Matthews, Dr. John P.

Review: I am submitting to your attention a complaint on BNB in Boston with Ms. [redacted] as the person of contact. We rented [redacted] furnished apartment while attending our [redacted] commencement. This apartment that was listed pr [redacted] email, as a Two Bedroom Grand Apartment, for the rate of $375 per night. There is no tax. There is a 6% processing fee. We got the BNB name from the [redacted] Alumni website and contacted them. [redacted], all through email communications and photos, offered us this apartment on [redacted] . We agreed and ended up paying for it in two different installments prior to our arrival. [redacted] informed us that the apartment is ground floor and we agreed. However, when we arrived, and to our surprise, it was below ground level (basement level) and in unacceptable condition. Please see attached photos for the down-steps (below ground level) we had to take to get into the apartment. It caused a hardship on my niece who arrived first with overseas luggage that were too heavy to get down and caused her backache for the 5 days we were in Boston. Also, please see (photos attached) the condition of the cleanliness of the rooms including water leakage, huge web spiders, and unbelievable carpet condition in the bedroom. The carpet was humid with a very strong odor (some acidic and urine like smell) that caused me headaches and stomach upset, and even after we left I could still smell the offensive odor. That room is absolutely unlivable and completely unsanitary. While I was supposed to enjoy the time of my life for the graduation of my only child, I had to be in a place with unlivable conditions and to suffer from a daily headache and upset stomach. We were also told that it is a two bedroom apartment when it is really a one bedroom with a den. We could not watch TV when somebody is sleeping in the den because the walls are not completely up to the ceiling. We were given wrong passcodes to the building and to the apartment, and were treated aggressively by the house keeper who we had to call to get the correct passcodes. I believe we have been victims of this management office and I am requesting the contact of the proper authority to report this problem. Even if it is too late for us to correct this situation for us I hate to see it done to others.Desired Settlement: I would like their businsess to be corrected and I would like to be refunded for the over payments we did. The place is less than one star quality and so I like to pay for what I got only. Thanks.

Business

Response:

July 25, 2012

We are really sorry that these guests did not enjoy their stay. It is unfortunate that they never reached out to us while they were in house to address their concerns.

First, in response to the allegation that we somehow deceived the guest in regards to the unit being a ground level apartment, we feel that it was an unfortunate misunderstanding on the guest’s behalf. The ground floor in most buildings is the basement level, where as the lobby or street level is considered the first floor. We apologize that the guest misinterpreted where the ground floor of our building is.

The unit is a two bedroom unit, not a one bedroom with a den. There are two separate bedrooms, each with a queen bed, as well as the Living room, Kitchen and full bathroom. The carpet is less than 6 months old and had been recently shampooed .

When this guest made the reservation, I waived our processing fee in order to keep her expenses down. As they did not even bring any issues to our attention until over a month after they checked out, we do not feel that any compensation is due or warranted

We stand behind our product and the abundance of positive feedback that we have received from past and present guests.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[redacted] OwnerBed & Breakfast Agency of Boston and Agency Suites

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted].

July 31, 2012

Here is our response to the BNB letter:

1) They gave wrong passwords and we had to wait in the street with our luggage to locate and call somebody to come and let us in. No apologies were given.

2) Once we were in and comprehended the deception we had been subjected to, I emailed [redacted] and told here that she rented us a basement. She never responded. I did the same after we came back and she never responded. The fact that she was very timely in her responses prior to the reservations, gave us the impression that we were truly victimized.

3) If BNB is sorry or not, the deception happened. I have pictures of the amount of stairs we had to climb up and down to get in or leave the apartment. The fact that BNB like to call it “GF” when it is a “Basement” does make it correct. The unit is a basement, not just to me but to the general public. One cannot make his own dictionary and expect people to understand what is being said. We believe that is an example that can be used to define “deception”.

4) Again, another deception with definitions. A room means it has walls to the ceiling. So, when one person is in the room, she feels the privacy she needs. The room in dispute here has walls that do not reach the ceiling. They are more of a divider than a wall. When my niece was sleeping, we could not watch TV or even talk as it is really the same space as the living room. The fact it has a bed does not make it a separate room similar to the other/actual bedroom in the unit we rented.

5) The carpet is very dirty and has stinky fumes coming out of it. I have pictures to prove it. The whole unit is dirty with web combs that are so huge that points to the fact that this unit has not been cleaned for years!! I have pictures of that too.

6) As for the timing of the complaint, it is not something to hold against the victim! We were travelling and had to come back to catch up with work and had to wait until my guest from overseas left my home in Michigan (on July 5th). I tried to search of where to submit complaints about the deception that had happened to us in Boston! It took us several bouncing emails and several people in Boston responded to my inquires by directing me to Revdex.com.

We were deceived and felt very bad during our stay, our feeling of deception were enforced by the bad welcome we received upon our arrival and [redacted]e’s ignoring my email in which I said “you rented us a basement”. We were uncomfortable with the dirtiness of the unit and I especially was sick of the carpet odors in the bedroom as I believe it was the source of my headaches during our stay. We did not feel safe because the only exit is through the long flight of stairs! These stairs caused my niece backache as she had several pieces of luggage (she was visiting us from overseas).

I am even questioning the licensing of this agency to rent this unit as “GF” unit!

Regards,