Anyone had bad experiences with guests at their property

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
Jayjan
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2005 2:27 pm
Location: Albufeira

Anyone had bad experiences with guests at their property

Post by Jayjan »

I would just like to ask has anyone of you owners ever had a bad experience with guests staying in your property?.I have had 1 really bad one and a second one who was so neglectful he took the stereo (An expensive make too AIWA!!!) out into the garden and left it out while he went for lunch with his family and guess what it was stolen when he arrived back, how irresponsable can you get especially when we have notices stating "Please dont remove items of furniture or effects from the house", he lost his security deposit unfortunately but he was not pleased at the outcome of his forfeit. Regards Jayjan
irishgreen
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2004 9:18 am
Location: nr Beziers, France (owner living in Dublin, Ireland)
Contact:

Post by irishgreen »

Hi Jayjan, this is really bad behavious.

You may have seen a post where I said that an antique chair disappeared from my house altogether - we assume it was damaged somehow and made it disappear to avoid any questions / deposit taken.

I think it all depends if guests are thinking right ie. would they do the same in their own home? But it is ok to do these things on holidays with somebody else property.

The deposit may not have covered your strereo as well which is annoying.
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

Sabine....spooky because I just posted about you the other day - we hadn't heard anything from you for a while - that we had a holiday in May in your neck of the woods...took a boat from Cassafieres through Beziers...up the staircase - just 2 of us in a 30' boat - it was hard to say the least!

I was saying on the forum it would have been good to hear from a 'local' as it were where to go what to see etc.

But I digress...

The thing I was told when we started rentals was don't put anything in the house that you would be upset about losing...both your cases endorse this.

Cheap and cheerful is sometimes flimsy - but to be brutal I would rather replace a stereo system that is rather plastic than a good one...or if you do want to supply good ones look at getting outside speakers that is if you let your tenants play music outside - we had some wireless ones that were excellent at home...

we did put in a 5 disc CD player in one of the houses - that came out tout suite when someone managed to jam 2 discs in the one slot...if they want music, play it through the DVD player & TV...sorry I've got a bit hard now!

Antique's, never ever would I leave any in the house...we have all originals painting wise that we have collected over the years, no major artists...we've been complemented by folk that do notice these things - but the 'norm' don't even see them - so these are our only things of value as it were in the house...fingers crossed, on the wall are safe!

I do sympathasise, but honestly rule of thumb folk on holiday do not care - it's not their house, they've paid good money and the things mean nothing!...in most cases the houses are abused...so for your sanity you have to think that way...never leave anything you would be upset about if it was broken, stolen, lost or ruined.[/i]
User avatar
roxytoo
Posts: 1701
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:23 am
Location: Spain Costa Blanca

Post by roxytoo »

Yes I would aggree with all that, I also don't really see it as my 'home' just yet, that way I can't get too upset with the way people treat it, on the whole we have been very lucky so far though the last family we had obviously had some female problems, I won't go into it here!!

Tansy have sent you a PM
User avatar
Alan Knighting
Posts: 4120
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Post by Alan Knighting »

Meishka,
..............obviously had some female problems, I won't go into it here!!
Oops! Blocked toilets again? Best not to go into it at all.

Regards

Alan
User avatar
roxytoo
Posts: 1701
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:23 am
Location: Spain Costa Blanca

Post by roxytoo »

Alan, have to say it was worse than that!!!!
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

if you all can bear it I will tell the story of our June!

We are on Fosse Septique.

Our American guests the sweetest folk you could ever want to meet...the lady took me round the house - the place was spotless absolutely beautiful - she then handed me a half box of tampons saying our 2 girls are finished with these and I'm sure one of your guest may be grateful in an emergency...going through my head was oh where is the other half of the box.

Anyway our guests departed and our long term people returned & settled in again (they were here for a month but had to move house for a week due to earlier bookings...into the one that was thrashed by the Liverpudlians the week before).

We cacrried on as normal during the week thinking all was calm - having put St Germain back together, the Americans leaving Utha so beautifully - then on the Friday I rang our folk in the house to make sure they were happy with the cleaners coming up on Saturday to do a mid stay clean. Oh he says you are there...we didn't want to alarm you and leave a message as we thought you were away - (he'd called down at our house, I must have been out with the dogs) - but the plumbing is making weird noises and a load of disgusting brown stuff has come up in 2 lower ground floor showers.

Well we sprinted up - yes the fosse was full full full...weird as we had it emptied recently - called the people who deal with it - 500 Euros as an emergency and maybe tomorrow! So we persuaded our guests to pack up & come to stay with us until we could get it sorted...come & have a late lunch for starters - Oysters & Moules - so on the way back home I stopped off at the fishermans place to buy some...why I mentioned my problem to him I'll never know - but he then did a ring round and got a local farmer to come and pump us out there and then for 50 Euros!

Our guests go back after our very very long lunch - all seems fine...next morning...shower time...up comes all the s--t into the lower floor showers again, ring the plumber - he's moving house...bless him he came up to look look as he calls it...tells Mike my husband he needs the Karacher with the pipe...so Mike goes off to collect the machine, Sylvan goes home to continue his move.

Our tenants have now become firm friends - so Richard gets involved! Mike trys to get the pipe to go in - won't go - so between them they come up with the bright idea of putting a ladder down into the fosse - (which is empty) so then they are level with the opening into the drains to feed the pipe.

Now Mike is a big man (not fat well built)...he descends the ladder and it is a tight squeeze for his shoulders to get in the hole...of course wearing one of his best new white polo shirts...the karacher starts up - Richard with the trigger & Mike feeding it in...eventually after 10 minutes or so there's a distant rumble...well I have never ever seen anyone come up a drain pipe so quick - how he got out in time is beyond me...but to say the deluge missed him by millimeters is an under estimate!

When the Karcher pipe was pulled out the offending tampon was draped on the end..shall I make the ceaser salad now was all Mike could come out with!!!

I have to say we did laugh....all in the day of being a property owner I suppose...so don't feel you are on your own Meishka...

I'm sure others have good fosse/blockage stories to tell!
User avatar
roxytoo
Posts: 1701
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:23 am
Location: Spain Costa Blanca

guests

Post by roxytoo »

OK, I will put this as best I can!!
I am obviously not destined to have lovely t-towels in our place, I put them in a few months ago and the first guests split bleach all over one of them

this last family, well, um, lets say she cut up the t-towel into 4 and used them for another purpose

BUT didn't throw it away.................... :cry:
User avatar
paolo
Posts: 3885
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:18 pm
Location: Provence, France
Contact:

Post by paolo »

Great story Tansy! :lol:
Paolo
Lay My Hat
User avatar
Sue Dyer
Posts: 2562
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:26 pm
Location: Belford, Northumberland

Post by Sue Dyer »

We had blocked drains a while ago, when Dave took the drain cover off and poked around at the offending blockage and gunge there was a pair of big knickers there :roll: Why would you wanna flush your knickers down the toilet? I can't imagine she'd thought, oh, I'll take the hard to shift drain cover off so I can only think they were flushed.

We were also told by the guy who helped sort us out not to leave those toilet cleaner things which hang around the rim of the loo as smaller kids have a habit of pushing them down the toilet and blocking things up.
User avatar
Alan Knighting
Posts: 4120
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France

Post by Alan Knighting »

Ugh! If you girls keep up with these stories even the forum might go down the loo. I will make the chances of that better by telling my little tale.

Some years ago, shortly after buying our place, the fosse became blocked and I couldn't even blame my guests, it was in my house. I too had all sorts of interesting things appearing in the downstairs showers. Things which I couldn't remember ever seeing before; they certainly weren't mine. The whole of the downstairs had about an inch of water, everywhere - carpets gently floating. This was at 8.00 in the evening. Not knowing what to do I telephone the pompiers who arrived within 15 minutes, removed all furniture and carpets, pumped the whole place dry and telephoned the fosse man. He arrived within another 15 minutes, emptied the fosse and high-pressure cleared all the pipes - you don't want to know what came out.

It was all over and done with by midnight. I then asked about the cost. The fosse man charged me 150€. The pompiers said it was free but my next christmas calendar would be very expensive - and it was.

At least it was all easily and quickly dealt with, unlike a similar incident in the UK which involved digging up the garage floor because the previous owner had concreted over the inspection pit. Cowboy builders, don't you just love them?

Alan
Clexane
Posts: 330
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:42 pm
Location: Provence France
Contact:

Post by Clexane »

Tansy,

Ever considered writing a book on 'life as an holiday house owner in France' reading some of your stories very much make me laugh and remind me of the book a year in Merde!

P.S. I am am not sure if they are very nervous laughs though ...
So you wanted a holiday home in france ...

www.villaemmanuelle.com
judyc
Posts: 353
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:42 am
Location: Lot-et-Garonne, SW France
Contact:

Post by judyc »

Our three gites were full over half term, but one couple who also wanted to stay had been several times before and they were happy to stay in our house.

We put three loo rolls in their bathroom thinking that was more than adequate for a week, only for my husband to notice after a few days there were none left so he added another three. On their last day guest was found in our store cupboard collecting yet another one. We have yet to work out what, in the space of 7 days, they did with 7 loo rolls. They certainly didn't 'remove' them as the middles were in the bin, but you have to wonder?? Are we unreasonable in thinking one roll per day per couple is a trifle excessive?

We kept our fingers very crossed for the continuing good function of the fosse for several weeks afterwards.

PS They have rung this morning to confirm they are coming again in September. Do I empty the fosse before their arrival, or just claim there is a national shortage and loo rolls are on rationing?
User avatar
Sue Dyer
Posts: 2562
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:26 pm
Location: Belford, Northumberland

Post by Sue Dyer »

re loo roll use, I have a few people I know with Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, I know my poor niece when she has a flare up has to practically bed down in the loo. I wonder if that is it or if people are just excessive. Mind, where the perforations are, who could get away with using one of those tiny squares anyway??

We'll all have to switch to what my nana used when I was little - torn up squares of newspaper hanging on string nailed up in the outside netty (toilet) :lol: My auntie was posher, she used that medicated smelling Izal toilet roll that was hard shiny paper, urg!!! It stayed on the bench and you had to take it to the outside loo with you as it would get too damp left out. Ah, happy days - I think not!!!! My husband often says to younger people "ah, you know when Sue and I were first married we were really poor, but you know what, we were really....... unhappy" !!!!!
Itsonlyme
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:03 am
Location: Normandy
Contact:

Post by Itsonlyme »

I bet they were using the toilet roll as tissue, viz blowing their noses on it as well - if one or more of them had a cold, they'd easily get through several. We have notices above each toilet telling people not to put anything dodgy down them. One euphemistic way of saying it is: "Don't put anything down the toilet you haven't eaten first!"
Post Reply