We will start with the pros, as the cons are extremely detailed for the host(s) and future guests.
Pros
- They had a bed. The bathroom facilities was available for use. We also had a kettle and fridge in the room. Most importantly, we had a place to stay for the 3 nights we needed and we are grateful.
- They allowed us to leave our belongings and come back for it later that evening, rather than carrying it with us while waiting until our accommodation was ready to be moved into, which we were so grateful for.
Cons
- The man, who I’m assuming is Ola’s son was extremely rude. (Bare in mind we are not from Croydon or had we been to Croydon prior to our stay at Ola’s). We had travelled from East London. We stayed for only 3 nights and honestly 2 of them were the worst.
- We had to call them and ask for directions as we couldn’t locate the house after leaving the station... wow the way he spoke to us?! Honestly we were in shock that he was speaking to guests like that... We had followed the address put on Airbnb.
- [ ] We copied and pasted the address from Airbnb and put it into the Bolt app and we were taken to the wrong location.
- We called again and asked why we ended up at a wrong address after using the address on Airbnb. Plus, he had also provided us with the full address which we compared to the one on Airbnb (the same)... again he was so rude and dismissive.
- Constantly repeating “just type the post code into google maps”. He even had the cheek to say “how do you not know how to use google maps? You’re the first person I’ve heard off that doesn’t know how to use google maps”. (We do know how to use google maps, obviously).
- Only after all of this did he decide to let us know that the correct address was in Beddington.
- We further explained that we had no more money to spend on travel and asked if there was any chance of us getting picked up as we weren’t too far from where we were taken to using the address provided by them.
- He scoffed and said “nah I can’t do that, you have to make your own way here. What do we look like, we don’t do that. Why don’t you borrow money from someone or something”??? HOW DISRESPECTFUL. HOW RUDE. It was not at all what he had said, because fair enough... but his tone and attitude? The scoff?! Unnecessary.
- He knew we were guests up and that was his response? So poor. Especially since it was because of the address provided by them that we ended up somewhere else and not our fault at all.
-
- As part of the house rules, it states “if the hot water is off between the allocated times, to feel free to ask when you need it”. The last night we stayed at Ola’s, myself and my friend had both planned to wash our hair as we would be moving the next day and might not get a chance to due to unpacking, cleaning etc. (WE ARE BLACK & AFRICAN) so our hair has to be detangled extensively and the process of removing the dirt that clumps in the roots etc.
- Anyways, I was helping my friend to wash his hair for max 10 min before the hot water started to get cold, I had already washed mine, so he asked me to message Ola to turn the water on for just a little longer. (OMG the back and forth for them to finally get the hot water turned on.)
- Then we had to wait a good 30minutes for the water to get hot, in this time we were detangling as much of his hair as we could but it needed to be wet and the water was just TOOO cold.
- (Also, side note, if anyone is wondering where the hair was going, *not in the drain* It was all collected into a bag that I had brought in with me).
- We picked up every piece of stray hair that was on the shower floor (not many) and cleaned up after ourselves extensively and we have pictures as proof. This isn’t the first time we’ve washed our hair and already have precautions in place for situations like this.
- Anyways, I’d finally managed to wash his hair and then he was able have his shower now, the water now warmer.
- 2 minutes later the door was being banged and we were being told to get out as other guests needed the shower.... bare in mind NO ONE went into the shower after... also bare in mind that there was NO hot water for a good 30 minutes which they knew as well.
-
- Went out on the second night to get a few things to eat. We had left and come back before 11pm and rang the bell, yet no one answered so we called thinking that it doesn’t work but ... the next morning we heard the bell ring like 3 times and it was answered.. which means that they definitely heard us ringing the bell also.
-
- What we also found extremely rude, was that Ola was clearly present for the conversation had between my friend, (a guest), and her son (the host). Ola allowed her son to speak to guests in that manner which says a lot about her as a host. As the host, her not apologising for her sons behaviour towards a guest or even being empathetic for the trouble we had getting to her place said a lot about. We didn’t even get an apology from the son himself even though in the phone call we had let him know that