First impressions of Vacation in Paris apartment #154 Eiffel Tower Lookout

platfield, I'm so sorry to hear about your problem. We almost rented an apartment in the same building - Vacation in Paris #62 - because of the romantic view but rejected it because the bed was only 48". I think it may have belonged to the same owners because it could be grouped with 154. I remember thinking that it's too bad 154 was booked for the dates we wanted. In our case, the person I dealt with downplayed the construction and quoted the bed size in centimeters to make it sound bigger - guess she didn't realize that Canadians use the metric system too. I asked about it and other apartments here and Christina nixed the bed size and type and so I passed on it - thanks Christina!

I ended up booking an apartment in Montmartre and hopefully will have better luck than you. After I posted here, my research indicated that people had mixed results with Vacation in Paris depending on the individual owners, even though it was recommended by many, so I went with an agency that received only positive comments.

Enjoy your time in Paris anyway and think of your apartment as just a place to sleep. Thanks for sharing this information with us as you could save future disppointment for many others!

Too bad about the VIP people not re-locating you to another apartment.

I know that the Paris Perfect people do not let guests stay in that kind of siutation..they do not rent the apt. if something that bad. I know they had two apts. in one bldg...they are always high up for the views and the light..and the elevator went out and needed repairing. They re-located the guests in the two apartments.

It makes a difference when you have an office in the area. The PP office is right off St.
Dominique.

Hope things get better. They at least will not be sorking on the weekend!!

Joan

Since VIP didn't know about this or didn't tell you, I hope they'll be willing to relocate you to a better apartment. After all, you have a week left. It would be great customer service on their part.

Everyone knows that staying in a city can involve construction noise during the day. That is really not a big problem since they work when you are out sightseeing. But when you take a place for the view and balcony and it is not as advertised, adjustments should be made.

It must be difficult to run an agency from the U.S. that involves individual owners in Paris. Sounds as though they don't have anyone working for them on site.

Good luck with your request.

They do have people in Paris and you should have been given their contact information. Register a strong protest with them as well as via email to VIP. I'd phone the US office as well. Your situation is unacceptable; the apartment was marketed as having the view. Good luck.

<<Too bad about the VIP people not re-locating you to another apartment>>>

I don't see that the OP said that.

plafield - have you contacted ViP to see if they would move you? When we rented from them, the material that was sent to us had contact information if there was a problem.

I hope you have some luck getting something back from them. That just isn't fair, not on. I'd be fuming too. I like to have my apartment as my home whilst I am away it is more than just a place to sleep.

Don't let them take you for a ride, mention your Fodor friends.
Schnauzer

I'm truly sorry for your inconvenience. I did see a posting on TA earlier and that person was praising the place. My response when viewing that apartment is something has to be wrong. It looks to good to rent for the price listed.

There are no Paris Perfect apartments anywhere near that price range.

We recently stayed in a VIP apartment in a building undergoing renovations. when I expressed my concern about it I was offered a discount on the rent. However, it was from the apartment owners not from VIP.

suzanne2,

"There are no Paris Perfect apartments anywhere near that price range."

What does that have to do with the problem that they are having?

Joan

Plafield,

Are the other sites shown on the website picture obscured as well? In the shot one can see Invalides, and they mention the Arc, as well.

In case others want to see the apartment, go to:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_154.htm

I'm glad you posted about that, as I thought that apt looked reasonable for myself. I know the area, though, and transportation issues. I probalby wouldn't have just because I don't think I'd rent a Murphy bed, but I admit the view was appealing. I also assumed the construction was issues about noise or just the street being messed up, that is common. I wouldn't have thought about cranes over the windows, and I personally find it hard to believe they didn't know about it. After all, they have a note mentioning the construction.

I will say, though, that I have had dealing with VIP and was not impressed due to them being duplicitous with me, also. I now other people think they are great, but they kind of liked to me, more or less -- well, maybe not lied, but it was a similar situation. They refused to show me photos of a bedroom AND bathroom in one apt I was interested in (the only photos on the website were the kitchen and living room), and claimed it was very nice, they had never had complaints, blah blah, but they just somehow didn't happen to have any photos. Bunch of you know what, since even if they didn't have any, they could have sent someone to take some. Also, it isn't professional to even post something for rent and not have photos, it wasn't a new place.

Well, anyway, just commiserating that my experience with them left a bad taste in my mouth, also. I didn't rent from them for that reason.

Thank you so much for posting your comments, as I was considering that property for next April.

My point is that if I could afford to stay in a luxury apartment, I would certianly consider Paris Perfect. However, with my limited budget I use VIP and sometimes need to be prepared to compromise.
Gracejoan since you say PP treats guest so well, folks should know there is a price to pay for that.

I would never rent an apartment without seeing pictues of the bedroom and bathroom,

In my own experience with VIP, whenever I've had concerns, I have picked up the phone to get the answers I needed. They have always been very up front with me.

I guess we all have to decide for ouselves what is acceptable and how much we chose to pay to get what we want. In my research the PP apartments look to be quite a bit more expensive than this place.The same is true for hotels.

Have you gotten any resoponse to your e-mails? I hope they do compensate you for this. Like I said, they have been very nice to us.

I, too, have had sharply contrasting experiences with VIP. #74, a one bedroom apartment owned by Morgan Cannon (at least when when I was there), is lovely. The king size bed was exceptionally comfortable, the fold out coach mattress nice and thick.

But, God help you if you plan on even one night on the fold out couch in the #137 studio! It was such a torture rack that I decamped as soon as possible to a hotel, even if it meant (and it surely did, my dears) that I would get not one dime back from VIP. Basically, I ended up paying double, (well, more than double) for my accomodations on that particular trip. And they're still advertising that very same backbreaker of a bed!!

I believe that with VIP, you should hesitate to reserve any of their apartments unless fellow posters (who have actually stayed there) provide positive feedback about the apartment you're considering.

<<There are currently construction cranes in proximity to the building which are visible during daytime hours. Construction noise can vary depending on the phase of the construction and occurs only during daytime hours. Because of this possibility, the rental fee has been discounted from $160 to $140 per night (for two persons).>>

Within one day of the complaint they added this disclaimer above.

here is the link.
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_154.htm

That is pretty darned fast. I am curious to see if the OPer got some compensation from it. OPer, please update when yo can.

This makes me think more highly of VIP. My next stay will be an apt for sure when I settle for firm dates and budget for the fall. I hope their reputation will hold.

~Jay

The disclaimer and discount are very interesting.

I have been keeping an eye on this apartment. On the TripAdvisor Forum, someone who just returned reported that the elevator in the building was under repair during their recent visit.

And, the rental was $150/night last weekend (I printed it), so they've raised it to $160, then discounted it to $140?

Suzanne2,

I think some things are basic for a rental. If a rental has a problem, such as this, that seems to be a "long term" problem, it should be so noted in the rental information. Those wishing to rent it at a reduced price, because of the problem, are therefore aware of it and accept it. There should be no "surprises" such as this. It is VIP's responsibility to their guests to be up front with this kind of information.

Joan

Croque_Madame,

I think others will appreciate what you said about VIP #137 - especially since the apt. looks pretty nice.

Question about VIP #74 - I remember others raving about it when it first got renovated(2004 as per website). Did you stay here recently? Just wondering if it's still well maintained?

VIP responded to my email fairly quickly saying they were contacting the owners and would get back to me very soon. This morning, the owner called us at the apartment and asked if he could stop by. He gave us a very nice bottle of champagne (except that I don't drink) and and a song and dance about the low cost of the rental of this apartment compared to other places. I was quite clear that we looked at numerous places in the Marais (where we stayed last year and loved)that were comparably priced and we chose this apartment only because of the view. I also told him that VIP had just discounted the price by $20 ecuase of the noise and the cranes.

He then said he would arrange for a discount of 10 or 15 euros a night and VIP would refund it to us. He was very friendly and asked us if there was anything else he could do for us so we asked for new pillows and showed him how lumpy the pillow were. He was shocked at how based they were and said he'd get us new ones today or tomorrow.

I'm fairly satisfied with how it was dealt with but still left with a sour taste as I would have never chosen this apartment in this location if I had known about the view and the noise. VIP has done what they can and it seems that it all depends on the individual owner of the VIP apartments if there will be any satisfaction for a problem. I woulsn't rent from VIP again becuase of this and would go directly with an owner.

And yes, I can't afford Paris Perfect apartments either although they all look fabulous and I've heard nothing but great things about the agency.

playfield,

You just don't need those kind of problems while on a vacation!

RE Paris Perfect. You might be surprised what they might be able to offer you with specials that are not on their website.

I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your trip without problems.

Joan

lizann: yes, that's right. They upped the price and then discounted it so it's not really much of a discount. The apartment was $140 a night when we arranged this rental, almost a year ago. Apparently at that point, the noise was not an issue (we specifically asked about noise) and the cranes were not up. I expect that we will receive some kind of discount/refund but exactly how much remains to be seen. VIP will contact us (probably Monday) and let us know exactly what was worked out with the owner.

The owner stopped by a few minutes ago with new pillows (very nice ones!)and said that VIP had sent him my original email and he seemed surprised that I was as angry about it as my email to VIP indicated that I was.

He told us that when the noise from this construction started he contacted VIP and understood that they would contact all confirmed renters and let them know about the issue as well as say something about it on the advertisement for this apartment. He also said that when the cranes went up he sent them a photo but I don't think it ever got posted on the VIP website. He was very surprised that we had not been told anything because the intense noise started many months ago (but we had already rented the apartment by then)and he is clearly upset that we are so upset. He definitely wants us to be happy here but of course, he can't do anything about the cranes or the noise.

So the long and the short of it is that there are no clear bad guys and everyone seems to want to try to do the right thing but it wasn't handled well in terms of real disclosure. We'll be OK here (it's Paris after all!)but in my opinion, without the clear view, this apartment is definitely not worth renting even with the "discount."

So here's the next chapter in the saga of this apartment! Today (Monday morning) at 9:00AM on the nose begins a huge banging and sawing in the apartment right above us. Constant, ongoing, very loud construction of some kind.

We head out to get our morning croissant and see that one of the elevators is shut down and there is a note saying they are working on the elevators all week. We wonder why they are working on them right above our apartment as opposed to on the ground floor.

A block from the apartment, who should we run into on the sidewalk but the owner of our apartment(who by now is quite terrified of me!)We tell him about the noise and the elevators and he tells us that the noise isn't from the elevators but that he has heard that an apartment on the 10th floor is being renovated! So another issue he knew about that was not communicated to us! He, of course, apologized profusely and said he would speak to them and see if he could get them to start later in the day but no matter what, this will not be the relaxing haven to linger over morning coffee and croissant or come back to for an afternoon nap. At this point I'm wishing we had just returned to Hotel Jeanne D'Arc where we had a lovely stay last year!

playfield,

VIP should be moving you to a different apartment. That is unconscionable treatment of a guest! If the rental was with VIP, I would make all contacts with them, not the owner. It should be VIP's responsibility to take care of you!!

Sorry to hear all your rental problems. They should not be!!

Joan

Agree that the rental company should be relocating you immediately. Your contract is with them and they have a definite responsibility to you and you are entitled to a comfortable stay.

Looking at the website for this rental it is apparent that the main attraction is the view and that is what they are promoting. They are obviously not providing this view and you should have been informed of this long ago.

You have been more than patient.

I don't know, I think you are more generous with VIP than I would be. First, I don't believe them when they claim they didn't know about the problems -- well, either they are lying or the owner is lying, as he said he told them. Given my experience with them, I'd go with the owner.

YOu should be dealing with VIP, that is what an agency is supposed to do. They are taking a large fee from this guy, and as such, they are the ones you have a contract with and they are supposed to be doing something for that fee. I've rented from French agencies and sure, the apts always have their own owners, but whenever I had a problem, the agency was the one who solved it and responded. I think VIP only put that note on the website because they knew this was being publicized and it isn't very prominent, actually. I notice that they still don't have photos of the bathroom of the apt. I inquired about where they claimed they just didn't happen to have one, and it's been several years later by now. They are hiding something on that one, I'm sure. Also, raising the fee to $160 and then claiming you are discounting it to $140 is pretty shyster-like, also, IMO. They should be discounting it a lot more than that, I think -- like to $120 at least.

Now elevators do go out of order, and that can't be predicted by owners, I've had that happen in apts I've rented, and I don't think the owner can predict other people's renovations. I've never known when other people were going to renovate in any apt building I've lived in.

To go way back to the mention of the metro lines, actually 2 of the lines are right at the train station (lines 6 and 13) and two of the lines are at the far end of the endless corridors (lines 4 and 12). It is one of the most important things to know for people who will be using the Montparnasse metro stations a lot.

Wow, it sounds like everything that can go wrong has gone wrong with this place. I wonder if they have many other places availabe at this time of the year. We had a very noisy place we rented frommthem 2 years ago. Turns out there was a nightclub next door . So we were not sleeping well at night. So like you, noise is a deal breaker for me.

Wow, I would be very upset about the apartment. That type of thing can ruin a trip. I have used VIP twice. The first time we had a very nice apartment on rue d'Ormesson in the 4th and loved it. The second rental was a studio up near Republique that was in my words, a dump. I spent the first day in mourning over the apartment before I wised up and started to enjoy Paris. However, it really colored the time we had there. We did not enjoy coming back at the end of the day. The weather at times was cool and damp and we did not have that comfortable "home away from home" place to retreat to.

I did complain to VIP on my return because while I was totally dissatisfied with the studio, it was liveable. It was nothing like what plafield is experiencing. VIP would be wise to find a replacement apartment immediately, if at all possible. It would certainly help their reputation on Fodors at this point.

We are renting again in October but this time are using an apartment that we found on vrbo with a website of ourparishome (I think). It appears to be run by 2 gentlemen from Atlanta and the apartments look very nice.

Good Luck, plafield with VIP and the rest of your visit to Paris.

Ewwwww. This isn't looking good. I am shopping around. At this point I would just like to hear that ViP is sending you to a different location of EQUAL or GREATER value.

Tho, I must admit, ViP has more pros than cons on this forum.

~Jay

I hope that your story has a happy ending.

For the record, our ViP apartment (Marais Royale, #138) was fine but also much smaller than it looked. (No square footage was posted so I was prepared for that; spacious apartments always boast of the square footage.) Second, they advertised Limoges dishware and antique silver available for use -- and that was actually a factor in our decision because we wanted to prepare some meals in -- but the items were not actually there. I reported this to ViP (over a year ago) and they acknowledged my complaint,but I see that the website description remains unchanged.

Good luck.

It's been great to have all of your encouragement. The saga continues:

The owner emails me and says he is so sorry about the noise of the renovations and he has tried to ask them to start work later in the morning but they will not comply. He cannot do anything else about it but would like to take us out for dinner and would please be his guests on Wednesday evening.

The LAST thing I want to do on my vacation is go to dinner with this guy. I politely decline.

Meanwhile, I have written a very pointed email to VIP saying how surprised I am that it is Monday and I still have not heard from them since they told me on Friday they would contact the owner and get right back to me. I expected them to email or call me to offer me the discount (as the owner had vaguely offered) that was clearly offered on their website. I also told them about the incredible noise from the renovations in the apartment above us that had begun that morning. I told them that we were expecting to receive a sizable discount on the rental.

They emailed back right away saying how surprised they were to have this email from me as the owner had told them it was all settled and that we had accepted a $15 a night discount and we were fine. They also said that they did not know anything about the internal renovations (and that work is still being done on an elevator!)and that the owner had not informed them about the cranes until I had complained. It appears that VIP and the the owner are each blaming the other for our not being informed but a $15 dollar a night discount is the only thing being offered by either of them for recompense. Oh yes, and VIP said they would offer us a small discount on an any apartment we rented through them in the future. Like we'll rent from them again after this?

I responded to VIP saying that it was very awkward for us to have the owner show up here and try to appease us with champagne and that he had been vague about how much the discount would be and that this conversation happened before we knew about the renovations happening right above us. I said that our contract was with VIP, not the owner and that it was wrong for us to be in the middle with each of them blaming the other for the issues and that we did not want him to contact us again.

Next thing we know, we get another email from him saying how surprised he is that I am so upset and that he had asked us if we could cope with the apartment because if we could not he would have asked VIP to relocate us and that he would do so now. (obviously they are forwarding him all of my emails.)

Well! He had asked us if we could "cope" but never even implied that if we said no he would or even could suggest to VIP we be moved. And when he asked that question on Saturday, we still didn't know about the renovations that would start first thing Monday morning and the only real issue was the view so of course we could "cope" even though we were disappointed.

And through all of this, VIP has not mentioned any possibility of moving us elsewhere so I really don't even know if they would. What I do know, and wrote to them (copying the owner) is that I wouldn't move without first seeing in person where we were to go and that at this point, with only 4 days left, I don't want to spend my time viewing another apartment and then packing up and moving. I told them that I would take the offered $15 discount, do my best to enjoy Paris and chalk it up as a learning experience.

And that's the last of it. I did not receive a reply to this email from either VIP or the owner. It has left a very sour taste in my mouth and I wouldn't recommend using a rental agency that depends on all the information about a property being provided by owners whose apartments are in another country. It may be convenient to deal in dollars but in the future I will only consider renting an apartment directly from an owner.

I am so sorry you are having such a bad experience with this apartment. I would be miserable!! I don't think VIP will be getting any of my business in the future.

thank you for letting us know about your terrible experience.
$15 dollars discount for all the problems you have had! Hardly buys a couple of beers.
I almost rented from VIP this summer and was considering them for the future trips. Not any more!

I'm sorry VIP didn't do better by you. A $15 per night discount doesn't seem to show the agency's good intentions to make things right. You should not have been put in the awkward position of dealing with both the agency and the owner. The whole appeal and selling points of this apartment is the view and the chance to enjoy that from your balcony. Clearly you can't do that.

I do understand the problem of the overhead construction. There is no way to know about that in advance and not much can be done about it, except giving a discount on the price.

I like your attitude--live and learn. Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris.

I, too, was very positive about VIP until I heard your experience--there's nothing worse than being played off between an owner and an agency. While I loved the VIP apartment I had last September, I won't be giving them blanket recommendations any longer.

I am agreeing with the coments about recommendations of VIP. I have recommended them in the past. After our last experience I haven't been so enthusiastic. I was telling my husband about the difficulties you have been having plafield. He was fairly adamant that we not rent with them for our next trip in October. Their customer service has not been good. I hope that you are letting them know about the feedback from this site. They would be wise to reimburse you in full at this point.

platfield, because I so nearly was in the same building and situation as you, I decided to email the person I dealt with at Vacation in Paris and let her know that such poor customer service as you received will have a future negative effect.

Here's my email:

I am so glad that I did not rent your Apt 62. I have learned about the experience of someone who is currently renting Apt 154 in the same building. When she arrived she discovered that the view, her primary reason for choosing this apartment, is totally obstructed by a crane!

Not only that but there is loud noise from renovation in a nearby apartment during the day. All that she has received in recompense is a reduction of $15 per night. She should have been relocated or given a sizeable discount.

As a result of such poor customer service, you have lost many potential customers, including myself. In this internet age, word about this kind of treatment gets around and the effect will last for some time.

We rented an apartment in the 8e on rue Berryer from VIP and concluded our stay about six weeks ago. The apartment was as described and virtually everything worked as expected. The staff was pleasant to deal with. We found VIP through numerous positive recommendations on this site.

I have a hard time understanding what would have satisfied the poster, short of a full refund or move to another place, that may not have been available. I understand that the poster was extremely disappointed with the state of things, particularly the view of the crane. I would have been also. I find distasteful the act of marking up the stated rent to discount it, if that was done.

However, I don't travel abroad to sit in my hotel room or apartment to take in the views, for any length of time, and get out to see things. I would not expect that the owner of a single apartment in a building would have any control over the repair and renovation undertakings of the owners of other apartments in the building. I can pull out photos of our recent trips to europe and see cranes and scaffolding on or near many famous sites and monuments. I have stayed at many fancy places in Italy and France with prime, and very expensive balcony views and been forced inside by open trash burning. Wouldn't dawn on me to expect "compensation" from the proprietors.

What is fair redress to the original poster?

I agree with Hmmm on this one. There was a disclaimer on the listing about the construction in the area. I know that because I looked at that apartment a few months ago. I do not however, think there was a discount offered at the time. I was willing to take the apartment anyway, but it was already booked for my dates.

I don't see how the owner or VIP could have predicted that another apartment was going to be renovated during the poster's stay.
We have been to Paris many times and in our experience, other that the street sweepers, the Parisians seem to start their work days much later than what we are accustomed to here in the US. Since we are usually up and out by around 9 we have never been bothered by noise in any of the buildings we've stayed in. Except for the one in the 6th which was next to a night club with booming music until 4 A.M. I wish I'd been warned off that place. We've had the same problems in a few hotels one in Monterey comes to mind.

The apartment we had in Paris in March had a disclaimer about
renovations being done. I called VIP and asked if anyone know the extent of the renovations and what we could expect if we rented the apartment. Since they are in New Jersey they could not really say for sure. VIP contacted the owner and we were offered a $200.00 discount. I then contacted someone I know who lives in the area and asked him to check it out for me.

We ended up staying there and were quite pleased with the apartment. We did not have the view we hoped for but we were basically only there late at night so it turned out to be a non factor for us.

I really think we need to keep in mind how low some of these apartments are renting for. especially in US dollars.

I would agree with Suzanne and hmmm except for the fact that the main focus of the promotion of this particular apartment is about the views. There are probably lots of apartments in Paris that are as nice as this but how many have such an incredible view. I feel that this renter was swayed by the promise of the view. A promise that wasn't kept.

At the very least I think VIP should have done more to compensate plafield. I would have great hesitation in dealing with this company.

Personally, I feel that the price of the apartment has absolutely nothing to do with the problems that playfield is having. The price you pay for an apartment is for the size, the amenities provided, the furnishings and the location. It has nothing to do with expected baisc items, such as cleanliness, quiet, views(if so advertised).

The VIP company has a large number of apartments and surely they were not all rented. They should have immediately presented him with other choices for him to move to. The information given, seems to be that VIP is only communicating with the apt. owner rather than with the guest who they have the contract obligation to honor. This is a problem without local company representation. The guest is the one who suffers and is the one who should have the least amount of discomfort. If you are in this type of business you should plan on something like this ocurring and whatever the cost, to honor your obligations to the fullest. You will have some losses on occasion. This should be expected.

I don't see where VIP has done anything for this guest, IF the information is as I have read. They have most certainly dropped the ball in every way.

I hope playfield enjoys Paris as best he can under the circumstances.

Joan

"I really think we need to keep in mind how low some of these apartments are renting for. especially in US dollars."

Although it is true that rental agencies cannot know about
renovation in the apt. above, the statement reminds me of an old Woody Allen joke ( something like this)
.. a man eats in the same restaurant every day and constantly complains how bad the food is..
a friend ask him why he is then eating there
... the man answers " the portions are big"

I did not read the listing to promise a view or any suggestion from the poster that the owner or agent erected the crane or engaged in the renovations in the building. We rented our apartment 6 months before our trip. Who can forsee renovations, repairs that far in advance? This is not like a hotel that is conducting its own construction activities and can move visitors to another part of the facility. The agency does not own apartments it could "give" the poster as substitutes. Should another apartment owner bear that expense, or the agency, which has no control over those activities either?

I'd love to see a photograph of the obstruction, though I don't dismiss the poster's subjective feelings of disappointment.

Again, out of curosity how much more should the poster get?

"The agency does not own apartments it could "give" the poster as substitutes. Should another apartment owner bear that expense, or the agency, which has no control over those activities either?"
You do have a point about unforeseen problems six months down the road , but the agency is a business in which the recommendation (or not) makes a difference.
IMO, the agency should have placed the customer in another apt and absorb the cost ( what? $1500?). In the end, the amount they might be loosing by not acting in a more graces way could be much higher.

We looked at several VIP apt's but ended up booking privately through VRBO. I was a little nervous about not going through an agency but I guess problems can occur no matter who you book with. We chose it because of location and price-www.vrbo.com/31360-every-ones priorities are different and we don't plan on spending too much time indoors if we can help it. Hope you enjoy your trip in spite of the snags.

I'm not sure how I messed that up but will try again{I'm not exactly computer-savy!} www.vrbo/31360

Nope. Try: http://www.vrbo.com/31360

The secret is to pull up the website you want us to see. You then highlight the URL. Right click on it. Click "Copy". You then go back to your Fodor's message box, click in the box, right click, then left click on "Paste". By some sort of magic, the URL will appear.

VIP is involved in a customer service based business. They provide a service by locating apartments for vacationers and being the agent for the owner and the vacationer. If they want repeat business or want to maintain a good reputation they might want to adopt the "customer is always right" theory. It would go a long way for them to take the loss and pay for a new apartment or just refund the OP in full. It sounds as though the very much hyped view did not materialize.

I received two very promp responses from VIP after I sent my email so obviously VIP is trying to do some damage control. Interestingly the second respondent thinks that I read about this problem on Trip Advisor so it must be under discussion there as well. I did not name my source.

Here they are:

I hope you will allow me to respond to your comments. We were most distressed to discover that we had not been fully informed of the construction impact on these studios. After much contact and review with the owner we offered a discount as authorized by him and actually augmented it beyond his proposal which was less than $15 per night! Construction such as this is out of his and our control but we do count on owners to advise us of any work that will impact our guests and this time unfortunately this was not done in a timely fashion. The internal renovation is the right of the other residents and not the responsibility of this owner. I am happy to advise you that we have posted a warning now on our website and have just finished contacting all previously booked clients for these apartments offering them an immediate refund or a discount if they wish to stay. In the case of the current client we had nothing to offer her but would have refunded any unused nights had she chosen this option. In the best of worlds these situations would not occur but we will continue to do our best to be informed and inform our perspective clients!

Mary Ellen Stauber

Vacation in Paris, LLC
http://www.VacationInParis.com


Thank you for your email. We appreciate you taking the time to write and report this negative publicity.

I would like to point out that we do have a notice on the web page explaining the construction at ID 62 ever since it was added to our inventory earlier this year. It is same note that we have on its sister apartment (http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_154.htm) which we have represented for several years. If you were considering one of these apartment you must have seen it as well. The construction is an ongoing project that has existed for at least one year and will be present for the foreseeable future. The intensity of the construction noise and placement of cranes will vary depending upon the particular building phase of the project. Most of our clients scrutinize the web pages before booking and I have to assume this client did the same thing. If so, she must have been aware of the construction and our offer to discount further was an attempt please the client. By the way, the photo I have seen of the cranes do not show them as "totally" obstructing the view, the Eiffel tower and the Gold dome of Invalides are still clearly visible.

However, because of this incident, we are now informing all the clients that have booked these two properties and reminding them of the construction note on the web pages and specifically stating that the view may be be partially obstructed and if they wish to cancel their reservation they may do so with a full refund.

The Internet does widely spread all kinds of information, some true and some false. I contend that the information you saw on TripAdvisor is not the whole story.

Best regards,
Richard

Richard Stauber
General Manager
Vacation In Paris LLC
www.VacationInParis.com

Looks as though the Eiffel Tower is far from the apartment in question. If the "much hyped view" did not materialize because the weather was overcast should the owner or agent be compelled to refund the poster's money or move her? After all, they have no more control over the weather than the construction activities of others.

Also seems as though there are different reports as to when the construction disclaimer first appeared on the website. Perhaps the owner and agent should have offered to refund the unused part of the rental and discounted the used part. However, the poster chose to stay. Didn't the poster get some value for her rent?

Plafield...it appears VIP will give you a refund on unused nights if you still have time to decamp and head to Jeanne d'Arc. Of course, I hope that VIP had already offered you this option and you aren't having to hear about it from a poster here!

If Stauber had been a very responsible rental agent he would have immediately either moved them to another apartment or refunded their rental. This is all IF what I have read is correct. When you have a guest who is this unhappy, take your loss and come out smelling like roses, rather than something else!

It seems that VIP does not have full management control of the listed apartments. He evidently receives something for the listing, but his local owners still are in control. This is a bad situation for the guests..the guests will always get screwed on this kind of setup. The relationship is between VIP and the owner, rather than VIP and the guest!

Enough said on this bad situation for plafield, who I am sure will never get into this kind of situation again.

Joan

We stayed with VIP last year. We rented an apt in the 5th. I got e-mail addresses from people who had stayed at the apts. I was interested in. The comments were certainly real. One person loved an apt. but had to step over homeless people sleeping in the stairwell. Not a fixed response. We did not choose that apt.

We did have a plumbing problem that was to be fixed after we left. It was something that did not affect our stay at all. The apt. was as promised and certainly less expensive than other apts in the area. It wasn't fancy, but the it was clean, the bed was comfortable and it had 1.5 bathrooms.There was someone in Paris for us to deal with.

I think the renter's main issue was she did not know what to ask for. If she did not want to stay in the apt. she should have said so right away. When you arrive at a hotel, and the room you get is not as advertised, you ask for another room. That's the same for these apts. You can't know there isn't anything available until you let the company know you want something else.

I'm sorry this happened, but come on. We've all been to places that weren't what we expected. Either you live with it or try to change it. If you want to change it, you get better results when you know what you want. If she wanted to pay less, she should have said this is not worth this price, and I only want to pay half. Either you give me the apt for half off and I will stay, or you find me another apt.

I would fault VIP if they were given something to work with and did not follow through. I know you never work with 2 people. You rented from VIP, you work with them. I don't care what the owner told you. You get right back to VIP and tell them what has transpired. Then on Monday AM when the construction starts you can readily say this is the last straw, I want out.

I don't think that was ever said. I think that may have been better. You would have then given them the chance to make it right. It's their reputation that's on the line...not the owner's.

I'm sorry this happened. I had a friend who rented directly from an owner and had a horrible experience. Things happen.

I think Richard has confused Fodors and TA. The poster on TA who stayed in the apartment last month said she loved the place.

I think that if you are willing and able to pay twice as much as this place, you should stay in a Paris Perfect apartment and have all of your dreams come true. I prefer to spend my money on things other than where I lay my head at night. I have rented from VIP 5 or 6 times and have not had perfection, but have had a clean and comfortable place to stay.

I,m truely sorry the client was so disappointed. However, I think, and this may be VIP's fault, her expectations were a little over the top.

Travel is stressful and very expensive. Even though I research and plan for months before our trips, things still can, and do go wrong. I've learned to relax and enjoy what I do have and not fret about what I don't.

Suzanne2,

You seem to be stuck on thinking the problems have something to do with the price paid for the apt. What difference does it make whether you paid 1000 or 3000..do you think the one who paid less should have to put up with the problem, but not the one who paid more? That's just plain nuts!!

Joan

Plafield,

How many more nights do you have in Paris? How would you like to stay in a lovely apt. with a view for your last ? nights??

Contact me at my travel email address:
abbynoelle3@yahoo.com

Joan

Thanks for the offer Joan. We leave on Saturday morning and we are making due here. Once moved in, even with the noise from the renovations, at this point moving would be more of a hassle then it's worth and likely an expense we aren't willing to incur.

VIP finally told us that they didn't offer to move us because they don't have any vacancies in any of the apartments they handle for all of the nights of our stay. They did say that the owner said he would reimburse us any nights we didn't use if we chose to leave and seek a hotel but it would be impossible for us to find a hotel for a reasonable rate at this point. For example, Jean D'Arc books a year in advance for May.

They did say they are in the process of contacting all the clients that have already booked this apartment to tell them all the details. But the fact is, at this point, since they have no alternatives to offer anyone (including us) most people will have little choice unless they want to spend double what it costs to stay here.

And to those few folks that think we should shut up and put up because the place is cheap to begin with and we shouldn't be in our room anyway when we're in Paris, your idea of a vacation is clearly not the same as mine.

Where we stay is very important as vacation for us means sleeping in, relaxing over coffee and breakfast, having a comfortable place to rest in at any point in the day or early evening before going to dinner. We have been to Paris a number of times before and did not plan to be up at the crack of dawn lining up to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower or packing in any of the rest of the tourist sights.

I began looking at our choices almost a year ago as good places of high value book far in advance. There were many apartment choices plus a few nice hotels that were ass cheap or cheaper and more conveniently located (Jeanne D'Arc, where we stayed last year for example, is now 95E a night)than this apartment but because we knew that we wanted a slow paced vacation with a lot of relaxation, we decided to go with an apartment and chose this one ONLY because of the view.

I asked about the construction and was told it wasn't an issue. I emailed with 4 parties who had stayed here and loved it and they all said there was construction around the corner but it didn't effect them or this apartment at all. Obviously, that radically changed since we booked the apartment 9 months ago.

VIP claims that the owner never communicated to them that these cranes went up (and I'm not sure exactly when they actually went up) so they, of course, didn't tell us. I can't possibly know what the truth is, but either way, the view of the Eiffel tower is obstructed by a crane AND the construction is incredibly noisy and I felt very strongly that I should be compensated in some way.

And I WAS clear with VIP about what I wanted. I said I wanted a substantial discount. But I can want all I want. What will I do if I don't get one? I have paid up front. There is no where else for me to go without spending a ridiculous amount of money. All I can do is what I have done (and told them I would do) which is share my experience on the world wide web.

My real issue is much more with how it's been handled as opposed to what they've offered as recompense. If they had responded to my original email by talking to the owner themselves and then offering me a $15 a night discount, I would have accepted it and while not pleased about not having the view, I would have gotten on with my vacation and had done with it.

But being put in the middle of VIP and the owner in the way it happened was not right. For the owner to contact us and offer us champagne and try to make some kind of deal as opposed to telling VIP what he was willing to do and having them deal with us was bad business in my opinion.

And I agree that no one can control if someone inside the building decides to renovate and that can always happen anywhere, but again, information, choices and/or recompense are all appropriate and those have not been forthcoming from anywhere.

The good news is, that today, for the first time, the workers have "parked" the crane at the end of the day in a position where we can actually see the whole tower. And despite all he noise (workers start banging in the apartment above is at 8:15)we're still loving being in Paris. I have a trip report going on another thread if anyone is interested "Eating our way through Paris and Bruges."

And tomorrow is a holiday so we're hoping that work inside and out will be suspended. So all is well...but I still wouldn't rent from VIP again!

A photo of the cranes is now on the VIP website.
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/sub/62_154_crane_photo.htm

I hope you don't think I said you should just accept the apartment because it is so cheap. although I do think at $125.00 a night it is still a good deal. That's just my opinion. On the other hand, you are the one who is there and living with, and unhappy with, the place. So perhaps if the shoe was on the other foot I'd feel as you do.

I was simply pointing out that some of the suggested alternatives would be quite costly.To me it was like comparing apples to oranges.

You are entitled to express your opinions and have your own feelings about that apartment and your situation. That is why these forums are so valuable.

I'm really enjoying you posts and I am glad you are making some wonderful Paris memories.

plafield,

I did not realize that your email address was in your profile. I just sent you an email

Joan

I still do not see why "recompense is appropriate [i.e., required]" when the noise arises from unforseen activity inside another apartment. Isn't the prospect of noise a forseeable risk of renting in an apartment building? Also don't know how a rental through VRBO would result in a better resolution. Still have risks of noise, obstructions of views (another inherent risk in a large city).

Should the owner or agent be blamed because the poster didn't realize that the metro train tracks were farther from the station entrance than she expected? Is a renter entitled to everything she expected, but was not made part of her contractual agreement?

I hope you enjoy your final two days.

hmmm, the recompense is for the lack of the promised view and the noise caused by the construction of the huge project outside, which VIP should have known about and forewarned and offered a us a discount or out of the agreement all together (as they are doing for their customers now.) If you actually read my posts you would see that I said that I agree that the internal renovation cannot be controlled or even necessarily known about, they are just insult to injury.

And, the picture they have posted on their website was taken during the working day from the apartment next door. The cranes swing about all day and occasionally they are not directly in front of the tower during a "swing", as in the posted picture. And at the end of the working day, they are "parked" and for the first 5 nights of our stay, the long arm of one of those cranes went right across the view of the tower, definitely obstructing the view. Last night they finally parked it in a position that allows us to see the tower and today is a holiday so we now, finally have an unobstructed view with quiet!

plafield,

You will at least have quiet for the last two days!

Charge it all off to one bad experience, and try to forget it.

Nest visit to Paris will be better!!

Enjoy,

Joan

BTW, here is the photo we took of where the crane has mostly been positioned for our time here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/pshumsky/OurParisView#5338205527608998914

plafield, there are many posters here who are with you on this one. VIP has not handled the situation well. I also vacation with an eye toward being able to enjoy my accommodations and relax in them. When you are sold a bill of goods and that does not materialize, i.e. spectacular view! then you are definitely owed a discount at the least or a total refund at best. Unfortunately you had to jump through hoops to get a very measly discount. Enjoy Paris if not your apartment. Thanks for letting everyone who reads this forum know about your plight.

So, VIP "promised" you an unobstructed view of the Tower? Who could make, and who would rely on, that promise?

Playfield, I have read, with a good deal of pain, your posts. I hope all your future expectations are met.

plafield,

The picture is laughable if you are not staying there!!

Joan

That's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It's not as though the apartment had been rented by professional photographers planning to do all of their work out of the apartment window.

I think they should charge extra because you have both the Eiffel Tower AND a crane.

Cranes are a very prominent factor in the Parisian landscape are they not?? lol

We have heard of and shared the poster's "plight". Studio apartment too small. Bed too soft. Pillows uncomfortable. Bed too far from wall. Metro voie too far from Gare. Other tenants too noisey. Offered champagne she wouldn't drink, dinner she wouldn't eat, a new apartment she wouldn't move to. Crane "totally obtructing the view."

I hope something about Paris was right.

hmmm can't resist having the last word?

I have to admit that when I read "crane totally obstructing the view," I imagine the crane just 10 meters from the apartment window.

The photo indicates "non photogenic crane" spoiling possible photographs, which is not quite the same thing in my book.

for me ,the noise would be more of a problem.
At one time ,we head similar experience in London - the owner did not know ( that is what she said) that they would be demolishing a huge building right in front of the apt.
They banged from 8 AM to 6PM. We, like the OP, do not bolt from the apt. early or like to stay out all day.
We considered leaving but 2 weeks (in British pounds ) for another place was more than we could pay.
It wasn't a good experience!

Plafield, I understand your disappointment. Had VIP notified you about the construction and if the view meant so much to you, you could have changed your plans. Those cranes in front of the apartment would not have bothered me that much. I learned something from your situation, though. Prior to renting, I'll ask the question: is there any construction going on on the premises or close to the premises?

I'm sure you enjoyed your stay in Paris and the good weather you were blessed with in the last couple of days.

plafield, I'm with you here. I understand how you feel and don't think your expectations of a "room with a view" were unrealistic. Chalk it up to experience and don't let it spoil your feelings for Paris.

Yes, we've enjoyed our stay very much. And yes, had we been informed of the situation it would have been very different. We could have made some choices based on knowing what to expect. We DID ask about construction (and the noise is all day and very loud)and were told it was not an issue. The references they gave us said there was no real noise from construction when they were here.

My understanding is that the situation has changed radically from the time we actually rented the apartment (last October)to now. This huge project right behind the building actually started fairly recently. VIP claims they didn't know about the cranes or the noise (basically they claim that the no one informed them of the extent of the project)so they could not inform us. That's just bad business.

Now that they know about it(or now that someone has actually complained)they are informing all the people who plan to come after us and are offering a choice of a discount or being let out of the contract all together with a full refund. They are not offering anyone an alternative place so it may be too late for people coming in the next couple of months to find a reasonably priced alternative.

My primary issue is still with the lack of good communication all around. If they had known and informed us of the situation it would have been very different. If the only issue was the view and they showed us a picture (my picture, not the one they have on the web)I would have taken the discount and been fine even if I had time to find another place. If they knew about the noise as well and there was time to find another place for a reasonable price (which really would have had to have been many months ago) we would have gone somewhere else.

No matter how you cut it, while it's not the end of the world to have a crane cutting my view of the Eiffel tower in half, the way the whole thing came down is just not cool in my opinion. And clearly many folks agree. That's why I posted about it.

BUT it has not ruined our vacation. we're having a fabulous time. Are we enjoying being woken up every morning by the loud noises from construction inside and out? No. But we've named the cranes and made friends with them. We're laughing at the inconveniences that are inherent in this kind of rental. We're thrilled to be in Paris and can chalk this up to a great learning experience.

plafield, I fully sympathize with your disappointment about the obstructed view and the noise problem and appreciate that you've brought this situation to our attention. I'm impressed that you've been a good sport about this whole experience and not let it ruin Paris for you.

VIP and the owner could definitely have handled this much better and I think they will lose business as a result. The owner cannot expect to "sell" his apartments on the basis of the fantastic view and then act surprised when someone isn't happy that it is obstructed. Perhaps the building under the crane will keep climbing and cut off the view forever.

Sometimes people spend years planning a dream trip to Europe, only to have the museum workers in Paris decide to strike while they are there. Thus keeping the travelers from ever seeing inside the Louvre (that did, indeed, happen to some friends of mine who do not get to travel often). At least plafield could still see an unobstructed Eiffel Tower from somewhere in Paris.

Wow, I haven't read all of these posts but I've sure read enough (and saw the photo you posted) to say YIKES. I don't know if someone has mentioned this but, if you paid with a credit card, you might consider disputing a portion of the charge and then negotiate a better discount. It's Apartments in Paris' business to be sure that they are properly advertising the unit they are renting.

Just to finish the story with the final chapter: On return home I immediately mailed the keys back to VIP as instructed. I receive a form email from them letting me know that the keys have been received and that my key deposit of $150 will be refunded through Pay-pal unless I would prefer a check. If I would prefer a check, an email was provided for me to request a check as opposed to a credit card refund.

I immediately wrote the person at the email provided, asking for a check for the $150 plus the agreed on $15 a night and reiterating that I felt that VIP had handled the situation poorly and that rather than offering me a discount on a future stay, they would have been much wiser to offer that discount added to this stay as at this point, I will not do business with them again.

Not only did I not get any response, 2 days later I received another form email saying that my credit card had been credited though Pay-pal. How's that for customer service?

The ending customer service seems to fit what you received during the trip!

Knowing that you will not be a returning customer, should not affect their customer service treatment. That is what reputations are built on. In your case, certainly a most negative experience, all the way around.

Joan

I agree that applying a discount to a future stay is a shoddy way to do business, a lot of companies do that because it doesn't cost them anything in a lot of cases (for example, I imagine you won't deal with them again, I wouldn't). It really doesn't make any sense, either, if they agree you deserve a discount due to the conditions, then it should apply to the stay they agree should be discounted.

I don't think you could ever complain to a credit card company about this, though, I wouldn't think that at all likely. Those kind of complaints are for services or items that basically are not even delivered, not just because you are having a dispute over the quality of something you bought. I can't imagine any credit card company would take up this issue. Besides, they've already been paid by the credit card. YOu did rent an apt. and had one for the time, and it was habitable and you stayed there. I still don't believe them that they didn't know about it (although I can see they might not know the extent of construction) since the owner said he told them. Well, I realize both have reasons to stretch the truth, but I feel they lied to me so that's my bias. But at this point, I guess it doesn't matter.

It really isn't real likely for an agency to have a lot of empty apts to give to people, I don't think. That would mean they had a lot that weren't booked up for no reason, and that just doesn't seem to be the norm, and it wouldn't be for apts that were any good. From checking and renting Paris apts for years, I know the good ones are usually booked up 6 to 12 months ahead of time.

Yes, the fact that good apartments (and good/value hotels)book many. many months ahead is what made their eventual offer (the last 3 nights) of leaving the apartment and getting a full refund of any unused nights so ridiculous. They told me themselves (again, not until our stay was almost finished) that they had no open apartments to offer us and that's why they hadn't offered to move us when we first complained. Bad business all around as far as I'm concerned.

I'm sorry to see you are still having problems with VIP.

I am just shocked because I have rented several apartments from VIP over the years and had exactly the opposite experience with them.

In fact when we sent he keys and asked for a check for the deposit and the discount we had been offered, we recieved the check in two days.

I want to spend time with the guy in the cranes 'bubble' - he definitely has one of the best job in the world!!
At least, hopefully, anyone wanting that stunning view will know the crane will be gone....................or will it?!

That is in about a year's time, I meant to add!

We requested and received a check from Vacation in Paris, returning our full security deposit, as agreed, about one week after we returned the key.

Seems like bad business for an agent to refrain from renting apartments on behalf of individual owners because a sight problem might arise at an apartment of another individual owner, who has no connection to the owner of the apartment with the ostensible problem.

I agree with Christina about demand for apartments in good neighborhoods in Paris. We booked our apartment from VIP many months in advance. During the week or two I looked at various properties quite a few were taken off the market as rented. I also agree that a discount proffered for a future stay would be a highly unsatisfactory resolution to a current problem.

Suzanne2- Which apartment in the 6th, that you rented, was next to a nightclub? Noise issues are important to me. As far as building/apartment renovations, I have no control over that. It's part of apartment living. I live in an apartment building here at home. But, I do have control over whether or not I rent next to a noisy nightclub if I knew beforehand that there was a nightclub there. Happy Travels!

Many apartments are in buildings with businesses (cafes, restaurants, professional offices, shops, bars...) on the ground level.

With the address of a property of interest, you can easily check PagesJaunes for what's at street level in that building, nearby buildings, across the street - the entire neighborhood.

Paris is a densely populated city, though, so some noise is unavoidable. And, you never know which streets are favored by motorcylists late at night. Once or twice a week there's "glass pickup" which is quite shocking first time you experience that!

Then, you never know about road work. One trip, we walked by the hotel several times, where we had planned to stay ahead of booking an apartment. Right outside, the entire street was dug up and there were half a dozen or so workmen operating pneumatic drills throughout the day.

I've had pretty good luck, over all, in Paris over the last 30-plus years with not having to, for the most part, deal with "unbearable" noise. The only place where the noise level was, at times at the unbearable level, was at one of the hotels I used to stay at. It was noise coming off of Blvd. St. Germain. So, depending on the room I got, it could be a very bad experience.

We all have our tolerance levels, and mine is VERY low, to non-existent, for blasting music coming out of a club until 4AM, as Suzanne 2 wrote. I'm used to cities. I'm from L.A. County. And it's not only in cities where there can be unbearable noise. In the suburbs it's usually excessively barking dogs which according to a news report, some years ago, was the #1 noise complaint. And there are some noises that earplugs just don't block out, as I never travel without them. Smiles. Happy Travels!

The noisy apartment we had was called Le Procope. I no longer see it offered on the VIP web site. From the street it appearerd to be between the Le Procope restaurant and a video rental place. The entire area is extremely busy day and night. The other tenants in the buildin g were also extremely noisy. Slamming doors, running up and down the stairs and what not. During the day I don't care but at 2 A.M. I get really annoyed. This was our first time staying in St Germaine and I'm not sure I'll be going back. I travel with a fan to drown out noise and it did not help at this place one bit.

We have some new neighbors who have a dog that barks non-stop and you are right it is extremely irritating.

Thanks for the info Suzanne2. I remember that apartment when it was listed. I was just praying that it wasn't #129 which I might rent in the future.

I've stayed all over Paris, but mainly like to stay in St.Germain and overall, haven't had a whole lot of problems with noise since I started staying in that area in 1981. It just depends on the hotel/apartment building. Hotel de Seine at 52 rue de Seine was quiet whereas Welcome Hotel, a few steps down the street at 66 rue de Seine was noisy due to traffic noise. I stayed at both for a total of about 19 years. At least no nightclub music or barking dogs.Smiles.

I had VIP #122, in 2008, and that building was quiet. OK. the guy next door played his jazz music kind of high, but it wasn't unbearable and it was for very short periods of time and at a decent time. It all comes with the territory of apartment living.

Otherwise, it was a VERY peaceful and quiet building and I slept like a baby. And the building is attached to a movie theater. It was on rue St.Andres des Arts, in the 6th, a few steps from Blvd. St.Michel. I had that apartment for 7 days and had no complaint about noise. At least I wasn't awakened to the sounds of chambermaids talking loudly outside my room or vacuum cleaners going.

A Parisian friend owns an apartment , on a main street, in a non-tourist area, but he's above a motorcycle repair place that he says his neighbors complain about. But, his apartment has been in the family since his great-grandmother which was long before the motorcycle repair place existed. And since it's a really nice apartment, he bought it, from his family group that inherited it, after his grandmother passed away. He got a great deal, below cost, and 50 square meters. Better than the 30 square meter apartment, that he had previously owned. So, some things one just has to deal with, when living in a densely populated city. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Edit: "And since it's a really nice apartment, he decided to buy it from his family group that had inherited it, after his grandmother passed away". Sorry, I didn't finish the above edit. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Unfortunately noise is somthing that just happens. It is not pleasant but it is something we sometimes have to put up with. We stayed in a hotel in Monterey, Ca last year that had no A/C and our room was on the 2nd floor above a bar. So we had drunks yelling and smoke coming in to our room. We had gotten a terrific price and it was only 2 nights, still I'd never go back.

Paris is a big city and I think for the most part we've put up with a lot of noise there over the years. We once stayed in a hotel called Trypp De Saxe in the 7th. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. So we slept like babies. On the downside it was not a real convenient locataion. We also stayed in a VIP apartment in the 7th. Again it was really quiet. My advice to those looking for a real quiet place at night is to head for the 7th.

Traveling to old cities may require some flexibility.

I find so many other things to love about Paris that I am willing to compromise on some things just to be there.

Hello all!

Christine, I just spent a night in that apt and found that you are slightly harsh... Maybe that is my British side!

It is fair to say that there are cranes in the way but the view is still phenomenal. I have stayed in several flats in Paris and this has by far one of the most fantastic view! From there you can see the Eiffel Tower and several other key Paris sights. The noise of construction is unfortunate but I cannot say that I regret my evening meals, overseeing the entire city. My wife and I loved watching the sunset from the balcony. It is simply stunning.

I also wished to comment about the flats' interior which was clean and comfy... I didn't try sleeping on the fold out bed but I must say that not many fold out beds are too comfortable... Anyway!

As for the access to the metro, it is wrong to say that the stations are far. Montparnasse station is a two minute walk away Falguiere five minutes away. Sincerely though, as a visitor in any city, I actually LIKE to walk! But that's just me!

In summary, I think that some comments were a little harsh... VIP did a good job with me. I didn't get to meet any of the owners but I did call them to enquire about the Wifi access (I'm at an age when techonlogy escapes me!) and the person I talked to was charming. We enjoyed the complementary bottle of wine which came with the rental!

I had a great time and there are not many flats which are as central... The last place we rented was near Montmartre, a lovely place but slightly too far away from many of the restaurants that we have learnt to enjoy.

Best wishes to all and enjoy your stays in Paris - wherever those may be!

Poilo, out of curiosity, how were you directed to this discussion?

Good question, Nikki. I am curious also.

Pollo, it's so nice of you to register and make your first post this report. I'm curious as to why you only stayed one night at the apartment. Did you move to another place?

Are you talking to me, Poilo? Harsh about what, I never stayed in the apt. and didn't have many comments on that point. IN fact, I have had very limited comments on this entire thread about the apt. itself compared to other people, so it is very curious that you single me out to address (assuming you mean me and misspelled my name).

It is really very fascinating that this is your first post on Fodors and you just happened to stumble across a thread about an apt that you just stayed in.

I myself said I knew the metro access and didn't think it was bad as I know the neighborhood. My harsh comments were about the customer service of VIP, and I stand by my comments which have nothing to do with the apt. per se but about service. VIP can refund anything they want, you know, they are making a profit off the rental. To issue a credit simply for future business and not a credit off the apt. in complaint makes no sense to me at all. And in fact, I believe their position was that it was up to the owner to discount it so that's why they chose that amount -- so if the discount is coming from the owner, it would have to apply to this event, not the future. But of course, the discount could come out of VIP's profit if they really cared.

Colleen61

Do you have any report on VRBO 31360? I am considering renting this apartment and would like to know what you thought of it.

I would never recommend Vacation In Paris LLC. They are the worst to deal with. Everything is fine until you have a problem! Worst of all they always have the same thing to say....everyone else loves the apartment...blah blah blah also! Well I am not everyone and I was unhappy with the fact that they refused to return my deposit for a shelf that fell due to a cheap and poorly placed glass shelf over the sink-yes glass over the sink imagine that! I was lucky that I did not get cut. Also, the windows in the bathroom were so sheer you could see us sitting on the toilet and not to mention that the window into the kitchen had absolutlely no curtain! The shower head had a rubber band holding it together. So cheaply furnished. We had to use paper towels to cover the window. And what is VIP's response, well no one has ever complained about this apt.,a waiting list etc. again, blah blah blah, instead of ...what can we do to make it better? That is what I would call good customer service. Just imagine if the cheap bed would have fallen, they probably would have charged me for a new bed! Not worth the headache to save a few you end up spending more! Well I will give it to them that the location was very nice, but the apt forget it!!!! I will never ever use VIP and I caution any one that does use them and has a problem! Thanks to American Express, I receied my deposit back after 2 months of waiting. Yes two months! It is not worth saving money to get aggravation!!! Find a better rental company!

Sckattycat, Please tell us which apartment you rented. I'm getting ready to book an apartment and I surely don't want to end up in the one you had.

I recommend that you pick another rental company. There are many! This is the off season in Paris. You shuld be ale to get a good deal with another rental company. My friend used another company, can't remember the name , but if I do I ill post it. Her apt was beautiful. Even flat screen TVS. The apt I rented only had one English channel- which was a new channel. Imagine that! Read above, what others have said and you decide what to do. For me, never ever again with vacationsin paris llc located in New Jersey!

spelling correction- the only channel in this apt was a news channel in english,other than that nothing else available. The bed was also terrible to sleep on!

One more thing about Vacations in Paris LLC , they leave you all these Don't's in the apt. Don't do this, Don't do that, maybe 10 of them. However, if you have a problem forget! Not their problem! The lock of the entrance door was locked one day of of the entire stay, the rest of the time , they removed the lock because it was broken and they nevever even replaced it. I complained , but nothing was done and it was nerve racking, coming home and worrying if someone was hiding somewhere-and when I told VIP they said, safe area, I shouldn't have worried, the rules for repair of the common area door is different there, blah, blah blah. I have never felt so disappointed with a firm like VIP. Not their problem attitude once they take yur money!!!!!

Scattycat,

We have stayed in the same apartment you had, approximately 6 years ago. The glass shelf was at that time, firmly attached to the wall. I had no problem using it for my make-up and was glad to have it actually. The sink as I recall was made of brass. So it seems odd that it would be strong enough to break that shelf. The window you mentioned looked out on an air shaft and I doubt anyone would have a view of you on the toilet since there were no other windows there as I recall it was not a problem for us at any rate.

I am truly sorry you had a bad experience but I do wish to point out that we had a great time staying in that apartment.

As I've said before we all seem to have differing expectations as to what we should be getting for the money we are spending.

For those of you who are curious, it is #38.

Is there a reason this thread was resurrected from the dead?

I have used VIP and would recommend them. My apartment was as advertised and the deposit was refunded by the next cycle (Of course I won't use Amex after it took them SIX months once to refund me something and I had the vendor on the phone with Amex showing them on his statement EXACTLY when he refunded me... they sat on it for 6 months LOL!)

Yes, Paris Perfect is probably better but honestly they charge for it.

Suzanne2 on November 10 ,2009 Your first asked me what apartment I stayed in ,since you did not want the same problem. I never responded with the address and then on Nov 11 you write that you stayed in the same apratment I had 6 years ago and that the glass shelf was there etc etc . and yes it is #38 and yes it does sound to me as if you work for Vacations In Paris LLC and just want to protect your firm. This is a blog for travelers who have had good and bad experiences. I don't feel that this is a blog for VIP llC. If you really want people not to write a negative review, then try to work on customer service rather than sweeping under a carpet! If VIP is so good, why are their other customers that are so unhappy with them and not just on this site ,but even people I know that have used them and would never ever use them again! You sound like the same person that rented me the apartment and told me, that you have stayed there with your daughter and had no problem. As the windows Miss know it all...I have photos to prove it. If you recall when you stayed there 6 years ago as you say...you have to walk up the stairs to get to the apartment. Yhe door is on the right -the windows are on the same side and anyone walking up the stairs to the next floor can easily see into the kitchen where I had to cover with PAPER TOWELS and can see into the bathroom ,which is where the toilet is and a with the sheer curtain you can easily see in and see the person sitting on the toilet! I have photos to prove this!!!!! Do you ??The area was very nice , I said that before,but I DID NOT HAVE A PLEASANT STAY IN THIS APARTMENT AND WARN OTHERS TO CHOOSE ANOTHER COMPANY. ESPECIALLY AFTER SEEING THAT THIS FIRM CHECKS THIS BLOG TO DEFEND ITSELF BY POSING AS REGULAR TRAVELERS AND NOT EMPLOYEES! My opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. For your information, I couldn't stand the attitude from VIP saying" Everyone loves that apartment ,blah,blah blah, Not everyone is happy with Vacations In Paris LLC located in NJ and I for one am not!!!

PS: Suzanne2 you also say and I quote "I am truly sorry you had a bad experience but I do wish to point out that we had a great time staying in that apartment. As I've said before we all seem to have differing expectations as to what we should be getting for the money we are spending. For those of you who are curious, it is #38. THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN EMPLOYEE FROM VACATIONS IN PARIS LLC WRITING ON THIS BLOG AND POSING AS A TRAVELER. Most people would not apologize for a firm unless THEY WORK THERE! It is too bad that you have to defend this firm in this manner. If they were so good, bad reviews would not appear on a blog.

Carol, this resurrected because of the bad experience I had in Vacations In Paris LLC. Perhaps next time I will take your advice and try Paris Perfect or the rental company one of my customer uses and loves. When I remember the name I will post it. Too bad about American Express , I have never had a problem with American Express and have been a customer for decades. I hope they too know what they put you through.

By the way Suzanne2, we read blogs to get an idea of what experiences others have had etc. Everyone is entitled to their opionion and I am sure there are some that never had problems with VIP and are happy with them.It is up to the individual to make up their own mind where they want to stay and what company they want to use. That is why we all read blogs, to get a sense of what is out there. In the end, it is up to the individual to decide what is right for them.

Sckattycat,

First off, I am sorry you feel the need to attack me just because I liked the apartment and you did not. As I said it was a while ago and I really do not recall being bothered by the windows. When I am in Paris I am so happy that very little gets me down. Was your experience in Paris a good one?

Why is it that you refused to reveal the apartment identity? If you want to vent about the apartment at least allow those you are venting to to see it. Seems like a more honest approach to me.

I agree that Paris Perfect and some other agencies have beautiful apartments. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to stay in them at this point in time. Maybe someday.

I've been on this sight and others for a long time now and I am sure there are some folks here that can vouch for the fact that I do not work for VIP. Might be more fun than working as an office manager for a dental office in Long Beach California now that you mention it.

I have rented several apartments from VIP over the years and while none were perfect and none were as gorgeous as the PP apartments, I did find them to be clean,safe, and comfortable.

I am really not interested in having a confrontation via this web site with you. As you said we are all entitled to our opinions and this is just mine.

I'm a firm believer in not sweating the small stuff.

First of all , it wasn't an attack. I was stating my case and the facts that happen to me when I was there. As far as not identifying the property, I beleive you answered your own question, since you commented on how you stayed there 6 years ago, etc etc etc. I am not sweating the small stuff nor am I interested in a confrontation with you, I am merely responding to your comment that you addressed to me. Due to the present economy, there are alot of bargains out there. This includes rentals and hotels .So if you are looking to save, check with CBS morning show,I beleive they had a show that talked about affordable top hotels in Europe.
PS: Enough said! End of story about VIP,since I don't care about them anyway.

We just returned from a two week stay in VIP #62 and #154 (my husband and myself in one, my brother in the other).

We had considered these apartments previously. VIP was always forthcoming in e-mail inquiries regarding the contruction and obstructions to the view (though one could only imagine the impact).

I did check with VIP ahead of booking, and ahead of paying the final installment, and ahead of leaving home, about construction. (I had even made hotel reservations as a backup.) I was informed there had been no recent reports of any obstructions or noise.

Our trip to Gare Montparnasse (around half past noon on a Monday) on Air France coach was smooth. I was pleasantly surprised to find the walk to the apartments shorter than expected, especially due to a cut through in the station (with escalators!).

While it's true that the Montparnasse metro station is a distance away and positively enormous, the Falguiere station was actually closer and a small, one line, station, so very convenient. But, we mostly used the buses from Gare Montparnasse stops right around the corner, where there were half a dozen or more routes to all over. Best was always getting a seat leaving (beginning of route) and not worrying about finding our stop at night in the dark, as it was always the end of the route.

I found the VIP booking process to be extremely attentive, responsive, straightforward, and incredibly easy. Especially favorable was the (only) $150 key/damage deposit, and being able to pay online with PalPal (even if, like my brother, one doesn’t have a PayPal account). We received the keys by mail more than two weeks ahead of departure, with beautifully illustrated directions for getting into the apartments. We did have a couple of minor problems during our visit. We had the owner’s cell and home phone numbers and had no problem contacting him. When the owner didn’t show up as promised, I e-mailed VIP. Within hours, the owner was e-mailing, phoning, text messaging, and did come and take care of the problems (cable TV not working, light bulbs out) the following day. Our only need for the TV was to check on details of the upcoming strike, and the owner did provide web links for checking in the meantime (which were actually more helpful than the TV). He was so kind as to text me a couple of days later advising he had checked our train for us and it would be running as scheduled.

We absolutely loved these apartments and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

There were four cranes in the near distance, but beyond the neighborhood. One was between us and the Eglise du Dome (which was beautiful lit up at night with the crane not visible in the dark). Had we not had such an expansive view (!), we wouldn’t have seen any cranes. There were no cranes obstructing our views of the Tour Eiffel.

Our balconies overlooked a beautiful garden. On the opposite side was a new building, covered with scaffolding on the side visible to us and the side to the right. At, promptly, 7:30 each weekday morning, workers arrived and removed the scaffolding piece by piece. Their barely audible conversation was louder than any noise involved in removing the scaffolding. They were very careful to be quiet about it. Over our stay, scaffolding was removed entirely from one side of that building. There was also continuous work on a nearby rooftop. But, we could only see and not hear it. The neighborhood is very quiet. We could not hear any street noise from our balconies. Sometimes we could hear conversations, music, from neighbors. But, when the sliding glass doors were closed, we could hear nothing going on outside.

On our return home, I mailed the keys. Two days later, I received e-mail that the keys had been received and a credit for the deposit processed.

I should mention that we have been guests of ParisPerfect three times. On our second visit, the refrigerator was not working (and had been reported by previous guests). For more than a week, we heard nothing. (Later, they said they tried to phone but “someone” had turned off the answering machine.) Then, one morning, after we had gotten home very late, planned to sleep in and enjoy breakfast on our balcony, the phone rang. Workers were downstairs to deliver a new refrigerator, and it would take only ten minutes. But, because the refrigerator would not fit through one side of the double front door, it was necessary to take the closet, installed to the other door, apart in order to open that door. The workers began gathering our belongings from the closet and tossing them in the bedroom. Since this was going to take some time, and we could not access the kitchen, we headed out (without showers) for some coffee. They agreed to phone when the job was done, but they never did. There was also a recent report on TripAdvisor of an elevator not working in the building of their 6th (!) floor apartment for their entire one week stay, and the lights not working in the stairwells, either!

We will be in Paris next month staying in ID #38. I had hoped to stay in 179 but it was booked already when I checked in June. I like this area of Paris and although #38 is not my first choice it is still a good one. IMO

DJKBooks, Thank you for your feedback.I've booked a flat with VIP (left another thread about it) and hope all will go well. I like your point that things can and do go wrong no matter which agency, anywhere.
ParisPerfect is now a much larger agency, not just a couple renting out flats they or Madelyn's sister own, from back in the day when all flats had the Eiffel Tower view (even if it meant craning your neck at a 90 degree angle to see La Tour).They now are agents for other owners' listings too. While i loved the flat we rented , it was very expensive. Was it worthwhile? It depends on if you want to pay big bucks for high-end interior decoration and re-decoration.

LOL, talk about different perceptions!! One person's treasured is another's trash. Why anyone would "enjoy" watching, construction is beyond me, but i guess for a little boy, cranes would be more interesting than the Eiffel Tower!


Review of #154 written April 9, 2009
We had a lovely time in your apartment. Today is our son’s 7th birthday and what a way to spend it – in Paris looking at the Eiffel Tower! We actually enjoyed watching the construction going on too!

Rates for our first stay with Paris Perfect were a splurge, at $275/night. We booked our next stay at current rates which were up to $373 by the time of our stay. Between our second and third stay, the apartment was completely redone and refurnished, and air conditioning had been added. In my opinion, the place was totally charming previously. (At that time, Madeleine had a real knack for shopping the flea markets for wonderful furnishings.) The new decor is all slick and modern, with the furnishings imported from Italy! Current rate is €564 (on sale for €395 except New Year's week).

I have a reservation rental with VIP for next month and I am curious to know about the person who is not pleasant to deal with mentioned above. Would you please post the name so I will avoid that person when placing a call to that office? I am actually getting concerned with the negative review of this agency. So far, what's being mentioned is accurate....they are nice and prompt in replying until after you make a payment. I just made a simple request which is being made to appear like a major operation/big deal!

Nina - We rented #176 from ViP a couple of years ago and the transaction was seamless. It was exactly as described - no surprises at all. I like the idea of getting the key in the mail before the trip rather than having to meet an owner/agent when you get there with a fistful of Euros. It was also convenient to pay with a CC and get FF miles for the transaction. Since we were continuing on from Paris after our stay, we mailed our key back from Bruges and our deposit was returned by the time we returned home. I recommended them to friends who were Paris neophyte and their experience was positive as well.

Nina, it's the person who signed the letter from VIP to the OP.

I am renting a flat from them, hoping it all goes well. Until last yr, i saw not one negative review. And when i previously enquired via phone, all those who answered (not just some) were courteous and patient.
A friend rented an apt from them and was quite happy with its low price, and its location in the 7th.