This is correct the guest did not book the home 139 Andover that he stayed in. He actually booked another home at Cypress Point. A couple of days before the guest was due to arrive at Cypress Point we were advised that the home he was due to go into had bed bugs in 1 of the rooms. The fully licensed professional pest company we employ did try their best to fumigate in time but they could not guarantee the home would be clear in such a short space of time and required longer to finish their treatments. We obviously could not place guests into a home that could possibly have bed bugs. All our homes have a bed bug insurance policy which means that on the very rare occasions bed bugs are suspected ( we have had 2 cases across 75 homes in the last 5 years) then the pest guy can come straight in and spray the entire home (this can run into the $1,000s without this policy). In addition to the spraying all the infected bedding must be disposed of and all beds must be encased after an outbreak has been found. In some cases the beds themselves also have to be disposed of. Basically this is a major problem that can happen in a home and it takes time to remove an infestation. It was not a situation any of us wanted to find ourselves in. We contacted the guest and apologised that he would not be able to stay in the home that he had reserved and we understand how disappointing this would be. We then offered the guest options.
He could move his booking to this home at Legacy Park which was the only alternative we had available as it was high season. I would have loved to provide him with the same model of home on the same development but this was not possible. We understand that the alternative offered may not be what the guest would have picked – but this was the only home we had to offer. As compensation we provided a 20% refund of what he had paid which the guest accepted. The guest viewed pictures of the home and agreed to stay. There was also an offer that if he found the home unsuitable once he arrived and wanted to move on to another property we would still refund for his entire stay. I must stress here that this was a home in the same price band as the home he originally reserved. When a home is banded for price various factors are considered such as but not limited to, size, location of development, development facilities, home facilities, number of bathrooms in relation to bedrooms, positioning within the development, furniture package etc. etc. We do accept that the interior of the home did need some cosmetic upgrading in some rooms which has now been completed by the current owner in all fairness. In fact the current owner has spent $40k on new items of furniture, kitchen work surfaces, interior decorating etc etc since this guest stayed in the home.
The only reason it was actually available at the time was that the owner had only just bought the home which is why the calendar was free.
If the guest did not find the alternative suitable a full refund was also offered to enable the guest to book a home of his own choice if he wished. Realising that the time frame was tight we also offered to let him arrive at the alternative home at Legacy Park for a day or so which would give him time so to find another rental property if he wished. I realise this was not an ideal start to his holiday which is why compensation was offered and accepted but quite simply the guest could not stay in the original home that was booked.
I am aware that the guest had reported that the pool light was reported and replaced.
The games rooms in all homes are checked for pool cues, foosball balls, table tennis balls etc etc but in all fairness it seems the inspection of the darts and tips on the pool cues was not as thorough as it could have been. The cleaner / checker have obviously looked and saw the presence of cues and darts but not close enough to see that some had tips missing or flights were damaged. What I struggle to understand is why the guest did not mention this to management. Because these smaller items from the games rooms do regularly go missing or are easily damaged they are constantly being replaced. All of our management team actually carry replacements in their vehicles so they can simply be dropped at a home very quickly if this is ever reported by a guest.
Whilst the home wasn’t in the location the renter originally booked to say it was so far out it affected the time you could spend in the pool is not really a fair point. Legacy Park is right in the heart of the short rental area and is actually as close to the Disney attractions as Cypress Point. It is also only approx 5 minutes further from the I4 junction at Champions Gate should you be using this route to access Universal and the other attractions such as the Florida Mall or the Outlet Shopping malls on I4. You can also be on Highway 192 in just 5 minutes from Legacy Park which has a great selection of shops, restaurants, bars and attractions.
Whilst this was an unavoidable situation I feel we did what we could for the guests in circumstance beyond our control. I feel we acted fairly and pro-actively, I totally agree that this may not have been the home that the guest would have picked and it didn’t have a spa but he did agree to stay here at the discounted rate after arriving at the home and reviewing it for himself. I feel the grading of the home as 3/5 is mainly down to his disappointment of not being in his chosen home and not a true reflection of the home or the location.
Kind Regards
Paul Melvin