Villa Questions - repairs while renting

[kklay]

I'm looking for feedback from fellow formumites - Our group recently returned from a week on St. John. We had rented a 5-bedroom villa approximately 6 months in advance - so this was not a last minute trip. Two of the bedrooms had AC that was not working (ended up being 3 or more nights). We did call the Mgmt company and they agreed to try and repair. A temporary unit was put in place by the 3rd night in one of the rooms. The next day we had a voice mail message saying the AC units would have to be replaced - had been planned for the week before, however (due to "island time") it had not happened but the company had an opening on Thursday - would it be ok for them to work during the day to replace the units? We wanted to be agreeable and said sure - we had to be out of the rooms by 8:30 AM with any items secured - NP - we go to the beach early. Well, guess what, we came back from the Beach (and Happy Hour at Woody's) on Wednesday, and the AC company was there with the bedrooms open, basically a mess (and they were left like this - no clean-up). This was around 6 PM - they were there until 9:00 PM - no advance notice from our villa rental company. They then had to come back Thursday to complete some work. My question is, do you believe I have a reason to complain a little to the mgmt company and request some compensation? I probably should have done it at the time, but didn't want to be a pain. The more I think about it, the more I am not happy with what happened. I've tried to shorten my explanation - I would appreciate any and all feedback!

[sailorgirl]

I would definitely say something, write a letter. I don't know what they will do now, but I think refunding some of the rate for the one day you could not use the villa might be appropriate or a credit towards a future stay.

We had a similar issue. The day after we checked in a large load of rocks was delivered, basically blocking the driveway and the exterior acess to the deck. The next day work men arrived to build a retaining wall. I didn't say anything the first day, but when they returned the second day I called the on island contact person. We rented directly from the owner. He put a stop to the work. In retrospect i think I should have asked for some accomodation, but didn't. There were multiple problems with the villa and I just would not rent it again.

[djmom]

I am not normally one to complain, especially in St. John because of the "island time" issue- and an understanding that parts are not always available on the island. We had a complete power outage (the whole island) for well over a day (maybe two I can't remember) and I am like "ok, nothing they can do about it"

However, I think you might be entitled to something (not sure what) because of the fact that when you got there they knew the ac wasn't working and were just essentially waiting for you to call about it.

It sounds like they had to have known if they said it was scheduled for the week before and it didn't get done.

I would have been much more agreeable had upon check in I was informed of the problem and told that it would be worked on that week.

I would be totally fine with that (even with the mess and with it taking a while).

[Xislandgirl]

I guess my question is Where you truly inconvenienced or just annoyed? I can understand being annoyed, that situation would annoy the hell out of me, but I am not sure I would be inconvenienced enough to ask for money back.


We stayed in a house and our bedroom has an AC Issue the second night. They came out and the unit was fried and they needed a new one. 10-14 days. Here is a big fan. We had no problem with it since we know that kind of stuff happens and it is no one's fault and we were not uncomfortable sleeping.
A few days later we came home and the key was not in the hiding place (long story about that, but for another time) we did notice that the gardener had just left. We were locked out. I called the office and they sent someone within 30 minutes ( we swam while we waited) and gave us a replacement. The next day the gardener came back with a million apologies. He picked up the key while weeding and put it in his pocket so the leaf blower wouldn't blow it away.

In my book, stuff happens and I move on. Many People are not like that, so I guess you need to decide for yourself.

[Jimm]

I agree with djmom. It sounds like they knew of the problem before you checked it and decided not to be upfront with you. I rented with Caribbean Villa once and we had major water problems our first two days, basically, we had no water. Caribbean Villa said they would “take care of us”. I have to say I was very pleased. They fixed the water problem in the morning of the third day (had to replace the pump) and brought us a huge fruit and cheese tray and a couple bottles of wine. Also, there was a check waiting for me at home for $1,000 which was the cost of two days rental. That said, I would write a tasteful letter of complaint.

[Kevino]

Hey KKLAY ~ try and get the contact info for the owner and contact him. I'll bet you get a good discount if you choose to go back to this same villa. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I absolutely would contact him!! Forget about "island time", parts or anyting else. My 2 cents.

[Xislandgirl]

I guess I don't understand the "you owe me" mentality.

Stuff happens, not just on STJ but everywhere. If we all lived in a perfect world, we would not have to worry about it.

If you truly feel that it compromised your ability to enjoy the villa and your vacation, then I would contact the management company. If is was just a pain in the neck but you dealt with it, then I would just move on. Only you know the answer to that questions.


Kevino- Island Time is very real. When I need a new appliance or AC unit or furnance, I pick up the phone and it is there the next day. On island you need to find a company that will even ship to the VI and then wait until it gets there. There is no such thing as a promised delivery date, it get there when it gets there.

[California Girl]

I think I would have been pretty upset if I came back to the villa I had locked up to find everything open.

I had some workers at my house recently when I was not at home, and they were instructed to lock up when they left. They didn't and I came home to find my back door unlocked and my patio door open! I called the contractor and said, something like "I know this isn't they way you normally do business, but I think you should know that your workers are irresponsible and left my house unlocked."

I would write a letter to the villa company informing them that not only did the workers show up on a different day than you were told, but because of that, all your stuff had not been secured. Tell them you think they should know this to avoid possible legal issues with future renters.

I don't think you'd necessarily be entitled to any "freebies" because of the situation. If they feel so inclined to compensate you, then fine.

[toes in the sand]

There is one question I have of kklay, did you negotiate any sort of discount or reduced price because of the current economic situation or did you pay full price? If discounted, I think your compensation should also be lessened.

While I understand that "island time" is very real and not always caused by a mental attitude but by logistics, I also realize that if a villa is air conditioned it can demand a higher price than a non-air conditioned villa. Also, while I realize that repair work cannot always be done completely behind the scenes and out of the tenants way, if a loss of a significant portion of the space that was rented is not able to be utilized by the renter for a significant time. There should be some compensation. The owner had renters considerate enough to stay out of the way of the workers so the job could be completed as expediantly as possible and as a result the renter realized a loss of part of what was paid for. If I were the owner I would feel an obligation to offer something to compensate for the renters inconvenience. Why should the renter be responsible for the owners loss?
kklay's group paid for a 3 bedroom air conditioned villa, they recieved something less. Some sort of comensation is in order.

[djmom]

Actually I think this has nothing to do with the owners. They pay a management company to take care of this. And the management company fell through.

I think they (the management co) should offer a small discount on a future rental thru their agency.

Yes, the locking thing a problem that could have gone wrong. But I still think the biggest offense is letting someone check in with broken AC in two rooms and not telling them.

[Margy Z]

Agree with djmom. If the mgt co knew about this they should have alerted you to the problem with the a/c when you arrived and told you what they could do to either move you to other accommodations or to fix it asap. When you rent directly from an owner you usually have to deal with only that particular villa - if through a mgt co then they should have options to get you into comparable accommodations or tell you when they could move you if they are fully booked. We have had this happen - the mgt co discovered problems with our villa that they couldn’t fix in time for our arrival after the previous guests checked out late so they moved us into upgraded accommodations without our even having to deal with it. We have also been offered compensation (without our asking, in fact) when problems developed at villas where we were staying. I think that when you enter into a contract for accommodations with certain amenities and pay a rate based on those amenities then there should be some consideration - especially with something basic like a/c. We rent a villa with a/c because we need it – it’s not just a “nice-to-have” for us. If I would have more bedrooms than I needed and could just move into another bedroom that’s one thing but to have rooms out when you need those rooms would be unacceptable to me as would be the lack of communication for repairs that extended beyond the time specified. Island time is one thing – sure, things may take longer but the mgt co should be working with you on this and letting you know what’s happening and calling to follow up that things have been completed. If there’s a mess made then I think they should send the housekeepers out to clean up. Check your contract or the mgt co’s terms and condition, though, as some companies spell out that no compensation or rate adjustment will be given for any mechanical problems. I do think it is in the mgt co’s best interest to try to take care of the guest, though. After all, I might not pick that particular villa again but I would go back and rent again through a mgt co that I knew would take care of me if any problems occurred.

- Margy

[SS in NC]

It certainly looks like some positive suggestions have been made. Different viewpoints...but all in all in the flavor of being just for all parties. My personal take would be to write a polite letter to the management company explaining the facts as they were and leave it open ended...see what comes back from the management company. They understand that word of mouth is a very powerful tool and will more than likely want to offer resolve...whatever that may be. I feel "safe" saying tourism on STJ is a very important part of the economy and any letter expressing dissatisfaction will be taken seriously and open a dialogue. I hope this all works itself out with an agreeable outcome for all concerned parties. All the best! Scott

[Greenskeeper]

*Stuff* happens. You seem to be understanding of that and you are not coming off as "you owe me". You were okay with them coming in early for the repairs, you were okay with going out for the day but you're not okay with workers being there till 9:00 pm and leaving a big mess behind. Obviously, they had to come back the next day to finish. Is this correct?

What was the actual time you had to be out of the villa? If the crew was not there, would you perhaps have had a villa gravity day? Did the mess prevent you from being able to use the room? Or was this just an inconvenience in the middle of a fabulous vacation?

I guess you have to think about what you missed out on and then request compensation based on that. The worst thing that can happen for you is you are not satisfied and you have bad memories of your trip.

PS We had the same thing happen on our trip. AC was broken, was supposed to be fixed the week before etc. It took a couple visits of the management company but it got done. Must be a need for HVAC contractors on island.

[samoka]

I would write a letter - I do that whenever I am dissatisified and frequently get some kind of compensation - godd luck

[mindehankins]

I understand that stuff happens, and I understand that it's very difficult to get things fixed on St. John. But you paid for a place with air conditioned bedrooms, and they knew that the air conditioning wasn't working. I think they had a responsibility to tell you that ahead of time, and I would write a letter.
You may have chosen (probably would have) to stay there anyway, but I really feel they had the responsibility to notify you.