Stilbaai Family Holiday Home

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Thank you Stephanie, it is always a pleasure to host you and your family. Thank you for looking after the house as if it's your own - until next year.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie Lesley-ann vir die goeie resensie - waardeer dit

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie, ek is so bly julle het lekker gekuier. Ons verwelkom julle graag terug.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie vir die terugvoer Jodi. Dit was 'n reuse plesier om jou en jou familie te huisves, julle is model gaste en is enige tyd welkom by ons huis in Stilbaai.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie Gretha, ons is self so lief vir die huis en dit is wonderlik om die ondervinding met ander mense te deel. Ek is so bly julle het die tydjie in die huis geniet en ek hoop regtig ons sien julle weer in die toekoms :-)

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Dankie Manie jy vat dit 100% reg saam.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie Marius.
Altyd so 'n plesier om julle te huisves.
Ek was bietjie benoud oor die koue weer, julle het seker heelwat hout gebrand oor die naweek.
Hoop julle maak gou weer 'n draai.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Hi Alet, baie dankie vir jou wonderlike terugvoering. Dit maak ons baie gelukkig as ander mense net soveel plesier uit ons huis kry soos ons self. Ons hoop om julle weer in die toekoms terug te kan verwelkom.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Baie dankie vir die positiewe terugvoering, Michelle. Ons verwelkom julle graag weer in die toekoms.

Stilbaai Family Holiday Home 's response

Dear Travelground

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to respond.
Firstly I wish to make the following statements.

a) The customer was upset about the fact that there were no bath or swimming towels in the house. It states this fact in no uncertain terms on the quotation that they received when we accepted their quotation. The size of the “small writing” is not determined by us but my TraveGround and we are not responsible for them missing the fact.

b) The house and the cleaning thereof is managed by the top letting agency in Stilbay and they have not gained their exceptional reputation by allowing customers to spend time in “filthy and smelly” accommodation.

Herewith my remarks on the customers comments:

1) The house was so dirty, it stank terribly because of a new thatch roof that “rained” dust and thatch during our entire stay, there were little creepers coming out of the roof falling into the beds etc, there were ants everywhere in the house, it was full of cobwebs and spiders.

We had the entire thatch roof structure of the house replaced and re-thatched last year to the cost of R 400 000.00. Anybody who has ever spent a day under a thatch roof (and in particularly a new roof) will know the following
a) thatch has a particular/peculiar smell, love it or hate it that is the smell of thatch. We love it and so has every family that has rented the house so far.
b) for most of the life of a thatch roof but especially for the first 2 years after re-thatching a thatch roof sheds a lot of little seeds and grass particles. This is not dirt it is simply a by product of thatch that can not be avoided. It most certainly does not “rain down” on you.
c) We have some geckos living in the house. We encourage their presence because they are a natural and eco-friendly way of combating insect problems that naturally comes with a thatch roof (or for that matter any house).

If you do not like any or all of the issues mentioned in the last paragraph a thatch house is not for you!

2) The inside of the cupboards, the plates, cutlery, pots and pans were all filthy and very very old.

The cutlery, crockery, pots and pans were replaced within in the last 18 months. This was done after we decided to let the house to the public. This can quite easily be substantiated as I am in possession of all the invoices. Granted there are some remnants in the drawers from years of spending holidays in the house but there is no need to use those if they offend the user as there are alternatives

3) Sewerage came up in one of the showers

The shower outlets run directly into the drain and are not connected to the sewerage system at any point. It would be physically impossible for the sewerage to be pushed back into the shower.

4) The bathrooms and toilets were old and filthy

I spent a week in the house approximately three weeks before the complainant. Before I left the property I got a local team in to spring clean the house from top to bottom. I can assure you the house was 100% clean. Apart from that, the Saturday before the tenants arrived the house got opened, aired and all facilities were cleaned.

5) There wasn’t a second set of keys.

This would be the first time ever that anybody has requested a second set of keys. However, apart from the full set of keys the tenant received the house has 5 outside doors and each of these doors is equipped with a key so six people would have been able to let themselves in and out at will.

6) There were only 4 little smelly hand towels?

These hand towels are brand new - this would have been the second group of people to use then.

7) The outside area wasn’t swept in a long time. There was sand, dust, leaves and ants everywhere.

This is the Cape coast and there is strong wind almost every afternoon. You can sweep the outside every single day but after a strong wind the outside will have accumulated sand and leaves again - not a lot you can do about that fact. I imagine there are ants because the Western Cape province is experiencing an extreme drought and during such times you tend to see increased ant activity.

8) As a whole the house is not taking care of at all

After the re roofing of the house the following was done
1) The entire outside of the house was painted
2) The entire inside of the house was painted
3) All the wooden window frames - inside and out were painted
4) All the wooden doors were painted
5) The slate floors were stripped and resealed
6) the main and second bedrooms got new laminated wooden flooring
7) The bookshelves were repainted
8) All natural wooden furniture got treated

Please explain to me which part of the house is not taken care of?

9) The furniture is very old, out of date and smelly

Yes, the furniture is old granted

1) the lounge sweet is ball and claw, 60 years old and considered very valuable by some
2) the dining room table is an original cape Dutch table with stink-wood base and legs
3) the dining room chairs are antiques, dating from early in the century - indeed very old
4) all the beds and mattresses were replaced last year and this once again can be substantiated with invoices

Furniture out of date? - I do not see the relevance of this comment

Smelly?

10) It took me a day of my holiday to clean the house and wash the smelly towels/linen/cloths

Every piece of linen and the hand towels are washed and packed away after the tenants leave the house. We carry 2 full sets of linen so even if one set is soiled there is a clean set available at all times.

11) The owner of the house never returned our call

We employ an agent to handle the day to day issues and complaints as is standard practice

And so it goes on -

If one wishes to live in 7 star luxury one should be prepared to pay the price that comes with it. For R 1000.00 you do not get a night in City Lodge for one person, let alone accommodation for 8 people.

I believe the customer was unhappy because she did not get her way and decided to go out of her way to discredit the venue publicly. We are prepared to open the house at any time for scrutinize to prove the contrary.

Kind regards

Pieter Venter
Owner