Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My ********** stayed at **** W. Beach Dr. the week of July 22. When we arrived, there was a terrible smell on the lower level of the house. The smell was so bad that we feared it was toxic. We called the fire department- based on what they could test for (which was not much), the smell wasn't toxic. They could not guarantee the lack of hazardous gas in the house. They also found a gas powered leaf blower inside the house. We could not use the bedroom on the lower level. The rental company tried to solve the smell but could not. Also, one of the heavy shower heads fell on my nephew while he was in the shower. In addition, the fan over the stove was broken.After my much anticipated beach vacation was interrupted multiple times (3 days in a row) by maintenance workers, I told the rental company to not come out anymore. I also called the owner of the property, following a directive she left in the kitchen; she never returned my call.Based on the website stating *********************** the house, the amount I paid, I have calculated our loss to be $2480. That is the amount I seek to be refunded.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/25/2023

  *************** checked into her unit on July 22nd and then contacted our office that evening stating that there was a smell downstairs.We immediately sent a tech down to investigate the concerns and he set up an ionizer to clean the air. *************** contacted the fire department, who located the owners leaf blower in the downstairs owners lock up closet. The fire department stated that there wasnt anything toxic, not to mention, they would not just leave if they thought the smell was dangerous to anyone. She then contacted our office again on July 23rd with concerns regarding the smell downstairs, the fan above the stove wasnt working and a showerhead that fell off (thank goodness no one was injured). One of our technicians went to the property to fix the showerhead that unfortunately needed a plumber. He inspected the fan over the stove and determined that the motor went out and would need to be replaced. He also explained to *************** that the smell seemed to be a musky smell that we experience often with the high humidity that we have in the summer months. *************** told him before he left that she did not want anyone else to come out during her stay and that we could make repairs after she checked out. We respected Mrs. ****** wishes and even offered her $700 compensation for the inconvenience. *************** stayed the full week and would not allow us to correct the items, nor would she accept the good will gesture that was offered. It is unfortunate that *************** had these issues occur during her stay. We do wish her the best in her future endeavors. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20611699
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the information the business provided is inaccurate.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  The information provided was based on time stamped workorders, notes put in by the technicians and reservationist. It is unfortunate that *************** feels that it is inaccurate.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20611699
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the company continues to lie about their efforts to repair the smell.  The fire department told me that they could only test for certain chemicals, and could not rule out all toxins.  Also, I requested no more maintenance workers because the maintenance workers told me they could not fix the smell (the ionizer did nothing as did the futile spaying of Lysol), they could not repair the shower head and they could not repair the stove vent.  Yes, thank goodness no one was injured by the showerhead...by saying that does BBR resolve itself of culpability?  Please let BBR know the word "musky" means a sweet smell, not the putrid, noxious gas we had to smell for a week.  Yes, I did say for no one else to come out as my family's expensive, long-anticipated vacation had been interrupted 3 days in a row, and I was not going to allow their incompetence to interrupt my vacation anymore.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  With regards to our stay at the Kings Crown Property, we checked in around 4:10 pm on 06/09/2022. Upon checking in we noticed a very strong smell in the house. This was not a musty smell, but smelled more like a chemical smell, possibly mothballs. We also noticed what looked like black mold in the bathroom. I immediately called the office and spoke to a gentleman about the issue and asked if they had any other properties available, we could move to. He said he wasn't sure and would call me back and send someone from housekeeping to address the problem. During this time some of our friends who rented the house with us began to feel sick and had to use their inhaler because he was having a hard time breathing in the house. My son also started to have a headache from being in the house due to the smell. We tried airing the house out as we unloaded our food and other belongings. This did not work. At this point, we were feeling that it was unsafe to reside in the house due to the potential health issues that being in the house was causing my son and one of our friends. It was becoming apparent that residing in the house would cause health issues for the guests. After about an hour we did not receive a callback, and no one showed up to address the issue. I again called the office around 5:15 pm. However, their office was closed. I called their emergency number and left a message. I also drove to their office to see if anyone was still in their office. But it was dark inside and the doors were locked. After about 10 minutes, their maintenance man called me back and I explained the situation. He did say he would bring over air purifiers, but it would be about an hour or so before he was able to pick up the equipment and bring it to the house. During this time, we had the fans turned on and did open windows and doors. However, the smell would not go away. He arrived around 6:45 pm. When he walked into the house, he did say that he smelled something.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/21) */
  Mr. ******* booked the property Kings Crown for June 9th through June 12th. Our check-in time is between 4 pm and 6 pm with several guests checking in at that time. Mr. ******* checked into the property at 4:12 pm on June 9th and left the property at 6:13 pm the same day. Within those two hours, Mr. ******* contacted our office with concerns of a smell and the reservationist placed a work order at 4:40 pm and then told the guest that someone would be in contact with him. Our afterhours technician reached out to the guest and let him know that he was finishing another call and would be out to him shortly after. The technician got to the property and the guest was packed and ready to leave. The technician walked through the property with the guest and stated that he did not smell any type of chemical smell but offered to set up air purifiers, Mr. ******* stated that it was not necessary and that he was not going to stay at the property. Mr. ******* did not give Better Beach Rentals the opportunity to investigate and correct his concern, instead he vacated the property. This goes against the rental agreement that Mr. ******* agreed to. Better Beach Rentals wishes Mr. ******* the best with his future endeavors.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/29/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I made an online reservation (#XXXXX) with Better Beach Rentals on May 26th for an Oct. 20-24 stay at a home on Oak Island. I paid a deposit of $593.98. Shortly after making the reservation, my mother informed me that she would not be able to join us in this rental because she was diagnosed with COPD and would not be able to climb all of the stairs leading into the property.
  
  After several attempts to contact Better Beach Rentals (emails and phone calls on 7/1, 7/3, and 7/5), Better Beach Rentals finally responded and told me on 7/7 that they would not return my deposit until the property was re-rented for my requested time period for the same exact amount I was expected to pay. I argued with them about this, but they told me that this arrangement was specified in the contract. I was aware of the $95 cancellation fee, but I had no idea that such a ridiculous deposit forfeiture clause was included, never mind ethical or enforceable! I have never encountered a clause such as this in any other rental situation.
  
  They had plenty of notice - more than is required by Air BnBs or hotels - to rent out the property, but now have NO incentive to do so. They would have had even more notice had they responded to my earliest emails. What incentive do they have to rent the property at all, or even at full price? They can even offer the property to new renters at a discount since the company already has my $500.
  
  How is it legal or fair for a business to keep a deposit of more than $500 after the traveler cancels a reservation that was placed six days earlier for a date that is three months away?
  
  I don't expect to get back my deposit, but it is only fair to return my $498.98.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/07) */
  Ms. ********* made a reservation online on May 26th as she stated and added the optional travel insurance. At that time, she also signed the rental agreement that states that all cancellations must be in writing, a verbal cancellation will be accepted by phone, but must be followed up in writing verifying the telephone call. Tenant agrees that the total paid under this agreement will be forfeited if the property is not re-rented for the same period of time for the full amount. A cancellation fee of $95.00 plus any applicable taxes will be charged for all cancellations. Any amounts forfeited or charged for cancellation may be taxable. If property is re-rented, for the entire rental period at the full rate, the total paid, less the cancellation fee, other non-refundable fees and the travel insurance premium, will be refunded within 30 days after your reservation departure date. All refunds are paid in the same manner as received. TRIP CANCELLATION PROTECTION IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO PROTECT AGAINST UNEXPECTED EVENTS. Ms. ********* sent an email to us on July 3rd at 9:12pm requesting to cancel her reservation. Our office closes at 5:00pm so the email wasn't seen until the next morning and the cancellation process began. An email was sent to Ms. ********* on July 6th confirming that her reservation had been cancelled and if you purchased travel insurance to contact them to file a claim. It seems that Ms. ********* read the rental agreement that she signed since she did send her request for cancellation in writing, she was aware of the cancellation fee of $95 and she chose to purchase the optional travel insurance and even filed a claim after she received confirmation of her cancellation. In accordance to Ms. *********'s contract, Better Beach Rentals has not waivered from what is expected of them, and we ask that Ms. ********* be patient with the travel insurance company that are working on her claim. We wish Ms. ********* the best in her future endeavors.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/10) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The representative from Better Beach Rental has incorrectly stated that the date I emailed my request to cancel the reservation on a late Friday, July 1st. That is wrong. I submitted my first request at 11:34 AM on Thursday, June 30th. And I am not disputing the fact that I read the terms of the contract. I am disputing the fact that the terms are unreasonable, unfair and very ANTI-CONSUMER. I gave plenty of notice (113 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes to be exact) and know of NO OTHER property rental company that expects to keep the entire amount of a deposit with that much notice of cancellation. Again, the terms of the contract are ANTI-CONSUMER in that the business has no incentive to rent the property at full price and I have virtually NO chance of receiving my money back in spite of the long lead time they have had about the cancellation.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2022/10/19) */
  I'm sorry that Ms. ********* feels as she does. Better Beach Rentals fully discloses our cancellation policy before booking so that the guest understands and agrees to the terms, and we offer optional travel insurance in case you have an unexpected need to cancel. As I stated previously, Ms. ********* purchased the optional travel insurance and filed a claim with them. We again ask her to be patient with the travel insurance company and let them complete the work on her claim. We wish Ms. ******** the best in her future endeavors.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/11/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We rented a house that was not in the condition as the advertisement on the website. This is false advertisement at its finest. The house was filthy, in need of many repairs to furniture, walls, appliances, faucets and was infested with cockroaches. We arrived at 5:30 pm ( check in was 4pm) .. housekeeping was in the unit.. and a rep from the real estate agency checked the home immediately after housekeeping left.. told us to enter the home.. it was ready. We were waiting in the parking spaces at the home. So this was in person contact with housekeeping and rep from agency. It's 6:30 we enter and find a multitude of problems.. beginning with roaches , debris on the floors, and furniture so filthy with food, bugs, stains and grime.
  My husband called immediately.. no one returned our call until Monday. We purchased 100.00 plus worth of cleaning products and cleaned the home for five hours. It was still beyond sanitary. I believe this business should reimburse us for the cleaning products, for our time cleaning this misrepresented house. I'm certain the house due to its many damages would indeed be deemed unsanitary or safe for inhabitants. The roach infestation alone posses a health threat to those that stay there. We were unfortunately at Better Beach Realty mercy as we were hours away from home with pets. And since our rental was Saturday-Saturday we were forced to stay in the home. As this was our first time visiting oak island.. we were at a loss of what to do for accommodations. Our family only rented this property based on the website pictures.. had we known of the moldy, rundown home we were actually paying for we would not have rented this home. And for the price we paid over 6 thousand we expected more! We could have stayed in a one star hotel for the same experience we received in this home! We were not able to use the stove, dishwasher or coffee maker due to filth and dead roaches. We could not sit on the sofas without covers on them due to the filth.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/17/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/13) */
  I would be more than happy to assist Mrs. ***** with her concerns, but I have looked through all our guest's database and do not see a reservation for Mrs. *****. If she would please let me know who's name this reservation is under or which property and/or dates of their stay, then I could have more information regarding their reservation. Thank you
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/09/14) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The home was rented 8/28-9/03 jewel of the fleet. It was rented by my husband and my daughter. My husbands name is listed on the rental agreement.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/09/23) */
  The property Jewel of the Fleet was rented by Mr. E**** for the week of August 27th through September 3rd. Mr. E**** entered the property at 4:46pm, not 5:30pm as Ms. ***** claims. These properties have keyless entry and document when guest enter for the first time. Mr. E**** spoke with our housekeeping manager at 5:12 pm stating that the place was filthy, she offered to send housekeeping back out but Mr. E**** refused the offer and stated that he had brought his own cleaning crew with him. The housekeeping manager thought this was odd but did not question it. The next day Mr. E**** called again and stated that he spent $100 in cleaning supplies and would like to be refunded for it. The manager asked him to send in the receipt and we would reimburse him for it. She also offered him a late check-out. Another manager spoke with Mr. E**** and offered to compensate him for the cleaning which is above and beyond since Mr. E**** refused to let us come take care of his concerns. The manager sent Mr. E**** a compensation agreement to sign so that he could refund him the cleaning fee but Mr. E**** refused to sign the agreement. On September 2nd, the day before they were to check-out the housekeeping manager reached out to Mr. E**** again since she never received the receipt for the cleaning products, she left a message but never received a response. Better Beach Rentals has acted in accordance with the rental agreement, it is unfortunate that Ms. ***** feels as she does. We wish her the best in her future endeavors.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My mother in law rented a house for us to stay the week of August 13th 2022 to August 20th 2022 from Better Beach Rentals. The house was called C house. She paid close to $2200.00 for the week. The house on the website was absolutely gorgeous stating it was 5 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms. There was 10 of us. Three adult couples and 4 children (2 girls and 2 boys). The check in time was 4:00 pm on the 13th. We arrived a little after 4:00 pm and was told the house wouldn't be ready until after 6:00 pm because it was still being cleaned but that we could go ahead and unload our stuff and let the maid finish cleaning. Upon entering the home, there was a moldy mildew smell. The room in the library was covered in black mold. There was exposed wires where a fire detector was supposed to be. The house was covered in dog hair and sand all over the chairs. You couldn't see out of the windows due to dirt and mildew. The air filters were covered in dust and dirt. I could go on and on about the filth. There was only 3 bedrooms and not 5 bedrooms also. We contacted Better Beach and they sent the manager out who called his management and said that he could not even allow us to stay in the home for health concerns. They did try to put us in another home that was open but there was not enough rooms. The manager Brett found us another home but the cost was $3000.00 more. At that point we had no choice driving 6 hours with no place to stay but to pay the extra cost. Better Beach refunded the original amount but that was all. The lady manager over rentals was very rude when asked if the money had been refunded and stated she was sorry, she had a bad day. Her day couldn't have been worse than losing $3000.00 and a day at the beach for our vacation.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/01) */
  The property C House was rented by a Ms. ******** for the week of August 13th-20th. This is a five-bedroom, oceanfront home. Ms. ******** booked this property herself online and the description and pictures on the website are correct as listed. Since Ms. ******** rented this, I'm not sure at the time she shared this information with the complainant Ms. ****** or not.
  Ms. ******** and her party did arrive to the property and contacted the office with their concerns. Brett went to the property to meet with the guest, and they were in the driveway waiting. They immediately stated that they would not be staying there, it was filthy and would like to be moved. We tried to assist the guest, but we were booked and had no available properties to meet their needs. At this time, we offered them a full refund and our reservations manager even called around to other property management companies to help assist Ms. *********** party. The other property management companies were booked up as well, but we were able to find them a couple of properties. The first was not oceanfront and Ms. ******** stated that they didn't want it for that reason. The second property was oceanfront but was more expensive. We gave Ms. ******** a full refund as well as the contact information for the other company so that she could book whichever property she preferred. No one forced Ms. ******** to accept the property that she chose when they contacted the other rental company. Better Beach Rentals were merely trying to assist her since they no longer wanted the property that they rented. We even took Ms. ******** and her party linens at no added cost to them since the other rental company did not provide them for their guest.
  Better Beach Rentals have gone above and beyond for Ms. ******** and her party. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The house we reserved was listed as "Sleeps 14" but in early July, we looked closer at the bedroom pictures and it appeared there were not enough beds for 14 people. I sent a message to hopefully clarify since the pictures did not match the property description. No one ever answered the message. Weeks later, after multiple attempts, we were able to contact someone from Better Beach Rentals. They admitted that the property was misrepresented in the listing. They were unable to place us in an appropriately sized house. They admitted the false advertising was their fault, but did not do anything to make it right.
  Once we got to the house, it was very hot. We called Better Beach Rentals and were completely dismissed, they told us it was hot because we were going in and out too much. The next day we called again, two different men came to the house, they both were completely unprofessional and RUDE, again telling us that it was our fault for opening and closing doors. One of them eventually admitted that the HVAC system was not sized appropriately for the house. The temperature of the house was unbearable (76-82 degrees) even when we remained out of the house for hours, the house still did not cool. The thermostat in the house kept giving error messages. The error messages appeared, even when we were out the house all day/evening. The air filters looked like they had not been changed in years so we bought and replaced them thinking that may help. Many people in our family had difficulty breathing while in the house.
  The house was filthy upon arrival so we had to purchase and use swiffers and a mop - the floors were absolutely disgusting. Layers of dirt and dust also covered ceiling fans and other surfaces. We sent multiple messages to Better Beach Rentals with no response. We are seeking a refund due to their *admitted* false advertising and multiple unanswered complaints.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/23) */
  Ms. ******** booked the property the "Knotty Pelican" and did call our office on July 23rd with concerns regarding the number of people the property sleeps. We immediately reached out to the owner of the property to see if the bed count was changed. The owner did confirm that they had been remodeling and removed a bed. Better Beach Rentals then contacted the guest back and offered to refund them so they could find another property since we didn't have anything available that size for their dates. Ms. ******** stated that they had all taken off for those dates and that it was ruining their vacation plans. We then offered to loan them roll-away beds if that would help. Ms. ******** said that she would talk to her family and get back to us about it. She later stated that she would except if she could have some compensation as well. We offered her $400 compensation in addition and she accepted our offer verses refunding in full and cancelling her reservation.
  Ms. ******** then arrived a couple of weeks later and the second day of her stay, she contacted our office regarding the temperature in the property. We then sent a maintenance technician out to the property to check on the issue. The technician immediately noticed that the doors were being left open for long amounts of time. He proceeded to check the temperature coming out of the vents and it was registering 43 degrees. He explained to the guest that it was a good temperature but to easy their minds he would contact the HVAC company and have them check the unit as well. He did point out to the guest that they should move the cases of water in front of the vent near them in the kitchen as that might help. Later that day, the HVAC technician arrived, he also noticed the doors being opened repeatedly for long periods of time. He went on and checked the lines and the condenser coils, he even added a pound of refrigerant even though it was registering at a normal level. He then informed the guest that leaving the door open for extended amounts of time was causing the unit to work harder than intended and that it could not keep up.
  No time during Ms. ********'s stay did she contact our office or tell the technicians that came to the property that she was unhappy with the cleanliness of the property. If Ms. ******** had of done so, Better Beach Rentals would have sent the housekeeper back to address their concerns. According to the rental agreement that both parties signed, if there is a housekeeping concern the guest must contact us so that we can correct the issue.
  Better Beach Rentals has assisted Ms. ******** with all the concerns that we were made aware of prior and during her stay, it is only after her departure that she now feels that she deserves more. Better Beach Rentals has acted in accordance with the rental agreement, it is unfortunate that Ms. ******** feels as she does. We wish her the best in her future endeavors.