Holiday Deposit Dispute - Please advise

nikinok

Please can anyone offer me any advice on how to deal with this. Myself and my son went on holiday with a couple who had two children and another friend and her child. We paid a deposit of 500 euros (100 euros each adult) on our holiday house and they are saying we are onlying going to get 117 euros back.

While we was on holiday, my son accidently knocked over a lamp. (On the very last day aswell) and before we left we gave the property a quick clean, we washed, dried and put away any pots, wiped all surfaces, swept all floors. We admit it wasnt a professional clean as there wasnt any cleaning equipment there to do that but it was adequate.

Well the owner of our holiday house uses a agency and the agency have came back to us and said 180 eurors will be deducted for cleaning and that the broken lamp will cost 130 euros to replace.
My friend who organised the holiday has been sending emails back and forth, and the most recent email states that they are deducting 80 euros for the cleaning, 246 euros for the lamp (they have to buy a pair) and 57 euros for broken glasses!

At one point she said she had a letter from his solicitor, weve asked for contact details for the owner and the solicitor yet still havent recieved any.

We are just concerned that we are being conned out of our deposit. I have spoken to a solicitor and they basically said good luck with that what with them being in another counrty it would make it hard to fight!

I am not disputing that i have to pay for a lamp but 2?! were not arguing the fact that we may have to pay the cleaning bill (although shouldnt this cost have been factord into the rent) but glasses broken that we didnt?

I just need advice on if im right in the above and what the hell i can say to them.

Please please please help lol

mum2one

Its a different contry, so amy legal action would cost a lot more, email and say that there was no cleaning supplies left in the accomodation, you did the best you could, atthe end of the day they would have cleaners or clean it themselves between stays (thinking of bedding etc), so as for the cleaning that sound way above and trying to make the money.

the lamp I fully appricate that it was an accident, but as its was a pair then the could reasonably say they need to replace the pair.
I would ask for pictures of the broken glass -

As for the solicitor letter - it sounds like they have used that as a bully boy tatic, do you have a list of terms and conditions that you signed.

Reading from what you have put in your post, it sounds like that the "holiday home owner" most properly has small print covering all options.

I know its not what you want to hear but i think your just going to have to accept the small refund and chalk it up to experience. I'm sorry I'm certainly not on the "owners side", just looking at the overall picture and it would be too expensive to argue the fact, they have the money, I would offer a comproisime say that you understand the lamp got broke, but disoute the cleaning, and maybe just say we think the 117 euros back is to low, offer to meet half way at 250 euros.
Good luck x

Spursman180

You might have to pay for the pair, but I would think it would be reasonable in that case to have the other unbroken one?

Voyager2002

That sounds like a lot for a lamp. Did it look like something really expensive? Perhaps you could ask the owner to show you the receipt from when it was bought?

Otherwise, note that there is a European 'small claims' court procedure, so taking the owner to court need not cost too much.

missile

Sounds like an expensive lamp? but you will know if that is reasonable. Unless you left a dreadful mess asking payment for cleaning seems OTT.

You might be able to make a charge back if you paid via credit card. Otherwise I would suggest you have little alternative but to accept it. You could ask for receipts etc, but they are under no obligation to provide those and could easily send a receipt for some items they bought for their own use etc.

To play devils advocate, they have sent you what they consider a reasonable settlement offer. If it were me I would not negotiate and would not return any of your deposit until you agreed.

lagoslife

I assume you signed a contract with the acency -what does it say with regards to cleaning (extra charge or included in rental?) and breakages.

Charging for the lamp (although an accident) is far enough.

I would dispute the cleaning and glasses charges. If they are claiming they needed to do excessive cleaning on top of usual clean, ask why.

They should back up their claims with photographs.

I would aim for a mutual agreement for the lamp deduction and put it down to experience.

This may be of use;
Travel advice: how to make a complaint when holidays go wrong
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists/sophiebutler/7921949/Travel-advice-how-to-make-a-complaint-when-holidays-go-wrong.html

melb

how was the booking made in the first place? was it through an agency or direct with the owner? by the way I always wash up when i leave any accommodation but i don't sweep the floors or clean bathrooms etc - you pay good money for rental and shouldn't be having to do cleaning providing you've been treating it as you would your own home. Unless this was a top class luxury rental i would also question even charging you for replacing the lamp. What does it matter if they just replace it with another type (unless they were for example at either end of a table or mantlepiece or were made from Murano glass)

nikinok

sorry for the dealy in replying peeps, weve had no luck with this and ive had to swallow it and pay. we did use and agency, they had a standard terms and conditions, the agency were of no help, wouldnt give us the owners contact detials even when we said we had been in touch with our solicitor, they just stopped replying to our emails. i just thought it was such a con and they were trying to get more money out of us. this will trust me to be more careful in future!!!

mum2one

I'm so sorry you couldn't get anything sorted. xx