After reading the many positive reviews in this forum for www.vacationinparis.com, we decided to give them a try for our upcoming trip to Paris (July 19 - July 25).
This following is a time-line of events:
July 1: I placed an inquiry through their webform, requesting an apartment with a few conditions:
- check in July 19th, early check out July 25th (for a 6:35am flight)
- accommodate 3 people
- air-conditioned
- have Internet access
- preferably in district 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 but not mandatory
July 2: I receive a reply back:
%26quot;ID#179 - The Scaramouche meets the requirements but not up to view yet as it is brand new, same owners as our ID 79%26quot; (at this time, the webpage was not yet available)
July 3: After inquiring about and receiving more information about the apartment through e-mail (including a glowing endorsement of the owner), we debate whether or not to take them up on the offer - without even reading a full description or seeing any pictures. After a long discussion, we finally decide to book the place, given the stellar reputation that the agency had.
We paid for everything up front through PayPal and were charged on this day:
RES CHARGES (in US$):
1 Refundable Key %26amp; Security Deposit $150.00 ............ $150.00
6 Nightly Charge $120.00 ............................... $720.00
1 Damage Waiver (Standard) $29.00 ...................... $29.00
Reservation Total.... $899.00
July 4: The webpage for the apartment is finally available, (www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_179.htm). We feel confident in our decision to accept the offer. Here%26#39;s the kicker in the description:
- Complete remodeled June 2007
And finally today:
July 12: We receive an e-mail from the agency:
%26quot;RESERVATION COMMENTS:
IA MA SORRY BUT THIS APARTMENT WILL NOT BE RENOVATED IN TIME FOR YOUR STAY, PLEASE SEE THE EMAIL SENT WITH ALTERNATE OPTIONS AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED.%26quot;
So obviously, you could guess that we were taken aback by such an e-mail and were sent into panic mode. We were to leave in 6 days! Of the 11 alternative apartments that they sent us, 9 of them were out of our budget (one was 4.5X our budget) and none of them fit our most important negotiable criterion of being air-conditioned. Given the plight that they left us in, we tried to negotiate a discounted price on one of the apartments that were slightly out of our budget range but we were quickly refused. They cited that they needed the owner%26#39;s permission to lower the rate. This I can believe. But why don%26#39;t YOU the agency, take a chunk out of YOUR own commission and help the client out that YOU royally screwed over by canceling on them in the last minute.
So be forewarned when using this agency. Not only did they renege on our deal, but this seems like a blatant attempt to up-sell. Vital apartment information was also falsified in their webpage description.
As of now, we are back to square one and will be looking for alternative accommodations through another agency. If anyone here on the board knows of any apartments available for the time period above, please let us know.
-Kordius
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I don%26#39;t know if they will have anything in your price range, but try www.guestapartment.com (I%26#39;ve used them many times and they are wonderful to deal with).
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I feel for you Kordius. If you are talking about arriving next week - not 2008, then you will need to do some quick work in order to secure a place.
Give these two a look see. I don%26#39;t know if they have anything available, but they are quick to respond.
Oasis speaks a little English, Gail speaks fluent English and is a pleasure to deal with.
http://www.paris-oasis.com/
http://www.perfectlyparis.com/
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We rented through regent suites two weeks ago. Their local, in paris partner, was www.parissimo.fr. Very professional and helpful and they speak english. When we didn%26#39;t have enough coffee cups for all of us, there came that afternoon with more and an appolgy. At this late date, call them once you check out the website.
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Thanks folks. Your help is greatly appreciated. We are currently in the process of finalizing our agreement with Michele of http://www.homerentalconnections.com. Hopefully there will not be any hiccups.
I am still fumed about what vacationinparis.com did. Renting out an apartment under false pretenses is utterly unprofessional. Canceling on your client 6 days prior to arrival is even worse.
-Kordius
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Kordius - agreed on all points, glad you seem to have it sorted!
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How frustrating,, six days before you leave too!!!!!!!! I would be furious also.
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Hi Kordius,
the situation is really bad for you, i understand.
Therefore you have to know that in France people working in the construction industry are very busy, sometimes not very serious, and the working time is 35 hours a week. And as in may there was a lot of holiday days, they have built %26quot;long bridges%26quot; ....
But of course it is not your problem and i would like to know something : people say in your country that it is so easy to engage of the continuations and to ask damages, so not possible for you as VacInPa are located in USA ?? If you ask a million dollar, just buy an apart in Paris ...
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Philpetrus, you seem to know the lay of the land for construction work in France so I%26#39;ll ask you this question. I expect to finish a purchase of gitte in Brittany in the next few months and was contemplaing bringing a good friend over to do the renovations with me.
The renovation business here in Canada can be much less expensive if you work under the table (cash, no records etc.). Is there just such an underground economy in the construction trades in France?
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I can answer a bit about part of what you are asking, FWIW.
First, at least as compared to the US (don%26#39;t know about Canada), construction/building costs are FAR lower in France (also in the UK) for very good work (although I have learned that there is a concept of %26quot;village time%26quot; that%26#39;s a bit like %26quot;island time%26quot; if you%26#39;ve ever spent much time in Hawaii etc.), and you have to be patient.
Second, you don%26#39;t want to use people who are not licensed, etc., because if they are licensed and insured it very much works to your benefit if anything goes wrong (there is basically a ten-year guarantee on their work, which you enforce by going to the insurer rather than waiting for them to fix it). Also, if you are selling within that ten year window, your buyer would want to know whether there is insurance still applicable and the price could be affected if not.
And finally, although I know that it%26#39;s done from time to time, I understand that the implications if it comes under official attention can be pretty dire. So, probably not a good idea for anything beyond casual labor (in my imperfectly informed view).
A good source to check for all types of information including sources for workers and sources is the Anglo Info site: www.france.angloinfo.com
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I am glad to hear Kordius found a solution. I am also sorry to hear that I was planning on booking the scaramouche from vacationinparis.com for dec.07/jan.08. I, like you, also thought the renovations were finished in june. However, I haven%26#39;t given them the deposit yet, they gave me a week to do it. Now, I am not sure if I want to continue booking it. One side of me thinks, the renovations should be done in 5 months, right? And the other, desires a smooth-flowing trip and is considering another option. What do you guys think?
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