Karla W.

I wanted to post my experience with Meredith Lodging to warn others to beware, but I see I don't need to. The one-star reviews here are overwhelming. This has clearly been going on for a long time, so the only conclusion I can come to is…THEY DON'T CARE! This is how they ride. They are just sticking it to customers and brushing off the complainers.

Although it has all been said by many before me, I'll add my experience.
1) The place was just FILTHY. Disgusting. And it was not hidden dirt, it was out in the open. Areas that could easily be vacuumed or wiped off in two minutes. Indicators that the place was not cleaned at all.

2)The grill was dripping with fresh food from the previous tenant. We called about the grill and they told us they would send someone over right away to clean it, but no one ever showed up and there was no follow up call. We had to run out and buy a hibachi as we had brought food to grill both nights.

3) We were told one day before we arrived that the dishwasher was broken. They played like it was a recent occurrence, but clearly it had been broken for a long time. People had been hand washing the dishes and not very well. We had to wash all the dishes before we used them. Then we left them on the counter because the outside of the cupboards had caked on dirt and grime that had not been washed off in years. We could not bear to touch them. I won't even bother to describe how disgusting it was inside the kitchen drawers.

4) This was a "pets OK" place. Considering that pets might come with fleas, we were conscious of that now that we realized how dirty the place was kept. To our surprise, the clean bed linens and towels (we think they were clean) were thrown unfolded in a heap on the floor in the carpeted closet. We started to be grossed out by the thought of what was on the bed…

5) Even if it had been clean, the place was falling apart. Missing baseboards, wood peeling off the doors. Two of the chairs on the deck were broken with rusted metal parts sticking out waiting for someone to get injured. And the furniture was sad and tired.

We have stayed in some 50+ private homes all over the US and Europe and never have we encountered one as disgusting as this one. They have all been pristine, or close to it, and far cheaper (we paid more for this one than we have ever paid). It's not hard to maintain a certain level of cleanliness. Meredith Lodging doesn't even try, and they don't care judging from the fact that complaints like mine have been going on for a long time.

Before I wrote this review, I complained to them directly. I received a form letter back telling me they were refunding HALF of the cleaning fee (so far, they haven't) and a $75 coupon off our next stay (as if!). Half of the cleaning fee is pathetic.