I got up every morning and the only thing I thought about was going to bed at night. Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.
It happened about twenty five years ago when I was in a very dark place in my life.
Right now it’s happening again. I’m not in a dark place (mentally) but in a dark place (physically).
Most people would think I’m crazy for feeling this way considering where I am. I am in a warm climate for a month…away from the cold Midwest winter.
My husband wanted to come here. Initially I was onboard and for the first time in my life, I was not involved in the planning of a trip.
He found a VRBO rental. We’ve used VRBO many times in the last twenty years as we’ve traveled to various places. I’ve always done all the planning because when I travel, I want to be as comfortable where I’m going as I am when I’m home.
When my husband found the rental that we are staying at, I looked at the pictures and thought it looked nice. The listing had everything we always look for…a pool, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, washer/dryer, etc. We want the extra room for family when they visit.
Several months before our travel date, I did a little online searching of the area to see what there was to do while we were here.
The first thing that popped up online about this community was that since a hurricane went through several years ago, this community has not rebounded as quickly as others. The all-knowing Internet said that poor local government, poor water quality, and a few other things are the reason there are over 25,000 homes for sale in this county. Whoa, that’s a lot of for sale signs.
The more I read, the less I wanted to come here. I put my ducks in a row before I approached my husband with my concerns. He didn’t seem concerned. As long as we had a roof over our head, a car, access to groceries, restaurants, and attractions, everything would fall into place.
His reassurance didn’t ease my concerns. So much so that I didn’t start packing for this trip until about two hours before we needed to leave for the airport. Maybe I was setting myself up mentally for failure.
Travel day went smoothly. Rental car pick up went smoothly. I was starting to feel better.
Until we arrived at the rental. Then I wasn’t feeling better.
The exterior of the house we rented looked NOTHING like the exterior in the picture on the VRBO site.
This was the first time this has happened to us in twenty years of renting like this.
It should be noted that all the other times we rented through VRBO, we dealt with the owners directly. They were at the rental when we arrived. They showed us around the house, had binders with phone numbers, restaurants, attractions, churches, etc.
This time we were dealing with a management company and a lock box code to get into the house when we arrived.
The concrete driveway and sidewalk were almost black and in desperate need of power washing. The white front door was filthy. The welcome mat was so filthy, the word ‘welcome’ was illegible. The doorbell was hanging off of the wall. The landscaping was nothing but mud. Overgrown bushes, lawn ornaments with paint peeling, and very dirty windows.
If this is how the exterior looks, what awaits me on the other side of the door?
The interior is sparsely decorated, dirt along the baseboards and in the corners, and patio curtains that are stained.
The bedspreads and bedding are old and dingy. To say the least, I am not happy. My husband thinks everything looks fine.
It should also be noted that the only thing in the kitchen besides very old peeling Teflon pots/pans and dishes, is salt and pepper. Any home we’ve ever rented has a welcome basket of fruit, cookies, foil, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. This place was stripped bare.
I contacted the management company and spoke to a woman, Christine, who appeared to be responsive and understanding. She was going to send over new curtains the next day if I wouldn’t mind hanging them. That was eight days ago and still no curtains. A power washing company showed up two days later to clean the driveway and sidewalk. Five days later two housekeepers showed up to clean all the baseboards and corners. The washer that leaks and the ice maker that doesn’t make ice still aren’t fixed.
Since we are here for a month, I assumed someone would come once a week to clean since there are no cleaning products here. Any rental we’ve ever stayed at for more than a week included weekly cleaning services.
I called Christine and she said we are responsible for cleaning the house each week while we are here. She said if I text her a list of cleaning products I need, she’ll have someone deliver them. That was two days ago and still no cleaning products. We are being charged over $800 for cleaning services so it must be for a final cleaning after we leave.
Now let’s talk about the heated pool that was advertised in big bold letters in the VRBO listing for this house. I called the first day about the pool being cold and was told it would require an additional $1,000 for the month to have the pool heater turned on. My husband never saw that in the listing and when I questioned it, it was pointed out to me that it’s at the bottom of the listing, in a paragraph with other miscellaneous items, in a very small font.
I want to go home. He doesn’t. I’m counting the days until we go home instead of counting the minutes we get to stay.
I’ve been in this dark place for over a week now and can’t seem to pull myself out of it. My sister and her husband arrive tonight for a week. Maybe that will help.
I follow Mel Robbins and have been using her words as inspiration for myself, as well as saying the Serenity Prayer ten times a day. Maybe this is deeper than a dirty rental house.
Thanks for listening…
The picture is what we were supposed to get…and didn’t.
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