Misrepresentation?

Up, down, could be better? How to get more bookings is our number one obsession. Talk shop here.
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Misrepresentation?

Post by Renaud »

Not exactly sure if this is the correct section for this one, so feel free to move to where ever you think it fits best.

Some years ago some friends stayed at our property. In subsequent years they have tried other properties not too far away, for variety, and have invited us over (with permission) for drinks, knowing that we are interested in looking at other properties, and how ours compares.

This year they were at a property advertised on Holiday Rentals. We looked at the web site before visiting, to get an idea of what to expect. The property itself was quite nice. But the pool was small. Very small. It was a 'kidney shape' pool, and I could have jumped across the width of it quite easily. Needless to say there was nothing in the picture on the web site that gave any clue to the pool size. But neither did it mention that the pool was shared by another property AND could be used by the pool owners! The property was not cheap. In fact, it was at the upper end of what might be expected, before taking into account the small, shared pool.

When you pay a heavy premium for a property with pool surely it is unfair to misrepresent the size of the pool and the fact that it is shared?

And there was a marked absence of pool safety! Rien, nothing, nada, not a bean!!!

I imagine that a complaint to Holiday Rentals would produce a 'washing of hands' response, i.e. to push the blame back to the advertiser. After all, there is no provision on Holiday Rentals 'tick boxes' to mention 'shared pool', or indeed to mention its size.
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

Renaud - welcome...you sound like my coal hole blast!...yes I agree...too many tick boxes so some don't get ticked so some folk get away with day light robbery!

I do get angry (I know a lot is to do with my age, Mrs Grumpy!), but really it is bad when it is as you describe...I still can't believe some of the places I have seen ...and what hurts they are advertised on the same sites as I am on...
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

...and charge the same,or more!!!! :cry:
Marion
Posts: 114
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:51 pm
Location: Nice, Cote d'Azur
Contact:

Post by Marion »

Have you tried complaining to Holiday Rentals? I believe they would take it seriously, at a minimum they could ask the owner to describe the property more precisely. I advertise with HR and find that their customer service is usually good. As a fellow advertiser on HR and one who tries to advertise truthfully, I get really annoyed at others who don't. Gives us all a bad name.
Let us know how HR responds.

Marion
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Post by Renaud »

Yes, Marion, I would certainly complain, both to the property owners and to Holiday Rentals! And strongly too!!
However, this is really up to our friends. They didn't seem too concerned when we visited. And as it was a social visit the topic was not really discussed. But we were asked if we thought it was value for money. So maybe there was some concerns in their mind.
I will certainly bring it up again with them at a later date, and encourage them to complain.
Linda Freese
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:00 am
Location: Costa del Sol

Post by Linda Freese »

After all, there is no provision on Holiday Rentals 'tick boxes' to mention 'shared pool'
Hi Renaud

I´m afraid you are wrong here. I too advertise on Holiday-Rentals and there is definitely a tick box for "private pool" or "communal pool".

Welcome to the forum!


Linda
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Post by Renaud »

Yes, Linda, you are right that there is provision for an advertiser to tick a choice of boxes for pool description. These are "outdoor", "indoor", "private", "communal" and "heated".
You can tick as many of these as you like.
But there is no compulsion to say if your pool is "communal".
If you tick only "outdoor pool" then this simply shows up under the "Accommodation and Facilities" section of the ad as "Swimming pools: Outdoor pool".
This section needs to be constructed to force the advertiser to say whether or not the pool is shared.
On this particular property no mention is made anywhere else about the pool being shared. In fact the property it shares with does not appear to be advertised with Holiday Rentals, making me suspiscious that this is a deliberate deception.
Believe me, anyone knowing they had to share a pool that small would think twice before booking! Unless you wanted to get very friendly with your co-renters!!
If it is shared then I think you should be obliged to make this clear. If you do not then you are, in my opinion, misrepresenting your property.
alexia s.
Posts: 870
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:38 pm
Location: Provence
Contact:

Post by alexia s. »

Renaud,
What is the property number of this place? Or, which town is it near?
Best,
Alexia.
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Post by Renaud »

Sorry, but at this stage I would prefer not to say, especially as our friends are still there!
I'll bring the general problem to HR's attention in due course, and will encourage our friends to make a specific complaint after they've got home.
I'm not really after picking on individual properties at this stage. In fact I was more annoyed about the disregard of the pool safety regs. Especially after toiling so hard to conform myself.
In fact, the property our friends stayed at last year was also in blatent contravention of these regs.
I think that this is something that HR would not be keen to police, as there is no way to prove that your pool conforms.
Or should they be obliged, at least, to get an undertaking from renters with pools that they do conform? After all, if a renter's child drowned, then could they protest in court that the advertiser had a duty to ask this question of the property owner?
It would surely give grounds for someone to turn up and decline the holiday if the pool didn't meet legal requirements, and sue accordingly?
alexia s.
Posts: 870
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:38 pm
Location: Provence
Contact:

Post by alexia s. »

" if a renter's child drowned"......
So as not to lose sight of the main principle behind pool safety,
remember that on 8th June 2004 the French government issued a statement on pool security which included the following injunction:
"A YOUNG CHILD MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED TO APPROACH A POOL BY HIM/HERSELF, MUST NEVER BE LEFT BY A POOL ALONE AND MUST NEVER BE OUT OF SIGHT, EVEN FOR A FEW MOMENTS."

I can see happy days for the lawyers!
Obviously, if parents follow this very strict guideline no child will drown (alright, the drafting is appalling and allows a clutch of under-5 children to approach the pool, keeping an eye on each other, etc - but the judges won't see it this way.).
If parents don't follow this very strict guideline, and their child drowns, their responsability is going to be invoked by anyone they attack.

I send the guideline as well as this paragraph to my visitors:
"Please appreciate the fact that parents are responsable at all times for the safety of their children and no form of pool protection - such as fences or alarms - can ever be a substitute for proper parental supervision."
Best,
Alexia.
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Post by Renaud »

Woops, didn't want this to stray into "pool regulations" territory!

So, anyone else got an example of what they consider 'misrepresentation'?
User avatar
tansy
Posts: 2059
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 6:29 am
Location: La Manche, Normandy, France

Post by tansy »

yes - a staircase that is actually a ladder - as I am useless on heights that would be a complete disaster for me if I turned up for a holiday to at least 2 of the 'gites' I have visited!
User avatar
paolo
Posts: 3885
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:18 pm
Location: Provence, France
Contact:

Post by paolo »

Welcome to the forum, Renaud! Image

If I turned up at a house that had a communal pool and had advertised a private pool, my opening gambit would be to ask for a full refund, as that is rather an important element of one's holiday experience. I would settle for half.

On the other hand, at a place I rented this year, there was a 'power shower' that turned out to be one of those feeble Mira electric showers that emits a fine spray of mist. I pointed out that this is not what is meant by a power shower, and they said they would change their marketing accordingly. Fair enough, they probably didn't know.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
alexia s.
Posts: 870
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:38 pm
Location: Provence
Contact:

Post by alexia s. »

Renaud,
"didn't want this to stray into "pool regulations" territory" - don't apologise: you're not the only one to need to ask questions about pool safety measures !
Best,
Alexia.
User avatar
Renaud
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 11:52 am

Post by Renaud »

Fortunately (or, perhaps, unfortunately!) I had a good education on pool regs last year, courtesy of another forum. Just wasn't wanting the thread to drift onto "that" topic!

I get the feeling that many of the posters here are keen to promote their properties and do so in a fair and accurate manner. So its quite galling to come across descriptions that are deceptive. Apart from actually wanting to be honest in my property descriptions (because I'm a basically honest person), I wouldn't want to ruin someones holiday by claiming things which were found to be less than truthful when poeple arrived.

If Paulo, or similar, had rented I might find that I paid the consequences of any 'misdescription'. But, as per our friends, most people will put up with a lot before complaining, and tainting their annual holiday, which they've often worked hard to obtain. And it is the typical uncomplaining, profusely apologising, Brit holidaymaker that these 'misrepresenters' love!

Sometime soon I will get to a suitable point to complain to HR. I will ask them to change their system so that the status and size of a pool is clearly shown. Hopefully others here would then like to do the same.
Post Reply