Tripadvisor reviews

Iceman wrote:

Ally - If you have a great cottages you have nothing to worry about. Apart from the weather :oops:

Cant you take your listing down once it is up?

We've been doing one of the cottages for over 16 years, and it's amazing what some people will find to complain about.

For example, I had a holidaymaker come to find me once, when I was out mowing the grass, the evening before Easter, to complain that one of the cooker hood bulbs had gone (there were 2 and the cooker was well lit by the ceiling lights). I rushed off to town and managed to find another one and my husband fitted it for me.

We had another one who said the dining arrangments weren't 'civilized' because we use a breakfast bar as a table (it's only a small cottage and it's at the normal height for a table).

Someone else complained bitterly because the wet room wasn't suitable for a wheelchair (luckily she phoned up about this before she arrived) even though I never said it was, and she hadn't asked about it before. Our agents found her another cottage but because it was only a few days before she was due to arrive we never got another booking and we lost about £300.

Another one was very critical about the fact that one of the children's videos wasn't working, and went on about how disappointed the kids were (how was I supposed to know - when I'm cleaning I don't have time to watch about 30 videos and DVD's). After they'd gone I just put it in the bin - problem solved!

Anyway, you get the picture ...

I have no idea if you can take it down once it's up, but I bet you can't, and I should also think you can't have comments removed once they're posted up, however inaccurate and unfair they are.

With this site i find the best bit to be the Travellers Photos.
I find the photos presented by the 'professionals' to be far from reality and value the honest snap of what it actually looks like. I mean when have you turned up to your shoebox ski apartment and found piping hot croissants and fruit on your well dressed table?

Snapzzz wrote: and found piping hot croissants and fruit on your well dressed table?

That's what MrsOA expects at 08.15 every morning with a cup of T.
:cry:

Ally - not surprised you get the odd miserable holidaymaker. There are bad apples on all walks of life.

I can top it though! We owned a couple of terraced houses about 12 years ago and let them on a shorthold tenancy basis. The rent was not paid on time for one of them and when I visited the property I found the front door unlocked, muddy footprints throughout the house, the slate surround fireplace missing (yes the whole fireplace!) and a huge machete type knife on top of one of the kitchen cupboards. :shock:

We sold the house shortly thereafter and got out of the rental business.....

BB - that does sound pretty awful! I wonder what they were using the machete for?

Whilst cleaning, I often feel I would like to write reviews on my holidaymakers, and I vent my wrath by composing them in my head ;)

There were the ones a few months ago, for example, that said the downstairs shower and wet room was only really large enough for washing their dog in ...

And the ones who let their dog sleep in one of the bedrooms and left dog hair all over the bedding, and the dog chewed away part of the foot of the chest of drawers, and they left one of the rugs stinking so badly that I couldn't get rid of the smell even though I shampooed it twice and I had to take it out and buy another one.

But I don't think there is a 'holidaymaker advisor' website where I could post my reviews ;)

Most of our holidaymakers however, are really nice, friendly people who do their best to look after our properties whilst they're staying in them.

I like TripAdvisor - but you have to use it sensibly, filtering out the rogue reviews and the downright unreasonable or unrealistic appraisals. However, if you see a theme developing over a number of reviews, then perhaps it is wise to to take heed.

I use trip advisor before bookings holiday, but strangely only for summer holidays, I hadn't thought about that before.
People like to write negative things so you have you take a lot with a pinch of salt.
Like snapzz, I find the photos useful.
However I do laugh when people write about he flight being delayed when reviewing a hotel, or the fact that no one was there when they arrived at 4am.
I guess you learn how to read trip advisor.

Admin wrote: Tripadvisor seems to attract whiners who really shouldn't be allowed on the Internet (or anywhere, really) unaccompanied.

I don't like accompanying whiners.

Although I have been in the company of NellyPS, and I found the lady to be an excellent winer....