I am having difficulty obtaining a 260.16 refund for a vacation rental on Camano Island from Camano Cliff Cabins AKA Camano Cottages in Stanwood, WA. The property was misrepresented by the owner and now, she will not provide a refund UNLESS another person rents the property for the same dates of July 3-6. On the company's website, camanocliffcabins.com, NO information is given regarding non-refundable reservations.
On April 22nd, I reserved a cabin with Camano Cliff Cabins for a cabin property on July 3-6. After viewing the information on the cabin on vacationrentals.com AND Camanocliffcabins.com, I spoke with Christina Lynn Moats, the property owner.
Ms. Moats promised a better representation of the cabin would be sent in the mail regarding the property.in order to reserve the property AND receive more details on location, half of the amount of the price of cabin rental for three nights was requested. She charged my credit card for the amounts of 206.16 (charge date listed as April 20th-strange) and 54.00 (charge date given as April 22nd).
Yes, this should have raised a red flag in my mind. Camano Island vacation rentals normally get booked early, so I thought this might be my only option to ensure being near my friends cabin. Camano Island vacation rentals normally get booked early, so I thought this might be my only option to ensure being near my friends cabin.
The criteria for renting the cabin is that it needed to be near my friend's cabin on West Camano Drive, which was an important logistic issue. It also needed to be suitable for three adults to occupy the cabin with some level of privacy between bedroom and living room.in my phone conversation with Ms. Moats, the cabin was described as having a king bed, with a sofa style fold out bed in the living room area. Based on her verbal description, the cabin had separate areas. I was also told "It wasn't that far from West Camano". The pictures on Camanocliffcabins.com showed attractive exterior views and an interior view of a king bed. The only other detail was a link to webreservations to enter credit card information.
On April 25th, I received a crude, handwritten map and two washed out pictures of the same view and the king bed. A form with hand scribbled notes referenced the arrival dates. The cabin details mentioned that the room had a "kitchette" and a hot tub. The street name was indicated on the map, 2222 Angel Lane, Camano Island, WA 98282. I checked on Google maps and discovered the area was 15 miles from the area that I needed to be at. No, I wasn't pleased with the logistics.
I contacted the owner on Monday, April 27th to ask her about the cabin details, regarding a divided living room from bed area since the information was excluded. After being informed that it was an open style cabin with no divider between bed and sofa, it was clear that the accommodations would not be adequate for our use. I immediately requested a refund, doing it as early as possible as a courtesy for her business. It was at that point that I was informed that NO refund would be given unless, or UNTIL the cabin are rebooked for the same dates. This is where the problems started.
This provision was NOT disclosed on the website. I have contacted my credit card company to dispute the charges and Better Business Bureau.in addition, I have informed Camano Island Chamber of Commerce, Stanwood Chamber of Commerce, Vacationrentals.com (where I saw the ad) and the Washington State Attorney General's office in Bellingham, WA. To inform them
of the difficulties experienced in resolving this issue.
I did some more research on the cabins and property. I discovered the property is for sale on Redfin.com, with two buildings on the lot. The pictures on Redfin.com (MLS# 29052974) revealed a narrow converted building with nice decor inside described as cottage #2. The bed in the interior photo matched the one in the website image.
I received another letter on May 8th. The same form letter was used, now stating that the deposit was non-refundable and that the deposit would be refunded when and if the reservation dates are rebooked.
Numerous attempts by phone to request a refund have been met with refusal and anger by Ms. Moats. Ms. Moats has told me she is upset that the other organizations have contacted her regarding the matter and is concerned about her business reputation. Somehow, I don't see this woman as the victim. She the one who won't refund my money, right? At the same time, she will NOT reconsider refunding the charges.
Requesting a deposit refund three months in advance (and, ONLY a week after the reservation) is usually honored by most hotels, motels, inns and bed and breakfast lodging facilities.in addition, the limited details gave a poor representation of the actual property.
Every year, I go up to Camano Island for 4th of July for my goddaughter's birthday. I'm still going, I'll just find another place.instead of making vacation plans, I'm dealing with this woman who won't own up and refund my money.
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