were fine in our coolers. 
  
  10) Hausermans responses to every bad review Ive seen has been to blame the renters and paint them out to be rule breakers, or poorly behaved people. We are neither of those and resent their new tactic of trying to suggest our food was bad before we arrived vs the undeniable and daily communication about the improperly working fridge.

  11) Both **** and ***** admitted to **** and to ************************* on 3 different calls that this was the perfect storm and that the house was too big not to have 2 fridges. ***** told **** that a 50% refund sounded reasonable given all the things that happened and said she just needed to check with management and would call the next day. 3 days later she blamed it on the owners and said it was only 20%. Hausermans excuses, explanations and promises change consistently. This is the definition of bad business modeling.

  
  

  

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  Here is a point-by-point reply:

  1)This information was relayed by *****. Our apologies if he misunderstood what was said and gave inaccurate info to the person responding to the complaint.

  2) Then why didnt they use the coolers when they felt the fridge wasnt working properly?

  3) The 3 previous rentals had 8, 10,& 9 occupants respectively, and the subsequent 4 rentals had 9, 10, 10, and 9 occupants. All of them used the refrigerator and not a single one of them reported any issues with it. The last 2 rentals were each 9 nights long and they certainly would have voiced similar complaints if the fridge were an actual issue. 

  4) This is absolutely NOT the case. After decades in the rental business, we have found that when renters arrive they pack fridges FULL of food and beverages, the latter of which are usually at room temp or warmer,then crank the fridge to the lowest setting thinking it will make the fridge cool down faster. This actually has the opposite effect and causes the freezer to work too hard while not cooling the fridge properly. Sometimes the vents from the freezer into the fridge are blocked by the load in the fridge, exacerbating the problem. We know for a fact that we are not the only rental agency in our area to post these refrigerator signs. 

  5) We absolutely do NOT and never have admitted this. When the complainant called us the day after their arrival to let us know the fridge wasnt cool enough, we immediately sent one of our maintenance staff to check on the situation. He got a temperature reading of **** for the fridge and -7 for the freezer, which is below normal for the freezer and ONLY 1.2 DEGREES ********** SAFE STANDARDS, not well above food safe temps.  At no point did we record a reading of 49 degrees. Photos of these temperature readings, taken on August 11, are attached. These temps indicate the typical scenario, referenced above, where the freezer is overworking and not properly getting cold air into the fridge.  

  6) We concede that the housekeeper should not be leaving open condiments for the next renter, but we question why the renter didnt simply discard them upon arrival. 

  7) Certainly this renter cannot truly believe that, after 57 years in the rental business, we wouldnt have procedures for back-to-back rentals. We require all of our homeowners to have 2 sets of sheets for every bed and 2 full sets of towels for the maximum ********* of the property (a set being a bath, face and hand towel). The max ********* for this home is 10 so that means there are 20 full sets of towels there. One set of clean sheets for each bed and 10 sets of towels are kept in a locked linen closet so that theyre at the ready on days where turnaround time is short. The cleaning crew can make up beds and bathrooms with clean items while doing the laundry from the previous rental. Admittedly, the backup comforters stored in the closets are not washed between each rental because one could logically assume that if they're still in the closets the previous renters didnt use them. Our checkout instructions for retners are clear that used linens and like items be left out so the housekeeper can tend to them.

  Unfortunately, we dont always have time to wash comforters between each rental but the housekeeper is expected to let us know if they need to be swapped out. The cleaner for this property (who we assume the renter is referring to as the cleaning manager but which is not that persons title) should always let us know when comforters and pillow shams need cleaning so we can make arrangements for items to be switched out.  

  The renters claim of rash and bug bites is new to us, and we assume its being fabricated as ammunition for their new 100% refund claim. Again NO OTHER RENTERS have had these issues. We take claims of bed bugs VERY seriously and would have immediately sent a professional pest control company out if they had said this to us. One can expect that a busy rental propertys linens may end up with some stains,but that does NOT mean that they werent laundered. When this renter informed us of stained items, we ordered replacements the same day. 

  8) This is 100% UNTRUE on a variety of levels. There are NO bed bugs at this home and, again, we feel this is a claim (verging on libel!) that the renter is creating to bolster their case. We did NOT wait until seeing their bad review on Yelp before responding; we had already emailed the renter on Wednesday, August 16, to let them know that an appliance repair person found ZERO issues with the fridge but that we were still going to refund 20% of their rent. A screenshot of this email is attached.

  9) We brought them what we had available. Unfortunately,in our rural area, its not as simple as running to the nearest ********** for a replacement. If the coolers they have can stay frozen at a campground for 3-5 days, why didnt they use them to keep their food on ice for the remainder of their 5 night stay? While admittedly not the most convenient option, at least their food would have been cold enough and their beverages could have been stored in the fridge that was just 1.2 degrees off of food-safe temps. We would have been more than happy to bring them ice for this purpose and I believe, but am not certain, that this option was offered to them.

  10) The handful of online review responses they referenced were indeed replies to rule breakers and poorly behaved people. We deal with thousands of renters each year and, unfortunately, not all of them are well-behaved or follow the rules. Also, to reiterate: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS HOME'S FRIDGE!

  11) ***** does not have the authority to agree to any amount of refund, and needed to speak with our office manager and the homeowner about the issue before contacting the renter with a resolution. Again, she emailed the renter on Wednesday, August 16, just one day after they checked out, to let them know that we had issued a 20% refund of their rent. We did everything in our power to appease these renters. Judging by their impatient and combative attitude from the beginning, we suspect that nothing we did for them would have been satisfactory. 

   

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