Robert, we would have not let them have the gite had we known they would sleep on the sofa.
They were just sleeping there as they spent their time en famille at our friend’s house. They left at 9.30 and we were up!
Hi iunderstand
Hi I understand. But don’t stop the good deeds happy new year
If someone close has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, that is about the worst news anyone could receive and a lapse in good manners might be forgiven.
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Mike, it was their father that has the problem, not the family who stayed with us.
No, but try and make sure that you are not being taken advantage of.
Hi Jane - its smalll comfort but at least they didn’t actively abuse you and your hospitality! We allowed an old friend to come for Christmas and to bring his new girlfriend - much effort in making our ‘annexe’ comfortable.
“I was so drunk I didn’t know what I was doing / can’t remember what I did” is a lame excuse from anyone over 25years of age; but to hear it twice (in three days) from a woman in her 60s is truly apalling. For the very first time in my life I asked a guest to leave, and am busily trying to repair the damage (physical and emotional) left in their wake.
John
p.s. these were Brits - selfish, self-centred, greedy, inconsiderate, attention-seeking gin hoovers who mixed fine cognac with cheap port in 25cl glasses, for example!
Mike makes a good point.
Also it seems they arrived far later than expected - a difficult journey, perhaps?
Did you actually explain you were offering the guest room because you don’t like people sleeping on the sofa? They may have seen it as an unnecessary but kind offer, rather than as an instruction not to sleep on the sofa. Can you tell, from looking at the sofa, that it’s been slept on? They may have thought that if there was no sign it had been slept on, there would be no harm done.
I understand why you feel put out but there are 2 sides to every situation. It may turn out that the guests’ side is inexcusable but equally, it may be that there were valid reasons to excuse and forgive.
You say you did the favour for a friend, have you not spoken to the friend? What did they say?
How appalling, to leave without saying goodbye and thank you is unforgivable never mind the rest. We had a family of four stay with us for free and they left the gite in a real mess. We were told ’ you’re on holiday all the time '
Never again !
[quote=“Jane_Williamson, post:1, topic:14537”]
a friend who wanted all their family home for Christmas as her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimers.[/quote]
[quote=“Jane_Williamson, post:25, topic:14537, full:true”]
Mike, it was their father that has the problem, not the family who stayed with us.[/quote]
I’m totally confused now. Are the people who stayed, close relatives of the person diagnosed, or not?
Dear Jane,
These people had no relationship with you, so in fact they considered your gite as a commercial venture. They had no consideration for you since they did not understand any was due.
Sleeping on a sofa is not a crime. They probably had no idea it was not allowed. They considered their stay their as an arrangement made for them by their friend.
Let it go now, and look forward to the New Year.
Your friend’s only crime is poor communication. Forgive them.
Go forward now, and do not allow a misunderstanding like this to continue to gnaw. No good could come of it.
Rest easy, and be happy in the new year.
Your good deed was not recognised, but good deeds often are not.
Give and expect nought in return.
Otherwise give nought.
KInd regards.
3 Likes
We took the mother to see the room and she said it was fine.
I have not said anything to my friend as she was also upset at their late arrival and she has enough on her plate without knowing that her family had left without saying goodbye.
Yes. It was the son and his family.
What a load of boll**ks!
I’m totally with Jane on this one. The situation as described by Jane clearly indicates that the poor lady’s generosity and goodwill was treated with total lack of respect. I can’t believe that anyone would defend that type of selfish behaviour.
The lesson learned is to keep things on a business footing with people you don’t know.
No if’s, no ahhhhh but’s, no bloody excuse for appalling behaviour by plain ignorant people!
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Simon, we were trying to help our elderly friends, not their ignorant Parisian family. Hopefully, they had a good Christmas, but we have not seen the parents since then.
Haha, not me Jane! I have been renting rooms on and off since I was 20
and have been mostly lucky. The only 2 difficult short term tenants I have had
were french and young. The first ones came via a cultural association putting on an event in Montpellier - in fact they were street artists - they smoked the place up and sprayed cider (!) all down the dining room wall (which I discovered later). The others were masters students coming for their part time work experience in Montpellier - again is spite of NO SMOKING on the website, in the contract and being told verbally…they also smoked the place up. They also destroyed the carpet in the corridor with bleach. How on earth can 26 year olds in post grad studies not realise that bleach dyes fabric!!!
Happy New Year Sophie
My mother ran a guest house and I have worked in the hospitality area, these people, the family of our friends, did no damage, they were just rude.
Also we find that the French expect to pay a deposit and the remainder on arrival. We have had to turn down bookings because of this. They just do not get it that we only have the one gite and if anything happens that they need to change their holiday plans after they have reserved the gite it is us that will suffer financially if we cannot relet.
Yes your situation was different because you were just helping a friend and mine were classic bookings. I am trying out Airbnb for all the obvious reasons. You can indicate the cancellation conditions but I believe they retain a right to cancel. You can also limit it to taking bookings no further than say 3 months ahead. I used to take bookings up to one year ahead but don’t advise that. Good luck anyhow…
We have a booking this summer that will have been made almost two years ago!
In 2015 we went to Ypres for the centenary of the Battle of Loos and handed round our cards to some of our fellow
group. We were surprised that it actually resulted in the booking.
Now we cannot remember who these people are, as there was 150 of us!
I was co-erced into letting some supposed pilgrims stay. After offering them the floor of our salle overnight (which is what they would have slept on if they had been allowed to stay in the salle des fetes), I ended up letting them use a gite which they squatted for several days feigning a heavy cold. I left them an oven made casserole which they heated on the hob and broke the dish with no apologies. The pair claimed to be from an organisation working with children and the environment (terre des enfants or terre d’enfance which has a very similar name to a real charity and they even had embroidered caps made with this logo) and I had to listen to the blather about how, although the pair could not pay me, they knew that I would receive good luck … I had to threaten them with the police to get them out ! Generally one knows when one is being scammed - I am too polite to just say to scammers - ‘here take the money and don’t waste my time and dignity with your stupid story’