Yep.
I agree that the chef shot himself in the foot. I often rent private houses and villas via VRBO and I won’t stay in one unless it has reviews. Anyone who goes to these online review sites can quickly filter the whiners from those with legitimate complaints, so a negative review taken on its own doesn’t hold much weight. However, I do pay attention to how the owner responds. I can’t stand owners who feel the need to comment on every tiny detail?
Here’s an example of one (not verbatim) property owner’s reaction to reviews:
Guest: “It’s not within walking distance of the beach, so be sure to rent a car.”
Owner: “I make it VERY CLEAR in my description that we’re not on the beach.”
Guest: “We had a problem with the pool filter and septic tank, which were quickly resolved.”
Owner: “We cannot anticipate when pool filters and septic tanks will have issues, but neither of them interfered with the guests’ enjoyment. Also, this owner tried to scam me by bringing more guests than they paid for, and I believe this review is in retaliation for me charging them for the additional guests, as is noted in my contract.”
:eek:
I know he thought he was defending himself, but it just made me want to take my business elsewhere.
Should have didn’t ..mea culpa..thought maybe the chef’s wife would have told him she was sitting there at the time. My mistake not to have included it, and just added it on the review.