Holiday cottage rental disaster

anxious_mum

I don't blame you Jo, I wouldn't tolerate paying to share my living space with mice either.

Mallotum_X

Its not a nice thing to find, but mice have a habit of doing what they fancy and when they fancy doing it. The owner may not have been aware of a problem previously, and offered to set traps straight away.

It would have been better to have discussed something with them - a few traps set and for them to deal with the dead mice plus a bottle of wine or similar would have seemed a reasonable solution. Is it really such an unusual thing to happen to a country cottage?

Personally, given the situation explained above, I doubt you would get anywhere seeking compensation, but no harm in trying, however be careful in not thowing good money after bad.

madpiano

Bakewell54 wrote: »

Diseases carried by mice: Salmonella/Lyme Disease/Hantavirus none of which are very funny. My friend's brother died of Lyme Disease caused by a rat which nibbled at the sandwiches which he took camping with him.

chuckle - this post is quite funny - mice also carry the plague and some other nasties - thankfully not all at once, and mostly not in this country.

Salmonella - unless you feed a mouse raw chicken, not likely. But just to be safe, please cook the mouse thoroughly before eating

Lyme disease is not deadly if treated and you catch it from a tick that lives on deers. Rats, Mice and other rodents do not spread Lyme disease and the ticks do not spread the disease within the first 8-12 hrs after a bite, which is why it is so important to check for ticks all the time when camping. Is there even Lyme disease in the UK??? I am from an area in Germany where we do have it and also tick-encephalitis. We still survive...

Hantavirus - is mainly common in the US, although it exists in Europe. Nasty disease, but thankfully not common.


Back to the OP - I am sorry to hear that your holiday was ruined, but agree that you overreacted. Disinfecting the kitchen counter and awaiting mouse traps would have been much more reasonable. I would have charged the costs of the disinfectant back to the house owner.

Good tip for the OP - never, ever book a holiday in the Canaries if you don't like vermin. Cockroaches are everywhere there.....

Seanymph

I have left several holiday accomodations - rats, a broken boiler, a leaking door so a flooded living room............... I have always reported these things, then I make a choice - I can either put up with the response and remain, or cut my losses and move and take the financial hit.

Like you, my holiday is too important for me to suffer any stress during it. I'd rather take myself off to another location.

I haven't though ever expected to have a refund. Things happen, boilers can break, vermin can arrive - and there are ways to deal with this, if I'm unhappy with how it's being dealt with or the response isn't quick enough, I make my choice.

You made a choice to leave, so therefore I can see why they wouldn't refund.

I think though that you were free to make your own choice about what is acceptable to you - just as I have in the past.

JQ.

anxious_mum wrote: »

I'm really sorry your holiday was spoilt Joanne, we save up all year round and expect the best. Then, when something like this happens, it all goes pear shaped and its a huge disappointment. If its any consolation, I've just come back from a week in Greece and there was a damn cricket in my studio ceiling (It was a mezzanine type thing, so the roof was very high). It was so noisy it woke me up every night! I found myself at 3:30am with a mop trying to shoo the bloody thing out of the door. Or squash it, either would've been good. This continued for most of the week, apart from the one night I drank enough retsina for it not to bother me!

I hope your next holiday is better x

Presumably you left the accommodation immediately and demanded your money back. Was your refund succesfull?

milliebear00001

Blimey - there are some really dirty people on this board! Do any of you ever clean? There's no way I'd put up with mice in my house, anymore than I would cockroaches or fleas.

poet123

Since when has the presence of vermin in a holiday let become acceptable? I think the OP is being unfairly vilified for wanting basic standards enforced. Would you be happy to have mice at home? I wouldn't, so why would you be accepting of it elsewhere?

starlight_xx

I couldnt have stayed in a place with mice. I had them in my last flat and I was ill hearing them at night then when they started making appearances... ugh! My landlady was no help so I moved, yes I actually moved to get away from them and I dont regret that for a second. At least I can sleep properly at night lol
Its all down to what your happy with, I know theres no way I could relax and enjoy a holiday if I was sharing with mice

tomatoe_2

Joanne_c wrote: »

Tomatoe have you even been to australia?

............no. You use the word 'even' as though I have mentioned something about it, most confusing !

Oldernotwiser

Joanne_c wrote: »

Evansmummy Apart from you and a few others displaying a considerate approach to my feelings, I think its pointless asking opinions when you get obnoxious reactions, one after the other each expert mousecatcher jumps on the bandwagon to get their name posted with their duh! Everyone knows this attitude. I live in the country and we dont tend to have mice as house guests, i get the fact that the majority disagreed with my reaction to finding dirty urine and mouse droppings in my kitchen, but that they are entitled to, but as for their mocking comments, mocking is catching!

If the cottage had been infested with mice as you seem to think, you would've noticed it before Sunday lunchtime.