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Cottage not as described- a little help please?
creased-leach
Posts: 1,509 Forumite
Hi all,
just made it home after what seemed like a round the world trip...anyway, as part of said trip, we rented a cottage just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne.
As we were convening for a party in the city- but are all "country sorts" it was chosen for it's tranquility.
I did the usual- Googly earthed the place, and there was a train line about 2 meters from the back of the house. However, the listing stated "there is a steam train line at the back of the property."
Thinking, thats not an issue- it could even be quite endearing- we went ahead & booked. However, as we were getting the keys from the owner, an 8 carriage freight train trundled by. :rolleyes: My travelling companion asked how often the trains ran- she downplayed them, saying the freight trains were a rarity, and the other occasional trains ran when there was work on the main line. Knackered, I didn't think too much of it.
However, there seemed to be at least two trains an hour during the day- of varying voracity. Sunday was reasonably laid back- but Monday morning, when I was meant to have been having a pre-long drive lie in...
I was woken at 6.30 by the first train- which rattled my glass of water across the bedside cabinet- there were three more between then and 7am!
It was booked through Cottages4you- but their booking conditions seem to admonish them of any responsibility.
I went next door to the owners property to adress a couple of more minor niggles- but there was no reply. There was no number in the property to call them, and I wasn't going to spend all weekend chasing it.
Minor niggles were- the properties heating was controlled from outside the house. It didn't come on until everyone was already out & about in the morning, and then again only around 7.30 pm. Cold in the afternoon? Tough.
There was no air vent in the top floor loo- which I thought was compulsory where there was no window?
Two top floor single bedrooms- looking out over the Tyne & a popular cycle/walking path/rowing practice area...with no curtains, no blinds- no privacy for the windows at all. If you were fishing on the Tyne on Saturday morning before I figured out my whereabouts, I do apologise. It's a flippin good job I have a sense of humour :eek:
Anyway- as I said, minor niggles.
My real question is this- as C4U described a "steam train line" that wasn't, do I have cause for recourse with them? Any tips/pointers as to what I should say to them- yes, I would like- and think that some recompense is warranted, but the main thing is to get the description removed so no-one else is duped.
Steam train? My fillings are still rattling...:cool:
just made it home after what seemed like a round the world trip...anyway, as part of said trip, we rented a cottage just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne.
As we were convening for a party in the city- but are all "country sorts" it was chosen for it's tranquility.
I did the usual- Googly earthed the place, and there was a train line about 2 meters from the back of the house. However, the listing stated "there is a steam train line at the back of the property."
Thinking, thats not an issue- it could even be quite endearing- we went ahead & booked. However, as we were getting the keys from the owner, an 8 carriage freight train trundled by. :rolleyes: My travelling companion asked how often the trains ran- she downplayed them, saying the freight trains were a rarity, and the other occasional trains ran when there was work on the main line. Knackered, I didn't think too much of it.
However, there seemed to be at least two trains an hour during the day- of varying voracity. Sunday was reasonably laid back- but Monday morning, when I was meant to have been having a pre-long drive lie in...
I was woken at 6.30 by the first train- which rattled my glass of water across the bedside cabinet- there were three more between then and 7am!
It was booked through Cottages4you- but their booking conditions seem to admonish them of any responsibility.
I went next door to the owners property to adress a couple of more minor niggles- but there was no reply. There was no number in the property to call them, and I wasn't going to spend all weekend chasing it.
Minor niggles were- the properties heating was controlled from outside the house. It didn't come on until everyone was already out & about in the morning, and then again only around 7.30 pm. Cold in the afternoon? Tough.
There was no air vent in the top floor loo- which I thought was compulsory where there was no window?
Two top floor single bedrooms- looking out over the Tyne & a popular cycle/walking path/rowing practice area...with no curtains, no blinds- no privacy for the windows at all. If you were fishing on the Tyne on Saturday morning before I figured out my whereabouts, I do apologise. It's a flippin good job I have a sense of humour :eek:
Anyway- as I said, minor niggles.
My real question is this- as C4U described a "steam train line" that wasn't, do I have cause for recourse with them? Any tips/pointers as to what I should say to them- yes, I would like- and think that some recompense is warranted, but the main thing is to get the description removed so no-one else is duped.
Steam train? My fillings are still rattling...:cool:
Only dead fish go with the flow...
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Comments
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Why don't you write to them telling them everything you've put on here?******** Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity *******"Always be calm and polite, and have the materials to make a bomb"0
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I will be- manyana. Post sleep.
I was just wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation, and could offer any pointers.
Only dead fish go with the flow...0 -
I have had a similar problem with Cottages4U with a property in angelsey and was basically told tough, the owners did not agree, it was mouldy, damp, cold smelly etc...
Good luck I would never use them again0 -
Whether you get “some recompense” is usually at the discretion of the cottage owner. They could argue that the brochure informed you that a "steam train line" passed the property.
I you feel that you have been mislead then you should pursue this with the owner and the agency to maybe get the description changed, and/or compensation.
Do you have any photos to prove your point?
[FONT="]Good luck.[/FONT]0 -
Cottages 4 U are the agents and your contract is with them and the Sale of Goods Act is clear that description must be accurate. If they have been misled by the owner that is no excuse as they are the ones who have sold you the holiday.
I suggest that you write to the owner and Cottages 4 U deatiling what you are unhappy with and what you want ie how much compensation and how you have calculated it. You can get some wording from Advice Guide (CAB) or Consumer Direct ( trading standards) websites to put in the letter. it is a good idea to ring up first and ask for their legal department.
If you paid by credit card send a copy to them as well and let Cottages4 U know that you are doing this. You may need to pursue this matter in court and you should decide how far you wan to take things as it is possible that you may need to issue proceedings before you are taken seriously0 -
Thank you guys- I've been a little waylaid so haven't gotten onto them yet. I took a photo from one of the rear windows of the proximity of the railway line, and also pics of the curtainless windows on the second floor.
I didn't get any pics of the un-steamy trains passing, but I would imagine that there's some way of finding out/ proving that online (no pun intended).
I did pay via credit card. Any tips on calculating an amount I should go for? The cottage cost in the region of £170 for 3 nights- that included a 10% Virgin Money discount. The train line was the major hack-off, and I felt I'd been misled. The lack of curtains was a pain- I'd gone away with a male friend, and ended up sharing the twin on the middle floor with him on the first night, when my other friends were there, as the third floor room windows looked right out on the river, and it's busy cycle/walking path so there was no privacy at all. Fortunately, we used to crew a tallship together, and you can't do "coy" on a tallship! But they weren't to know that- in fact, the names on the booking were for a Mr & Mrs W (my friends) a Mr G, and a Mrs J- so they could have guessed there was a reason we booked somewhere with more than two bedrooms!
Mind you, the heating was a pain too- I had to go round the house and turn all the rads on as the heating hadn't been put on for us, and then we had no control over it.
Don't mind me, I'm in grumble mode! lolOnly dead fish go with the flow...0 -
creased-leach wrote: »
Don't mind me, I'm in grumble mode! lol
With good reason!
Can't offer any advice on the compensation side but have you posted reviews on the net to warn others? Would be even worse if you'd gone with young children in the Summer who woke up at first light due to the lack of curtains!0 -
...and make sure you post a review on Tripadvisor so no one else will make the same mistake!
Maybe then the owners will sort out the issues!0 -
You need towork out what you have "lost" that you need to be compensated. The suggested formula for a package holiday would be that if the food anad the flight were Ok but just the accommodation was a bit rough then you would claim for the cost of the room only.
If the cottage was £150 per day you could argue that a third of the day was spend sleeping and you did not get much so maybe £50 per day. If there was no privacy then again work out what proportion of the time you spent there that it affected. Compensation is not there for you to make a profit but to put things right. If you had any expenses as a result of the mis selling then claim those too0 -
I suspect that the cottage you rented is not registered with the English Tourist Board and that can be a useful way of determining the standard of accommodation you are booking. For example, you MUST have curtains to get any rating.
It's no help for this time, but maybe next time?0
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