Sorry – Can’t fix it if you don’t tell us it’s broken.  Yes! We can fix it if you let us know it’s broken.  Or if you call to tell us that it’s broke we’ll fix it.  We fix broken things!  Not working – we’ll take care of it!  Yes – that is correct – we will not fix non-broken things…you will need to let us know it is not working and we will fix it, however, if we are unaware of the brokenness then it will be hard for us to know to fix it. 

Note to owner/manager – 1 week after check out:

“We loved your vacation rental, however, it would have been fantastic if this light was fixed, these batteries were not bad and the internet was out the whole time…other than that it was perfect….and could we get a credit for the internet outage?”

Do not want to offend – either party – owners or renters, but folks we need to have

G-O-O-D  C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N! 

Vacation homeowners and property managers “want” to know if you are experiencing any problems during your visit.  We want your stay to be enjoyable and know that standing “ankle deep” in dirty bathtub water that will not drain or listening to a smoke alarm “chirping” is not good.  Just let us know and we will fix it – we’re good at fixing problems. 

To the credit of vacation renters – perhaps they are really nervous about “bugging” management or they just don’t have time to mess with issues as they are on vacation.  Some visitors leave a list of non-working items, while helpful, most owner/managers want to know right away about problems. Hmmm…the psychology of vacation renters and owners…perhaps a new book to break down the psyche of both….Nah. 

Now there are the rare occassions that a visitor calls daily to complain even though everything is perfect -yep it does happen.  As owners and managers we have an investment to protect – the vacation home, condo or furnished apartment – please let us know when something is unacceptable or just annoying.  We want to take care of your requests right away. 

The worst way an owner finds out that you experienced problems is via email or phone call about a week after you have checked out.  I have taken emails and calls from vacationers during their stay or at the time of arrival.  If something is wrong we want to know and remedy the situation.  We even include in our arrival instructions in BOLD – “If you find anything unacceptable, not cleaned or you need immediate attention please call us.” 

Communication between owners and renters is vital to both parties.  Help us – Help You…Help us – Help You.  A note to vacation homeowners and managers too – If you say your going to do it, or fix it, or buy it – do it.  You can nip some painful situations in the bud with good customer service!  All the best to you vacation homeowners, managers and renters!