Unfortunately our multi family West Coast/East Coast vacation was not as wonderful as it could have been due to the poor customer service we received by Bethany Beach Home Rentals. Arriving in the lovely 6 bedroom home we were disappointed to find no books, toys or games that were clearly included in the listing. Worse yet, when contacting the rental agent (5 phone calls total) the situation was not resolved. First call had all of us searching for the basement where the toys etc. were located. This home had NO basement... Expecting one of the several calls later that were interrupting our valuable time spent with grandchildren from the opposite coast, disappointment once again. No resolution. Nothing dropped off to satisfy the listed items. I was told to use the toys 15 min. walk away in the Coastal Clubhouse. Could I check them out? NO - they had to be used on the premises. So my son-in-law resolved the situation with a trip to Walmart.
The Coastal Club "community" is apparently a community for owners ONLY. Renters are definitely not part of this as we are photographed and reported on by neighbors. As a retired school teacher, I carefully read all rules and regulations (which were many) and shared them with my family. Parking was especially challenging. We had 4 vehicles for 5 families. Seeing the listing for a double garage we expected to be able to put 1 compact car inside. Surprisingly, we found half the garage filled by a golf cart which we could not use. Two cars in the driveway worked, as long as NO part of the car touched the sidewalk. Street parking worked, as long as NO other car parked opposite you on the street. Visitors to our rental, not realizing the parking rules, resulted in phone calls and text messages from Steve, the property manager. (This was the first I heard from him, as his assistant handled previous calls.) HOA had arrived minutes after our guests threatening a ticket but our guests were leaving (15 min. later). Walking in the development we encountered many with dogs and many were friendly. As all of us are pet owners we knew pets were no allowed, so we all had made arrangements for ours. I personally had a housesitter for my puppy awaiting surgery for hip displasia, spending $700 for the week. The week at Coastal Club continued and our extended family, staying at 2 other Bethany Beach rentals, had varying issues with the "community". Leaving the house vacuumed, each bedroom tidy, garbage and recycling outside as rules dictated, we all said our goodbyes. So I was surprised to hear from Steve on Sunday evening. Hoping to discuss monetary compensation for the missing items, it was surprising to hear him ask about a DOG. Apparently a neighbor had heard a barking dog and insisted it came from our house last week. They called the owner and Steve was checking it out. The phone call, lasting 18 min., was nothing less than an interrogation. "Did you have a dog?" "Did anyone in the house have a dog?" "Did any guests bring a dog?" Repeatedly answering NO to each, I was baffled by this questioning! How does one prove that there was no dog?
Renters cannot have dogs, but we were surrounded by property owners, who clearly CAN have dogs. Were there photos of any of us walking a dog? My children flying from California clearly did not bring their dogs. Steve was threatening a $500 extra cleaning fee for shampooing carpets and furniture! For my nonexistent dog! So now that my honesty and integrity was questioned and threatened, I was done. Steve was not, however. He requested that I send a note promising that I did not, nor did any of my family or guests, have a dog... This was met with a refusal and disconnection. This property manager needs re-training with his customer service skills. This so called "community" is threatening and possibly racist. We will certainly never be back and advise anyone else to think twice. read more
