Ants in Chapel Cottage - Sweetcombe Agent
Upon arrival at Chapel Cottage, we were pleased with our choice of accommodation., It was private and in a quiet, lovely area.
Once unpacked, we sat and read the cottage information booklet which detailed a recurring ant problem that occurs inside the lounge and dining room window areas at certain times of the year. The booklet also stated that pest specialists had been out and nothing was able to be done to solve the problem as the ants lived in the walls of the cob. Unfortunately, this made us rather anxious and whilst settling in on our first evening, our mood changed to one of despair when the ants, and flying ants duly arrived as stated in the booklet! We removed the cushions instantly as they were covered with ants. Ant powder was provided, which we used, but unfortunately it didn’t work on the flying ants.
The following evening, in desperation, as to how to control the ants we phoned the out of hours contact number only to have the phone put down on us! Nobody called us back and to say we were livid is an understatement.
Two people from Sweetcombe Cottages did come out the following day to try and help elevate the problem to which they thought this should have worked, but to no avail. The ants persisted and returned every night of our stay, completely ruining our holiday. We felt compelled to be in the cottage each evening and changed our plans to try and control the ants/flying ants. We were stressed to our wits’ end.
We wish the known problem was disclosed to us prior to booking. Sweetcombe Cottages should have been up front in advance of taking our money. Nowhere on Sweetcombe Cottages website for this cottage was there any warning about the ant problem. We felt well and truly deceived and felt this cottage was miss-sold to us.
We were told the ants were ‘an act of nature’ and only lasted for 48hours. In our opinion, the ants are a known, recurring problem that Sweetcombe Cottages knew about and admit cannot be fixed in this cottage (as stated in the cottage’s information book).
We never received an apology for the phone being put down on us or the suffering during our stay. We did ask for a part refund which they reimbursed £50 as a good will gesture from the owner of the cottage!. We believe this was too little too late especially after vacuuming and cleaning every evening. Not once did we have a relaxing evening.
We hope this review will make other decent holidaymakers aware of a potentially ruined holiday and not to book this cottage in the warmer months of the year.
Reply from Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays
Dear Nicole,
We’re very sorry to read that your experience at Chapel Cottage did not meet your expectations, and we’d like to take this opportunity to address the points raised in your review.
Chapel Cottage is a much-loved 380-year-old cob-built property, full of character and charm. Being an older cottage nestled in a countryside setting, it is naturally more exposed to seasonal elements such as flying ants -a temporary, nationwide phenomenon that can occur over a few days during the summer months. This is not a persistent pest issue, but an act of nature that can affect any home, particularly during a short window of warm, humid weather.
To clarify, the note in the cottage welcome book is included purely as a precaution, so that guests are not alarmed if flying ants appear - and to direct them to the ant powder and spray provided, which usually resolves the issue quickly. Many years go by without any sightings at all.
You called our office on the Monday morning to report a few ants, and we offered to attend the cottage that same day, but this was declined. Later that evening, you called our out-of-hours emergency line. We understand you were distressed, but unfortunately our staff were subjected to raised voices and shouting during the call. We take the wellbeing of our team seriously and cannot condone verbal abuse. After asking for the call to remain calm, we made the difficult decision to end the call when this was not possible. We followed up with a call the very next morning and visited promptly that day.
During our visit, there were no ants present inside the property at that time. We proactively applied further ant powder, sealed a couple of minor cracks where they may have entered, and did all we could to assist. You acknowledged during this visit that the flying ants were indeed a temporary natural event and that there was nothing more we could do.
At the end of your stay, you sent through some photos and videos showing a small number of ants, mostly dead, in the window seat area, which had already been treated with powder and contained the activity. While we do not believe this constituted an infestation, we understand it affected your enjoyment and therefore offered a goodwill refund of £50.
We always aim to be transparent, and we’re sorry you felt this situation should have been stated more clearly before booking. As it is a seasonal, weather-related occurrence that may or may not happen each year, and affects many properties across the UK, we do not list it as a permanent issue.
We’re disappointed you felt your holiday was ruined, despite our team’s efforts to assist throughout your stay, we are a small local team who go above and beyond to help our guests. We take all feedback seriously and are always looking for ways to improve the guest experience. However, we also have a responsibility to protect our staff and property owners to provide a fair, balanced account of events.
Kind Regards
The Sweetcombe Team
