“Whilst they hold a good selection of cottages for holidays. The company itself has in my experience proved itself the worst business I've ever had to deal with..
They positively hate dealing with the public, and their interactions show an arrogance that should only be rewarded with the company Going Out of business. They are that poor and I would never, ever advise anyone to touch this company ever for any reason.
We had a cottage booked with deposit But the owners cancelled their cottage last summer, but on the point of paying the balance for the holiday we found out from the owner that it was no longer available but had not been contacted by cottages.com. When I complained I got no apology and was made to wait for repayment of the deposit. They are a total disgrace to the industry and do not be tempted to book with them”
“Appalling customer service. We had to cancel last minute when my dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was too ill to travel. He passed away shortly afterwards. Cottages.com refused to refund us any money and showed zero compassion during this most difficult time. As long as you have paid up they really don't care about their customers. Would never book with them again.”
“My partner Viv lives in Bedford and I live in Swansea. Viv recently lost her much loved Dad and having been a carer for both her parents for the past 8 years is struggling at the moment.
She loves Wales and after much research booked a lovely peaceful cottage called Bwythn Berwig in Llanrhidian on the Gower Peninsular for a well needed break for peace and reflection in a lovely tranquil place. Bedford to Llanrhidian M1, M25, M4 is 230 miles each way. So by the time I get back to Swansea 920 miles in total !
I drove to Bedford on Thursday and we drove down to the cottage yesterday (Friday). We had official confirmation of AirB&B plus an official booking reference number and the £640 for the week’s stay was taken from Viv’s bank account on Friday morning by AirB&B. We arrived at the cottage at 4.20pm on Friday 16th June.
No key safe, no one to greet us ! We phoned Cottages.com who we believe own the property and at first they tried to say we hadn’t completed the booking ! We gave them all the confirmation information and they then changed their story and said the ‘owners’ had cancelled in the afternoon, AFTER the money had been from Viv’s bank account ! We were stranded stuck in a lay-by we eventually got a contact number for AirB&B they contacted the ‘owners’ who said they had cancelled the booking ! Hoping they would find an alternative they came up with 3 inferior and more expensive properties not in the area and said we would have to pay upfront for an alternative property but a ‘refund (of Viv’s money) would take 15 working days’ ! Why ? They took from her account instantly.
We spent 3 more hours in the car in a lay-by trying to find an alternative but being holiday season and very, very last minute everything was way over £1,000 for the week and not on the Gower Peninsular where we really wanted to stay ! The thing is they cancelled this booking they had both our phone numbers email addresses and no one had the decency to even inform us ! It got to 9pm before we gave up and headed back to Bedford ! The M4 to M25 junction was closed and we eventually got back to Bedford at 2am this (Saturday) morning ! To say it was a stressful day is an understatement ! Further research by us showed that the cottage wasn’t just a holiday let it’s also up for sale, so we can only assume the owners have either had an offer or someone has booked a viewing and they cancelled us but didn’t have the decency to even let us know ! You can’t have a house on the market and as a holiday let surely it’s got to be one or the other ! It’s not so bad if you cancel future holiday let bookings because it gives holiday makers time to book an alternative, but to cancel on the actual day of arrival after taking the money and not even inform us of the cancellation is absolutely disgusting ! I didn’t know things like this could happen I thought AirB&B would have a decent customer service and look after it’s customer’s not leave them stranded when we had done everything by the book !
Dixie & Viv :0(”
“As a landlord the servi e provided is atrocious, i informed them about my cancelling my contract a good 6-9 months before some bookings, they dont do anything to help my guests relocate. They never call back. I would avoid renting through them either as a guest or proerty owner”
“terrrible customer service. you cannot email them. they say they answer in an hour on airbnb, but i have waited days and asked over and over for an answer.
the only contact is a "chat" - which is not helpful, as the customer care team never gets on. I have waited for 45 mins.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Cottages.com was a complete nightmare to deal with. We booked our dates and our account showed correct dates; however later we received confirmation with incorrect dates (off by 1 day). The only way to get a human to resolve issue was to pay 25 pounds. She fixed dates but suddenly our new rate was 100 pounds more. It was highway robbery. The date issue was their mistake not ours and it cost $125 pounds to rectify. If we had cancelled we would have lost even more so we reluctantly stuck with them. Felt like a bait and switch to purposely scam more money from an existing reservation. Do not use cottages.com. No customer service unless you pay a fee to converse with you. Is there a Better Business Bureau equivalent in the UK? If so, this company needs to be reported.”
“Cottages.com are there for you when you need to make a payment, no messing about. Something goes wrong on your holiday, nothing to do with us.
Let's be clear, Cottages.com is a booking agent, they have no contract with you, they only have a contract with the home owner and they only care about that relationship. So if something goes wrong then you only have the owner as a way to sort things out with you. Just bear that in mind when you book a holiday with cottages.com.
If you want to get in contact with them make yourself comfortable, make a flask and cancel all plans, you could be on hold for a long long time. They are really hard to get into contact with and don't like to advertise any telephone numbers.
Don't be fooled by the call back option either, it won't happen. Hang on long enough you'll be cut off. Ah you say, there is a chat option, yes there is, but you'll be on there just as long as the phone call before someone contacts you. They also have the option to cut the chat off leaving you to start again.
So my particular holiday experience. We had a stressful few months with one thing or another so we needed a break. We tend to go on cottage holidays in the UK so our dogs can come with us. So we hit the internet and went visited cottages.com like we have done for knocking on 17 years now. We chose a cottage in one of our favourite places, Anglesey.
We were enticed by one property that was described on the Cottages.com site (spoiler alert, they tried to share the blame for the descriptions on their site as a joint effort with the owner) "This lovely lodge sits beside a peaceful stream and is within a stones throw of eateries, shops and the beach. An idyllic place to unwind." sounds great we said, let's book it. The payment was efficiently taken.
We arrived and things seemed ok but for a few niggles like you get at these places. Three days into the holiday and the building work on the owners house a few yards away resumed that had been ongoing for two weeks prior to our arrival. Now, as a customer you are supposed to be notified of anything that might affect your enjoyment on holiday before you arrive, we were not. So on our arrival day we were informed that the owners property had a leak and the floor of their conservatory had been dug up to the water level and more work was needed on it which in the end would be all of the week we were there.
Monday morning came, and so did the the workmen, along with their heavy machinery. Part way through the day the Builders Symphony in A major din began and our idyllic place to unwind ended. That's when we tried to contact Cottages.com as described above.
After three movements of the symphony we finally got a call from someone to ask what the problem was. we told them including a seizure episode that one of our dogs had with the volume of noise. We were told that they would call the owner and look for some other properties that we could try to move to so long as the owner would give up the booking (yes you need permission to get some peace). We were told we would be contacted the next morning. So off she went and off we went and found three properties.
The next day around noon we got a call and the tone was a shade different, they had managed to negotiate with the owner 15% compensation for the 5 days disturbance and this was non-negotiable. In fact the owner was not willing to give any compensation, she must have thought it was an extra, I would have preferred a bottle of wine as a welcome gift. It was at this point the terms and conditions were waved in our faces and it was take it our leave it because that's all they can do and its nothing to do with them because we have no contract with Cottages.com.
So in summary, we were promised ‘An idyllic place to unwind’ and found a building site
We wanted to just be somewhere that wasn’t a building site but we were denied it, and
We were told you are on your own when we needed someone
Welcome everyone to the cottages.com Customer Relations Team, where the customer is the property owner and the relations only go as far as the owner. Their job is done, they have your money and whether you have a good holiday or not is none of their concern.
Think carefully when you use Cottages.com”
“As a new owner of a holiday cottage, I wish I had found other reviews from other owners before signing up for a year’s contract with cottages.com. Yes, I should have paid more attention to the contract and found the (imo) unethical clauses that make a nonsense of cottages.com claim to make the process hassle-free.
A guest paid a small deposit when booking, which I received, but she had to cancel close to the arrival date and, understandably, was required to pay full fees plus a not insubstantial administration fee, nearly £1,600 in total.
Of that I get nothing. Nada. Zilch. They don’t even have the decency to split it 50:50.
For a whole variety of other reasons, too many to go into here, I gave notice to quit as soon as the contract allowed but, three months later, still haven't received an acknowledgement. Be warned, future owners, this company seems to view cancellations as windfall profit and decent customer service towards owners as an optional extra. If I could give NIL stars, I would.”
“My husband and I booked a holiday cottage for a week in Scotland in April. Subsequently in December (two weeks ago) my daughter died unexpectedly and we took on the care of our granddaughter. Because we became guardians to a school age child we could no longer take the holiday during the period planned. Plus we had added another dog and cat to our family. I called Cottages.com to cancel on January 2 to cancel which gives them four months to relet. I expected to lose the £60 deposit. I was totally shocked when they informed me that I had to pay £186 to cancel. Everyone else I have dealt with in these past two weeks has been so kind and empathetic to our situation but Cottages.com - totally cold and without empathy. I was fair to them but they did not reciprocate.”
“Do not book with company the hide cancellation policy through 10-12 different links not info given on booking just impossible to find hidden policy of if you cancel you still basically pay in full. Don't risk it.”
“Do not book with this company. They make you pay a £250 deposit. You lose this money even if you cancel 6 months for your holiday. This is unfair and therefore I would NEVER book through this site EVER AGAIN.”
“We were supposed to be on holiday today for four nights but I fortunately the property is flooded, that happens and I completely understand, however what I don't understand is cottages.com and their lack of contact to I form is of the matter! I only found out when I called the owner to ask where to collect the keys! I don't think they would actually have made contact at all if I hadn't made that call two days before travelling! They knew over two weeks previously as the owner contacted them about it and also numerous times in between when other guests did exactly the same as myself yet still they didn't think to contact us! The man on chat was rude and sarcastic, no empathy skills whatsoever, couldn't care less attitude! Promised a call back from a manager, nothing. The relocation team did contact me after I said I wanted to complain, are going to provide refund but compensation for their lack of communication was offered at £25 voucher, like I'm going to book with these Muppets again! I've requested transcripts of the chat and any messages sent by the man in chat as I feel they will contain further evidence of ride and sarcastic tone, needless to say these haven't materialised yet! Will head down freedom of information route if nothing appears and no contact from complaint but I'm not hopeful. The owner was so stressed, I feel so sorry for anyone dealing with this company, avoid like the plague unless you like playing roulette with your annual leave and arrangements!”
“I have had two excellent experiences with this company. This year we booked a week at Christmas in Portpatrick, Tartan Escapes, where we have stayed twice before. Due to family circumstances we had to change the date and this was arranged for the 8-15 of December instead of the week over Christmas.
At the end of October, I received a call telling me that Tartan Escapes has sold the property and my holiday could not go ahead.
They did offer to find other accommodation, if they could, or I could have a refund. Rather sickened, I took the refund.
My point is, the holiday was cancelled at very short notice. I dread to think what they would have found in place of where I'd booked. Just be careful, like no fault evictions, your holiday can fall foul of landlords that care nought about you and your holiday plans.”
“Avoid this company at all costs. Stayed in a cottage which I would classify as potentially dangerous, exposed mains electrics, mould in the property, damp. Complained to cottages.com and they responded by re-letting the property to another family, who had similar complaints. Asked for full refund which was ignored. Further emails sent - ignored. Requested information required to commence legal action - ignored. Now feel duty bound to raise this issue publicly.”
“We booked Katys cottage in Angus for weekend 21st October. As we are all aware storm Babet hit and we were told not to travel to these areas. We were unable to get to the cottage due to road closures. Contacted cottages.com for refund as it was through no fault of our own that we could not get to the cottage. We were told the owner has not indicated any issue as to why the booking could not go ahead. This is absolutely absurd did the owner want us to travel in unsafe conditions and to go against police advisory. I will NEVER book through this site again. Cottages.com were not helpful at all.”
“We went to Seion, Nant Y Garth. Y Felinheli, Gwynedd, LL56 4QE. Huw the owner is so rude and obviously has little to no customer service skills. We booked a week. When we arrived the bedding was damp so at midnight we had to dry it again! The mattress is on its last legs. The sofa want taking to the tip you have to really struggle to get out of it. There is damp! Despite a photo of the damp it apparently does not exist. I contacted cottages.com to advise them at NO point did I ask for a refund. The owner came back with a disgusting reply stating I am asking for a cheap holiday and there is no damp!!!
Huw, you clearly have little to no respect for your customers. I did not ask for a refund and would not ask for one. Your cottage is damp and this has been shown on our books which rippled and our clothes. We lasted three nights then decided to leave as we couldnt get a phone response nor a text response.
Maybe it is time for you to sell up and leave the holiday industry OR go on a customer service course. If it isnt damp get it checked out by a profressional.”
“Owned by a heartless parent company who are the furthest thing removed from a family-friendly company as one could imagine.
I booked a holiday with them for a £25 deposit, but, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, when the time came to settle up I couldn't afford to do so and sadly had to let the holiday lapse.
They actually cancelled it. Not me.
Now I'm being jumped upon by Big Brother Company "Awaze Vacation Rentals Ltd" and being threatened with CCJ even though they've resold the property/holiday week.
No. This isn't family-friendly at all.”
“Rented an apartment in Saunton-no mention of 33 steps from car park down to apartment and back up even though asked on booking! Not in the “need to know “ information- Can’t speak to a human just “chat””
