This guest had a reservation for 20 people and not 20+. In speaking with housekeeping, 28 beach or bath towels are routinely left for our guests. This was more than enough towels for the 20 guests that we were expecting. Housekeeping routinely leaves 3 kitchen towels. I have instructed them to increase that number to 4. We only have one pullout couch in the house, and I will admit that pullout beds are not the most comfortable beds to sleep on.

I sincerely apologize for the water shut off problem. At the request of our insurance company, we installed a water flow leak detector. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us, the installer plugged in the device without calibrating it resulting in the water periodically shutting off. Unplugging the device would have corrected the problem but the guests failed to contact me or maintenance regarding this issue. I first learned of the problem from Housekeeping when they came to clean the house and the water shut off. Immediately after their departure, I tried to call the guests several times and emailed them to find out if this was an issue during their visit. I did not get a response. Needless to say, the problem has been corrected. Our property description states that “This 4000 square foot Victorian style home has 100 feet of beach front with views of the ocean from all three units.” This is true. The house is on the sand and fronts the beach horizontally rather than vertically like many other beachfront homes. Although there are two vertically situated houses in front of us, the view is obstructed from only a small portion of the house. We have magnificent ocean views as noted in many of our reviews. Finally a claim was made that “They don't supply toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, dish soap, etc.”. This is patently false. For example, 10 rolls of toilet paper and 2 rolls of paper towels are provided to each new arrival. As stated in our welcome email, “Starter amounts of paper goods, soaps, and trash bags have been provided to you. Please purchase additional supplies as you require them.”

We received a one star review from this guest because we do not have stoves or dishwashers in what he calls kitchenettes downstairs. The description of our property on VRBO states in reference to the one bedroom downstairs unit “ The partial kitchen has a sink, refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker.” In reference to the two bedroom downstairs unit the description states that we have “ a partial kitchen with a refrigerator and microwave.” We refer to these amenities as partial kitchens rather than kitchenettes and we do not claim that they have stoves or dishwashers. A fully equipped kitchen is located in the upstairs penthouse suite with enough utensils and dishes for all of our guests. Guests are free to use these wherever they please in the house as long as they are cleaned and returned to the penthouse kitchen prior to check out.

It is unfortunate that our guest had problems with the alarm and jacuzzi. Our alarm system was just upgraded and maintenance did not realize that the technician had left it armed. The alarm is normally disarmed prior to check in. The jacuzzi had apparently not been used in a while. The problem was easily corrected.

While I am very sorry for the misunderstanding leading to this review, I will note that we have never before had a one star review. It is especially noteworthy that the guest was considering rebooking for next year. The guest rationalized the damages by saying that bedwetting is common and it is my fault that the mattress cover failed. This is in fact the first time that we have encountered this problem in 20 years. Additionally, breaking a knob off of a washing machine is not just normal wear and tear. In maintaining a vacation property, broken knobs and mattresses that smell of urine must be dealt with as soon as possible, preferably prior to the arrival of our next guests After housekeeping informed me of the damage, I thought that the mattress needed to be replaced , and an Amazon order was placed (400$), Upon closer inspection it turned out not to be the case, and the order was canceled. When informed of the potential charges, their response was “If you intend to pursue undue deductions from our deposit, we will pursue justice through every available legal means.” In the end they were charged $35 for a new mattress cover. As I have a home warranty, they were only charged for a $75 service call for the washer repair. I did waive the administrative charge in this case, even though we were entitled to it per our house rules and contract. The total charges of $110 for damages in this case was not exorbitant and did not warrant such a scathing review.

Following is an excerpt from the welcome email that our guests receive prior to their arrival: “Starter amounts of paper goods, soaps, and trash bags have been provided to you. Please purchase additional supplies as you require them. The linen package includes hand towels, dish towels, bath towels and all of your bedding. It does not include beach towels. As a courtesy, a few beach towels may be provided for your use “. The $60 extra guest fee was refunded to this guest when we learned of the situation.