Has anyone had Gites de France come back with a claim for damages after you return from holiday?

startingout2016

Last week we were on holiday in a gite we have booked multiple years in a row. 
First time being in 2018. We love it, care for it like our home, leave it spotless and book again for the following year. 

This time we stayed my husband had a accident with a corkscrew which he dropped on the edge of the ceramic hob which chipped it. 
It was a tiny chip and he didnt think much of it as the opposite side of the hob has had a chip in it for the whole time we have known the property. 

We say our goodbyes to the gite owners as we leave and all is well. 

3 days later and we have received multiple quick succession angry emails saying that the hob needs to be replaced at our cost and that the owners are submitting all the information and photos of the chip to Gite de France who will deal with the claim for replacement with us. 

When the emails came through, I responded within 10 minutes explaining how the chip happened and that it was an accident and that we would of course pay towards it. 

I had expected them to be reasonable as not only is the hob at least 7 years old, it was already chipped before elsewhere, the hob is fully functional, we stay every year, and we had told them that we were planning on returning next year. 

I am now waiting for official claim documents to come through from Gite de France but it has left a slightly sour feeling and I am not too sure if I am being unreasonable in not being expected to pay for a full replacement. 

Has anyone returned from France after staying at a Gite to receive a claim from them before? 

Mark_d

It is shocking that they are asking you to pay to replace their hob - which was already old and damaged - and still functional when you left it.
It would certainly leave a sour taste in my mouth.  I would do all I can to avoid making a payment to people who try to con me.  I would certainly not consider staying there, or elsewhere with that organisation, after such an experience.
I am sure you can find many other nice places to stay around the world where you don't have to deal with unreasonable owners.

startingout2016

Thanks Mark, this is how I am feeling. 
I definitely wont plan to stay here again now. 
It feels short sighted by the owners. 
I think if they had come asking for a contribution towards replacement or a repair I would feel very differently. 

To me this is part of being a holiday let owner and accepting that on occasion accidents happen, or even faults occur that are no ones fault is part of what you build into the costs. 

We have never asked for discount for a repeat booking. The place is well looked after, clean and modern so I understand the owners wanting things to be perfect, but over the 7 years we have been staying there is general wear here and there. 

MyRealNameToo

Mark_d said:

It is shocking that they are asking you to pay to replace their hob - which was already old and damaged - and still functional when you left it.
It would certainly leave a sour taste in my mouth.  I would do all I can to avoid making a payment to people who try to con me.  I would certainly not consider staying there, or elsewhere with that organisation, after such an experience.

In fairness, "that organisation" hasn't actually billed them anything yet, the OP says the communications have all been from the property owner not the agent. It could be the agency are telling them they dont have a claim or their claim is unreasonable. 

At the end of the day the OP has admitted causing damage. I dont know French law but under English law they would be liable for the devaluation of the hob caused by the damage. A secondhand 7 year old hob with a chip already is not going to materially change its value but it's probably more than £0. 

Certainly in my mind where the chip is and if its left sharp edges are considerations. A chip at the back out the way of little fingers probably isnt ideal but can be lived with more realistically than a chip on the front edge where kiddies could cut themselves on it etc. 

Mark_d

MyRealNameToo said:

Mark_d said:

It is shocking that they are asking you to pay to replace their hob - which was already old and damaged - and still functional when you left it.
It would certainly leave a sour taste in my mouth.  I would do all I can to avoid making a payment to people who try to con me.  I would certainly not consider staying there, or elsewhere with that organisation, after such an experience.

In fairness, "that organisation" hasn't actually billed them anything yet, the OP says the communications have all been from the property owner not the agent. It could be the agency are telling them they dont have a claim or their claim is unreasonable. 

At the end of the day the OP has admitted causing damage. I dont know French law but under English law they would be liable for the devaluation of the hob caused by the damage. A secondhand 7 year old hob with a chip already is not going to materially change its value but it's probably more than £0. 

Certainly in my mind where the chip is and if its left sharp edges are considerations. A chip at the back out the way of little fingers probably isnt ideal but can be lived with more realistically than a chip on the front edge where kiddies could cut themselves on it etc. 

Perhaps it's harsh to blacklist the organisation because of a single incident with one service user...but there is no shortage of holiday venues out there.
Yes the OP caused some minor damage however the owner think they can con the OP in to paying for a new hob.  If someone tries that with me there it would not earn any goodwill from me.
Kiddies need to be kept away from the hob by anyone who considers themself a responsible adult.  A small scratch to a little finger  is nothing compared to the severe burns they could get.

MyRealNameToo

Mark_d said:

MyRealNameToo said:

Mark_d said:

It is shocking that they are asking you to pay to replace their hob - which was already old and damaged - and still functional when you left it.
It would certainly leave a sour taste in my mouth.  I would do all I can to avoid making a payment to people who try to con me.  I would certainly not consider staying there, or elsewhere with that organisation, after such an experience.

In fairness, "that organisation" hasn't actually billed them anything yet, the OP says the communications have all been from the property owner not the agent. It could be the agency are telling them they dont have a claim or their claim is unreasonable. 

At the end of the day the OP has admitted causing damage. I dont know French law but under English law they would be liable for the devaluation of the hob caused by the damage. A secondhand 7 year old hob with a chip already is not going to materially change its value but it's probably more than £0. 

Certainly in my mind where the chip is and if its left sharp edges are considerations. A chip at the back out the way of little fingers probably isnt ideal but can be lived with more realistically than a chip on the front edge where kiddies could cut themselves on it etc. 

Perhaps it's harsh to blacklist the organisation because of a single incident with one service user...but there is no shortage of holiday venues out there.
Yes the OP caused some minor damage however the owner think they can con the OP in to paying for a new hob.  If someone tries that with me there it would not earn any goodwill from me.
Kiddies need to be kept away from the hob by anyone who considers themself a responsible adult.  A small scratch to a little finger  is nothing compared to the severe burns they could get.

But the owner and the organisation are seperate entities. 

A hob can only burn someone when its on or recently has been. A chipped edge of glass can cut someone at any time. As a property owner you are unlikely to be able to defend yourself against a claim by stating a child should never be anywhere near a hob at any point (at least under English law, again dont know French law well at all)

startingout2016

Will await to see what the holiday company come through with. 
Id be happy paying what would be fair, but I am unsure of what that would be. 

I will report back once I get the claim through.

Should the holiday gite company go ahead with claim for full replacement which is likely to be £500+ I will respond requesting a fairer charge baring in mind the age of hob and prior damage. 

Nebulous2

We've stayed in quite a few gites, often gites de France, admittedly not recently.

Owners have generally taken the checkout, asking about damages and reading the electric meter very seriously. I've wound myself up about possible electric bills when we've used the heating, only to be told that we aren't a great deal over the allowed amount, and it doesn't matter. We've also occasionally broken glasses, and had it dismissed magnanimously as not worth billing for. 

I came to the conclusion that the ritual and routine, the sucking the pencil, and adding everything up, was very important. Getting extra money from us was not. That was part of the experience of engaging with a culture with different norms. 

What I'm getting to - I think the owners would have expected you to tell them at checkout. That was the point to deal with it informally. In not doing that you haven't danced the expected dance and they may very well feel let down by that.