I suspect the reader will be asking: "Why is this individual [me] giving an overall rating for this rental lower than the rating in each catergory? Here is the one reason:
We checked in on a Saturday night. We went skiing on Sunday. We got back and found a note on the counter saying something like "We apologize, but we had to get into the unit because there was a problem with your climatization unit [I forget the precise wording, so I'll call it "the problem" below] and a huge amount of water poured into the ceiling of the unit below yours. Certainly, those individuals might not have been pleased!
Anyway, no problem with the maintenance folks coming into our unit while we're away to deal with something that urgent. It's what transpired over the next 5 days that is a problem:
- That Sunday evening, a team of 3 individuals (two technicians and a lady -- more about her below) come in wanting to check "the problem". As the two technicians are walking in, I tell/ask them "You will take off your boots before marching through the unit will you?". Answer: "No; we won't. Our boots are/should be dry".... and marching in they did.
- Next day: all of a sudden, no water in the unit. Why? Because it turns out that they have had water problem in that unit in the past and it seems (my understanding) very serious water damage occurred in the unit(s) below. So, they installed all over the unit (Master bathroom, secondary bathroom, under the dishwasher, etc): water detectors that are wirelessly "talking" to a master control that locks down the main water valve if a detector is triggered by being moist. I called the reception, they come, reset the the master control. Water is restored.
On that day, unannounced, two young men/technicians come to the unit to try to fix "the problem" with the climatization unit... They stay ~1 hour.
- This water shutting down itself issue repeated itself two more times over the week. I forget exactly when, but pretty much everyday (Tuesday, Wednesday, ...). Finally, I looked at what the attendant did (where was the reset button on the Master wireless controller) and I decided that, in the future, I would just reset it myself. Then, on Thursday morning, it happens again. I called reception: "Hello ... no water...".
The man at the reception (a nice chap by the way; Thomas) says "Oh, did you see how I reset the master controller last time I was in your unit?". I said that I did and already tried that resetting trick. He came to the unit and then took away a couple of those wireless controllers I wrote about above and said "he would change the batteries' (or something like that). He came back 15 minutes later (just before noon), and put the detectors where they were supposed to be (in the vat under the water tank and under the kitchen sink) -- and water service returned.
- Still Thursday, but now around 2PM: "bang bang" on the door. Two men wanting to assess the water damage. My colleague and I were in the middle of a Zoom meeting with colleagues across the world. We were not pleased to have to deal with these new inspectors to deal with "the problem". I said "why?!?! Couldn't you have told us ahead of time you would have to come back and make arrangements to that effect?". The men wanting to come and inspect the damages (of which there are none, since all that water went into the unit BELOW!!?) say "They [who is "they" ???] told us that you had been informed we were coming....". WHAT?!?!
Anyway ... so marches in one of those two men {at least that one took off his shoes/boots} to check out that hot water tank/etc/etc... You would think that this unit and its "water system" is more sophisticated than a nuclear submarine!!?.
- Friday: About 11AM (if I recall correctly): "bang bang bang" ... and again "bang bang bang" at the door. I was dealing with mother nature if you know what I mean. I go open the door. The same lady that had come with the "Sunday night team not wanting to take off her boots" [see above] wanting ... to check out the water system and ask for my phone number in case they need to contact me for ... more inspections/visits. It took me much effort to not loose my s...t. I had to explain to her that they had all means to leave a note under the door and ask me to contact whoever (front desk, management company, etc, etc) to leave my phone number in case they need to reach me. Somehow, it took them from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning to come to the realization that "perhaps they should get that renter's cell number!!". Brilliant! I told the lady (who I admit was quite apologetic by their constant interruption) that I would be writing this review. I told her that I had rented AirBnB all over Canada (BC, NewFoundland, Ontario, Quebec), California, Scottland, Germany, Spain ... but never had I seen such incompetent management. I also told her that I would also email the management of the buiilding and AirBnB to report what I wrote above -- which I did after she left). She acknowledged that it was all pretty bad...
In my email I wrote the problem and told them the above and said that I was not pleased at all.
- Friday afternoon: I get a phone call from someone in the management office for the rental unit saying how sorry he/they are and apologizing, etc, etc. I told them I was going to write this public review and perhaps they should consider making me feel better about that nonsense. I think they could have easily credited us a number of nights -- SOMETHING!?!? No, the best they could do