“As regular users of Sykes for our holiday breaks, this is the first time we have been disappointed.”
There were numerous issues, toaster not working, kettle dirty and full of limescale, microwave dirty, front door mat filfthy, no hot water downstairs, we boiled kettle to do washing up. The biggest issue was that the property was just shabby and in dire need of a really good clean and some tlc. We did not bring this to the owners attention as there was nothing they could do to fix things without us having to move out. At no time did we feel comfortable during the stay.
It is clearly a personal choice not to raise an issue with us as the owners living next door or during the interactions we had during your stay, and instead choose to save it all up for a crushingly awful review.
Firstly, let me say that our cleaning company was recommended by Sykes and there is nothing to suggest that they treat us differently to all the other Sykes cottages they clean. I will however share your review with them and draw their attention to the microwave which had clearly been missed. I have now cleaned it.
The City of Bath is famous for its mineral rich waters but it means that limescale is a constant companion for those of us who live here. The kettle is usually replaced every 2 yrs. If you had mentioned this during your stay I would have provided a new kettle immediately.
On reading your review I immediately checked that the hot water is working fine which it is. Again, if you had mentioned that you were having issues I would happily have explained its workings to you.
February has been exceptionally wet, and the welcome mat has clearly been working harder than vacuuming could rectify. Again, had you chosen to mention this I would have done what I have now done, which is wash it, dry it on the Aga and get it back in the cottage within 3 hours.
Finally, had you chosen to mention that you were having problems with the toaster I would have immediately purchased a new one or, as in this case, switched it on at the wall.
We request that guests always let us know if there's anything we can do to help, for good reason. There is always a way to make things better, so that everyone can enjoy their stay at Barrow Mead. Kind regards The Owner
Property Owner