“The cottage was in a fantastic, quiet location with gorgeous countryside views.”
The kitchen was well equipped and the upstairs rooms were clean and comfortable.
Unfortunately, however, the rest of the cottage was dirty and in need of updating. Cobwebs hung from every ceiling and light fitment, behind radiators and in corners, there was dirt and bits left in the sink, and, most worryingly, the toilet had human excrement down the side. The driveway was also covered in dog muck, which was trodden into the stones and across the step to the gate. There was also a sticky ...
The kitchen was well equipped and the upstairs rooms were clean and comfortable.
Unfortunately, however, the rest of the cottage was dirty and in need of updating. Cobwebs hung from every ceiling and light fitment, behind radiators and in corners, there was dirt and bits left in the sink, and, most worryingly, the toilet had human excrement down the side. The driveway was also covered in dog muck, which was trodden into the stones and across the step to the gate. There was also a sticky stain on the floor in the conservatory and the rugs by the entrance to the property were grubby. The whole place really needed a thorough blitz to be brought up to an acceptable standard.
We contacted Sykes about the issue who asked the owner to send the cleaner back out to put things right. After initially telling us that she was unavailable, they eventually did send the cleaner back to the cottage but she only stayed 10 minutes and barely touched the list of issues we had presented. She must have brushed away two cobwebs, told me she couldn’t see any dirt in the sink and, although she said she would go to the shop and get some white spirit to clean the sticky stain up, just decided to pull one of the rugs over it to make it ‘disappear’ instead! She then asked me if I had any doggy bags to clear the muck from the drive and I thought she was at least going to fix this problem, but then she picked up her keys and started to leave the property! It was then I realised that she was expecting me to do it. She did pick up a couple of bits eventually but told me to boil a kettle and get rid of the rest myself.
During discussions, it became very clear that both the cleaner and the owner of the cottage thought that these cleanliness issues were not their responsibility. We were told that there was no point in cleaning the cobwebs away as the spiders would just make more, and that other people who walk their dogs in the area are allowing them to foul the private driveway. Maybe that’s true, but that doesn’t mean it can just be left there for the guests themselves to have to pick up! When you book holiday accommodation you don't expect to have to clean the accommodation when you arrive to make it safe and suitable for your family to stay in!
Sykes, were very good at communicating between us and the owners of the cottage but were ultimately powerless to help beyond passing messages on. They agreed that the cottage was not at an acceptable standard and told us that we really should have been able to receive some compensation, especially for the first night during which time we had to clean the cottage ourselves to make it fit for purpose. However, when the owners refused this, they told us that there was nothing further they could do.
A really disappointing stay and not up to the standard of other holiday accommodation in the area.
