“I never write negative reviews- my usual response it that I just never use a company again, but I feel compelled to address our experience on this occasion as it was so dreadful.”
We have been renting properties in the Lakes for over 20 years and have always had a great experience UNTIL we rented this property from Sykes. This was the first time I have used Sykes. The property had not been cleaned and was generally filthy. This was alarming particularly due to COVID. If there are pre-covid industry standards they had not been followed. There were hairs and debris throughout, accumulated sludge in the bottom of toothbrush glasses in all 3 bathrooms, toothpaste smudges, food stuck on dining chairs, debris such as plastic container strips in the rug, absence of mattress protectors on two beds, rubbish in the garden, overflowing recycling containers in front garden on arrival which left no room for our recycling, no tenants information folder, filthy floors, wee under toilet seats,sludge accumulated on shower door fittings, debris on surfaces and generally very unclean. Alarmingly, the touch points had not ben cleaned- this was visible as the chrome switch plates were smeared with finger prints.
It was so bad that we almost abandoned the holiday. We were unable to unpack until 11pm as cleaners had to revisit to deal with the property, although they were only able to address the superficial issues.
I noticed the absence of mattress protectors when I put my Type 1 diabetic child to bed. The following day I informed Sykes when we would be back at the property stating that they could leave the protectors at the door or wait for our return but I did not want anyone to go into the property in our absence. I took the key. When we returned, I discovered that someone had been into the property to replace the mattress covers - that was another shocking experience - to discover that exclusive use is not guaranteed and that Sykes allow people to enter the property when you are not there.
Sykes are NOT a member of a regulatory organisation. When I asked about the complaints process I was told that I would need to raise the complaint with the property owner. I paid my money to Sykes. It appears that Sykes do not take responsibility for this property that they rented to me.
Also, I was informed by Sykes that the use of mattress protectors is not guaranteed in their properties (although as part of departure procedure they ask guests to remove bedding , including mattress covers.)
As a result of the poor state/hygiene of the property, my son was so worried that he could not sleep properly and became extremely anxious. The remainder of my family were also very unsettled and not confident about using the property, even after I wiped everything down again - by that point our confidence had been rocked to the core. We only started to relax into the holiday on the 4th day.
I have previously communicated the contents of this review to Sykes. Sykes have not taken any steps to compensate us for the dreadful experience.
I will not use the company again. My advice would be to book with local firms who specialise in the area you wish to stay as they have a greater vested interest.