Compensation for defective hob? Your thoughts please!

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
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Rocket Rab
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Compensation for defective hob? Your thoughts please!

Post by Rocket Rab »

Hi Chums,

It's been a frantic and frustrating day - time to turn to LMH for some sympathy and good advice...

Here's the problem:

Happy guests checked out of our cottage last Saturday (June 16) - rebooked straightaway for next year, everything hunky-dory so far. EXCEPT that before leaving, they announced that the hob was not working, and had not been working ALL WEEK (Groan! Why oh why did they not phone me?? I could have had an electrician in / ordered a new hob and the problem would have been sorted - anyway, it had not spoilt their week). So there am I, back-to-back bookings, hob not working, no hope of an electrician on Saturday.

My next guests arrived in the evening, I explained the problem and told them an electrician would call Monday morning. They were ok about it.

Monday morning - sod's law, electrician does not call until 6 p.m., so guests already disgruntled (although the electrician had a key, so they weren't waiting in). The hob (only 6 months old) is apparently bust - problem with printed circuit board?

It is now 6.30 pm. I phone the local electrical appliances store, immediately order a replacement from stock and BEG them to deliver tomorrow, Tuesday. We have a deal.

I phone guests to announce the 'good' news - irk, deffo not happy - We'll have to go out for a meal, and it's very expensive! I should point out that they still have a working oven, grill and microwave btw.

Oh hell, what more can I do? I have carefully been ultra-sympathetic and have done all I can to solve the problem in record time. Hob not working? Ok, no quibbles, I order a new one for next-day delivery and installation. I suppose I should offer compensation - how much would you offer?

(They have been Sunday and Monday without a hob, I am not on-site, they have already had a 5% discount on the 2-week booking..)
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Offer to reimburse them for the cost of the meal this evening (do it tomorrow or they may go to the most expensive place on the island). I don't think you need to go any further than that, we can all manage to cook a meal without a hob.
Musetta
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Post by Musetta »

I agree...offer them a meal..that is plenty. It really is not THAT much of a hardship!
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Post by Guest3 »

Well RR the situation is totally out of your hands if they can't deliver and install a new hob until Tuesday. I think your guests are being unreasonable in not understanding the situation. Electrical appliances are bound to go wrong with no warning and you can't make a new hob happen any quicker than you have already done!

As Helen said..you don't need a hob to cook a dinner. They have the microwave to steam vegetables and an oven to cook with....so I think they are making you feel bad to instigate an offer of compensation!

If they've gone out for a meal tonight I'd ask for the restaurant receipt and reimburse them just the cost of the meal.
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Post by Hells Bells »

I have stressed in my welcome notes that any faults, however small, should be reported to myself or our apartment manager immediately, as what is not a problem for one set of guests, could be the end of the world for another.At least you could have sorted it out last week without too much fuss. Someone broke the loo flush at the end of the winter and didn't bother to tell us until changeover, which meant a mad dash to get it repaired in time.
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Post by guest 4 »

Oh dear, it does seem that we are all having a week of broken appliances and undesirable guests, is it something to do with global climate change? :lol:

I think to give them a few quid for a meal out, or ring the local Pizza delivery for them, is enough, perhaps a bottle of something wouldn't go amiss. You've done all you can about replaceing the hob, why didn't the guests previously tell you? :roll:

As helen says, we can all bung some oven chips and susages in an oven surely? Do you have a microwave? Sounds like they are making a mountain........

Ruth

Sorry duplicated some stuff, posted same time.
Last edited by guest 4 on Mon Jun 18, 2007 6:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

A little out of order, but they are obviously the complaining type and perhaps not having the hob for two days could be difficult especially if all they can cook is pasta. Offer to re-imburse dinner (can you direct them to a cheap resto just in case they go off to a Michelin star one on the basis that you are paying for the meal?) but no more.
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Post by la vache! »

Kipz wrote:You've done all you can about replaceing the hob, why didn't the guests previously tell you? :roll:
Even though I live on site it is very normal for people to wait until they leave to say that 'this is leaking' and 'that doesn't work'. I don't understand why they don't say anything before, it is very frustrating as anything not working has to wait until Monday at the earliest. Some people just hate complaining!
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Post by Hells Bells »

LV, fortunately our gardien is a plumber, and sorted the flush out in no time.
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J&J
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Post by J&J »

I'm afraid to say that I think the hob is one of the essentials that a guest shouldn't be expected to survive without - the same for things like fridge, toilet, shower etc. Personally I would feel that I had little option but to compensate them. As to how much, well that depends how many of them there are. In the worst case, if one of our properties wasn't habitable (no toilet etc.) for a night or two, then I would probably move them out into a B&B until the problem is resolved. The going rate for a B&B around here is about 50€ per night. So, I would use this as a guideline as to the amount of compensation. If, for example, they are a family of four who would need two rooms at a B&B then 100€ per night compensation seems reasonable. They obviously won't wish to be moved out but this is a reasonable amount of money to cover their evening meal.

I would, however, make it clear that I was making the offer as a gesture of goodwill. We have the following clause in our Holiday Letting Contract to cover this sort of thing:


16. It is the owners’ utmost concern that the holidaymaker and his/her party have a pleasant stay. It is up to the holidaymaker to make any problem known to the owners immediately it becomes apparent so that the owners have an opportunity to correct the situation. Unless this procedure is followed, no claim for compensation can be accepted. It is also accepted by the holidaymaker that there are times when professionals cannot immediately be found to rectify a problem. The owners will do everything in their power to rectify problems as soon as is reasonably possible.



James.
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

Thanks for all your comments - it's a real relief to be able to share a problem and see how other owners would react. I think some sort of compensation is in order, I was thinking of around 100 euros, which ought to cover a good meal (I forgot to mention that 'they' are a couple).

We do have a clause similar to James' provision in our contract, although I'm not sure whether, in the circumstances, drawing attention to it would be very diplomatic. Understandably, guests simply want to vent their frustration at finding things less than perfect, and I suppose a rabbit just has to take it on the whiskers!
Last edited by Rocket Rab on Mon Jun 18, 2007 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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J&J
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Post by J&J »

If they are only a couple then I think 100€ to cover two nights of inconvenience sounds just about right. Maybe deliver it in an envelope stuck with a bit of sellotape to a bottle of wine ?
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Post by Stephen »

If the hobb is broke it's broke, surely they could have made do with the oven and mircowave for a couple of days, sound like moaners to me, I would have said go and have a meal and give me the receipt .. Unfortunately there are lots of proffesional moaners out there who jump at the opportunity to complain to see if they can get something back, I heard loads of stories on the Florida Home Owners Fourm.

You can only do your best and offering to pay for their meal is good enough I say.

I have just had a guest in our villa and they had paid for pool heat and after two days the heater broke down, I rang the guest and explained it would be about a week to fix it and he was fine about it, just one of those thing he said and accepted it, I returned his payment for the pool heat, it cost $2100 for a new heater but thats the way it goes, by the way the guest returned three weeks later for another week from Ireland to Orlando, he said he was very impressed by the professional way I treated his enquiry to sorting out the problems :oops:
These things happen, Iv'e had washing machines,microwaves,televisions break down, and I try to not let it bother me now, you can only do you best to get these things replaced or fixed as soon as possible.
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Hi Wabbitt..
I agree with all the great advice youve been given,,
I agree with the meal out money :wink:
People in ours had the boiler go wrong yesterday[Sunday] Paula said well I cant get anyone today.. so no hot water..[they were fine about it though they are return guests] New thermostat fitted today.
I will give them some compensation.
Take Care
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Post by guest 4 »

While I agree that a hob is useful, I wouldn't say it would cause me undue stress if it was broken for a couple of days during my holiday. I would report it to the management and accept that in your case Rabbit, you have done all you can do to 'fix' the problem. Just as in our own homes, things break down, If I was left without hot water for two days, that would be another story, but I would still be reasonable and know that 'these things happen' and would expect a good will gesture for the inconvenience.

Some people think that because they have paid for their stay, everything should be perfect for the duration, why don't they get that unforseen things happen, this is not a hotel with 75 bedrooms where they can be moved to another faceless one exactly the same as the last. This is a real home from home the likes of which they couldn't hope to have in a hotel.

The benefits of renting a gite, villa or apartment far outweigh the occasional hiccup that goes with staying in a real home.

Ruth
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