ComplaintsforCabins of the Smoky Mountains

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were recent occupants of the Big Bear Retreat the last week of March for 3 nights. The description and pictures online represented a cabin much different than what we saw upon arrival. Needless to say the pictures MUST be dated and the cabin might have been "luxury," but not now. What we saw was a cabin that had broken doors, a broken ceiling fan, broken closet doors, burned out bulbs, broken cornhole boards, doors that would not close, bedrooms with missing smoke detectors, a BBQ caked in grease, mold in the bathrooms, dirty linens, broken and missing blinds (found those in the laundry room). The driving simulators are not NASCAR simulators but some other dated driving game. Even the pool table, which on the pictures on the website shows a nice green felt, was now a beat up red felted table. The 8 stadium seats shown in the picture on the website are now only 4 with one row missing, and the row that remains has torn seat covers on each seat. Also upon arrival we found boards with nails sticking out of them on one of the decks...most likely left there from a feeble attempt at patching a hole in a door. We called maintenance the day we got in to report the broken items and someone came out. He collected the left over boards, cleaned up the broken cornhole, and got a one of the doors to close. The next day we called maintenance for burned out bulbs and a grill that wouldn't start...someone came out, said she would return and never did. I reported all of this and sent pictures to their "guestcare" email address. First they proposed $112 off with future discounts. I rejected the offer as it was not nearly enough and I do not plan on staying there again. Then they upped their offer to $120. I paid $1700+ for 3 nights! $120 per night, maybe, but total?? Outside of the maintenance person not returning, the staff members I spoke to were attentive and polite, but what you see on their website is definitely not what you get.

  

  Business response

  04/15/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for the guests dissatisfaction on their stay with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take any complaint seriously in order to gain resolution.
  
  
  We were able to make contact with the guest on Monday the 15th of April. We did offer the guest a partial refund and a returning stay discount. The guest declined the amount that was offered as he did not see it sufficient.  While we are not perfect we do everything in our power to make it right with the guests and work to resolve any issues that may come up quickly.
  
  
  We apologize again to the guests for their dissatisfaction. It truly is in our sincerest hopes to have each guest become a returning guest with us and would still be happy to process the refund as well as have them come back at a discounted rate, but we will not be able to process a refund more than what has already been offered due to the guests staying the full duration of the stay and us resolving the issues that we could for them. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Saturday March 23, 2024 my family of 12 traveled nearly 12 hours to be greeted with a cabin that had a flooded basement, mold damage all over, and a broken handrail that could cost somewhere their life. We were told around 2pm that the "inspectors" were at the cabin doing a final walk through, and they would text us when we were able to check in. We received the text around 4pm stating that the inspection was complete and our cabin was ready for check in. As soon as we arrived and opened the door, the smell of mold was so overwhelming, that we could not allow our children into the home. We walked through to see if we could find the source, and as soon as you entered the basement, the smell literally burned your throat. There was a huge industrial fan in the basement bedroom, which is proof that this company already knew of the water damage. I am not sure why they would even think it was remotely okay to leave a fan this size taking up 1/3 of the room, but that was the least of our worries. The water in the movie room was definitely old, but left. Nobody even attempted to clean that. The baseboard was ripped off because of the water damage. The hot tub was absolutely disgusting. And the railing outside was so loose, that if a child ran and pushed on it, the entire railing was going down, and the person was falling off of the side of a mountain. I contacted customer service, was placed on hold for over an hour while I waited on a managers approval for a refund, and ultimately had to come out of pocket nearly $8000 to rent another home so last minute. I reached out the next day for an update, and was told that a manager would give me a partial refund. I kindly declined the partial refund and demanded a FULL refund since we could not even stay in the house for more than 10 minutes. A customer service rep called me back and said okay they will give a full refund. I still have not been contacted by management a week later.

  

  Business response

  04/08/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains apologize for the guests dissatisfaction with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take any complaint seriously in order to gain resolution. 
  
  
  We have called and emailed the guest with the transaction details. She was fully refunded on 03/24/2024 and was settled back on her card on 03/25. The Guest had paid with several different cards which we refunded each one of them. We were able to resolve the guest complaint amicably and the guest spoke with a member of management on 4/4/2024 which also confirmed this refund as well. Again we apologize for the inconveniences that were caused by the issue with the property. We appreciate your feedback and will take this as an opportunity to improve our services to our guests.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Cabin Dates: March 2-5, 2024 Name of Cabin #1: The Palace at Bear Creek Name of Incorrect Cabin: The Gatlinburg Lodge View or The View at Gatlinburg Lodge Name of Cabin #2: The Gatlinburg Lodge There are multiple complaints (see attached) from roaches, to (multiple) cabin malfunctions to a sewer backup. Pls see the attached for a list of the complaint sent. The Mgmt promised to get back in touch w/ us; they promised resolution and now they are not responding at all.

  

  Business response

  03/20/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for the guests dissatisfaction on their stay with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take any complaint seriously in order to gain resolution. 
  
  
  We have been in contact with the guests during their stay and afterwards. We were able to offer the guests a partial refund upon checkout to which the guest accepted. We appreciate the guests feedback and will take this as an opportunity to improve our services to our future guests.

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  2/10/24-02/13/24. Upon entering at 4:00p.m. there was a stench, which was a big deal since we had Lysol anyway. Checking things out quite a few areas wasn't clean the jacuzzi bathtub in the bathroom. The TV in the main living room wasn't working which at that time (4:10pm) we called customer service. The 1st rep. apologized and stated they will send someone out in 45 min to an hour. At 6:00p.m. We decide to go check out the Hot Tub the outside panel was off exposing all the tubes, My husband decides to place the panel back on since it was on the deck, he lift the coving for the tub and parts ( I guess that's what it was) are floating inside, he turned the tub on and came inside and went downstairs to hear water falling heavily, He step out to see it's from the hot tub above (pictures are attached) we called back and got another rep. who was rude and told my husband it's going to be 45 minutes to an hour again before someone can come, and told us "you can leave but, yeen getting ya money back". Furious my husband had to get off the phone.30 minutes or so pass and a very nice maintenance guy named **** came check things out and took pictures and video of the hot tub and stated he would send to supervisor. I got a message from ****** who stated he was a supervisor at 2:01pm on 2/11/24 that they could move us or see what they can do. I called him back at 2:34pm. Rep 3 stated she didn't think he was in, I told her my name and I was returning his called she told me to hold on,10 min,6 sec, she disconnected the line. ****** called me at 9:13am on 02/12/24 and left a message, I called him back at 9:19am, he didn't know I called the day before and offered to move us to a different cabin. We declined since we are leaving in the morning, He agreed we should be refunded partial if not all. He stated he would email his supervisor for approval and call me around noon and again when we check out at 10am on 02/13/24 to do the refund.NO CALL AT ALL!

  

  Business response

  02/19/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for the guests dissatisfaction on their stay with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take any complaint seriously in order to gain resolution. 
  
  We were able to contact the guest on Saturday February 17th and come to a satisfactory resolution with the guests.With the Monetary compensation the guest accepted our apologies and a discount on a future stay.We appreciate your feedback and time reporting this to us and speaking with us . We will take this as an opportunity to improve our services to our guests.

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Complaint Against Cabins of the Smoky Mountains We requested a cabin for 3 days during Thanksgiving 2023 and paid a $245 deposit. We were told that we did not meet the minimum stay required for Thanksgiving which is 5 days. We received emails stating we did not meet the minimum stay and were told to add the additional days. We chose not to add additional days due to the additional cost of those and we could not take the additional time off from our work. Since we could not stay at the cabin, we decided to spend Thanksgiving with our family in Dickson, Tennessee. Thanksgiving Day 2023, our account was debited the remainder of the 3 night stay of $1,119.28. We were billed for the 3 night stay even though we were not approved to stay there and did not meet the 5-day minimum. Their website literally says “In the case of not meeting nightly minimum restrictions, we reserve the right not to accept these reservations. Under these conditions, a refund will be applied to the credit card provided. “ we never received a refund. (last 2 lines of second paragraph https://www.*****************************/reservation_agreement_policies.php) The same cabin we reserved was rented by another customer for the same time we requested to stay there. Therefore, they had no intention of honoring the reservation for the stay we requested. Even though they rented the cabin to another customer, and we never met the minimum requirements to stay there, they refused to refund the amount debited from our account. Regardless if the cabin was rented or not, we were told we did not meet the minimum requirements to stay in the cabin; so, we had to make other arrangements.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2024

  We at Gatlinburg Falls Resort apologize for the frustrations and confusion to the guests. 

  On September 5th 2023 the guests booked a reservation on our online website *****************************. We attempted to reach out to them since they booked the reservation starting on 9/11/2023 to have them add on another night. We do not just cancel the reservations and have to have confirmation from the customers one way or another if they are able to add a night on to meet the nightly minimum in the case they are not we either choose to honor the reservation as is or get with the guest on adding additional nights onto the reservation. In the case they could not meet the nightly minimum requirement and we could not make an exception to it - we would have cancelled. As of the date of your scheduled check in on 11/22/2023 the guests did not cancel or let us know how they would like to proceed. Therefore we kept the reservation in good standing. In our reservation agreement that was signed upon booking the reservation it states the nightly minimums as well as the cancellation policy within the 7 days as the following:
  
   "Should you need to change your dates or cancel, you can reschedule your reservation any time with no penalty as long as the change is processed at least 30 days in advance of your stay. The deposit is placed in escrow, to be held for 1 year, for a future reservation. For reservations canceled inside 30 days, the deposit is forfeited unless we are able to replace the reservation with another booking. Within 7 days, the guest is responsible for the amount of the entire stay unless we are able to replace the reservation with another booking at the same rate. No exceptions to the cancellation policy can be made for weather, health related reasons, or family emergencies." 
  
  Due to the guests not cancelling we charged the card on file for the remaining balance of the reservation as would be typical.

  We did tell the guests that the cabin was opened up to rebook after they no showed on the reservation. This rebooking allows for the money to not be lost and used towards a future stay. The guests cabin was rebooked and therefore we are able to extend the money towards a future reservation. The money can be used towards a future stay until 11/22/2024.

  The guests have placed disputes on the card that was charged to which ultimatley the bank decided in our favor. We are sorry for any confusion that was caused, but we do have to follow our cancellation policy in regards to this matter.

  Customer response

  02/16/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Thank you for your reply.
  

  Also, thank you for reminding me about the deposit being placed in escrow.  I was initially confused when I noticed that the $245 deposit was not refunded.  I remembered when we requested our stay, if it was not accepted, we would still be able to use that this year.  My wife and I wanted to make a trip to Gatlinburg and the cabins look wonderful. 
  

  You have to understand our confusion in this matter.  We noticed on the site that it said “nightly minimum stay restrictions, which will not be applied by the online reservation system.”  It goes on to say “In the case of not meeting nightly minimum restrictions, we reserve the right not to accept these reservations.”  We put in our request for the three days in hopes that it would be accepted.  It was an expensive stay for us and unfortunately, we could not afford the additional days nor did my wife have the vacation time since starting her new job.  Needless to say, we were saddened when we received the email that we could not stay for the dates requested.  Like I mentioned, it was going to be expensive for us but we thought it would be a great treat to stay in a cabin in the mountains for Thanksgiving; since, our kids were not able to be with us over the holiday. 
  

  We put it out of our mind and the addition emails requesting we add more days were a sad reminder for that we were not going go be spending Thanksgiving in a cabin.
  

  We were literally stunned when we saw that $1,119 was deducted from our account.  We did not see anything in the email stating that we would be charged for the days that we initially requested if we did not contact your company.  Had we known we had to contact you, we certainly would have.  I don’t want to say we were misled but the site does not explain it clearly.
  

  If you would please refund the $1,119 it would be greatly appreciated, and we would love to have this matter put to rest. 
  

  Thank You Again,
  ***** ******

  

  Business response

  02/18/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains apologize for the frustrations and confusion to the guests. 

  
  We have attempted to reach out to the guests about this on February 16th and again today February 18th 2024. Unfortunately, we have been unable to speak with the guests despite our attempts. 
  
  On September 5th 2023 the guests booked a reservation on our online website *****************************. We attempted to reach out to them since they booked the reservation starting on 9/11/2023 to have them add on another night. We do not just cancel the reservations and have to have confirmation from the customers one way or another if they are able to add a night on to meet the nightly minimum in the case they are not we either choose to honor the reservation as is or get with the guest on adding additional nights onto the reservation. In the case they could not meet the nightly minimum requirement and we could not make an exception to it - we would have cancelled. As of the date of your scheduled check in on 11/22/2023 the guests did not cancel or let us know how they would like to proceed. Therefore we kept the reservation in good standing. In our reservation agreement that was signed upon booking the reservation it states the nightly minimums as well as the cancellation policy within the 7 days as the following:
  
   "Should you need to change your dates or cancel, you can reschedule your reservation any time with no penalty as long as the change is processed at least 30 days in advance of your stay. The deposit is placed in escrow, to be held for 1 year, for a future reservation. For reservations canceled inside 30 days, the deposit is forfeited unless we are able to replace the reservation with another booking. Within 7 days, the guest is responsible for the amount of the entire stay unless we are able to replace the reservation with another booking at the same rate. No exceptions to the cancellation policy can be made for weather, health related reasons, or family emergencies." 
  
  Due to the guests not cancelling we charged the card on file for the remaining balance of the reservation as would be in accordance with our reservation agreement that was signed by the guests upon booking the reservation initially online.
  
  We did tell the guests that the cabin was opened up to rebook after they no showed on the reservation. This rebooking allows for the money to not be lost and used towards a future stay, but does not allow the guests to be refunded. The guests cabin was rebooked when we opened up the dates and therefore we are able to extend the money towards a future reservation. The money can be applied towards a future stay until 11/22/2024.
  
  The guests have placed disputes on the card that was charged to which ultimately the bank decided in our favor. We are sorry for any confusion that was caused, but we do have to follow our cancellation policy in regards to this matter which states no refunds. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Rented a cabin from 01/11/24-01/14/24 Amenities listed included hot tub, gas fireplace, 3 televisions, charcoal grill, ect. Included in the cabin rental I was charged a $135 cleaning fee and a $79 hot tub cleaning fee. Once arrived I noticed the fireplace did not work, then noticed 2 televisons didn't work, there was no charcoal grill, the cabin was beyond filthy, kitchen cabinets had fallen off. I immediately called the guest service number and was told someone wouldn't be available until the next day. The next day about 7:30pm someone came and told me he was there to fix the tvs, once I told him about fireplace and he advised me they knew it didn't work and are in negotiations with getting it fixed and was only there for the tvs. It was late and the tvs were the least of my concern, I rented the cabin just for the fireplace, hot tub, and grill and it didn't have 2 of the things I wanted and was listed as amenities. I called back the next day and was told I would get compensation after check out. I didn't hear anything back for several hours after checkout. I called and spoke with someone else and that person admitted the cabin was dirty and would refund the cleaning fee, and told me to call back in a couple hours to see about compensation for missing amenities. Called back and was offered less than the cleaning fee total. Then the last phone call staff became very rude and refused to offer anything or allow me to speak with anyone else.

  

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for any displeasure to the guests on their stay with us. We take all complaints seriously in order to gain resolution and have guests become returning guests with us. 

  We spoke to the guests on 1/30/2024. After some discussion we came to a resolution of a partial refund due to the concerns of the TV and wifi as well as the arcade game. Both of these items had to be scheduled with outside vendors and unfortunately they were unable to resolve this during the guests stay. 

  We value the guests feedback and will work hard to improve the service to our guests. We do hope that they can give us a chance in the future to return with us and have a much better experience. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We booked a cabin with this company for Christmas. We thought that we were staying in Pigeon Forge, but when they texted the address, it was in Sevierville. There was an old mattress just thrown in the woods down below the deck of the cabin so it looked like we were staying in an undesirable area. When they called the day after we arrived, we told them about the mattress and they said that they would send someone out to get it, but never showed. We were not told ahead of time that you couldn't drink the water (sulfur smell) and had to go buy tons of bottled water and didn't want to shampoo our hair. The WiFi was SO BAD that you couldn't even watch a movie on the TV. The fireplace didn't work, I think that it needed propane. The pool table pockets had holes in them so the balls fell out making the game annoying instead of fun. The arcade game was broken. The only thing that seemed to work was the hot tub, but with all the other things in the cabin not working properly, I wasn't about to try out that hot tub which was supposed to be a big feature for renting the cabin. For the price of renting this cabin $3233.67 for 5 nights, I expected things to work properly so that we could enjoy our holiday.

  

  Business response

  01/15/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for the guests dissatisfaction on their stay with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take all complaints seriously in order to gain resolution. 
  
  We spoke with the reservation holder on 01/09/2024 in regards to her stay. We truly appreciate the feedback that she gave to us and will take this as an opportunity to improve our services to our guests. We were able to provide compensation to the reservation holder's card as well as offer a discount on a returning stay.

  Again, we apologize sincerely for the inconveniences faced and do hope the guests will give us another chance in the future to show them that we can provide the vacation that they deserve. 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My family has been coming to Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg for over 10 years renting cabins for Christmas. This has been the worst experience ever. This cabin wasn’t properly cleaned, most bedroom doors wouldn’t lock or shut, and blinds on the front bedrooms were broken and missing. Imagine getting undressed in your room at night and pieces of the blinds are missing. The worst thing was my bed didn’t have slacks or a box springs. I had to sleep on mattress on the floor inside a frame. To make matters worst there were a pest control issues. Due to our mattress being on the floor bugs continued to crawl on our bed and on us at night. 5 days of this! When management was called they gave excuses of why the mattress was on the floor and provided no resolution! Completed ruined Christmas for me.

  

  Business response

  01/01/2024

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains are very sorry for the guests dissatisfaction on their stay with us. We want all guests to become returning guests with us, and so we take any complaint seriously in order to gain resolution. 
  
  We have been in contact with the guests during and since the stay. We have resolved this with the reservation holder by partial refund and future stay discount. We do hope that you all are able to come back to the area in the future to enjoy the stay you all deserve. We appreciate your feedback and will take this as an opportunity to improve our services to our guests.

  Customer response

  01/02/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We arrived to the area earlier and called to inquire about an early checkin. We were told someone was in our cabin, and had not checked out yet so to call back later. I called back at 12:50 PM. They said we were listed as “waiting”. Operator stated they were actually in the cabin cleaning it now, insinuating it wouldn’t be a problem to check in early. At 3pm we were told the cabin was clean, but waiting on an inspector to verify. At 4:15, operator informed us it would likely be after 5pm before verification. The operator finally gave us permission to enter the cabin, as it was left unlocked. Upon entering, the cleaning was lackluster to say the least. Dusty bed frames, cobwebs, dirty pans put away as clean, soiled tabletops, broken bits of tortilla chips in movie room and the theater seats are soiled with food stains. The freezer door seal ill-fitting prevented door from closing. No pillow cases on the pillows and one hand towel in the whole cabin for 5 bathrooms. There was a bowl of old dirty water under the kitchen sink from the disposal leaking. At 5:04pm, I got a text reporting cabin was ready. The “inspector” was sitting outside our cabin in his car. I approached him asking how he approved the cabin if he never even entered the cabin. Needless to say his jaw dropped. We were told the maintenance man would be out the following morning to fix leaky sink. At 8:15pm we walked upstairs to find the maintenance man in the kitchen. We woke up on Thanksgiving to find roaches on the counter and in the dishwasher. We ran the dishwasher to try to kill them only to find the dishwasher leaked everywhere. I called, was told they would send someone. Friday I was told exterminators would be out by 1pm, waited all day and no one showed. Saturday at 2pm they finally showed up, with plenty more roach sightings in the meantime. Very unsanitary! The leaking sink and dishwasher were never resolved. I asked to speak to a manager on Tuesday and still have never heard from a manager.

  

  Business response

  12/04/2023

  First, we would like to say to our guests - we apologize for any dissatisfaction to their stay. We appreciate the guests time in speaking with us about their stay and things that we can do to improve for the next visitors. We take all feedback seriously in hopes to not have the same issues happen again in the future. 

  On December 1st, 2023 we spoke to the reservation holder in regards to their stay. We agreed the stay was not up to our standards or our guests' expectations. In hopes of making this right with the guests we have provided them with a partial refund and a discount to come back and have a better experience with us if they so choose. 

  Again we appreciate the guests time and sincerely apologize for any dissatisfaction. We truly do hope the guests will give us another chance in the future to host them. 

   

  Customer response

  12/05/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Checked in 11/19 - 11/24. Cabin not ready at check in time. Was told 4pm check in only means you can start checking in if the cabin is ready. Horrible customer service. Booked 5 nights and there website claimed stay included multiple tickets to area attractions. No tickets left in cabin as stated. Cabin was dirty and shower curtains had mold all over them. After calling we were told somebody would bring tickets out and they would send somebody to change the shower curtains. Curtains were changed but no tickets. The next day we called again. Were told somebody would bring them within 4 hours. Well we leave in the morning and what do you know, no tickets were brought. The floor behind the couch is gross and includes finger nails and months worth of dust. Tree house view cabin. The cabin itself is older but if cleaned properly would be nice. The hot tub was a whole other subject and nasty. When the other jets were turned on brown water came spewing out. Definitely not drained and cleaned for every guest stay as mentioned on there site. Went and bought sanitizer from the local Ace just to get it cleaned up

  

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  We at Cabins of the Smoky Mountains appreciate the guests time in speaking with us today. We take all complaints seriously to have them resolved for current guests as well as future guests. 

  Upon calling the guests today we spoke with them about the stay and the displeasure they had during the stay. We are very sorry to hear of this and so we offered the guests a partial refund and also a discount to use on a future stay. 

  Again, we thank the guests for their time in speaking with us and do hope they are able to use their discount to come back in the future for a much better experience. If they need anything else they can feel free to reach us at 1-866-34- SMOKY. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩