St Agnes holiday apartment rental with beach/lake nearby, internet access, balcony/terrace and walking

...a few weeks later a 5 STAR REVIEW! We have been offering self catering accommodation for over 15 years, with many great comments and returning guests, but never have we had a complaint like this, which is very upsetting and concerns us deeply. Obviously we do have occasional comments, which we welcome, as it does give us an opportunity to constantly review and up date our accommodation but in this case both myself and the cleaners believe this is unfair, materially incorrect and, in one instance, a lie. For instance they say there are gaps in the hedge, there is NO HEDGE, its a wall without gaps. For your information we received a 5 star review for the same apartment just a few weeks after their stay-see the review on the trip advisor site. I apologise for this lengthy reply but I think it is important we cover their points in detail. ARRIVAL. Firstly I would point out that I see people in when they arrive and explain the apartment, location, area and answer any questions. I then come down the day after arrival to make sure that everything is Ok and also during the week. If there are any issues, which obviously occasionally there are, particularly as the property is over 350 years old, we can then respond to this immediately. In this case there was ample opportunity for them to discuss matters when they could have been resolved either by myself or by bringing back the cleaners, however this damning review came as a complete surprise. Nothing of this was pointed out to me personally during their stay, nor did they complain during that week, so I have had no opportunity to verify their complaints or correct anything. If the apartment was that bad surely they would have said something to me at the time and if it was something we couldn’t resolve I would have asked them if they preferred to leave and returned their payment so they could go elsewhere. We want satisfied guests who enjoy their time here being right by the sea and we work hard to achieve that; we rely on returning guests, of which there a number returning yearly, that would not happen if this was the case. WELCOME PACK, THERE IS ONE. Both a folder welcoming guests in and containing local information, walks guides, local history of St Agnes, a package of leaflets and offers around Cornwall, this is with our apartment info re the heating, wifi etc., which they must have seen as they were using wifi. I did not know the toilet was blocked, actually it wasn’t, it was just slow running away and could be used. They told me about this on the Sunday, unfortunately the earliest I could get an emergency plumber was the following day, Monday, when it was resolved. I informed them of this and they said that would be fine. The cloth was NOT black, no-one could leave a black cloth!, certainly it was clean when they arrived. There was washing up liquid, there is no reference to a dish washer in the list of appliances and the washer dryer is perfectly good. The crockery is checked for any damage and washed each week. There were bin bags both in all the bins and extra ones in the cupboard. They did ask for more bags, however their comment is not entirely true, they asked for more dog bags, which we dont supply, it is up to the dog owners to collect their own dog waste. We dont supply hand wash as it is self catering and most people prefer their own brand. There is no airer (although I gave them one) as drying wet towels in the apartment will cause damp, however there is a clothes dryer with pegs in the garden. There are 4 sets of crockery as its a four person apartment. The table may be wobbly, if so it will be rectified and would have been at the time if it had been mentioned. I did give them a broom, however there is a hoover in the apartment as well as a dust pan and brush, for this reason a mop is not normally needed or supplied, however they asked for one, which I supplied. This was not new but neither was it dirty, every time after the apartment is cleaned if it isnt changed it is cleaned in bleach for the next changeover. I tried to be as helpful as possible, responding to all their needs but apparently even this was wrong. The steps to the apartments are not over grown and I had NOT said they were DANGEROUS, I just point out that the steps to and from our private car park are uneven, so just to be careful. It is a 16c property and built in that Cornish way in stone, possibly not the most precise builders!, but guests come to us because of that authenticity and who do not want to rent a new apartment without character. The garden is maintained by a gardener who also cuts the grass, regularly. That said, it is not a formal garden, it is a cottage style garden. The property is on the cliff edge, hence the spectacular sea views, however it is NOT dangerous. When they say there were gaps in the hedges, this is simply NOT TRUE, there are no hedges, there is a 3-4ft Cornish stone wall bordering the sea side with hedging in front. We have families with young children and dogs all the time, without any adverse comments or problems. The smell I cant comment on, I would assume it comes from the beach. The apartments are CLEANED THOROUGHLY, we have used the same cleaners for many years who are very reliable and thorough, we would not have continued using them if this were not the case. The microwave is cleaned every week and how can there be an inch of dust under the sofa, thats just impossible! The sofa is moved out so we can clean and then wash the floors every week -in fact when this was done opened pots of food were found underneath. They say they had to sleep in the main bedroom, however there is no damp, although being right by the sea this can be mistaken for the sea air, however the twin beds were used. The cleaners tell me there was not a spiders web, certainly there was no mention of this the previous week (so ‘months’ might be a slight exaggeration), nor when I went down to inspect it before our guests arrived, the same can be said for the hairs, if there were and it wasnt spotted I apologise but if this was mentioned it would have been cleaned, unfortunately we are not perfect. There was also a comment as to the furniture being uncomfortable. The expensive leather sofa is only a year or so old and the beds likewise and no-one else has made any comment as to this. Admittedly the antique style furniture may appear old but it is there to form part of the character of the old building, modern furniture would look out of place. The connecting door is to the laundry room which we require to service the apartments and for cleaning otherwise it would mean long trips going outside and around the building to clean. PETS. The point about pets recommendations is that we have other guests to consider, all we say is that they be well behaved and not go on the furniture, which I think is fair. In this case this was totally ignored, the dog jumped all over the furniture, was left on its own and barked constantly. I certainly DID NOT tell people to HURRY UP, I am really annoyed that anyone can say that and not be taken to task for what is, frankly, slander, it is not in my nature. As a matter of courtesy we do ask guests to leave at 10am to give us enough time to clean the apartments thoroughly (which we do!) and we appreciate guests doing this, but NEVER NEVER have I asked anyone to HURRY UP, this is just a lie. What I do is come down sometime before just to ask about their stay, say goodbye and wish them a pleasant journey, then leave them to finish their packing. MY COMMENTS TO THEM I also have issues with them, somehow they managed to break a metal chair, did not tell me, just leaving it propped up against the wall, the curtains were covered in sticky fingers, which we had to take down and get cleaned (luckily there was no-one in the next week) and they left opened food everywhere. However I did not contact them or ask for any recompense for this. Regarding the money, we ask for final payment prior to arrival but they wanted to pay the balance on arrival and although not our policy I agreed, we also ask for a refundable damage deposit, which was never received. Their comment as to cheaper accommodation available locally is also incorrect. If they are to make comments about me or my business they should get their facts straight and not try to destroy our reputation we’ve fought long and hard to achieve. I hope this answers any concerns potential guests have but I am more than willing to speak to anyone direct and willing to supply any number of customer reviews from our site. It is not in our interest to provide anything but our best, we only strive to provide the best accommodation we can in this great place, Trevaunance Cove. PLEASE CONTACT ME AS I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE A PHOTO OF THE REVIEW MENTIONED, Thanks