The filthiest property we've ever rented, with a condescending property manager.
We traveled from Montana to Delray Beach, checked into the rental and we were greeted by a college kid (I'm assuming - he had a tattered baseball cap, tattered jeans, and said "bro" repeatedly). This "kid" showed us around quickly, but our 2 year old was cranky after 12 hours of travel, so we didn't immediately process all of the filth.
The partial list list of filth/complaints:
- Used fingernail clippers in the food cabinets (I have the pic)
- Spilled pasta sauce on floor
- Leftover, opened food from prior guests (a package of sausage, opened, just sitting there..tasty)
- Dried leftover food all over the "clean" pots and pans, with numerous old food debris scattered throughout the drawers
- Sink (all sinks!) handles smeared with the grease and prints
So we told this to Gary, and he said, "Is it sooo bad? I mean, really that baaad? You're telling me you have to leave?? Do you want to leave? (Yes Gary, at night, with a 2 year old in tow, we're going to go rental-hunting...thanks) I'll send back over the [college kid] and have him re-clean it".
Not kidding. He said that. This also implies a professional cleaning service did not clean the property, yet a cleaning fee was billed to us.
Finally, my wife suggested he send over a Professional cleaning crew. And when that cleaning crew arrived, I learned that "aye dios mio", whatever that means, is NOT a good thing. Our cleaning crew was SO DISGUSTED, they pulled out their own phones, and started taking pictures of the filth to show Gary.
So, eventually, finally, the house was clean, and we realized that the pool that looked "dark" at night, when we checked in, was actually...GREEN with algae. Unusable.
Yes, the pool, THE swimming pool, at our "luxury rental" had not been cleaned, according to the pool professional, in "weeks to a month...and it's leaking water". The pool guy said that.
So Gary came over the next day and started to tell my wife (thinking she was a Montana mountain girl) "we'll have it up and running right away!"
Wrong.
My wife spent 30 years living in Miami, with a pool. She knew (I didn't) that the pool had to be "shocked" with a high dose of chemicals and that we wouldn't be able to use it until the last evening of our last day. No pool. Gary, the owner/salesman, became defensive, caught in his misrepresentation, and said "I'm going to talk with the owners TODAY about getting you some compensation due to these conditions." That was a nice gesture, but honestly, wouldn't everyone simply prefer a clean house and a working pool?
We got neither. A week after Gary suggested the partial refund, we never heard back, so I called the actual owner of the house, CEO Michael Tinsley from the DC area. Michael ignored my call and sent me (wait for it....) back to Gary.
About Gary: Gary is a salesman. I know this. Gary knows this. (I know this because I make a living [that's right] finding jobs for Salespeople! Good, 6-figure jobs - so I know one when I see one). He is NOT a customer service specialist, which you kind of NEED to be if you're going to manage rentals. Your customer service should well exceed your salesmanship - for this role - helping renters. Salesmen can be pushy, defensive, and slow to apologize, if at all. They solve problems quickly, but they want to move on quickly as well. Empathy? Not so much. In fact, in the heat of the argument over Gary's "quick-fix" pool suggestion, he actually said, "You are the ONLY guests to complain about this property - we have it booked solid!".
Now, does that sound like customer service or a salesman to you?
Throughout this entire ordeal...multiple phone calls, emails, and texts, and even meeting in person, Gary NEVER ONCE said the phrases "I'm sorry" or "we screwed up". Never. Most salesman don't say that.
This property could be amazing due to its location. And I'm sure at one time it was. It was genuinely sad to see it so filthy and roughed-up and with a green, leaking pool. read more
