Don't Be Fooled - Mice Droppings in Beds
Property: Skippers Lagoon, 93 Skippers Point Road
Don’t Be Fooled - MICE DROPPINGS IN BEDS
One of the worst experiences at a rental property I have ever had.
The biggest problem was that we woke up to find mice droppings in all our beds the first morning there.
To recount from the beginning of our stay. We arrived a little after 4:00 PM on Tuesday (the property was locked despite being empty for days before our visit). We unpacked and put all our Thanksgiving things away. The home was cold and as we looked for guidance on the heating and operation of other systems in the home found there to be no welcome information explaining any of it. There was only a bag with Railey Vacation (RV) general information. Nothing specific to the home.
To heat up the home’s main living area, we thought to light a fire in the downstairs fireplace. Upon inspection, there was no flue (potential code violation) to control the fireplace, so we inquired with the RV customer helpline, and they told us there was no flue and it was acceptable to light a fire. The fire sent copious amounts of smoke into the home, leaving us with no choice but to open windows, making the cold conditions even colder.
Clothes, beds, etc.. all drenched in smoke smell, we all decide to go to bed. But before that could happen, a blaring alarm went off outside the house resulting in another call to RV. It was something having to do with the water supply system. That lasted for about 30 minutes, during which we were told not to use the water.
Waking the following day was like throwing fuel on our disappointment fire. The aforementioned mouse droppings came to light. Every bed in the home was filled with them. Looking more closely around the house, we found copious amounts of droppings in the bathrooms and cabinets. Imagine how disgusted we were to find droppings in our beds and the cabinets holding our Thanksgiving food. An immediate call to the RV support team resulted in multiple more calls before they sent out a cleaning team who rushed through the property, changing the sheets but not cleaning up any mouse droppings. About an hour later, an extermination service showed up with mice bait.
That’s three substantial interruptions in our first 24 hours of stay.
As an additional aside, the primary and only decking for the home was completely covered with snow and ice. No shovels or ice melt could be found at the property. To be clear, it had not snowed in the days leading up to our visit, and this was further evidence that the property had not been evaluated or cleaned in the days before our visit. Eventually, another interruption to our stay occurred when RV sent out what would only be described as an ‘angry shoveler’ who pounded around on the deck and pushed a little snow and ice around before leaving. Thankfully he left behind some snow melt and a shovel so we could finish the job ourselves. It’s now Wednesday evening, and we’ve got a cold primary living area that we can’t heat, mouse droppings around the home, and a partially shoveled deck. One full day of our three-day stay was lost due to RV’s incompetence in getting the property ready.
Several other little announces occurred as we tried to move forward from the incidents and enjoy our stay. Large drafts came in from the sliding glass doors, windows, and fireplaces. Upon further inspection, the construction quality of the home was severely lacking (for example, carpet remnants visibly stapled to the stairs for stair treads and gaps in the walls with exposed insulation). In addition, I found that over 50 percent of the windows in the home were not latched shut, leaking in the cold air as we tried to heat the house.
I know what some are thinking. This home looks beautiful; how could this be?
Well. It be. Thus the title, “Don’t be Fooled”
After multiple conversations with the RV Guest Experience team, they offered to refund us an insulting $400(10% of the day cost). Needless to say, we won’t be back to this property or any RV property, and we suggest you do the same. The complete lack of property maintenance, readiness, and customer service appears to be a systemic problem at the company. Steer clear.