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:05/23/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  I had originally booked a Villa with two king beds. The resort was only able to accommodate a queen bed and two singles. The applicable room rate for a similar room is 40% less than what I am being charged. I would like a billing adjustment.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2024

  Mr ******* is currently a guest with a large group. For group guests we can only guarantee the type of accommodation (e.g., one- or two-bedroom). We cannot guarantee bedding. Furthermore, for his reservation request Mr ******* submitted a room request form online(attached) whereupon no specific bedding was requested (but again, for group reservations, while we do our best to honor bedding requests, we cannot guarantee that we are able to accommodate those requests).
  
  Since registering the BBB complaint, Mr ******* has been in contact with the Front Desk, and follow-up to directly resolve this complaint is pending. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 just stayed 3 nights at the Hotel and left yesterday and there are many disappointments we experienced, which I will list in this email.. First of all, they overcharged me for my 3rd night. Second, is the fact of the many, many unregistered dogs on the property, in the property and unknown to us, in our room in a previous stay, or stays! Despite this fact, there is a sign that states "only registered service dogs allowed" on your front door. None of the dogs wore a Registered Service Dog Emblem. My wife is highly allergic to dog dander, and they also carry fleas, and ticks and, yes, they do urinate on carpet at times. We saw several stains on our carpet that may be just that! We are appalled at the fact you allow non-registered service dogs into the Hotel and even into the serving area of the bar, where food is served and on a table a dog can get to. On top of this problem, is that dogs took over the Grand Lawn many of the times we look, without a leash. Furthermore, we were not allowed to know, nor were we given an opportunity to select a room that was animal-free, without any dog presence in the past when we made the reservations. The Hotel would have been liable for any problems my wife experienced due to this non-disclosure, and your lackluster policy regarding dogs. We also noted many, many maintenance items that were not taken care of and a very needed upgrade that was never performed for a 4-5 star hotel. It appears that everything is basically the same as it was 19 years ago, showing its age at this time. This Hotel was not worth what we paid for it and what they advertised it to be and provide. Sincerely, ***** and ******** ****** *********@gmail.com

  Business Response

  Date: 01/11/2024

  To summarize what we reported in our earlier conversation, Michael A*******, Director of Rooms for The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, had an amicable and productive phone call with Mr ****** the evening of December 27, 2023. We were unaware at that time that he had submitted a complaint earlier in the day with the BBB.

   

  From our perspective, we intently listened to and addressed the concerns shared by Mr ******, including offering our assurances that our accounting department had already adjusted his bill where we had mistakenly charged him the wrong rate for his additional night’s stay.

   

  Again, many thanks for your help resolving this matter.

   

  Kind regards,

   

  Bryan

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/11/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because it is too vague and not accurate and still does not address the real issues I complained about.  We did talk but I still disagreed with their policies, and they did not offer any solutions at that time.  The major problems we had were not specially addressed, which they do not enforce properly, and I reiterated that the Hotel was not worth the money we paid because of this.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 01/12/2024

  In response to Mr ******'s rejection of our response to his complaint, I will be specific regarding our policy involving animals. 

  The Sanctuary has a strict no-pets policy. 

  The Sanctuary is required by ADA law to accommodate service animals. 

  ADA does not require service animals to wear a Registered Service Dog Emblem. That is at the discretion of the person whom the service animal accompanies. 

  ADA law also prohibits businesses from asking to see proof that an animal is indeed a registered service dog. Therefore, when a guest arrives with an animal and claims it is a service animal, we are obligated to take them at their word and accept that it is, indeed, a service animal. 

  As a general rule, we do not experience a high volume of service animals. The dates of Mr ******'s visit just so happened to correspond with one of our busiest times of the year. With a higher occupancy, it stands to reason there is the possibility of more service animals as well, which seems to have been the case during Mr ******'s visit. 

  We do maintain a log of which rooms have welcomed guests with service animals over a one-year period. Our records indicate for the previous 365 days there have been no guests with a service animal who stayed in the guestroom Mr ****** occupied. 

  We do deeply regret that this created discomfort for Mr ****** and his wife. We also hope he will understand we are bound by the regulations established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and cannot make exceptions to following those requirements. 

  Concerning Mr ******'s assertion that we have not updated the guestrooms or public areas of the hotel, the hotel does incorporate timeless decorative elements and extremely high-quality furnishings, including fine antiques and art. But while we do not replace those valuable items, we do regularly refresh other items, including a hotel-wide guest room refurbishment completed in 2021. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2023

  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.

  On the evening of May 26, 2023, my family and I checked in to the Kiawah Golf Resort Villas through a group reservation with the NC Bar Association. The following morning, my 7-yr-old awoke with swollen red marks on his arms that itched. Knowing he had not been outside to encounter any other bugs, I was confused about how they got on his arms but did not take any other action. The following morning, my 7-yr-old awoke with even more swollen red marks that looked like bug bites on both arms, and the marks itched. I called down to the front desk and said my son has bites all over his arms. They said it must be bed bugs and we could move rooms. I asked for someone to come and check for bed bugs, but the supervisor refused. I spent the morning researching bed bugs and learned what to look for. I pulled the covers back and the mattresses off the beds in the kids' room. I found bug droppings in the sheets, with small blood streaks. In between the mattresses, I found small white casings. I have taken pictures of all of this. I called the front desk and explained there were for sure bed bugs and that I would need to file an incident report. Security officer, Anna, was sent. She viewed the bites and the droppings, took pictures, and said she would write an incident report but could not give me a copy for a couple of days. This was on Sunday, May 28, 2023. My family and I immediately packed up and left earlier than we planned. Urgent Care doctor and bug specialist both confirm bed bugs bite pattern and bug specialist confirms pictures resemble droppings and casings. Matt Smith with hotel denies bed bugs entirely and his contact is minimal at best. I have had to throw away luggage and other personal items for fear they will infest my own home. I want a refund for my stay, reimbursement for pesticide treatment, and replacement of items I had to destroy. I can email pics with better resolution. If no resolution, I will seek action in court.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  Kiawah Island Golf Resort took very seriously the guest’s report of suspected bed bugs in the rental unit and conducted immediate appropriate action in response (reference timeline below).
  
  The resort placed the unit out-of-order pending an inspection, which it ordered to be conducted as quickly as possible by a certified and licensed pest control professional. The inspector found no evidence of present or past bedbugs. The resulting report (attached) was provided to the guest.
  
  After the guest reported that she lacked confidence in the initial report, the resort took the extraordinary step of ordering a second inspection to be provided by a different certified and licensed pest control company.
  
  The second inspection yielded the same report (attached) as the first: no evidence of past bed bugs and no current bed bugs present. (Note: the first pest control provider did not apply any insecticide or take other mitigating steps as no evidence of bed bugs was found.)
  
  Despite these findings, the resort offered the guest a full refund equal to the amount of her accommodations for the duration of her stay from May 26 through 28. This offer was made out of consideration for the guest’s level of dissatisfaction with her accommodations, not as a result of her insistence that bed bugs were present in the unit. (Note that the photos provided by the guest were not taken by a pest control inspector, so the photographer was not qualified to make any determination regarding presence of bed bugs.)  
  
  TIMELINE
  May 26-28 – Arrival and departure dates of guest who registered complaint with Better Business Bureau.
  May 28-30 – After guest reported suspected bedbugs, resort placed unit out-of-order and conducted internal inspection (no evidence of bed bugs found)
  May 30 – Professional pest control inspector found no bed bugs present and no evidence of past bed bugs. No treatment was applied (report attached)
  May 31-June 2 – Resort rented the unit to another guest with no incident reported
  June 2-4 – Resort rented the unit to another guest with no incident reported
  June 5 – Resort ordered a second professional inspection from a different company; no bed bugs were found and no evidence of past bed bugs was present  (report attached)
  
  Supporting Documents:
  ******* ******** **** *****, LLC Report 5/30
  ******** ******* * **** ******* Report 6/5

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  To reiterate what we stated in our first response: Kiawah Island Golf Resort contracted two separate independent, certified, reputable pest experts, both of whom thoroughly inspected the entire unit (the first after the unit had been placed out-of-order as soon as the guest departed). The findings of both, as reflected in the previously provided reports, were consistent: neither found any evidence of bed bugs, past or present, anywhere in the unit. The resort regrets that the guest does not accept the findings of these two qualified independent experts. The resort has full faith in the expert findings of these two independent inspections. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/13/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because the business has not responded to whether or not the unit was "prepped" prior to pest control's inspection to include actions like: vacumming or replacing the mattresses, vacuuming the carpet, changing the linens that contained the very evidence of the bed bugs, or applying pesticide prior to the inspections mentioned.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********