Sandbanks cottage vacation

[ilario]

Hey folks,

 

Went to Snadbanks for a week with the family... did a little fishing at both East and West lakes... West was more productive, especially with the cooperative bass, but most fish were on the smallish size. Some pike as well. Caught a decent one in the outlet river

 

Beach was great and weather was fine too.

 

Our cottage was on the pricey side located right on the water at Salmon Pt road. It's such a nice area...I'd like to buy there someday. Despite the good times, I/we were disappointed somewhat with the cottage. We paid over $2000 (10 people) on two levels - a 'loft' and a lower unit walk-ut concept...the owner occupied the middle floor with his family. The problem was that the cottage wasn't even finnished. Nice guy and went out of his way to be helpful, but he was concerned we'd want compensation. I did complain, but I didn't ask for a cash compensation at the time. Instead, he offered a 'free weekend' during the offseason in the upper loft unit of the house, which doesn't even have a stove. I told him we'd have to think about it..his offer wasnt put on paper. The 'off-season' probably won;t be good for us anyway..

 

I/we feel like we got ripped off to some extent. It was a lot of fun overall and the cottage has the potential to be really nice once it completelty finnished...

 

Any advice as to how I could pursue this matter to get some forfm of comepensation? I was thinking of asking him for a cash refund and if he refuses, I thought about approaching the Better Business Bureau in Picton to lodge a formal complaint. The other thing I should add is that we rented this through a rental agent who acted onhis behalf. I've already complained to her about this. She seems to want to shrk the responsibility and informed me that I should deal directly with the owner.

 

Here's a pic of the loft washroom - floors unfinnished!

 

 

[Roy]

I wouldn't persue it. I think that $200 for a week's accomodation is cheap especially for being on the water. Almost every camp/cabin/cottage I've ever rented have had wood floors. You had a great time with your friends? Find another place for next year and ask for pictures and referrals before handing over a deposit. I think you got a good deal.

[canadianguy33]

Well, that kind of sucks. How unfinished was the cottage?

 

If I were you I'd call the guy up and tell him straight out that you feel as though you were kind of ripped off, and that you think a partial cash refund would show good faith on his part. I think something around $200-300 would be reasonable. I mean, you can't expect him to give you a full, or even half refund when you said yourself you had a great time.

[Headhunter]

Get him to give you a deal on a weekend during November or December and get out on Quinte and catch some of those mommas! That should help to eliminate some of your "buyer regret"!

HH

[ilario]

I wouldn't persue it. I think that $200 for a week's accomodation is cheap especially for being on the water. Almost every camp/cabin/cottage I've ever rented have had wood floors. You had a great time with your friends? Find another place for next year and ask for pictures and referrals before handing over a deposit. I think you got a good deal.

 

 

$2000, not $200!! actually, $2200 to be precise..

 

wood floors are fine - if you're renting a cabin on a fishing lake. This was advertised as a luxury place that was to be completely furnished with satelite tv, leather sofa, etc...

[Roy]

I meant $200 per person

[ccmtcanada]

$2000, not $200!! actually, $2200 to be precise..

 

wood floors are fine - if you're renting a cabin on a fishing lake. This was advertised as a luxury place that was to be completely furnished with satelite tv, leather sofa, etc...

 

Pretty sure he meant $200 per person...I believe you said it was $2000 for 10 people?

[POLLIWOGG]

Divide the refund by 10 what do you have?

 

Check out Deerhaven on west lake for next year.

[tonyb]

I also agree that is very reasonable pricing for a week. You can't even get a campsite at a provincial park for that price...and the floors are dirt

 

Tony

[ilario]

I meant $200 per person

 

 

I should clarify...

 

3 couples (4 kids)

 

$750 each!

 

I should also mention that the kids had to play in a "yard" that was strewn with sharp rocks, muds, prickly weeds...he didn't bother to lay down sod...

 

the matresses were piss-stained

 

it was supposed to be fully equiped...furniture was lacking..the fridge wasn;t turned on and took about 15 hours to cool down... tons of annoying, not-so-minor problems..

 

i think he ran out of cash and he made up a hundred and one excuses...'my tile guy went back to Portugal' 'the sode wouldnl't have grown in properly..' etc... the pictures of the house were up in March... the outside structure was already completed.. in additon, there were pics of what appeared to be a finnished bathroom...

 

bottom line - they promised us it would be completed when we arrived

 

 

for the record, the previous family apparently lodge several complaints... he didn;t go into detail, but the guy who rented was a lawyer so i can imagine what happened

[Roy]

Well, if you feel you've been wronged, you have every right to take the owner to task. Personally I would leave it alone and learn from that experience. Life is too short.

[gforce]

a friend of mine has cottages ( real fishing cottages - i.e. nothing spectacular ) in wellington. it is called pilgrims landing.

 

i think he has boats too!

[POLLIWOGG]

Sod at salmon Point, the rabbits carry lunch pails out there.

 

If the guy has built this illegally as a lot of them do, he will probably give you any thing you ask for.

[canadianguy33]

Hmmm....the plot thickens.

 

I'd like to see some more pictures before I pass judgment. This place sounds a lot crappier then what you initially described.

[bigbuck]

Go after the rental agent!! It's their responsibility to rent the place out as advertised. He gets a comission, make him work for it!!!! Some of these guys out there renting 'luxury cottages' make me want to laugh. Whose definition of 'luxury'???