“The description of the property is miselading and inaccurate, the plumbing is not working and the outside space is not secure for any pet to stay in.”
There are a lot of things that are wrong/different from what stated in the description of this property: 1) The cottage is off a very narrow and steep road (grange road) and it's at its very top, off a sharp bend. The description provided states that parking is available on grange road, though this is not the case. The road is very narrow and neighbours' cars are parked outside their properties. There are then 4 garages and a clear 'no parking' sign. The only option would be to park the car directly opposite the steps that lead to the cottage, though there are actually a public path, which can not be blocked, rather than part of the property. Unless you ahve a very small car, parking is a serious issue at the property. 2) There is no secure outside space. The picture included in the property listing shows in gact a public access gate. The actual outside space of the property is occupied by bins, and not fenced off. It is completely adjacent to a public footpath, very much in use. Similarly, the 2 neighbouring gardens are not fenced off, so aside from having no privacy nor peace, pets are in no way safe to potter outside. We had to keep our dogs indoor at all times when at the cottage. 3) The smell reported by others is accurate, not a pleasent experience. 4) The downstairs (basement) twin room is very cold. This may be because one of the twin beds is squashed against the only radiator in the room. This was not so much of an issue for us because we had no hot water nor heating throughout our 5 days stays, 5) The bathroom is extrimely dump, and its floor is very rubbery and squashy, a plastic type solution, which is not pleasent at all. There is no opening window either which makes it even more humid. 6) It is completely overlooked, and in a very noisy spot right in the middle of a public footpath. Unlike what stated, although amentities are close by, they are over the bridge the other side of Bideford. 7) The staircases inside are very steep, only one has a bannister, which is not ideal, given that the bedrooms and kitchen are on the ground and basement floors, so there is constant need to go up and down. What about our stay: completely unacceptable is what comes to mind. On arrival (check in after 5 PM) there were no keys. After 5h drive on the eve of the Easter Bank Holiday, with 3 dogs we had to spend nearly 2h trying to get hold of the keys and ended up having to spend a night elsewhere which set us back just shy of £200 (this was because the letting agent closes at 7PM, and they would not have been around over the long weekend, so we could not risk not having somewhere to stay). The 2 hours were spent on the phone to both the letting agent and the owner who provided different accounts of the issue and how to resolve it (the housekeeper is on her way with the key, the plumber forgot to leave the key, the locksmith is coming to let you in, you are at the wrong property etc). When we finally got into the cottage, we realised there were serious plumbing issues, with loud banging noise from the boiler and the water pipes as if somebody was trying to kick the door and walls down, or being in an MRI scanner. We reported the issue to the owner and the letting agent, after a sleepless night (we politely did not want to wake her up during the night), and it transpired this was a pre-existing issue. A 'quick fix' she suggested did not work, hence another sleepless night. Her only help was on Easter day to suggest we turn off the boiler so out of 5 nights we spent 1 in a hotel, 2 without sleeping, and 2 without hot water or heating. Outside it was 6 degrees, but the owner told us she gathered it was unseasonably warm so no need for heating or hot water. She also suggested that we could turn the boiler on during the day, but she failed to appreciate that loud banging noise that is constant does not really appeal to paying guests when on holiday whether during the day or at night. The final suggestion - and refusal of sending an emergency plumber - was to look in the green folder left at the cottage which had instructions on how to use the heating. We did point out it did not explain how to fix a broken boiler but it fell on deaf ears. The toilet stopped flushing on day 4, and the only night we cooked we realised out of the 4 hobs, only 1 works (the others are jammed). I have already mentioned the inaccuracy in the description of the cottage. Did we get a refund, an apology, or a goodwill gesture of any sort? No. Will we go back to Devon? Yes. Will we ever consider going back to this cottage? No. We reported serious issues in good faith, during our first holiday since 2019, and it was disappointing to be treated with contempt, and disregard when we only asked for basic utilities. Given previous reviews we knew this was a period property that came with issues, and was not to everybody's taste, but we did not expect there to be no adequate plumbing for the basic use of toilet, washing facilities and heating.
We strive to provide an enjoyable stay for our guests. We are sorry on this occasion the guests did not enjoy their stay. We endeavour to resolve issues reported by guests as soon as practically possible. Below we respond to the points they make:.
Guest comment: The description of the property is miselading and inaccurate, the plumbing is not working and the outside space is not secure for any pet to stay in. There are a lot of things that are wrong/different from what stated in the description of this property: 1) The cottage is off a very narrow and steep road (grange road) and it's at its very top, off a sharp bend. The description provided states that parking is available on grange road, though this is not the case. The road is very narrow and neighbours' cars are parked outside their properties. There are then 4 garages and a clear 'no parking' sign. The only option would be to park the car directly opposite the steps that lead to the cottage, though there are actually a public path, which can not be blocked, rather than part of the property. Unless you ahve a very small car, parking is a serious issue at the property.
Owner response: We are sorry you felt the description is inaccurate. We have endeavoured to be clear and other guests have not expressed the same views.
The description states clearly the cottage is accessed by steps. We make it clear it is not suitable for anyone with mobility issues. Parking is available on Grange Road which is at the top of the steps. We have not been told before of guests not being able to park.
Guest comment 2) There is no secure outside space. The picture included in the property listing shows in fact a public access gate. The actual outside space of the property is occupied by bins, and not fenced off. It is completely adjacent to a public footpath, very much in use. Similarly, the 2 neighbouring gardens are not fenced off, so aside from having no privacy nor peace, pets are in no way safe to potter outside. We had to keep our dogs indoor at all times when at the cottage.
Owner response: The gate does not allow public access. The cottage description says there is a right of way only for residents of springfield terrace. The residents have alternative routes to their houses, but very occasionally they may pass through the area adjacent to springfield cottage. We want to ensure guests are aware of this and hence it is in the description.
Guest comment 3) The smell reported by others is accurate, not a pleasent experience.
Owner response: We have responded to this feedback. We have received expert advice from a damp specialist and in May 2022 we completely refurbished the bathroom
Guest comment 4) The downstairs (basement) twin room is very cold. This may be because one of the twin beds is squashed against the only radiator in the room. This was not so much of an issue for us because we had no hot water nor heating throughout our 5 days stays,
Owner response : If guests turn off the boiler (as they decided to during this stay) then the bedroom would feel cool. We understand the guests were sleeping in the double room not the twin room.
Guest comment 5) The bathroom is extremely damp, and its floor is very rubbery and squashy, a plastic type solution, which is not pleasent at all. There is no opening window either which makes it even more humid.
Owner response : We have since established the cause of the damp and had the bathroom completely refurbished.
The window does open but it may have been locked. There are keys to unlock all windows in the property along with guidance in the cottage folder. There should have been a key on the hook adjacent to the bathroom window. We apologise if this had been moved.
Guest comment 6) It is completely overlooked, and in a very noisy spot right in the middle of a public footpath. Unlike what stated, although amentities are close by, they are over the bridge the other side of Bideford.
Owner response: we are not sure what the guests means by being over-looked. As the description says there is a public footpath to the centre of Bideford over the ancient bridge.
Guest comment:
7) The staircases inside are very steep, only one has a bannister, which is not ideal, given that the bedrooms and kitchen are on the ground and basement floors, so there is constant need to go up and down.
Owner response: As mentioned above this cottage is not suitable for those with mobility issues. We make that clear in the description. We are sorry if you found you had booked a cottage which was unsuitable for your level of mobility.
Guest comment : What about our stay: completely unacceptable is what comes to mind. On arrival (check in after 5 PM) there were no keys. After 5h drive on the eve of the Easter Bank Holiday, with 3 dogs we had to spend nearly 2h trying to get hold of the keys and ended up having to spend a night elsewhere which set us back just shy of £200 (this was because the letting agent closes at 7PM, and they would not have been around over the long weekend, so we could not risk not having somewhere to stay). The 2 hours were spent on the phone to both the letting agent and the owner who provided different accounts of the issue and how to resolve it (the housekeeper is on her way with the key, the plumber forgot to leave the key, the locksmith is coming to let you in, you are at the wrong property etc).
Owner response : There was much confusion when the guests arrived. The guests unfortunately had looked in the wrong place for the keys. Rather than the key safe next to the front door (as per Sykes instructions), they looked in the unlocked letter box attached to the cottage wall.
Since we have never had this experience before, the owner had presumed an error and to remedy the situation quickly called out a locksmith.
It soon emerged that the guest had unfortunately made the error and the keys were in the Keysafe all along.
Guest comment: When we finally got into the cottage, we realised there were serious plumbing issues, with loud banging noise from the boiler and the water pipes as if somebody was trying to kick the door and walls down, or being in an MRI scanner. We reported the issue to the owner and the letting agent, after a sleepless night (we politely did not want to wake her up during the night), and it transpired this was a pre-existing issue. A 'quick fix' she suggested did not work, hence another sleepless night. Her only help was on Easter day to suggest we turn off the boiler so out of 5 nights we spent 1 in a hotel, 2 without sleeping, and 2 without hot water or heating. Outside it was 6 degrees, but the owner told us she gathered it was unseasonably warm so no need for heating or hot water. She also suggested that we could turn the boiler on during the day, but she failed to appreciate that loud banging noise that is constant does not really appeal to paying guests when on holiday whether during the day or at night. The final suggestion - and refusal of sending an emergency plumber - was to look in the green folder left at the cottage which had instructions on how to use the heating. We did point out it did not explain how to fix a broken boiler but it fell on deaf ears. The toilet stopped flushing on day 4, and the only night we cooked we realised out of the 4 hobs, only 1 works (the others are jammed). I have already mentioned the inaccuracy in the description of the cottage. Did we get a refund, an apology, or a goodwill gesture of any sort? No. Will we go back to Devon? Yes. Will we ever consider going back to this cottage? No. We reported serious issues in good faith, during our first holiday since 2019, and it was disappointing to be treated with contempt, and disregard when we only asked for basic utilities. Given previous reviews we knew this was a period property that came with issues, and was not to everybody's taste, but we did not expect there to be no adequate plumbing for the basic use of toilet, washing facilities and heating.
Owner response: We apologised for the noise from the heating system which has since been rectified. We provided compensation for the disturbance it caused. We have addressed the problem by replacing a radiator thermostat. We relayed a fix but unfortunately it didn’t work well enough to quiet the noise for sleeping with the heating on through the night.
The hot water acts without the heating on because there is a combi boiler so there was no need to turn off the boiler and be without hot water.
We apologise for the less than satisfactory stay this guest experienced, we endeavour to sort issues reported by guests promptly. We do not like to fall short of the standard, we and our guests would expect.
Property Owner
