“Tried to cancel a holiday in July, the admin fees come to nearly a third of the deposit.
would never use cottages.com ever again, they seem to charge what they like.”
“Terrible company, prices fluctuate daily, so they get to be as flexible as they like but you pay whatever they feel like, the same properties can be booked cheaper elsewhere and the customer service is pointless because they have no flexibility on anything, really bad experience, can't cancel because they'd keep all the money, haven't seen the accomodation yet”
“Cottages.com:- Absolutely terrible, check out reviews regarding AWAZE, same company aka HOSEASONS.
Terrible experience both with the cottage in August 22 and the company, stayed for 30 minutes it was that awful. Offered 50% refund so went through small claims and got my money back from the cottages owners. Absolute nightmare company.”
“Twice now I `ve used this company, never again, phoned cottages.com to let the owner of the flat we didn`t stay, I don`t think the bloke was very interested, didn`t sound it. We went to Newbiggin-By-The-Sea, lovely folk we met there, but not the flat, Bety`s Beach View, certainly not like the photo`s, if you don`t like stairs, you`ve had it, it was dark, cold and we thought uninviting, the town is run down, we went at christmas, Northumberland is lovely, shame about Newbiggin,”
“As a host we were guaranteed £18k p/a when we first close with cottages.com.
They also stated that they put the property on line with booking.com and airbnb.
Once closed the contract they stated, oh we don't deal with then....
We had one booking the whole year with them and when we withdrew they wanted £500 cancellation fee.
Useless, bunch of idiots who are not helpful but just want to drain money from you.
Hard to find our property on line!
Do not use this company.
Go to booking.com”
“Arrived after 10hrs travel, no heating, no hot water. Cupboards hanging off, damp on walls, bathroom mouldy, carpets not hoovered, beds full of hairs,both human and animal. Pluggins in every room to cover the awful smell. Fridge disgusting, no freezer door so all iced up and dirty, oven greasy and dirty, dishwasher stank so bad, filter obviously never been cleaned, crockery all dirty, had to wash a glass before use, even washing up bowl was dirty. Called, could not be helped that night. Went to office next morning.Maintenance guys came to look at heating, saw the state of the place, suggested we ask to be moved which we did. Was stiffly helped as if it was my fault and was just being difficult. Had to wait until after 3, call and pay for own taxi to move all luggage. Moved to nu holme which was over £100 cheaper per week but when asked them to refund the difference was told was my own choice to move. Had to still stay in cottage for the 3 weeks so lost over £300. Several calls to speak to a manager, until now not available. Have had no call back. Thoroughly disgusted and actually hurt that this can still happen. I was too nice and it got me walked over by a big company. Would recommend anyone to first look at Cumbria Cottages and see the sister companies before booking. Would hate for this to happen to someone else.”
“What an appalling, unfeeling company! Avoid at all costs. Nothing offered apart from £6 back (!!!!) when having to cancel due to my son being rushed into hospital. The guy on the phone did try for me when I asked if I could at least have a voucher to use at a later date, but the team leader said No!! Stick with Booking.com, guys, as you can cancel free with them on most of their properties. Cottages.com, you should be ashamed of yourselves!!! I would imagine the cottage owner also lost out and the company profited from other people's misfortune.”
“Unfortunately we received appalling customer services from Cottages.com this summer. In a heatwave, we arrived to a dirty house with the previous guest's bedlinen on the floor and their old towels in the bath and were promised an 'emergency cleaning team' which never arrived. I spent hours on the phone, repeatedly assured of it being fixed and nothing until the third day. Ruined our holiday but cottages.com ignore my emails for a partial refund. My kids were upset to have to sleep in unmade beds, and no towels for my family in 32 degree heat. I had to clean the house because the previous guest's cooking crumbs and grease were in the kitchen, their hair in the bathroom sink. It was an incredibly upsetting start to our holiday and we were treated extremely badly by cottages.com - I asked for a partial refund on the phone to them on my holiday and they said I'd have to take it up with their local office through an unresponsive email address. I have asked twice since and they've declined. I will not book through these people again, I think you can really a judge a business by how it treats it's customers when things go wrong and cottages.com dealt with things dreadfully.”
“Very poor communication ,having paid in full way before our holiday break was due we arrived in whitby on the 24th but we was given no address how to locate we was staying and all the owner gave us was a postcode :)
So that stressed us out and my mum who was 89 !
The apartment was not suitable for older people !
Tv was not working so no tv on the ist day had to contact the owner !
Shower was useless ,pressure low water was changing from hot /cold or very hot not safe at all !
Bathroom was cold for my elderly mum !
So overall not really happy thank god it was just 3 day break !”
“Stayed at Kay's Cottage, Middleton and would not recommend. The cottage was rather dirty - we had to sweep on arrival (no hoover), sink is very old, fridge had raspberry coloured spillage in it, freezer still had some food in it, frying pan had been used but not washed and oven had to be cleaned - I just wish I had thought to take photos as owner denied my comments. Also be aware, main bedroom is very small (not normally a problem) but the way the bed was situated in front of window meant you would have had no escape route if a fire had broken out (there was a gap between bed and window which did not allow access to the window). The other window was too small to use as an escape route. This cottage should definitely not be graded 4*.”
“We recently stayed at SEA WAVES in Freshwater, Colwell Bay, on the I of W. Alison who lives locally met us at the start and talked us through all we needed to know very helpfully. The bungalow was very well appointed and in a brilliant location with excellent views. There is a short clamber down to the beach and promenade, good parking and pleasant walks in the area. The site is spaciously laid out and well situated for the sights in the west of the island. We could clearly see the Needles from the lounge window so bring your binoculars! We would highly recommend this property and the owners who were very friendly and helpful and live locally.”
“Stayed in Bards Barns - Troilus. What a wonderful barn conversion in an idyllic location, with secure private parking for 2 cars. Accommodation was ideal for family of 2 adults, 2 children, 1 baby and set of grandparents! Design and layout couldn't be faulted. However - there were some negatives; firstly the sliding window on the mezzanine bedroom felt very unsafe. Then the barn wasn't the cleanest I've stayed in. It appears the only cleaning done is by the guests before checking out. We hoovered right through as when we pushed the single beds together to prevent a child falling out of bed - the dust affected one of the children's asthma. Also hoovering under a bed and we came across a stray pair of underpants (not from our party I may add). The whole accommodation could do with a full deep clean and paint freshening up. The grout in the shower room was ready for refurbishing. The boiler in the lower bedroom did give off an odour Unfortunately there was cobwebs everywhere and also spiders so if you're not keen on spiders - this isn't the place for you. Finally - the towels are old so I would recommend you take your own and also you might want to take some spare toilet roll. This place could be really amazing with a little TLC and regular cleaning,”
“16 of us are just back from a week's holiday in Tree Park House near Totnes. We had a brilliant holiday in a fabulous house. The place was spotless and well equipped. The play area was perfect for the 4 small kids and also some of the bigger kids. Mrs Worth had left us a chocolate cake on arrival. It was delicious. 😊. Once you have mastered driving the wee lanes up to the house, it was all good... highly recommended.”
“We have just returned from an amazing week at Dan y Glo, Waunarlwydd with our family of 10. The house was everything we were looking for - spotlessly clean, spacious, well equipped throughout (two fridges appreciated) and the hot tub and games room were an added bonus. The 4 grandchildren needed all of 30 seconds to get from car to hot tub daily. The location was cenral enough to visit a number of sites, but brilliant sunshine took us to 3 different, beautiful beaches on the Gower. We will definitely consider a return there in the future. Perfect for our needs.”
“We had a lovely weeks holiday,at Mavis Bank Aberfoyle Sterling.Town House was clean and tidy.Beds comfortable. Great place to stay and nice shops in the village.nice coffee shops and great chip shop ,also restraints when you don't want to cook.Not far to travel to Lochlomand from Aberfoyle which is worth a visit we did lots in our week and will Definitely be back to Mavis Bank Aberfoyle.Deji the owner very helpful too which is nice.one of the best houses we have had a holiday in with our dog .”
“We had a fantastic week staying at Portland cottage.Mousehole Cornwall. The cottage is very homely and fully equipped . Helen the owner has thought of everything for her guests comfort. The cottage is a short walk from the harbour/beach , has parking , pub within a few minutes walk . We used it as a base to travel as far as Newquay, Falmouth & St Ives all are a short drive away. Plenty of shops can be found in Penzance including a large Sainsburys for stocking up with food and petrol. Would highly recommend Portland Cottage!!”
“We have just recently arrived home from a Fabulous Week at Two Peas In A Pod - A gorgeous Chalet in Aberaeron, Wales.
It was everything and more that we could wish for for our Wedding Anniversary Break.
Quaint, lovely interior with personal finishes and decor of the highest quality. A real Home From Home Feel. A fabulous Welcome Pack to greet you from the wonderful Owners Kaz & Rob. It truly was a magical hidden gem in a gorgeous coastal village. Only a ten minute walk to the Sea and right outside on the doorstep a River Walk that takes your breath away. We can highly recommend and we will most definitely be returning later on in the year. Thank You.”
“Well where do I start rented a lovely barn in Gloucester called the Retreat . Well it wasn’t for me. I was charged for insurance which I didn’t request paid additional charge for a dog in a property that really wasn’t dog friendly. The description of the property is nothing more then rubbish. No dvd , no bath and no luxury collections . Well at least I didn’t see them. The photos are misleading at best shows a nice open plan space which was tiny dark and un inviting. Barbecue??? What Barbecue a rusty old fire bowl full of ash , no chesterfield sofa as in the pictures just a dirty old sofa and a broken uncomfortable corner unit covered in throws no luxury at all I paid over £1,100 to stay in this place and stayed there for less then 24 hours. Don’t recommend booking with this company . Given the reviews I haven’t even bothered contacting them as I don’t want the stress or to waste my time.”