Avis Beautiful Lakefront House

Dear Ms. Steele: I reviewed the record and each email on and off VRBO you sent my rental assistant. These show you were apparently confused when entering the number of people in your group. You initially listed 6 adults and were charged accordingly by VRBO's program. My assistant said you became unpleasant on the phone when she informed you that if you were bringing more than 8 people she would have to adjust the reservation to properly reflect the number of guests and the actual cost. After several other conversations with her you said: "Okay, I understand now thanks" and accepted and paid for the bunkroom and extra guests which I understand were 10 total including 4 teenagers and an infant under 5. Concerning the bunkroom door, I did see where you advised us of the issue at 3:45 pm and 13 minutes later at 3:58 pm you texted back that "Husband got it opened, the lock was stuck." I did check it afterward and found it was dragging and had a carpenter adjust the frame. My apologies for this issue. I also reviewed the emails and pictures my cleaning lady regularly sends showing the condition of the camp when she arrives to clean and after she finishes. The house was spotless before you checked-in and in a mess after you checked out. The time dated pictures showed garbage bags of trash left inside the house and around the outside, nowhere near the trash receptacles; dirty pans and dishes left in the sink; trash and hair all over the floors. They also show our cleaning closet marked "Private" and locked had been entered into and with several items missing including the power cord that was used to charge the Dyson vacuum cleaner and leaf blower. The vacuum was full of Easter hay and the battery was dead with no way of charging it. Fortunately, she was able to find an extra extension cord to complete her cleaning in time for the next guests. Even before we knew of your untruthful comments, her statement to us upon her initial inspection was: "These guests were animals." After we reviewed the before and after pictures and heard her comments, we called VRBO, lodged a complaint, and put a hold on your damage deposit. When I later received your email with the complaints, I shared it with her. Her initial response was: "I am shocked and promise the house was not in that condition when they checked in." In summary, I am sorry you felt you "paid a lot of money for this place" and misunderstood how to navigate the VRBO system. I have rented and been renting on VRBO for over 20 years. I have had issues at other places and occasionally received calls from guests at my place. A call to the owner generally resolved the issue promptly. My personal cell phone number is listed on the site and in the book on the table. I did not receive one call nor any pictures from you lodging and evidencing these complaints, except one call on Sunday asking if you all could extend an extra day. Unfortunately, we were not able to accommodate your request. Believe me, I want to know if people working for me are not doing their job and in turn would want to document these egregious allegations for any other property owner. Sincerely, Kenneth

Kara, I did take your critique seriously and went out myself and corrected the issues. Unfortunately, I do not get notified when reviews are posted and seldom check them since I encourage guests to call me with any issues and generally handle them immediately if possible. Concerning the internet, it is difficult to find reliable service anywhere on the lake. Hence, we decided to go with Dish TV so as not to irritate guests with constant buffering. Maybe with broadband work currently going on we can provide internet. In the meantime, we encourage guests to use the hot spot on their phones. In regards to the number of people the house sleeps, we have tried to make it as clear as possible considering the limitations of VRBO's site. It sleeps 14 total, 8 in the main house and 6 in the attached bunk room which has to be rented separately. Our cleaning service was made aware of your concerns and they have been corrected. Concerning the water, I get rather frustrated myself with the not infrequent CYA notices I get from the federally funded water company and felt obligated to post this verbatim to allow guests to make up their minds. The notices do say at the bottom "This is NOT an emergency". Only "continued long-term exposure to TTHMs and HAA5 levels above the standard (e.g. 20 years of exposure) has the potential to have serious adverse effects on human health." Having been raised in the country and drinking water from various sources, I personally do not take it seriously but respect those who do and I have to do a little CYA myself. Thus, as a result of the irritation you suffered, I have added the name and phone number of the Toledo Bend Water District Superintendent on my site so that anyone concerned, can call before check-in to find out the condition of the water. I was most concerned with the bed issue. I did find that 3 of the beds did have issues with the bed frames having collapsed in the middle. These were reinforced and should last through a few other youthful gymnastic events. A couple of mattresses were replaced. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Kenneth