Review: Chablis Sands

The following is an excerpt from a comment we received:

"We spent our hard earned money on a fraud. Called 'Chablis Sands' now, clearly to avoid people seeing this, which we wish we would have.

We paid $400 for 2 nights. The hot tub was green with algae & stunk like rotten plants, couldn't use it. The jet tub in the bathroom couldn't be filled because a fixture was loose, flooding the floor, couldn't use that. The carpets were disgusting, we never took our shoes off & the one time I did, I cut my foot. There was a reddish-brown smear on doors/closets/carpets, the dishwasher was broken, there was sand & food crumbs all over the furniture, the front door has obviously been kicked in before...this plae is gross, plain and simple. It hasn't been cleaned in a very, very long time.

...[the] room was so dirty, we slept in our clothes.

This place should be shut down to rentals. Period."

Update on the BBB complaint

UPDATE: OCTOBER 2011

The current grade for Chablis Sands/I Dream of Jetty is an F. The BBB lists the following reasons for this rating:


Factors that lowered Chablis Sands' rating include:

• Failure to respond to 2 complaints filed against business.
• BBB does not have sufficient information to determine how long this business has been operating. BBB made two or more requests for background information from the business. BBB has not received a response from this business and/or has not been able to verify information received from this business.
• BBB does not have sufficient background information on this business. BBB made two or more requests for background information from the business. BBB has not received a response from this business and/or has not been able to verify information received from this business.

JULY 2011
As of this writing, BBB has done all they can.

Our complaint was never answered in any form by the business owner, so it simply went on record as such.

Sadly, as evidenced by recent comments, the owner has done nothing to rectify the situation and continues her current business practices.

Everything about this situation is especially worrisome given the employment listed in her LinkedIn profile.

Avoid Vacation Home Fraud

Renters Beware...

Vacation or rental home fraud is on the rise. The formula is ripe for this situation as the economy keeps families and individuals from traveling far from home, and the internet boasts easy access to rental opportunities near and far.

If you are like us, we work very hard for our money--including long hours and not a lot of pay. We must plan for some time before taking a vacation...even a short one. A vacation is about getting away. Putting aside the pressures and demands of every day life. The last thing you want to do on vacation is clean someone else's home. Not to mention the possible dangers of staying in a run down, filthy home in which the owner has made a lot of enemies.

Our mini break in the spring of 2011 was just such an adventure. We searched the internet for weeks before deciding on a beautiful vacation home in Lincoln City. We made the arrangements and headed to the coast over spring break. However, upon arrival we found garbage strewn all over the driveway. The front door appeared to have been jimmied at some previous time. And the front lock did not work properly.

Then there was the condition of the home: Filth. Grime. Broken glass. Broken furniture. Broken appliances. We feared for the safety of our children.

After being sternly reminded that there were absolutely NO REFUNDS. We headed to the store and bought cleaning supplies, as well as basic necessities such as towels and inside shoes so no one had to go barefoot. We spent the next four hours cleaning the home. And periodically over the next few days considerable more time cleaning areas that we felt we needed to use.

This is not our first experience with a vacation home. We've had arrangements that included self cleaning before. But always, these were reputable rentals with a cleaning crew and a policy that insured at least some monetary reimbursement for damage. This is not the case with Chablis Sands.

What can you do to keep this from happening to you? Be wary if any of the following happen:

• Price negotiation, especially if huge discounts are promised -- 75% off!
• If the person you communicate with is evasive, hard to reach, or does not provide complete information
• Full payment up front, with NO refunds for any reason
• Few or no reviews exist for the property
• No website is available
• No clear contact information is provided
• Little or no information is provided about the individual or the rental group
• Information is not standardized: communique from property owner does not match website
• Early and or late check-in times that allow for no cleaning crew
• A requirement that you bring cleaning supplies
• No credit cards accepted--credit cards often have safeguards against fraud

Do you want your children playing in a home where the carpets are saturated with broken glass? Do you want to sleep on beds that have not been cleaned, let alone sanitized, ever? Do you want to clean up someone else's feces and urine?

Think twice before you rent. Think twice before you rent Chablis Sands--then don't!

New Name: Chablis Sands

I dream of Jetty has changed it's name! But it hasn't changed any of it's advertising pictures. RENTERS BEWARE...Compare the pics at Chablis sands and the ones on this blog. The furniture on that website was broken and or destroyed months ago....

Better Business Bureau

Attempted to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau: however, since the business is not a participating member and the owner refused to reply, nothing was done.

Our goal was merely to get the name and information out to the masses....

Craigslist

UPDATE: In the last two weeks (today is 6/3) the ad has been placed at least two times per day, nearly EVERY day. The ad is typically flagged down within minutes to an hour. So there are others out there trying to keep her from renting to unsuspecting visitors. 

No longer finding the 75% off ad on the Oregon Coast Craigslist every few days...Perhaps others have had similar experiences, or suspect fraudulent advertising/business practices.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Bedrooms and Such

The house has lots of beds. There is a king size bed in the master, as well as a queen size mattress on the floor next to it. There is another bed in the closet of the master bedroom. Down the hall there are three more rooms with full or queen beds on the lowest level. In the "spa" room you find a broken futon and a loveseat. On the main floor there is another futon, a chaise, and another bedroom with a full/queen. On the top floor there is another futon. and a large couch with recliners.

We found a broken light fixture on the way to the third floor. The glass is still on the floor. Might have cleaned it up, but the vacuum didn't not work properly.


The closets have blankets and pillows.

 The laundry room is on the lowest level. This is a picture of the room after we started the first couple loads of laundry.

Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Hot Tub

There's nothing like a long soak in a fabulous hot tub. And there's nothing that compares to finding that the same advertised hot tub is cold, swarming in green gunge and an arm's length away from the neighbor sitting on his back porch smoking a ciggy.

Don't let the picture fool you.




Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Spa Retreat

Ahhh...to relax in a sublime setting, receive a massage from a loved one, and to complete the mood the soothing sound of a water feature.

 

But then there is the "spa" at I Dream of Jetty where the massage table has been replaced by a broken down couch, futon and foosball table. The water feature, proudly touted on the website as part of the home, had buckets of standing water in the cabinet below. The feature no longer works. The hand rail to the lower level from the spa has been RIPPED from the wall. Again the walls here are filthy with stains and spills of who knows what splatter the yellow walls.

The foosball table, Although useable, has broken handles (some with duct tape), standing dust on the surface and nearly all of the guys on the field have no heads.

Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Kitchen

Gourmet kitchen including: granite countertop, gas stove, microwave, full-size refrigerator, Jenn-Aire grill, Braun dishwasher...Absolutely beautiful--in the pictures.


On the positive side: There really is a granite countertop! Even though there are some pits and damage, when it is not filthy it looks very nice.

The stove works, despite layers of filth and grime. However, the oven works only about half the time and does not heat properly when it does stay on.

A Jenn-Aire grill? As we recall, this must be the non-working grill next to the stove. Does not work. Not at all. Not even a little. There IS a BBQ grill outside under the main entrance. No idea if it works, but if you ever get the filth off, you might be able to set it on fire.

Braun dishwasher...unless GE makes a line called Braun this is false advertising as well. In the advertised photo the dishwasher is stainless steel, but currently it is a basic white. It is also worth mentioning that dishes do not come clean when placed in the dishwasher--even when spread out and rinsed thoroughly first. A residue and food particles remain on 1/3 to 1/2 of the dishes after every wash.


There is a working microwave. If you hit the inside-bottom-left corner of the door button it may open eventually. It will most likely need a thorough cleaning before use, unless you like random particles of food from weeks past in your food.

There are high quality stainless Kirkland brand pans pictured hanging from the pot rack. Only a few pans remain, and those are covered in stains and or burns. The remaining pans are low quality non-stick with the teflon severely damaged.

The stoneware dishes are chipped, stained and insufficient in quantity to serve more than about 6 people per meal.

The faucet leaks unless it is shut off in just the right manner. There is at least one broken cabinet door.

Do not count on basic kitchen needs--spices are filthy (layers of grease and dirt), no hand soap, there may or may not be dish detergent, and the kitchen towels are likely in the laundry room still dirty from the last renters.

Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Living Room

Coastal rental I Dream of Jetty is anything but a dream. First, the living room.


 

Let's first take a look at the living room: The living room is no longer in this arrangement, but that is no big deal. However, all those lovely large windows are covered in smudges and hand prints. So much so, that it is difficult to see the porch beyond, let alone the ocean.

The dining table was, once upon a time, glass as seen above. The remnants of this table may be found in a closet down the hall. The table is now a distressed and scarred (not in a good way) wood table with a sticky residue that does not come clean, even with repeated scrubbing.

The chaise is stained and sagging. The futon on the South wall is broken, filthy and positioned in the advertised "spa" room.

Dining Room Wall

The walls are scarred, stained with food and goodness knows what else.

There is now a TV and DVD in this room, that is workable if you can position the wires in JUST the right spot.

Broken Futon

Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.

REVIEW: I Dream of Jetty: Beach House

This blog is dedicated to reviewing the "I Dream of Jetty" beach house, located in Lincoln City, Oregon. Because of the amount and severity of the damage and disrepair of this apparent luxury home, the entire blog is devoted solely to this review. The reviews are divided up by room or category.

If after reading this blog you still make a reservation, please come back and let our readers know how it went. Hopefully, you will follow renters who showed a bit of care...

We rented "I Dream of Jetty" for several days in early 2011.

Our experience: First of all, it was very difficult to discuss and finalize the rental with the owner. After many emails and phone calls, we knew that this person was either unwilling or unable to answer the simplest questions. Also, there was no option for using a credit card. These things should have been a warning. But we kept looking at those great pictures, the proximity to the beach and the decent price we negotiated.

On arrival, the house was a disaster. Garbage was strewn all over the driveway. The garbage cans filled and overflowing. The entry was sandy and dirty. The windows smeared with fingerprints and slime. The kitchen had food and dishes spread all over. None of the beds were made. Pillows were stained and dirty. Sheets were piled nearly four foot high in the laundry room, along with wet and muddy towels.

All of the furniture had stains. Two of the futons were broken. The reclining sofa in the main living room was broken. All carpets and walls were stained. There was visible dog hair everywhere. The hot tub was green with algae and tepid. Hardwood floors were dirty...and the list goes on and on and on.

We called the number provided for the manager. The instructions requested a text message unless it was an emergency. The situation was not quite an emergency, but definitely warranted speaking to someone. The owner quickly returned our call. Claiming the manager refused to respond. We received apologies and a stern reminder that there was absolutely NO refunds. Then a spiel about the manager falling down on the job and that she would be dismissed immediately (after a 30 day notice).


It took three people approximately 2.5 hours to clean the house sufficiently just to unload our gear. Plus a couple of more hours of laundry and cleaning to be able to use the kitchen, baths and beds. We did agree to a DIY cleaning arrangement, but that was assuming we were coming in to a relatively clean house at arrival.

Before we left we cleaned all the areas we used, washed the laundry and even washed the windows--not exactly the most relaxing of vacations. Especially minus the hot tub.

The location was great. The house was huge. And we ended up having a great time. However, do not be fooled into paying for any type of cleaning. There is NONE. Do not expect to use many of the amenities, including the jacuzzi or hot tub, nor the spa area.
 
If you can be happy cleaning before you settle in and can simply enjoy the views you will be fine in "I Dream of Jetty."

Strong Suggestion: FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO STAY

Be sure to check out ALL the other posts for a detailed look at the other troubled areas.