“The Hayloft was a wonderfully appointed cottage and at first we were thrilled.”
Unfortunately going downstairs we noticed a musky damp smell. I hardly slept that night and my asthma was very bad. The bedding smelt musky and the next morning we pulled the bed out and the wall was damp and the back of the headboard had small mould patches on it. We had to leave as my asthma was very bad.
We left that morning, the owner was away so could not tell them personally but we did ring them. We were assured that if Sykes did not given us a part refund she would sort something ...
Unfortunately going downstairs we noticed a musky damp smell. I hardly slept that night and my asthma was very bad. The bedding smelt musky and the next morning we pulled the bed out and the wall was damp and the back of the headboard had small mould patches on it. We had to leave as my asthma was very bad.
We left that morning, the owner was away so could not tell them personally but we did ring them. We were assured that if Sykes did not given us a part refund she would sort something out.
We had to find alternative accommodation but we only stayed for 3 more nights and had to cut our holiday short.
On return we followed up and after several calls and messages to the owner and Skyes they have refused to give us a part refund and say there is no mould! So it is our word against the owner and her cleaner!
We have stayed at many Airbnbs etc and have never had this problem We will not be using or recommending Sykes again and we will not recommend The Hayloft.
Firstly, I would like to say how very sorry we are that your holiday did not live up to your expectations. We pride ourselves on being responsive and willing to go to any lengths to ensure our guests are happy.
Unfortunately on this occasion we have been unable to find a solution to your issues as we could not find any trace of damp or mould. As you rightly state we were away on holiday ourselves, but would nevertheless have sent in cleaners immediately if given the opportunity. Unfortunately you chose to leave, informing me in your initial call that you were packed and leaving. Neither did you alert Sykes until days later; they would have sent in a quality standards assessor before you felt the need to leave and your claims would then have been independently verified. In the absence of any of these normal steps, I was left with making a judgement call while away. It sounded genuinely awful, so yes, I did mention the possibility of a refund. We immediately arranged for a third party to go to the cottage to assess the problem and take remedial action, he was unable to identify any unpleasant odours, or find any mould or damp. On pulling the bed away from the wall, a little dust and web (from the stone wall it touches) was visible, but was so obviously dry and clean that he questioned whether he had gone to the right property. I supplied photos at this point, before cleaning, to the team at Sykes, who have verified that there is no mould to be seen. The lime in the pointing does leach through a little, perhaps you mistook this white spotting for mould? Our cleaner then went in and reiterated the points of no odour or visible signs of neglect. The guests that arrived immediately after your stay were perfectly happy, and have left nothing but positive comments in the guest book. Taking all this into account, I cannot offer you a refund as we find no basis on which to do so. It is an old stone building, with years of historical agricultural use. The Hayloft is spotless, the bedding is clean and fresh and every other review we have ever received supports this, it saddens me deeply that we weren’t able to resolve this differently.
First of all, I would like to say how very sorry we are that your holiday did not live up to your expectations. We pride ourselves on being responsive and willing to go to any lengths to ensure our guests are happy.
Unfortunately on this occasion we have been unable to find a solution to your issues as we could not find any trace of damp or mould. As you rightly state we were away on holiday ourselves, but would nevertheless have sent in cleaners immediately if given the opportunity. Unfortunately you chose to leave, informing me in your initial call that you were packed and leaving. Neither did you alert Sykes until days later; they would have sent in a quality standards assessor before you felt the need to leave and your claims would then have been independently verified. In the absence of any of these normal steps, I was left with making a judgement call while away. It sounded genuinely awful, so yes, I did mention the possibility of a refund. We immediately arranged for a third party to go to the cottage to assess the problem and take remedial action, he was unable to identify any unpleasant odours, or find any mould or damp. On pulling the bed away from the wall, a little dust and web (from the stone wall it touches) was visible, but was so obviously dry and clean that he questioned whether he had gone to the right property. I supplied photos at this point, before cleaning, to the team at Sykes, who have verified that there is no mould to be seen. The lime in the pointing does leach through a little, perhaps you mistook this white spotting for mould? Our cleaner then went in and reiterated the points of no odour or visible signs of neglect. The guests that arrived immediately after your stay were perfectly happy, and have left nothing but positive comments in the guest book. Taking all this into account, I cannot offer you a refund as we find no basis on which to do so. It is an old stone building, with years of historical agricultural use. The Hayloft is spotless, the bedding is clean and fresh and every other review we have ever received supports this, it saddens me deeply that we weren’t able to resolve this differently.
Property Owner
