Country Cottages

[SHELLA]

Hello,

I hope this is the correct place to post,I would appreciate any advice.

I recently had a weeks holiday in a cottage booked from Country Cottages.
The place was awful,the heating was not working,the place was covered in mould,it was advertised as having access to a shared laundry room when in fact the owner insisted on charging £5 to do the washing herself.
The list is endless....

We did complain to the company at the time,but they could not move us.
After sending a letter once home,they have refunded £50 as a 'goodwill' gesture.
But they seem to think that the place was fine! And that because most of the mould was covered by a curtain or in a cupboard - its ok being there.

I'm sure they are violating some Health & Safety or Enviromental act - but I cannot be sure.

I'd like advice on how to proceed from here. I don't expect all my money to be refunded {though more than £50 would be welcome} BUT they seem to think I am complaining for no reason - perhaps I am?

Any advice at all would be welcome.
Thank you,
Shella.

[Jimbo44]

Sounds a bit like the holiday accommodation from hell!!

From reading what you've said it seems as though your contract for this cottage was with Country Cottages as you mention getting a £50 'gesture of goodwill' from them.

If I were you I would contact my local Trading Standards office (number probably in the 'phone book under your local city or county council) and explain the whole saga to them and see what they suggest.

They may well be interested in how the description by Country Cottages differed from reality too for a possible breach of the Trades Description Act (amongst others).

Anyway, Shella, have a word with TS as a first step and see what advice they can offer.



Hope this helps a bit.

[complience]

heating breaks down in even the best of places.. houses in the country tend to have a bit of mould in them.

[demon_x_slash]

Depends on what you class as 'a bit of mould'. There's a tiny patch in my bathroom that won't shift because it's (somehow) got under the sealant. That doesn't bother me. If I had mould creeping up my kitchen cupboards, however, that would be unacceptable! All Country Cottages had to do was bleach, scrub and air it between guests, which is what they should be doing anyway. It would take someone a day to do it thoroughly, yes, but they're a business and should budget for that - especially if, as the previous poster says, there's usually a 'bit of mould' in a cottage. All the more reason to keep it spotless IMHO!