Please think twice before you book this place!…read more
The owner is pretty sneaky and we don't appreciate the way he conducts business.
We booked this cottage back on April 15, 2023 for 4 days (for October 6 - 9, 2023). Everything went smoothly. Reservation was confirmed and the charges showed up for C$2,888.28 with no indication of additional charges.
On the way to the cottage, we got a text message that the access to the cottage can only be given if we pay the $800 deposit. We comply and sent the $800 deposit without asking (we're only 2 hours away, no choice, 2 families actually flew in from California for the trip).
Once we arrived, we smelled something funny in the rooms and common areas. And since we didn't have cottage experience, we thought it's because of the rain (it rained for 3 days after we arrived). We tackled the issue by opening all windows and spray the Febreze provided by the owner (many Febreze in the cottage but we didn't have any bad feeling). In the morning before we left, we cleaned up the cottage (room, bathrooms, common areas, we even swept the deck - we're clean freak people), making sure we leave the place in a clean condition.
On the way home, because we feel happy with the overall stay (despite the rain), we gave them 5 stars review. Big mistake!!!!
You should only give a review once everything is settled.
One day after we left, the owner told us that he had to keep the $800 deposit longer because the cleaner smelled something funny and a plumber had to be dispatched to check.
He mentioned that there's foreign objects got pushed to the septic tank. How does he know that even before the plumber comes in?
In addition to that, the owner reports that we broke the pump. How does he know that we broke the pump? During our stay, we didn't experience any overflow or clogged toilet bowl. We could flush the toilet with no issues. We didn't even dispose the toilet tissue in the toilet bowl. We put it in plastic bags. How can he accuses us and says we broke the pump?
The plumber came in and found incredible amount of tampons, baby wipes and napkins. The owner charged another $400. So, now the total additional charge is $1,200. There's a line in the invoice indicating $1,000 Host Fee which was never mentioned anywhere before. Those things (tampons, baby wipes and napkins) are definitely not from our group. We're a group of 5 families with no baby and the ladies are in menopause. We sent a picture of all of us, taken inside the cottage, to prove that those things are not ours. After a few messages back & forth, the owner went silent.
We think that the owner is dishonest and we feel that this is a set-up.
Here's the proof.
1. A lot of Febreze in the cottage.
Maybe this kind of "incident" happens many times? They hope the renters will use it to eliminate the odor and charge them after the fact?
2. There is a high chair in the cottage.
So, the baby wipes might be from the owner? We noticed that there's also a child patio chair on the patio. Probably the owner disposed baby wipes by mistake and blamed it on us?
3. No picture from the plumber sent to us as a back-up. We don't know where these "foreign objects" were found. Close to the septic tank? Maybe they are from the previous renters?
4. Menopause women don't use tampons anymore!
Their address is 1384 Fish Hatchery Rd, Utterson, ON P0B 1M0.
They might change their cottage name, but please pay attention to this address before you book it.
$1,200 additional charge is something you don't want to see after a family vacation and is certainly not welcome.
