Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We stayed at one of the property's, Purple Parrot unit 19C, from 6/1-6/6. We paid $1272 and some change for our stay. Per the VRBO advertisement for this property you can "imagine yourself enjoying the evening relaxing on the balcony...", "sleeping arrangement's...a sleeper sofa in the living room...", "the condo has a wireless internet connection...". Under amenities it lists a smart tv, internet, free WIFI, ice maker. Cleaning practices states they follow industry health association. I have taken as many pictures as I could of our issues, some issues a photo would not help my case. We had a multitude of issues: the water/ice maker from the freezer has black mold on it, bugs were crawling in and out of the bedroom from the exterior door when the interior lights were on at night (they were exterminated but then we had dead bugs that no one came to clean up), there was no WIFI (according to the business the unit had been struck by lightening, however this was advertised as an amenity. No WIFI meant no smart tv), there were stains and some kind of residue on the outdoor furniture, exterior stair lighting didn't work properly which meant going up stairs at night in the dark, blinds kept falling from the bedroom door to the exterior, bedroom carpet down and up was stained and fraying, the lock on the door from the outside quit working on day 2 of our stay, and the couch was urine soaked (they had this cleaned while we were there but once it smelled of urine you don't want to sit or sleep on it). The business offered a one night compensation and a dolphin cruise for our family. This is not sufficient to the type of accommodations that were advertised for versus what we were provided.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/06/16) */ This property has had several guests before and since this guest all of which have enjoyed the property very much. After arrival, the guest was upset with the location of the property within the resort that they had reserved through a third-party booking site. Guest provided a list of concerns with this property expecting that they would be moved to another, however, no other properties were available within the resort. The issues were mostly related to housekeeping and we always respond promptly to ensure that all guests have a pleasant experience. Staff did not notice the same mystery odor reported, but for good measure had the furniture professionally cleaned. Admittedly, the deck furniture and cushions are not brand new and do have light staining; this was cleaned as well by staff so that the guest would feel comfortable sitting on it. The ice maker itself does not have mold in it. Instead, the guest's concern was around the flap from which ice should be dispensed. FWIW if the flap on an ice dispenser does not close firmly then where the cold air and warm Florida air meet will condensate and mildew may form. The ice maker in this property, however, is disabled and instead ice trays are available. Nevertheless, no one likes to see something like that on their vacation, so during the initial visit to the property staff was sure to wipe that up as well. The maintenance concerns reported were that the internet wasn't working and the seal for the exterior door. On the same initial visit to the property, staff worked to troubleshoot the internet connection. Ultimately, it was determined that the cable service provider's equipment had failed requiring replacement. The cable service provider indicated that it was likely due to a surge from lightning. These are vacation homes, not a hotel, so, just like at home, we are at the mercy of the service provider with regards to getting them out to remedy issues. They were scheduled for the first available timeslot which has since passed and the internet is working as expected. It is correct that this property has a smart tv, so without internet the apps for the tv won't work. As all the properties in the resort are provided service by the same service provider, the office provided the guest with the wifi login info for the condo immediately below which is in the same building for the interim. That wifi network can be detected from the parking lot, so it surely is sufficient for surfing the web from within the same wooden-frame building. Reporting the door seal initially seemed just to be constructive feedback. What is helpful for anyone reading this to know is that all of the doors and windows throughout the entire resort will be replaced in 2022, so moving forward this should not be of concern. While we're happy that the pest control efforts within the resort are effective (we never want to see any bugs, but if we do they better be dead), which is bordered by undeveloped conservation land on 2 sides, note that staff didn't find dead or live bugs. Nevertheless, also for good measure, we had maintenance spray anyway. In summary, upon notification of any concerns all were addressed that day. The guest requested that, for their inconvenience, one night be refunded which the office agreed and what's more, is that the office worked to line up an excursion for the guests, should they choose to go, with a local dolphin boat cruise company for the entire family to help get their vacation on track allowing some good vacation memories overshadow their initial troubles. The guest booked less than 3 days prior(evening of 5/29) to arrival(after non of 6/1) luckily securing a significantly discounted rate as we discount all short-notice bookings, however, they did so using a credit card that expired in May of the same year. As a result, when the office manager attempted to process the refund promised the credit card used was already expired so the refund could not be processed. Instead, since then, a check for the refund amount has been mailed to the guest. While we do wish that this guest had a better experience, and we're confident that had they booked direct we could have helped to direct them to a property in a different location within the resort which would have provided a much different experience and at a lower price point, it is important to mention that we do work to ensure properties are ready for arrival and if ever there is something concerning to one of our vacationers that we will promptly have a team member over to diagnose and remedy as quickly as possible. It should be noted that the pricing the guest is referring to is not what the office charged for the stay. In booking through a third-party website over $100 of that expense is what the marketplace website charged them to use the site, commonly referred to as a traveler fee on marketplace websites such as vrbo and airbnb. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/06/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The business is making claims that simply aren't true. We never complained about the units location on the property. I have saved all email communications I have had with this business for the reason of providing substance to the situation. I did have complaints as listed previously as I'm sure anyone would be complaining about. I'm there to be on vacation, not deal with a subpar unit, let alone not receive what was advertised. We were in the unit while the couch was being cleaned and the maintenance worker agreed that it smelled of urine, this topic is "he said she said". The outdoor furniture was never cleaned. I took pictures of it on different days to prove this. The day the couch was cleaned the outdoor furniture was supposed to be cleaned but never was. The ice maker mold was never wiped up, I also took multiple pictures of this on different days. There was never"Netgear73" wifi available which is what I was told to look for, I also have this in an email from the business, JD ****** is the one who sent it. I was told that the unit 19c was struck by lightening and that the downstairs unit also did not have WIFI. In the same communication with JD, he stated that they let the association management know about the internet. "they have found that the modem needs to be replaced and put in a ticket with the cable service provider." Regardless of being at the mercy of the cable provider, WIFI was advertised in the VRBO listing, it should've been provided. I am happy to provide the emails regarding my communication with the company. Moving on, while the staff didn't find any live or dead bugs, I have pictures stating otherwise. JD ****** never mentions the door not locking, the exterior stair lighting, the bedroom blinds that continuously fell, or the carpet stains in the bedrooms; the concerns were not all addressed. I had requested that for every night we did not have access to what was advertised for on the VRBO that we be refunded or offered another unit to stay in.