Short Lets Malta Reviews 39

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Feb 26, 2023

Thanks for your feedback, if we managed to map your user name Maurice to the correct reservation, we understand that the issue of the security deposit has been solved, if you need more assistance please inform through the official email you can find on the website and quote us the exact name of the person who did the booking.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Jul 15, 2022

Thanks for your review, unfortunately, this review which was posted here instead of the normal bookings channel because it was only meant to damage our reputation, Trustpilot simply allows you to post what you want, it does not matter, good, bad or terrible and unlike hospitality channels, TrustPilot does not allow you to post collaborating photos. This is clear situation which fortunately is very rare, where a guest wants to find a way out of a non-refundable reservation and resorts to the classical review blackmail . We operate 180 properties and several boutique Hotels and our reviews, which count in the thousands can be checked on booking.com, TripAdvisor. and Airbnb channels, which are the correct hospitality channels. Nearly 90% of our properties offer free cancellation policy, no reason needed, just cancel, some however are non-refundable because of specific instructions from the particular landlord. Nothing of the above is true and the review in fact is not specific to the apartment but a general one, the apartment was fully checked before arrival and you do not stay in business as long as we have ,if we do not operate high standards.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Updated Jul 20, 2022

Thanks for your review, unfortunately we are disappointed that you posted the review complaining about the deposit. A deposit is a bond ranging from Euro 300 to Euro 700 one pays on check-in and it is fully returned on check-out. It is generally charged by credit card and returned after departure, money does occasionally take some time to arrive especially if it is pre-authorization as it may take 30 days. When it is pre-authorization on the credit card we do not physically take the money from your card but we simply block that amount, there is no money transfer, after the lapse of the 30 days the money is unfrozen. Now some credit companies take 30 days other 48 hours but we have no control over it. We are always trying to find credit companies who are more efficient in unfreezing funds and hopefully in the near future it will be instant. In your case, we did not charge you any deposit, or pre-authorization, you paid no deposit. A simple statement check on the your credit card as advised by ourselves numerous times, before posting the review would have been appreciated. With regards to the issue of the cement droppings unfortunately a neighboring property decided to plaster their balcony during your stay, the situation was however milder than explained above but nevertheless we acknowledge it is an inconvenience so please at your convenience please send us a private email. On another note, wifi is provided free of charge in all apartments, it is 24/7 so we do not switch it on and off and we check it remotely, the issue that you encountered at 3.00am was not fault of the provider but although we could not assist you at 3.00am, we did fix your wifi issue asap the following day.
Well we answered all your emails but it seems that you find it more comfortable discussing your issues here, luckily the deposit issue is now clear and it is confirmed that there was no deposit payment. With regards to the facilities, unfortunately not aware of the works that a private third party neighbour did on this property. Short let property is private property that is rented out on short term, it is different from a hotel where the operator controls the hotel and the grounds surrounding the hotel. In this case, similarly to any private property, the neighbour did some plastering and some of the plastering ended in the balcony of our property but we were not notified, otherwise we would have covered the Jacuzzi and the balcony, why would we intentionally damage our own property especially the Jacuzzi? When you notified us we came rushing to clean terrace and after the cleaners left we understood that you were happy to continue with your stay. Thanks

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Updated Feb 26, 2023

Thanks for your comment, please note that you have been refunded the security deposit on the 11th April, after you advised that it was not showing in your account we also provided you the proof of transfer. We understand that now you identified the money on your bank statement so we are glad that it was sorted.
Noting now your reply, can you please clarify at your convenience that you successfully received the deposit.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

May 6, 2022

Thanks for your comment, we understand that you stayed in Spinola Park complex (https://spinolapark.com/) the building is located in the middle of St Julians and is one of the newest and biggest mixed use complexes in St Julians. The façade was retained to keep in line with the traditional old style townhouses in the area, but it very obvious that the property is a new built, it also houses offices, a food court etc. With regards to the outdoor pool, it was clearly explained that it is closed in November to May, the pool is not heated so it is basically unusable when it is cold. We take great care in making sure the property listing's description is as accurate as possible and we will make sure to take on your feedback and adjust according for the benefit of future guests.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

May 6, 2022

Thanks for your comment, please note that in August 2021 the Island was open for tourism and it was one of the busiest periods in 2021. You booked a non-refundable option, there were many other option available, many other hotels, apart from ours that offered free cancellation and there also specialized insurances. The Penthouse you booked is a very specific and special property and it is generally booked months in advance. It was made very clear at the time of booking that for this property free cancellation does not apply. The no show from your side cost the company Euro 2,400 as to keep booking, landlords are paid at the time of booking. This is no a question of malpractice, the rules were made clear at the time booking, and constantly emphasized before the booking confirmation. Thanks and kind Regards.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Aug 6, 2021

Dear Yvonne, Thanks for your review, unfortunately, there is the misconception here, when guests book through online portals, like in this case Airbnb it is not the same like a direct booking, when one does a reservation through online portal the deposit or balance money is not passed to the service provider but kept in escrow with the OTA, it is only released 24 after the arrival of the guest, this important as it helps avoid instances of fraud in case the apartment or property advertised does not exist. When a client asks to cancel even if the reason is justified, the service provider cannot just cancel the reservation, it has to happen through the cancellation process of the the online portal. Online portals make money from commissions, so when there is a cancellation apart from the accommodation money there the commission money (20%) that belongs to the online portal that needs refunding so there is process that needs to be followed. Without the online portal approval even if we agree to a full refund the guest will still receive 20% less originally paid. In this case you have been refunded in full from Airbnb as the money was always at Airbnb. While we fully understand the stress that this situation caused, it is unfair the write a review on a third party portal instead on the relevant Airbnb site without fully clarifying that Airbnb refunded you in full.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Aug 6, 2021

Dear Brian, thanks for the review, we are sorry for the inconvenience and the fact that because of the pandemic you had to cut your stay short. Your booking was for a long stay so the rates were heavily discounted compared to a short stay and then you booked through Airbnb. Without going into the merits of the issues surrounding the possibility of being able to refund unutilized days in a month long stay at discounted rates, it is important to note that you booked through Airbnb, your money goes to the Airbnb portal, it is then Airbnb decides on cancellation issues, Airbnb already charged commission on the transaction so without the portal refund of the commission any refund was not possible. Airbnb is generally a very fair site and on a general note, on issues of cancellations it generally tends to lean more in favor of the guests, however in this case Airbnb did not agree to a refund probably because the lease had already commenced. Malta never closed it borders to outbound repatriation flights but only to new inbound tourism, and this was specifically to avoid the possibility of importing new cases.

Reply from Short Lets Malta

Aug 6, 2021

Dear Morgan, thanks for your comments, we apologize for this incident and we accept full responsibility for this last minute cancellation, the landlord decided to cancel your reservation, the reason however was not linked to a double booking but more an issue that the landlord was unsure if specials permits were needed to be able to do a wedding reception at the holiday Villa. The landlord feared that if the reception was too big the neighbors might complain and send the police which would also ruin the reception. Although the landlord concerns were justified we still believe last minute cancellations are not acceptable. We have since tight all the landlord to very strict cancellation policies, so similar incident would not be repeated. We did however offer you a brand new Villa for the exact days but you preferred a full refund. For us it was also a big loss that your reservation was cancelled, as you know, you had booked many other services from our company including catering so the cancellation resulted in cancellation for many other services, which were of course refunded in full. We apologize again and for this and when it will be safer to travel because do contact us again making reference to the unfortunate cancellation and we will do our best to make it up to you.