Leaving a review after your trip

[Linda337]

Hi All.

I recently returned from a trip to Italy where we (2 sisters and I) stayed in ABB apartments.  Our last apartment had what we considered a serious problem that began with bad odor and escalated to coming home after a long day of touristing to a cap being half off a sewage pipe on the bathroom floor.  Called the owner, rep came over, said they would send plumber the next day.  Plumber did come and did remount the cover.  However, this was after a horrible night of unbelievable smell that we tried to block with towels.  We considered leaving that evening but realized that by the time we (or ABB) located another place for us, it was going to cut into even more of our travel time.  So, we stayed that night.  Asked that the bathroom floor be cleaned.  Was not.  In fact, NO RESPONSE OR COMMENT AT ALL FROM THE HOST.  ABB has been courteous to us as guests and is refunding their $30-odd service fee.  I did write to the owner (again) and asked her if she would consider refunding or at least acknowledging the situation.  No comment.  (By the way, I have pictures of the disgusting pipe thing.  Ewwww!!)

So ... as a host myself (as I told her), I understand that things happen and I also understand how much we value our reviews.  I am not sure how to handle my review of this stay.  I do not want to harm another host.  On the other hand, I do not want weary and unsuspecting travelers to not have a heads up.  Most of her ratings were good.  A few not-so-good spattered here and there.

Thoughts?  Recommendations?

Thanks!!!

~linda

[Willow3]

The issue with the sewage cap definitely detracted from your stay, but as you mentioned, these things happen. To me the real issue is the lack of communication / response from the host. 

In a a review I would mention a “maintenance issue” which was handled quickly enough by a plumber, but that communication with the host was challenging, and basic cleaning was not performed after the plumbing issue as required and requested. 

[Linda337]

Thanks Willow.  That's the direction I was heading but needed some other host feedback.  Good wording.

P.S.  

Ya know, I find it soooo interesting that people overlook the value of a simple "I'm sorry".  All of us in the apartment are seasoned travelers.  We all know things happen.  A phone call or text from her saying, "I'm so sorry this happened and I appreciate your patience" would have eased the sting and we would have just chalked it up as a story and moved on.

[Willow3]

@Linda337 - you are so right about an apology. I have a guest who arrived last night and I only briefly met her as she was tired after a long flight. Fast forward to 6:00 this morning when we discovered that the recently replaced smoke detectors will go off due to steam from the shower... who knew???

Immediately after silencing the alarms, I sent her a text tripping over myself with apologies. Turns out she slept through them (only the upstairs units had sounded) but she and I had a good laugh over what could have been the start of a very long week. 

Things happen, how a host handles them determines the guests response/reaction/review. 

[Helga0]

@Willow3, is it the day of alarms today? I got up before daybreak due to mine going off in my bedroom. Where it is laying around on a window sill, because at the place it was before, nicely wall mounted, it got too much steam. I had 3 false alarms due to humidity already. 

[Willow3]

@Helga0 - you’re scaring me! I’ve had two house fires in my life the most recent in February of this year. I’ve not slept through the night since.  The alarms this morning were NOT a welcome addition to my already frayed nerves!!

[Helga0]

@Linda337, did you rent an apartment? To me it would seem, if you rent a whole place, you are in charge of it. It's disgusting that it happened, and it would be a friendly thing to offer cleaning, but I would not really expect it. Nor wish to wait for it. If the host is not close, he may not be able to send a cleaner on the spot or come over to clean himself.

It's just bad luck, that it happened during your tenue there. 

The host might be disgusted too, that you used towels to wipe up sewage. What did you do with them afterwards? 

I would probably have asked for a partial refund of the night. As a host, I would have offered that and a compensation for the cleaning effort. (If you did not ruin expensive towels, lol). I'd feel for such a morning, a nice dinner would be a just compensation.

In the review, I would write, that there was a maintaince issue, which made the use of the place not enjoyable at all during one night. The host addressed the issue by sending a plumber the next day, but did not communicate further, nor compensate us for the reduced use and extra work. 

[Linda337]

Hi Helga.

Thanks for your response.

No, we did not use any towels to wipe up anything.  And they were certainly not expensive towels.  They were laid out to diminish the SMELL.

You both have offered me good reinforcement for my thoughts.  I just wanted to run it by other hosts.  As I said above, I am floored by the lack of communication.  A simple acknowledgement would have gone a long way.  And, it seems the owner lives in the same building.  Whatever the situation, a phone call or text should have been possible.

[Helga0]

@Linda337, I was mostly joking about the towels. I had guests once, who killed a dishwasher, then all the drain pipes in the kitchen and kept using a running didhwasher and leaking sink for days. They created “walkways” in the flooded kitchen and bathroom with my newtowels, “not to get their feet wet”. That traumatic image came back to me, when youl described your emergency measures. 😉

if the owner was in the same building, he should

[Helga0]

Sorry, phone limits

Living in the same building, a normal host would accompany the plumber and make excuses to the guest. If I could avoid it, I would never leave the guests alone with a plumber or other repair men. When my washing machine boke down, my key person was babysitting the repair guy, not yhe guests. You can’t let a stranger alone with your guests ‘ belongings and you can’t ask them to stay home for that. 

Whenever we had a delivery or repair, we asked the guests their preferences and every time they choose to go out and a friend to come in with the worker. 

[John915]

@Linda337

So sorry that happened to you!

You've heard this before but I'll rant anyways! Communication is key. I've run into a handful of new guests who never once bring up an issue and then mention it in a review. While I appreciate honest feedback, for me as a host there is nothing more frustrating than having a guest who pretends everything is perfect and than surprises me with a review for something that is easily remedied had I known.

Obviously I just read your account but it seems to me that this host is new, has poor communication skills or just doesn't care. It's important to "warn" other travelers but I can understand if your host had a personal issue going on which prevented him/her from being 100% focused on your stay.

I totally agree with your thoughts - if a host doesn't care, they really shouldn't be hosting (or at least guests should know that it is a bed, may be smelly, host is poor communicator, etc.). If you haven't received an aknowledgment of the issue or simple "I'm sorry, thanks for letting me know....I've been busy with XYZ and screwed up during your stay" then I don't think you're at all wrong for leaving a "tepid" review so long as it is accurate.

Things happen - we are not professional hoteliers - and I like to believe that the vast majority of guests and hosts understand some hiccups. But no acknowledgment/apology leads me to believe this person shouldn't be hosting in the first place.