What Annoys You The Most!?

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
akwe-xavante
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What Annoys You The Most!?

Post by akwe-xavante »

Not had anything serious broken or damaged yet but I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later but what I'm currently finding annoying is the reassembly of broken crockery and toothbrush holders.

Why do guests reassemble something they have broken in its rightful place to make it look like its OK?

Found two well broken drinking glasses carefully reassembled this week in the kitchen cupboard, which wasn't very clever at all. I take out and check everything every changeover. I could of badly cut myself but they simply fell apart in my hand as I got hold of them and fell all over the kitchen floor. In the last year I've had two reassembled toothbrush holders in the bathroom (Plastic Now) and a carefully reassembled ceramic vase. Nothing glued back together, just reassembled dry, a sneeze or slight nudge and they fall apart.
Last edited by akwe-xavante on Mon May 16, 2016 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AngloDutch
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Re: What Annoys You The Most!?

Post by AngloDutch »

akwe-xavante wrote: Why do guests reassemble something they have broken in its rightful place to make it look like its OK?

Found two well broken drinking glasses carefully reassembled this week in the kitchen cupboard, which wasn't very clever at all. I take out and check everything every changeover. I could of badly cut myself but they simply fell apart in my hand as I got hold of them and fell all over the kitchen floor. In the last year I've had two reassembled toothbrush holders in the bathroom (Plastic Now) and a carefully reassembled ceramic vase.
Some guests will unfortunately hide damages because they don't want to be charged for it. We haven't found many things glued back together. Our guests will either own up to it and leave money behind or will just place a broken glass in sight (without leaving compensation) or right at the back of a cupboard where we have been very lucky so far that we haven't cut ourselves...
tavi
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Post by tavi »

How annoying (and dangerous).

On my explanation of damage deposit I always state that I don't charge for wear-and-tear breakages - the odd glass etc. I wonder if that helps to stop guests trying to hide the broken items?
akwe-xavante
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Post by akwe-xavante »

That's not a bad idea actually, it could hopefully make things safer for all.
Joffan
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Post by Joffan »

Tavi - I do the same, we say to guests that we do not charge for the odd glass or plate and they feel happier to own up.
russellt
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Post by russellt »

Cups and small plates chipped, probably by running under the tap, then pulled away and knocked against our Belfast sink. They normally get put to the back of the cupboard/ bottom of the plates. (we have a dishwasher!)

Poorly washed &/or dried wine glasses and cutlery. Finger marks or lipstick on a wine glass. Ughhh!!

The most amazing reaction to a breakage we ever had concerned a cute little heart-shaped wooden fold-away table which we use as a bed-side table. I'm guessing someone had stood on it, maybe to reach the top of the wardrobe or reach up to a skylight window. The folding legs had come away from the table top and the top had split in 2 or 3 places.

The guest proceeded to go to the local hardware store and purchase the necessary bits & pieces to put it all back together again, including wood screws, glue, a clear varnish and some polish. Having put it all back together again, making it far stronger than it had been, they then took time to age it and give it a patina. I remember seeing it and wondering what had happened to it. It looks great! The person must have been a hobby furniture restorer! :D :D
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salmoncottage
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Post by salmoncottage »

One of our very first guests was a very heavy Jewish chap who stayed with his daughter and 2 grandchildren, when they left the housekeeper informed us that the the loo seat in the shower room was split and had been crudely stuck back together with adhesive, there was also stains on the ceiling... :? When I called him to ask what had happened he was most indignant and told me "he had sat on some of the best hotel toilet seats and this had never happened before"!!!!
We later deduced that his daughter had washed her long hair with henna shampoo and had managed somehow to splash it up the tiles and onto the ceiling, then had probably stood on the toilet seat to try to wipe it off ( A-ha Sherlock! ) :lol:
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Essar
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Post by Essar »

I had an "angel" standard lamp with two turn knobs for the main light and the arm light - both had been broken off and glued back on so that they no longer turned.

When I went to do the changeover they were still there and the 5 or 6 year old boy blurted out that daddy had broken it and glued it back together again. His parents faces were a picture; of course I tried one of the knobs and it was rock solid, no way could you turn "off" the lamp (they had unplugged it!).

"I tripped over the wire and pulled it over and both knobs fell off, they must have been loose already!". No sorry I noted.

"I'll pay for it, knock it off the deposit".

I did - they got a £1 back! and I got a lousy review on my website (which I didn't publish, cos I can).
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lester1meg
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Post by lester1meg »

We had guests who glued the handle back on the teapot. Luckily I spotted it, bit it could have been a real disaster.
tavi
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Post by tavi »

lester1meg wrote:We had guests who glued the handle back on the teapot. Luckily I spotted it, bit it could have been a real disaster.
:shock: :shock: :shock:
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

Guest bought a new toilet seat and fitted it. We presume they broke the one that was there.

Another guest broke a plastic serving spoon. The spoon part came away from the handle. He, 'helpfully' super-glued it back together, upside-down, and got super-glue all over the tablecloth as well ................
Bunny
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Post by Bunny »

Guests turned the table cloth upside down to polish all their shoes on prior to a wedding. They then turned the table cloth back to the correct clean side to hide the masses of streaks of black shoe polish. I'm not sure if I was more annoyed at them ruining my table cloth or more pleased that they hadn't polished their shoes directly on the table and ruined that instead. :roll:
Circé
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Post by Circé »

Owners emailing me with instructions on how to prep their house when (a) they have never ever done it themselves and (b) it's already been done.
Owners telling me they've done all the shopping for toilet paper, cleaning materials etc but they have forgotten half of it.
Owners who stay in their house just before lets and tell me 'we've left it clean and ready, all you have to do is change the beds' and when we get there it's NOT clean enough for guests.
I quite like guests though!! :lol:
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

Circe has given this balance by referring to absent owners.

We suffer from those too:

They only think about the house when they want to use it.

"Don't bother doing anything for us." translates as "We don't want to pay you anything."

Never lift a finger whilst they are in the house/garden but question every hour we charge.

Pay late - and payment is to cover their laundry which I have to pay when I collect it from the service.

Resent every remark we make about improvements, maintenance: "Really? It all looks fine to us."

Grrr!!
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Bassman
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Post by Bassman »

Putting dirty plates in the MIDDLE of a pile of clean plates, it has happen a few times now! always the same nationality but i wont go into that now :wink:
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