Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We rented a condo at ***** Pines Resort - Unit # **, from August 19 to 26th, 2023. We did not use the unit until the nights of August 24th & 25th due to smoke. We discovered our accommodation had a very poor bed. A foam on top of a mattress. Rental rate was $1700.00 for one week and after taxes $1955.00, plus cleaning fee of $157.50. Our $500 deposit was returned, leaving it to $1612.50 at $230.35/night. Checking out, we showed the poor condition of the bed to the Property Mgr, Candace G**********. We pointed out to her that every time *** moved on the left side of the bed that all we heard were loud springs and the right side it was sunken down and I had to sleep in a dip. We barely slept the two nights. Candace laid down on the bed and then got up and shook her head and said she would take note of it but that was it and did not offer any compensation or recourse with the owners. While checking out, I also pointed out the poor condition of the front door and shared it screeched every time you opened or closed it and how it closed with a bang. The screen was also not attached. ****, said he could not fix the hinges. On day of check-in the bathtub was found to have still standing water in it due to a drip and the bathroom sink did not have a stopper. Other things in this unit were part of the picture but the bed was the main health problem. We contacted Candace and thanked her for confirming the poor condition of the bed. We asked for compensation $250.00 minimum to be returned to us. She told us in email that they are not responsible for uncomfortable beds. She once again did not address the condition of the bed. I believe as a Property Manager they are responsible due to the health and well being of any occupant during their accommodation. If not them, then I believe the owners should be responsible. Her other reasoning was that no-one else complained about the bed, as if our opinion does not matter. Rentals should never have a bed in this poor a condition.

  Business Response

  Date: 15/09/2023

  We are property managers of the unit #** at ***** Pines Resort which was rented to ***************************** and ************* from August 19 - 26th, 2023.

  They were actually using up a credit from a previous year, which would have automatically expired this year regardless whether they used it or not. 

  While ******** and *** were staying at the unit, they did mention that they could not connect to the wifi and the router was not working. The owner tried to get the issue rectified, but was unable to reach the internet provider, as there were problems with internet in the area in general. To compensate for this inconvenience they were given by us a reimbursement of $160.00 for two days of no internet.

  At check out, ******** and *** did mention the bed, but at this time it was already too late to rectify the situation. My reply that no one else had complained, was not to say that their opinion didn't matter but more to establish that most people were totally fine with the bed's condition as well as the owners, who sleep there at least 2 months out of every year. Every unit that we manage is individually owned and every owner takes care of their own place as they themselves enjoy it. The screen door is on springs and is there by the owners choice. The drip in the tub was also something that we were only made aware of at the time of check in and a plumber has since come to fix it. The units at ***** Pines are quite rustic for the most part, and our clients are usually aware of the age of the units (Built ****). Every place is different, so some will look more modern and have nicer appliances, furniture, and so forth but it is possible to see all the pictures on our website of every individual unit before they make the decision to reserve a week. 

  As stated previously, ******** and *** were booked in to stay at ***** Pines Resort on a credit from a previous year. Due to their late cancellation (2022) she was not eligible to get all of her money returned to her as per our policy. As I wanted to proceed in good faith, I did offer them a credit to use up by the end of this summer (2023). As the date of cancellation was so close to the actual check in day, it was not possible to book it for anyone else and this revenue was completely lost. (Would have been $2117.50, no penalty paid by them) This year ******** and *** asked to reserve something again to use up their credit. As it was proving difficult to find a unit that ******** wanted to rent, I offered her the money from the credit back except for an Administration fee of $500.00 which is clearly stated that we keep if a cancellation is made after the 60 day prior to booking deadline. This was not taken by her at this time and she settled on the booking for August 19 - 26, 2023. Again, this week was held for ******** and ***, so no one else could book it for that week. They did contact us a few days prior to their check in day and asked about the smoke. At this time we took some pictures showing blue sky, and only some haze over the mountains, explaining to them that the smoke was actually not that bad in Sicamous, compared to most other places in **, so it was their decision to not come earlier. Unfortunately, they missed some of the best days prior to them arriving.

  In my opinion, we have done all that is required of us as property managers. If someone is the first to complain about a bed, we will look into it for future renters, but I do not believe that we should feel obligated to pay money for this complaint. 

  Also, I would like to mention that we have been quite understanding and willing to give service and even going beyond to offer a credit for the following year, which is not usually our policy. 

  I believe that we have acted in good faith, and believe that we should not be expected to again give even more compensation at this point. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 25/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because the response from this Property Manager has diverted to the monies which were settled months ago based on a previous cancellation. The first agreement was for ******* to keep all our money and deposit of $500. from our first booking and that we would re-book this summer. This was the only unit available, so we took it knowing we could use our credit. Yes, the on-line photos were rustic but rustic was not the problem. You could include the sink that was in fact in very rustic condition. That or it had not been cleaned properly.
  
  The decision as mentioned before to come later was based on smoke. Air quality was at 10 & 11 on Monday and Tuesday and then rain on Wednesday, so we knew Thursday would likely be ok. The day we arrived and got settled, we met a fellow at the docks after checking in. He told us they came in at the beginning of the week and said the air and weather had been really bad and they could not use their boat or be outside due to poor air quality. He also mentioned the power outage. This totally contradicted what ******* had just told us about the weather. 
  
  The other mention is the internet. We did not think to ask about those monies and we did appreciate that given back. What is obvious here is there was no alert by ******* earlier in the week about any power outages before we came in on Thursday. ** ***** confirmed it was out the day before we arrived and the outage could have gone on for days. The power outage prior did cause the internet problems. ******* did not mention anything on the outage until we were checking out. I believe it was part of their job to keep us informed of those conditions before ************ trip out. ******* has actually criticized us for not coming out when there was no power in place.
  
  This response appears to be a lot of sidetracking. The issues of smoke, weather or monies paid out in good faith are not the complaints. A Property Managers task and responsibility to provide a healthy and safe accommodation that is in habitable condition. This is what people expect on their vacation and nothing less. Rolling over on loud springs was very uncomfortable for *** and trying to sleep in a big dip did hurt my hips. We did not sleep well at all and I made ******* aware of that. That presented a health issue for us. A very poor bed at this rental rate of $230. does not reflect those habitable conditions. While ******* laid on the bed and then shook her head, she knew full well it was not ok. I believe these managers have an obligation to ensure any tenant is on a good bed and nothing less. ******* said it was too late and it is never too late to do the right thing by compensating us for the very poor condition of this bed, as well as the other minor conditions within this unit. Too late is a very poor excuse.
  
  I would like to know the BBB stance on health and responsibilities of a property manager. We believe this property manager should be held accountable for both the poor bed and no heads up on the power outage before making the trip and therefore, no internet. We would appreciate your assistance in getting back compensation for the two nights of accommodation. The $250.00, we asked for is more than fair as they are also accountable for the other things that were not in good repair. Your assistance would be appreciated to get a fair settlement.
  
  Regards,

  
  *****************************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 26/09/2023

   

  To rebut the complaint directly of the bed and the power outage:

  As stated before, the bed in question is used regularly by the owner and was also used by many different renters with no complaints. We stand by our previous rebuttal statement that $250.00 for an uncomfortable bed is not warranted, especially when not one other renter or owner found this to be the case.

  The power outage one day previous was not known to the property manager either until we were attempting to have the Wi-Fi reconnected. It was not an extended outage and did not affect anything else in the unit. We dispute that a "heads up" for a power outage should have been given when we are not informed ourselves.

  As the renter cancelled a unit last year at very short notice, our company took a loss of the rental fee for that week, and the owner of said unit lost a week's revenue of over $1700 (plus taxes and cleaning fee over $2000.) as it was not able to be rented at such short notice. Against our own policy (and now clearly against our better judgement) we made an exception and held the monies that they had already paid for this year 2023 instead. Our cancellation policy clearly states that when someone wants to cancel after full payment, AT LEAST $500.00 is retained. It was also made clear to the renter that the credit would expire at the end of this summer regardless if she used it or not. We even offered her the money back this summer less the $500.00 reservation deposit which actually became non refundable May 16, 2022. As the renter did not want to lose the $500 deposit they decided to take the only unit which was available anymore for the week of August 19 - 26 as it was already late in the booking season when they finally decided to book instead of taking the refund offered. 

  We stand by our decision not to give even more money out for this renter.