Guests complain re fleas and expects moñey back

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
rosebud
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Guests complain re fleas and expects moñey back

Post by rosebud »

I have received an e mail from a guest saying she had been bitten by fleas on her ankles and possibly round her neck.
She says she washed the bed linen and put salt on the carpet and things improved
She gives an excuse about not contacting me
She says she doesn't want to write a bad review and is asking for money back
She said the cottage was spotlessly clean
I never have pets and can't understand this. How should I respond. I do ask people to contact me if there is a problem
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Oh sympathies! Bet your heart raced when you received that.
Is she trying it on? It is strange that she seemed to take on quite a lot of action to solve the issue but never contacted you.
Did she show you the Bites?

I have never heard of flea bites around the neck....normally it is arms and ankles but if you haven't had animals in the property then I would reply quite strongly that you're happy to confrm that her suspicions it happened in the property have no foundaton.
That might stop it in its tracks.....hopefully.
If she pushes it further then could it be bedbugs? Though washing the bedding wouldn't help that.

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kg1
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Post by kg1 »

This is my nightmare - we take pets all the time & I dread finding fleas in the carpet - nightmare when you have guests arriving.
rammy100
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Post by rammy100 »

You have my sympathies with this situation but as always, don't panic into replying quickly. You need to establish some facts first.

It strikes me as a little odd that she didn't contact you at the time and now, after the (supposed) event, wants her money back. A rational person would contact you at the time to resolve it and insist on moving out or you sorting it immediately.

How does she know it happened in your place? It could have happened outside (midgies) so any cleaning appears to have resolved it.

What evidence has she provided to demonstrate they were in your house?

Are any other members of her party affected? Is there evidence of bloodstains anywhere?

Did the guests before or after her notice anything?

Is there anywhere in the house that they could be living? We have always had dogs and were only badly affected by fleas once. We discovered a goatskin rug that was literally alive with them.

Isn't it a little early for them? I know the weather is mild but normally there are infestations in warm weather.

The mention of money back and potential bad review makes me suspicious. It sounds like an implied threat.

Google her name and look her up on facebook - you may get the measure of her that way.

Maybe she's telling the truth but best be armed with as much information as you can before you start to correspond with her.

Good luck.
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amandajane
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Post by amandajane »

My sympathies too. Just the sort of situation we all dread.

It is just possible that a previous guest introduced them. We once had this happen at home, not the cottage. Someone came to stay
, whose cat had a bad infestation, and one or two must have hitched a ride in her suitcase. We had to spray the bedroom and vacuum like mad. (I'd never heard of the salt remedy but a quick google suggests it works!)

Having said that, I don't think it's very common. I just mention it in case the guest is being truthful. That's still no excuse for either not letting you know at the time, and then trying to blackmail you into some sort of refund.

I would explain that you never have pets in the property so the chances of it being fleas is highly unlikely and that it is your policy to ask guests to inform you of any problems at the time in order to give you the opportunity to rectify/make amends.

Perhaps try asking her outright what it is that she would like you to do. Then you have a starting point from which to either negotiate or reject.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

I wouldn't be inclined to offer a refund. She completed her holiday and didn't give you any opportunity to investigate the alleged problem or put things right. She hasn't given you any evidence of the bites or why she thinks they happened in your property. I would be sympathetic but firm and remind her that you don't take pets, the house is thoroughly cleaned and so she must have been bitten somewhere else.

Why should you be out of pocket when it seems very unlikely that you're to blame?
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

Sorry to hear it, Rosebud. It does sound like flea bites. Assuming that the guest is truthful and thinks that she got the bites in the bedroom, it does point to an animal being in there at some time at least a couple of weeks before. Might an earlier guest have smuggled an animal in with them?

I'm not at all surprised if she was the only one bitten because some people are much more succeptible than others. I am a bit surprised that the eggs have survived all the vacuum cleaning that goes on in a holiday let. At home, we certainly find out the hard way when our long haired cat is infested, but we're a lot more lax with the cleaning than in the holiday lets. If it's quite a deep pile carpet, I guess the hoovering might be less effective.

I think that she is pushing her luck with asking for a refund though. Bites are annoying but not enough to stop you enjoying a holiday. She is probably due an apology and kind words. But she should be aware that fleas is not a normal hazard of a non-pets house and not your fault unless you've failed to act on a report of a problem.
Cheers, Ben
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bessie
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Post by bessie »

Can't get my head round the
Don't want to write a bad review BUT can I have my money back.
If the cottage is cleaned after each guest,what is the time the property was empty between guests.
Don't know much about the habbits of fleas but I was always told that if they appeared in your house they needed a host to survive. And had a short life span ,problem been their eggs.warmth and moisture .
To say they are in the bed would mean eggs had hatched .
The way she is talking she should have seen the little blighters and I would have certainly put one in a glass as proof.
Anyway can she prove they didn't bring the fleas with them,they could easily have come into contact with someone without knowing and a little blighter got onto someone's hair or clothing.
I really don't like the threat of a bad review ,
I just suggest this because my OH friend went to fetch some livestock for someone and was offered a cup of tea in the kitchen he said on his return home he had some friends the wife made him remove his clothes outside.
So sorry for you,but if your other guests haven't said anything ,I would spray round the edge of carpets and if you haven't a stream cleaner use the stream iron on thevmatress .
You have done your best and at the end of the day why didn't she say anything and using salt did she know what to use ,never heard of salt before.
Personally I would answer a bad review ,BUT thats me .
salmoncottage
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Post by salmoncottage »

Surely the first thing to do is take the time to investigate this allegation to see if there's any truth in it and to avoid any future incidents. If you can be sure the bites are a one off then perhaps you can suggest she check her own luggage and 'unsubtly' suggest a counter claim for deap cleaning following her departure.
By the tone of her first exchange, it's very unlikey you'll welcome this guest back again, add to that her very 'unsubtle hint' about a bad review before she's even had a reply from you and it would appear you have two choices, one is to roll over to avoid the aggro, or take her on and subject yourself to stress, for what?
Last edited by salmoncottage on Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bunny
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Post by Bunny »

I agree that the situation is possible and plausible, (but unlikely given that you don't accept pets) but where is her evidence? There are all sorts of explanations as to where she came by the bites, but IMO it is up to her to prove that they came from your property. I would have kept the evidence and contacted the owner, and certainly not sat it out for a week. She failed to notify you of the problem, so not only could you not rectify the situation for her, you now potentially have the problem for the next guests. So, she has given up any rights to a full refund. I you can't find any evidence of flees yourself, I would wait and see if the next guests mention anything. I suspect they won't. The mention of a bad review is telling and I think it most likely that she is trying it on. Only if the next guests complain would I get into dialogue with her about compensation. You have my sympathies. This is a mortifying and distressing complaint.
rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

A huge thank you for your very helpful replies (yes Mouse my heart did race!) When I got the message I was about to leave Cyprus where I had been on holiday for a week - wrote my post at Larnaca airport - and was much heartened to find your replies on landing at Heathrow.

At first I thought the letter could be a ruse to get some money back but then I remembered - on the flight home - that guests who stayed just before the Easter weekend, had first booked - then later asked me if they could bring a dog. I said sorry no pets (clear in my listings etc) They said they would make other arrangements. Now I suspect they smuggled the dog in

I would appreciate feedback on my letter further down the page. I really don't want stress - I would rather 'roll over' I am thinking of offering 20% back.

I am planning to ask my housekeeper to call in on my next guests to check
all is okay
-They have no mobile and don't use e-mail...

The flea bitten guest wrote:
I really don't want to write a bad review on the basis of this but I do need to bring it to your attention and also feel it's not really acceptable given the amount of money i paid out

My draft reply

I am really sorry to hear that you suffered from bites during your stay. This is of great concern to me as I do all I can to ensure that there are no defects in the property and that guests have a comfortable and enjoyable stay. I stay at Rosebud Cottage regularly myself in order to check everything is in order.

As you may be aware, I never allow pets at the cottage. I have had this rule since I began letting five years ago. However I accept that there is the possibility that a guest might have smuggled a dog into the property, which could have left fleas.

It is a great pity that you did not contact either Louise or me immediately. This is part of your responsibility as a guest which you agreed to when you booked through Owner’s Direct:

c) The Guest shall report to the Owner/Manager without delay any defects in the Property, breakdown of equipment or appliances in the Property, upon which arrangements for repair and/or replacement will be made as soon as possible. d) The Owner/Manager has the right to reasonable necessary access to the property and garden (including carrying out regular garden maintenance), and access in the event of any emergency

My detailed letter which you received before your stay also asks you to contact one of us is something is wrong:

Do let me or Louise, my housekeeper, know if there any problems or anything you need help with both on arrival or subsequently

I appreciate that you were not feeling very well during your stay – which you say stopped you getting in touch - however this would not necessarily have involved what you describe as ‘upheaval’. (We always have spare bedding and clean bed linen available)

Louise, my housekeeper, would have discussed the best way to proceed with you - minimising disturbance - and ensured that appropriate action was taken (including changing the vacuum cleaner bag)

Alternatively I would have arranged a refund and done my best to suggest alternative available local accommodation so you could have moved out.

It is also a pity that I did not receive your message in time to take necessary precautionary measures before the next guests were due.

I am, however, extremely sorry and truly regret that you experienced discomfort during your stay so would like to give you a payment of xxx as a goodwill gesture.

Please send me your bank details so I can make this payment by bank transfer (account name, sort code and account number)

Yours sincerely

Jenny
russellt
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Post by russellt »

My gut reaction to 'flea' bites on ankles and neck, when the property doesn't accept pets, is outdoor midges. So, I wouldn't panic. Has the guest been walking barefoot outdoors, or spending time in woodland areas which are still damp but now teeming with insect life?

As stated above, there are many possible reasons for insect bites. Wait to see what the next guests experience.

BTW, our T&Cs state that we will not acknowledge or recognise retrospective claims after the guest has left the property. They need to raise issues immediately to give the owner a chance to act.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

Thanks re:
We will not acknowledge or recognise retrospective claims after the guest has left the property.

The guest said she wouldn't be doing a lot because of recovery from tonsillitis so I assume she spent a lot of time inside.

A concentration of ankle bites could suggest fleas..

One guest stayed for 3 nights immediately after the one who might have smuggled a dog in - they did not complain...

Then I had a decorator in for a week. Will speak to him ..
rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

Decorator was not bitten!
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

One guest stayed for 3 nights immediately after the one who might have smuggled a dog in - they did not complain...

Then I had a decorator in for a week. Will speak to him ..
It takes about 10 days or 2 weeks for eggs to hatch and develop into new fleas (the eggs can also stay dormant for months and spring to life when they detect CO2 or vibration). If there was an undercover animal staying, it would have dropped eggs, not live fleas. So, it all stacks up really. Even if the decorator was around when the new fleas had hatched, he probably wasn't in the bedroom with bare ankles (or at least shouldn't have been).
Cheers, Ben
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