While in the car, on our way to the property, I received a phone call stating the air conditioning unit was broken. I was given a choice of receiving a 30% refund and staying there without air conditioning, or moving to another property that was not in the same area and from the online pictures, looked very much outdated and less desirable. We chose the 30% discount and stayed in the original location.
We got by OK with the temperature in the condo, it did get warm at times and slightly uncomfortable. But we were out and about most of the day. So we managed ok - not ideal - but ok with a 30% discount coming.
The condo itself isn't great - the screen door was hard to open and didn't shut all the way. None of the windows had screens on them so bugs would get in. The fixtures in the bathrooms are outdated and some of the finishing touches need TLC.
But here's where my main frustration comes in. When following up with the refund after my stay the customer service was awful. I was originally told that my refund would be 30% of the stay minus the cleaning fee (which is nonrefundable and makes sense).
When I received the refund it was short. It was less than 30% based on what I was told I'd be receiving. I then had to spend days going back and forth with customer service and have them give me different amounts that they say I paid in rent, fees, etc. When I gave them the amounts that I was actually billed, they dug their heels in and changed the story on what I was promised in a refund. At one point they told me I was only promised a refund on rent, one time they told me I was promised a refund on rent and a service fee, etc. Each time it was different, but every time I was told it's my problem, I'm wrong, my documentation isn't valid (I have every single text message we've made) and that's that.
I will never stay with Southern Vacation Rentals again and neither will any of my friends. Their customer service is horrible.