How do you handle this?

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
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PW in Polemi
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:23 am
Location: A village in Paphos, Cyprus

Post by PW in Polemi »

I must admit that although I would find it irritating in the extreme to have one of a pair (or set) damaged, I do not see why the guest should pay for a replacement pair or set - unless he is given the remaining undamaged items.
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
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NeatandPicky
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Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 12:58 pm
Location: Pissouri Bay, Cyprus
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Post by NeatandPicky »

We wouldn't charge for a complete set, although I don't see charging for a pair of lamps if one is broken as unreasonable.

We seek out items that can be replaced individually. Searching for new outdoor dining furniture, we rejected sets with no option to buy additional chairs. After considering buying a set with extra chairs, in the end we opted for Ikea where (like our crockery and glassware) we hope to be able to buy replacements easily. Not foolproof as from time to time ranges change, and there's a seasonal element to availability too.

A recent revelation for us has been selling used items on Facebook. We used to ask suppliers of new if they would remove and dispose of old for convenience. This year we discovered that there are plenty of punters happy to pay for our cast offs. This feels much more comfortable as it's such a waste for serviceable items to go to landfill. The difficulty is scheduling the swap... in June we had to manage without sofas for 4 days until the replacements arrived!

I mention this, because it's another option to offset the cost of new if you end up with a less-than-complete set.
kg1
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Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 4:23 pm

Post by kg1 »

greenbarn wrote:The notion that if a guest accidentally damages one of a pair/set then the guest is responsible for the whole pair/set, is worrying.
The guest is liable for the item they’ve damaged; they can’t realistically be held responsible for additional items they haven’t damaged.

If it’s part of a pair/set then as has already been said, the owner should not have chosen to put something into a commercial undertaking that couldn’t be readily replaced, or the owner’s insurance should cover the replacement.

If as a Guest I thought that any security/damages deposit I paid would be withheld with no justification, I’d have to think twice about booking somewhere that took such a deposit, and where my rights weren't protected by some independent agency without having to go to the lengths of suing the owner in the courts for the return of my money; probably not worth the effort. The knock-on effect is that any potential guest might be put off the whole idea of using rental properties if they thought that owners could or would withhold a guest’s money on an unjustifiable whim.
Sorry but I disagree. In my case I cannot hold stock of spare bedside lamps just in case and I didn't see why future guests should have odd lamps. I did't replace them with expensive ones after all. Also the dog should not have been in the bedroom anyway!! As in my T and Cs which they agreed to.
akwe-xavante
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Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:19 pm
Location: East Yorkshire

Post by akwe-xavante »

I deliberately mismatch stuff whatever it may be, everything for this reason. Plates, bowls, glasses the lot are different. There maybe two or three or more of each but in the cupboard there'll be 3 deliberately different plates etc and so on.

Guests love it and at family meal times it gives added conversation and debates etc "I want one of those plates they are my favourite" etc.

The only things I have that match and are completely standard is the bedding and towels. If something goes missing or is damaged or won't clean satisfactorily for whatever reason I just replace the item knowing the replacement matches everything else, OK perhaps a slight colour mismatch until its been washed a few times.
Garden chairs are deliberately different, some very old some very modern and they vary in size too. Families enjoy playful squabbling over there favourite chair and I don't have to worry about replacing them to match.

It works for me and guests have a greater variety of stuff to use and enjoy. "That's my wine glass and I'm sitting that garden chair". A lot more fun than everything being the same!
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