Dayenu

In Italy the first floor is "ground floor" and the 2nd floor is "first floor" - still should not be 3rd floor!

ShilpiC

@nytraveler: I agree about the elevator part....but we decided to go for this holiday really late in august and could not find anything in our budget with elevator available. It was second floor europe I guess but still double of what I had bargained for! And like I said, it was not what I chose!
But anyways, all is well that ends well.....had a great time in Florence mostly!

Micheline

As someone who frequently rents apartments in Europe I am happy when someone posts the good and the bad. We travel on a budget as well and great when there is an elevator but often there is not. I'm happy you liked Florence and I appreciate your post and I understand why you were upset.

daveesl

I hate to say the obvious, but you should have definitely contacted Sleep in Italy just as soon as you saw the apartment. Sabrina or Manuela are almost always in the Rome office and I'm sure they could have rectified this situation.

I agree completely that if it wasn't the apt. you wanted, then it should have been taken care of immediately. However, Sleep in Italy cannot be mind readers, so if they don't get a complaint, then how can they know something is wrong? That goes with any business.

I feel for you, as I, though my own fault, once rented an apartment on the 5th floor, walk up. I forgot that being a 300 year old building, climbing 5 floors is like climbing 7 or 8. By about the 3rd day I absolutely hated that place, even though the apartment itself was fantastic. The lesson I learned was never to rent above the 1st floor, even if a lift is noted, as it can always break down.

dave

ShilpiC

@Michelin: Thanks for understanding,
@Daveesl: I had no phone or internet when we reached there and a very tired 4 year old. It seemed too much of a hassle then though in hindsight I realise I could have called up from a public phone etc.

It's an apartment I would have not disliked so much if we were travelling without the little one (and without so much suitcases!). It's just that with a child, you tend to give preference to these simple things like stairs/natuaral light/location as you know a happier child means a better trip for all three if us!

qwovadis

Sorry for negative experience.

"Cheated" is a strong defamatory and quite slanderous word

not correct you were accomodated just not to your satisfaction

Apartments are hit and miss many bait and switches

Try to get a supervisor in Rome it is a family operation

The Squeaky Wheel Tends to Get the Grease if you are kind.

If you paid with credit card which I always do you can

kindly state you will file a dispute merchant reversal to get

your money back frequently they give on that one.

if you wired money you are pretty much shafted...

Vote with your feet next time italyby.com my fav for this...

BBPlanet.it also works well for me.


Good luck!

qwovadis

Partner - Managing Director:
Babline America Carusone

Renato Mario Carusone

[email protected]

Partner - Sales Manager :
Sabrina Neri

[email protected]

Contact any of these folks have seen great reviews on the

boards....

Personally would delete/remove the word "cheated"

from your post not true and hurtful to a quality business.

www.sleepinitaly.com 99% good reviews on the boards.

ShilpiC

I agree....teh word cheated was a very emotional response. Butt how do I remove it?

jamikins

ShilpiC - see the little yellow triange with the '!' in it to the right side of your post? Click on that and as the moderators to edit the title to something more appropriate.

ShilpiC

I did that....hope they change to something milder like bad expirience and not cheating!

kismetchimera

I never had any problems renting from SleepInitaly..

jo_ann

wow - assuming you did get the "white" unit as someone suggested, the pictures of that vs what you rented are vastly different, imho. Loft is much more appealing, regardless of any price difference supposedly in your favor. And the extra steps are a problem, if you didn't even have the option of a lift (I'm a tad claustrophic - we rented an apartment in Paris 2 years ago, the year I had turned 60, and I worked off my morning croissants by ONLY using the staircase up to the French 6th floor the entire trip rather than the tiny, casket-shaped elevator! but I digress.....)
However, I do think you could have found time to notify the agency during the early part of your stay. I bet there were internet cafes around, for instance, where you could have sent an email for a very low price, and added some validity to your negotiations with them.
Good luck, and it is very good that you managed to not let it ruin your stay in Florence, AND that you then went on to another unit with the same agency with no fear!

ShilpiC

Thanks to fodors for helping me change the title from "cheated" to "bad service".
I still feel sad though....Serragali Loft ( the one I booked) shows booked for the whole month while Serragali White ( the one I stayed in) is empty forever as per sleep in Italy's site! I just wish the apartment thing had not dampened our stay in lorence