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problem with a renter

rapmarks

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
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I had a prime rental Dec 26 to Jan 2 at Christmas Mountain. I reserved this week last July hoping to get back some of my maintenance fees.
The renter called me about two hours before check in asking about mold in units. I had never heard this and lo and behold she had a unit with mold in the basement. The resort moved them right away Today she notified me that they had checked out four days early and she wants her money back. I am new at renting and wondering what I should do She has threatened to post negative reviews on every site she can find. I believe she will do this whether I refund her or not
 
I would give a refund prorated for the 4 days she didn't use. Sounds like the resort you rented has issues that need to be addressed.
 
Also sounds a bit like they were looking for an excuse, before they got there. Bit of self fulfilling prophecy.

Is this a known issue at CM? Don't know the resort, so I can't say.
 
She called about mold before she checked in? How would she know it was there in advance?

The way you describe her, she sounds like she is trying to bully you into a refund.

I would reach out to the manager of the resort and try to find out if her story is legitimate.
 
Check out the online review: regarding Mold from:
Tshear - months ago - Dirty, disappointing & broken

Christmas Mountain Village™ - Wisconsin Dells, WI | Bluegreen Vacations

Nature lovers will appreciate the quiet majesty of the Wisconsin Dells and the area’s many outdoor activities, but today tourists can also enjoy over 77 other local attractions, shows and theme parks. Situated just west of the Dells, with downhill ski runs and 27 holes of golf, Christmas...
www.bluegreenvacations.com www.bluegreenvacations.com
 
Sandy VDH said:
Also sounds a bit like they were looking for an excuse, before they got there. Bit of self fulfilling prophecy.

Is this a known issue at CM? Don't know the resort, so I can't say.
Click to expand...
I never heard about anyone having an issue
 
I couldn’t find the negative review
 
rapmarks said:
I couldn’t find the negative review
Click to expand...
Click on the one star rating. Copied here. Also lots of similar one star reviews on the site.
★★★★★1 out of 5 stars.
Tshear
· 3 months ago
Dirty, disappointing & broken
This past weekend was supposed to be the weekend we got married. Because of the pandemic, we canceled, and booked this weekend away to celebrate a sad day.
The shower would not turn off, so the morning of our "would have been" wedding- and we found mold on the comforter we had slept with upon making the bed. So we had to have maintenance and house keeping in our space. The fridge was disgustingly dirty, but atleast they put a sticker on the freezer stating they cleaned that, and turned on the ice machine (which made 6 ice cubes every 4 hours). The microwave looked like things had exploded and hadn't been cleaned in some time. The top rack of the dish washer was broken. The wifi in the room wouldn't connect to our phones so we had to call customer service and have them trouble shoot.
My family has been blugreen members for 10+ years, and this was hands down the biggest disappointment.
  • Traveler Type
  • Couple
 
If this were an eBay transaction, where someone who purchased something then starts with questions/potential issues before the item was even delivered, you can bet I'd be waiting for the scammer to drop the other shoe. Your renter was laying the groundwork for weaseling out of some/all of the rental amount. Whether they were were going to have a free vacation from the beginning, or decided they wanted be home for New Year's at the last minute, you are being scammed.
 
Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects. Mold can release harmful toxins. Its not their fault, no one wants to give up their New Years vacation. Better safe than sorry.

I would issue a full refund and sincerely apologize for the inconvenienced experienced during their unpleasant stay at Christmas Mountain Village.

Contact: The Resort Team is let them be aware of your concerns and ask for a refund of your time/points or have them issue you credit for another week.

Bluegreenfeedback@bluegreenvacations.com
 
Did you hear from her between the time they were moved to a different cabin and today? Was the new cabin also unacceptable? Did she say why they were leaving early? Cabins in the woods often have a bit of a musty smell. I know that can make my allergies flare up but I come prepared with allergy pills.

I saw mostly good reviews but I can add some insight about why there would be some bad ones several months back. We stayed at Glacier Canyon this past summer and learned that the Dells normally gets 16,000 summer seasonal workers for the resorts and water parks. This year because of COVID there were only 1,400. We saw the housekeeping manager at the resort all hours of the day and evenings. She was run off her feet.

I've done quite of bit of renting in the past and have dealt with difficult renters. Not often thank heavens. When you rent you're bound to encounter them eventually. I put no cancellations and no refunds in my listings and invoices. However in a true emergency situation I do what I can for the renter. This one gives the appearance of a renter I wouldn't be inclined to refund unless more compelling reasons to do so came to light. Some people, renters and owners, seem bound and determined to find fault with their accommodations. Once something sets them off they look for things to nit pick about. If you get the feeling she's one of those don't let her get away with trying to bully you into giving her a refund.
 
This reminds me of the time I rented to someone that complained about bed bugs. Even after the resort moved them to another unit, they complained about bed bugs again. Of course, they insisted on a full refund after staying for several days. I call BS but you never know when someone is lying...
 
I rented a unit for my daughter and a rat ran across the room. It’s actually a gold crown resort thru RCI due to its location. It was in the city where I live so I was there checking her in but I didn’t see it. We called the front desk and maintenance showed up with a trap so it was obviously not the first complaint of this nature. Needless to say my daughter would have no part of it. We checked out and my daughter just came to our house and traveled to her convention daily. My point in mentioning, is that all my points and fees were refunded. I realize yours was a rental but maybe you can at least get some form of reimbursement.
 
As to the review that complained about mold on the blanket, I do know that three months ago, dating back to ever since COVID,all the blankets were removed from the units, they were laundered by a service, and you had to request a blanket if you wanted one.
 
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The renter has already started posting on the Bluegreen Facebook sites
 
Threaten to sue for libel if they go through with the negative reviews.
 
rapmarks said:
The renter has already started posting on the Bluegreen Facebook sites
Click to expand...
Then don't bother refunding any money. She is vicious. In the long run, people won't care about the review, or can you change your username, etc. on these sites? You did not cause the problem.
 
rapmarks said:
The renter has already started posting on the Bluegreen Facebook sites
Click to expand...
But have you contacted the resort? Clearly you have been damaged as well. I would urge you to get to the bottom of this.

Either get a refund of your week or points and prorate her rent, or post a rebuttal on FB.

I think I'd ask to be moved if there was mold, and I sure wouldn't stay in a unit in the condition of the above review. Our vacation time is precious.
We want to enjoy the accommodations we booked. I booked a substandard resort years ago through RCI. They were awesome about immediately providing me a refund.
We left and enjoyed the rest of our vacation elsewhere.
 
She was moved right away into a di cottage.
I contacted the resort, am waiting for call back. I emailed customer support. I called Bluegreen and filed a report,
I checked the weather and there was a storm coming.
icannot get my time back, I have a Udi ownership, giving me a red week for 2020. There is a cleaning fee, which they returned to her already.
she was in a unit with no problem when she left.
I was in communication with her when shehad the problem, and she was moved to a satisfactory unit. Then she let me know she left three days later. I could have found a renter for New Year’s Eve Weekend. I kept getting requests. So I lost money
 
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Did the renter take any pictures? Perhaps she can forward them to you (or take a picture of a picture she posts) and you can also notify the resort? Just a thought.
 
Is there a way to search for reviews posted by prospective renters? Might be worthwhile to check them out before agreeing to rent if that is possible. Won't help for this situation, but maybe for future?
 
If I had mold in my room, I wouldn't trust another room. You can wipe mold away to make it look clean, but it will still be there causing you damage. If you are allergic to mold, it can be a life threatening situation. If it were me in the exact same situation, I would refund the renter and I'd go after the resort. If I was not eligible for a refund from the resort, I'd be posting negative reviews everywhere and also calling the local health department to report their mold problem.
 
To summarize: Your renter had a problem. The problem was solved. She left on her own accord - with no notice or reason. She wants all her money back. (a storm was coming). She starts a campaign to embarrass you. She is not even at the end of the rental period (today). That is preemptive. She has given you no middle ground. I think the postings are the last straw. She is the kind of person who would return her daughter's prom dress the day after the prom. I couldn't give her the money back. But that's just me. Good luck.
 
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Here is the really astonishing thing. There is a trapdoor under the sofa that leads to a basement. The mold was in the basement
 
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