Boiling a frog Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 French friends of ours have a gite.Last two weeks they rented out to the family from hell.Damage consisted of broken leg on plastic garden chair, 2 seperate bedside lights broken, toilet seat cover broken, tree in garden snapped in two. They left the place filthy , rotten banana skin and rotten apple in bedding, bits of food scattered ovcer floors and patio etcetc.However this is what I do not understand but perhaps someone can explain to me.Incoming guests also English and ourr French neighbours proposed to keep the broken light fittings, broken chair and toilet seat and show them to the incoming guests. They also proposed telling them about the banana skin and rotten apple in bedding and the general state of the placeWhy would they do that All I got was cést normal when I asked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Perhaps they've found it normal for English guests to trash the place and they are wanting to warn off the next lot in case they're thinking of doing the same..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 BaF If someone met me with that welcome I think I'd just leave - [:(] [:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 So would I.But my neighbours seem to think that it is perfectly normal to show all the broken bits and pieces.( They explained this was to prove that the items actually were broken, I told them all they had to do was apologise for the missing loo seat and other broken bits) Why ? As for the banana and apple they just kept saying that they would definitely tell the incoming guests.Maybe the French like to discuss previous guests with new arrivals, a bit like we discuss guests on this forum I am totally bewildered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Has this anything to do with the "état des lieux"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I think it's pretty pointless leaving the destruction by the family from hell for the incoming people, who might be the perfect guests.Personally I would find it extremely offensive and would probably make the local Mairie my first port of call, having taken photographs to show the state of the place. The owners should retain enough of the deposit to cover the damage and time to clean up. They could also photograph the "evidence" and send it to the family from hell explaining why they are retaining monies. If the owners did not take a damage deposit.......more fool them. That is exactly why we take one - families from hell probably avoid gites like ours ! ! !The problem with walking away from a gite that hasn't been cleaned and has damaged contents, is that the owners have your money and it may be hard to get it back.It is not just the French who do this sort of thing : I have read many postings and heard stories of British-owned gites that are a disgrace. People spend their hard-earned money on their holiday and the deserve decent treatment. It's a two-way thing !Phew, my fingers are burning ! ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 [quote user="Boiling a frog"] Maybe the French like to discuss previous guests with new arrivals, a bit like we discuss guests on this forum I am totally bewildered. [/quote]From Clair's quote re 'l'état des lieux' I think this bit might be relevant:* Si la location ne correspond pas à vos attentes, rappelez-vous que le propriétaire a l'obligation de délivrer une location conforme à ce qui a été annoncé. Vous pouvez alors renégocier le prix. À défaut d'un accord, vous pouvez saisir la Direction départementale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes, qui se trouve à la préfecture dont dépend votre location.*Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well BaF, you certainly have some strange friends. Perhaps showing the broken bits was some sort of challenge as in "this is what the last lot managed, surely you can break more" ? Or maybe the owners did not replace the broken bits, pick up the food etc believing that all English on holiday behave in that way ?Just remember, there's nowt so queer as folk (I hope that I am still permitted to use the q word, nowt so gay etc just doesn't quite have the same ring to it) and they are French after all. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The owners are most probably trying to demonstrate that there were 2 bedside lamps, as listed in the property description. The fact that they're broken will be noted in the "état des lieux" so that the new guests are not held responsible for the damage.Think of car hire: you're supposed to check the state of the vehicle before driving off or you take the chance of having your CC debited for damaged caused by another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 So the owners of the gite don't think it is their responsibility to replace the items before the new guests arrive ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 [quote user="Russethouse"]So the owners of the gite don't think it is their responsibility to replace the items before the new guests arrive ?[/quote] Rather difficult, trying to clean the gite which was left in a hell of a state and taking two or three hours out to go source a toilet seat, 2 table lamps and one plastic chair the same colour. I dare say that they will replace the items on Monday. The gite was only finally back in its normal clean state at 3pm after 7 hours of cleaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 They may not have had the time to do so and may be showing their good faith (the items are there, but they've been damaged) and replace them ASAP.We were told of a broken bedside lamp by our guests last week. Being told of the damage allowed me to look for a replacement and I was able to show the guests the receipt. (In fact, the bedside lamp was one of a pair and I had to buy two.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 [quote user="Callie"]I think it's pretty pointless leaving the destruction by the family from hell for the incoming people, who might be the perfect guests.Personally I would find it extremely offensive and would probably make the local Mairie my first port of call, having taken photographs to show the state of the place. The owners should retain enough of the deposit to cover the damage and time to clean up. They could also photograph the "evidence" and send it to the family from hell explaining why they are retaining monies. If the owners did not take a damage deposit.......more fool them. That is exactly why we take one - families from hell probably avoid gites like ours ! ! !The problem with walking away from a gite that hasn't been cleaned and has damaged contents, is that the owners have your money and it may be hard to get it back.It is not just the French who do this sort of thing : I have read many postings and heard stories of British-owned gites that are a disgrace. People spend their hard-earned money on their holiday and the deserve decent treatment. It's a two-way thing !Phew, my fingers are burning ! ![/quote] And your ears will be burning while I type this.Nowhere did I suggest for a minute that the owners were going to leave the place in the state it was left by the guests from hell. It took them 7 hours to bring it back to its normal state of being clean.A damage deposit was taken and money will be deducted.Please read the question before having a rant . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 [quote user="Clair"]The owners are most probably trying to demonstrate that there were 2 bedside lamps, as listed in the property description. The fact that they're broken will be noted in the "état des lieux" so that the new guests are not held responsible for the damage.Think of car hire: you're supposed to check the state of the vehicle before driving off or you take the chance of having your CC debited for damaged caused by another.[/quote] I can see that they may be concerned about the etat des lieux .One is completed by them and the renters.But I doubt whether bedside lights and a toilet seat cover is mentioned in the property desc. And as they were going to be removed after being shown I do not see the point of showing them to the incoming guests.Now back to the banana skin and rotten apple. Why mention them.And before anyone else goes off at a tangent, the gite was scrubbed and polished for seven hours to bring it back up to standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The first year we started taking in paying guests, a bedside lamp was broken by an hyperactive child-from-hell.The father informed me of the damage on the morning of departure and very reluctantly accepted responsibility, saying that we "should not have put breakable items in a child's bedroom".I bit my tongue, counted to ten and explained that, on the whole, we had found out that adults guests did not enjoy plastic furniture.I made sure he paid for a replacement pair... [Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 The banana skin and rotten apple could easily have been left without the parents knowledgeAs for the other damage, far better just to say that the toilet seat and lamps will be replaced on Monday, than go into any other detail. Nobody wants to inherit bad will from other renters.......no matter what their nationality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 [quote user="Boiling a frog"]And your ears will be burning while I type this.Nowhere did I suggest for a minute that the owners were going to leave the place in the state it was left by the guests from hell. It took them 7 hours to bring it back to its normal state of being clean.A damage deposit was taken and money will be deducted.Please read the question before having a rant .[/quote]Apologies, BaF, I misread and misunderstood your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 [:D] We can all make mistakes[kiss] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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