I Need help responding to a bad review
watersedgelakemitchell Nov 26, 2018 2:03 PMI have consistently received 5-star reviews for the two years I have rented our lake cabin. last week, I received a 2-star review that was extremely exaggerated and parts were an outright lie. They left the bad review AFTER I retained their damage deposit for damage done by their dog in a NO PETS rental. The dog chewed through a wall corner and it had to be replastered and painted. The carpets and upholstery were covered in dog hair and had to be cleaned and deodorized before my next renters checked in the next day. The interesting part is they left a good review in the guest book before they checked out, and then after I contacted them about the damage, they left a bad review online.
I have included both reviews below and made comments in parenthesis. Please help me respond to this review as if speaking to future renters.
Review left in the guestbook
Hosts were gracious and accommodating, house is great. Dock and fishing were even better. This lake house made the long drive to see grandpa…GREAT! My 3 boys love this place.
Review left online
Place is cute with a great deck.
Access is challenging, a steep and rutted, non-paved and non-lighted road is difficult. Large trucks should be avoided. Don’t arrive after dark without having been there before. (Our listing includes the fact that the house is on an unpaved road and the last 1000 feet is rough but easily passible in trucks, sports cars, and luxury cars. We have had every type of vehicle you can imagine travel the road from Cadillacs to transfer trucks.)
It’s a multi-level cabin recently updated, but the inside stairs were an afterthought. They are difficult going up or down, there are warnings. It’s around 5’ from top of 4th stair to ceiling, going up is possible, just bend over completely. But going down is extremely difficult, grownups should just avoid the staircase. ( The stairs are steep, but certainly not an afterthought. The house was built in the 1940s and included the stairs. The original owner was a 93-year-old, 5'9" woman she used the stairs daily.)
The next area to avoid is the downstairs bath/laundry room, which has a door clearance of less than 6’. There is a step up to enter the bathroom just inside the door, making the bathroom ceiling well below 6’. Once inside the bathroom, a tall person must remain in a ducked position with your head down. Exiting is impossible, you have your head ducked, going down a stair at the doorway that has an exit clearance of about 5’ 6”. You will hit your head. It’s more annoying than the staircase. (this is a total fabrication. The ceiling is 7'8" and unless you are taller than 6'5" there is plenty of headroom.)
Roaches were a problem in the kitchen, which I guess is normal being right on the water. Don’t leave food items on the counter. (This has me more upset than anything and is a flat out LIE. There are NO roaches in the kitchen or any other part of the house. We have an exterminator contract inside and out and they will guarantee there is not a roach problem in the kitchen. Being a lake house, there are sugar ants that find their way in from the outside if food is left uncovered. We have signs in two places in the kitchen asking our guests to keep food sealed and in the refrigerator to keep the ants from coming in.)
The owners house sits immediately adjacent and above the cabin making for little privacy, especially while on the deck. (yes, we live next door and keep an eye on our property. However, we do respect the privacy of our renters. These guests are a prime example of the privacy they have because they had a dog in the house for 4 days and we didn't even know it until they checked out.)
Lake Mitchell is beautiful and my boys enjoyed the fishing.
This property is our home and we share it with our family and friends as well as our VRBO guests. We take great joy in treating our guests as family. This review has been devastating for us. If you are interested in reading our other reviews you can find the property listing at 1075984.
Thanks in advance for any advice and encouragement.