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Review content:
We rented the full Time-Away lodge as a central place for my family to gather, as we live all across the country. Unfortunately, several weeks prior to our trip, my grandfather took seriously ill, and as a result half of our party (5/11 people) could not make it.
The owners were inflexible, and their best offer was to refund 50% of the full rental price toward a future visit, defending that position by stating that it was ?their policy?. The owners of the property consist of a middle-aged couple that live in the house next door. I could understand if our visit was preventing them from alternately booking the place, but they later told us that they are typically only full about 30% of the time, and that most of that is in the winter. In any case, given the stiff cancellation charge, we decided to continue with our party of 6, and to try to make the most of a bad situation.
And then there was the flood.
The water level began about 6"" higher than usual and continued to rise, causing us a great deal of anxiety as to whether we?d be able to get back into the property if we left. By the fourth and final day of our stay, the water level was about 6? deep all around the house, and still rising. We called the owner that morning (whose house was now an island in the river), who told us that the news stations (who were predicting an additional 24? of water) were ?exaggerating?, and that we should sit tight and think of our trip as an ?adventure?! We went out that day for lunch and to see what downtown Rockford had to offer, and when we returned to the house, it too was an island, with a walk through 8? deep water needed to get to the door. Myself, my wife, and kids all took off our shoes and trudged through the water. My elderly mother, pregnant sister, and her husband arrived soon after, and it was then that the owners came wading through the 3 feet of water over to the house we were renting. They said that they could not ?in good conscience? allow us to stay there, and asked that we immediately pack our things and leave. They waited outside, and we noticed that many young men began waiting with them as well. We later realized that the only reason they asked us to leave was the same reason that those young men came by ? to clear out the lower level of the house to avoid water damage.
Pros: Reasonably comfortable
Cons: Dying grandfather, flood, and greed
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