“The description provided by Sykes was misleading.”
The cottage was located a significant distance from all amenities - the local pub was not a fully operating pub and was not open the whole time we were there and the shop was over 4 miles away.
The beds were awful - they must have been over 20 years old and that’s in both bedrooms. I had a bad back after the first night and had to suffer through 6 more nights.
The TV equipment was also very old and rarely worked. When it did work the synch between the sound and picture was out. Again in both bedrooms and downstairs.
The toaster was rusty and the bathroom radiator did not work so we couldn’t dry towels.
The shower was broken in the main bathroom - every time you twisted the knob part of it broke off and your hand was covered in glue as the owner had attempted a botched up quick fix rather than replaced the broken shower knob.
I don’t blame the owner but do blame Sykes cottages for misrepresenting the quality of the cottage and the distance from amenities.
Very disappointing
Thank you for providing your feedback following your stay at Rusby Barn. We are sorry that the property didn’t quite meet your expectations in relation to the facilities and amenities. We pride ourselves on our property, and the vast majority of our guests have always rated the comfort and facilities of the property very highly. We feel that our description does give a true representation of what to expect when you arrive, and the true nature of the property’s rural and scenic location. We have TVs in both of the bedrooms, and the TV in the Master bedroom also has a built-in DVD player. The property also has an Amazon Fire Stick, which allows guests to stream films and programmes from a wide variety of services including Netflix, Amazon, BBC iPlayer, Spotify, etc, and the property also has Superfast Fibre Broadband. We check that each TV is working properly during every changeover. If you had made us aware of any issues during your stay, we would have been more than happy to attend the property and assist you. The local Pub, The Fox Inn, was open over the weekend during your stay, and there is another pub, shop, tearoom, and also a bakery which houses a café and a gallery, just over a 2 mile walk away in the nearby village of Melmerby. It may be that some local amenities were not able to open as usual as a result of COVID-19, however, unfortunately this is completely out of our control, and we can only apologise that this had an impact on your stay. Thank you again for your feedback.
Sykes owner relations