Benita, I hope that the apartment rental company has settled things for you so that you, your husband and your friends can have a wonderful stay in Paris.

Hi Benita,

Interesting to hear more about you. The Laidbacks are very close friends of mine. They are in Paris now. I too, have been to a cooking class at Violon. Catherine and Christian are good friends. If you have a scheduled a cooking class for this trip it is probably with Catherine Reed at her restaurant. Catherine is a good friend, too and I attended her cooking class recently...even though I do not cook!

Yes, the Vougeot apt is in the same building that my friend told me their friend lived and had only received the notice this past week and it seems it will be out of service for about 1 month! Also, the Chardonnay apt. is a more expensive apt that they were giving you...but if it won't work for you, it won't work. I am sure that Paris Perfect is trying to work something out for you. You know Madelyn and Philippe, so you know what nice people they are. Customer service and care is at the very top of the list for Madelyn.

Let's hope all will be settled and taken care of for you in the morning and you can look forward to a super planned trip!

a bientot...Joan

Good Morning Benita,

I hav been out and about this morning and no time to look at your news.

All taken care of for you this morning?

Joan

ParisPerfect gets lots of "love" on here and posters who don't think they are the "BEST EVER" get lots of "trash"

Posts like this however seem to appear more then I would expect for a company that charges top dollar and claims to have the "outstanding" service. I have seen similar "out of order" etc.. on other message boards.

For the price they charge they should be held to a higher standard IMHO!

The problem could be that the Chateau LaTour apartment is not on their website any longer.....perhaps only rented through owner. Hope you get good news.

I have to agree that I would expect better service from PP. I would expect then to just off you the more expensive one with no extra cost. This seems like a cost of doing business for them and they should not expect you to pay more for the situation

Hopefully we will hear from her soon. I think probably no news is good news and she is busy getting ready for her travels.

Please remember that her post came about because of a broken elevator. That is not a problem that was caused by anyone or anyone's 'fault'. I imagine that there are many elevators going to fail with heavy use and warm weather in the next few months.

"You were lucky to be notified 3 months in advance."

It wasn't luck. It was an apartment owner passing on information that the elevator company provided them. It was correct property management practice. As I said above, month-long refits are usually scheduled by the elevator companies well in advance so that the personnel and supplies needed for the job are in place. And they communicate that to the apartment owners/managers. Regular elevator inspection (usually annual) is required as part of keeping the building up to code. At the very least, apartment owners should check when the inspections are due to take place and inform prospective customers about the possibility that the elevator could potentially be out of order for maintenance at that time.

I'm sure some building management companies are better than others in keeping all advised. I know from my Paris stays that most of them seem not to be so good..very bad regarding remodeling. They will pin a note up on the common wall near elevator a few days ahead!

Second and Last Update!

First, Julia1. I laughed so hard when I read your response. It had never occurred to me that the electricity might go out or a fire. I can just imagine my adorable portly, college professor husband standing on Ave. Bourdonnais with bare feet in his nightgown in the middle of the night. (I promise pictures if this occurs).

Joan, I appreciate your comments and especially checking in with me this morning. I hope to meet you sometime (maybe share a PP apt.).

Ok for the update. Paris Perfect called me this morning and we will be staying in the Latour apartment. E-mail confirmation has been received and they were kind enough to notify my taxi service of the new address. They explained in detail how all this came about and they were only notified last week about the elevator work.

As so many of you recommended, I did not book a hotel or another apartment. I have previously had such excellent dealings with PP that I was sure they would not leave us sitting on the curb. Although the thought did cross my mind, I wonder how much the four of us could make pan-handling on Rue Dominique!

I explained to PP that it would have made me feel better if they had contacted me more often so I could have been assured they were working on my situation. Actually, every hour on the hour would have been wonderful but once a day would have put me more at ease. They understood my point of view and said will try to be more considerate with future renters if this situation occurs again.

As you can imagine, I am incredibly relieved and have started to pack. Oh packing, another major problem, but that is another story.

I cannot thank you all enough for being so helpful, interested and caring.

I had planned on doing a semi-trip report during my trip. Maybe something different, unusual or exciting that might happen than the normal tourist sights you have all visited. I hope that you are not too tired from hearing from me.

Benita

Sorry my husband. Not nightgown, should have been nightshirt!

Hi Benita,

So glad to hear from you and that all is well! Yes, the Ch La Tour will work well for you and is a far more expensive apartment than the Vougeot (close to double)..for those who seem interested in that part! I have stayed in the Ch. La Tour.

You mention sitting on the curb..Every time with an early morning departure and I leave the key in the apt and shut the door behind me and go down to wait for my car service, I find it a bit frightening!

Yes, I am sure that every hour would have been better to hear from them. As you have said, and I also know, too, that Paris Perfect is going to take care of you to the best of their ability to do so.

These unforturnate things that are no fault issues can create problems, such as how it did affect you. I doubt that Paris Perfect had much available to offer you, as they do stay occupied, even with so many properties. They are well liked..you easily become spoiled. I am also glad, for you, that an aptartment was available in the western part of the 7th, as it seems that is where you have stayed before. It is definitely my preference. Others do feel strongly about their areas, too.

I hope you are going to a Catherine Reed cooking class. Tell her you know me. Just had an e-mail from her a bit ago. Really nice gal.

I wish you a safe trip and a great time. Drop a note if you have time.

a bientot..

Joan

So glad that you are taken care if Benita. Have a wonderful trip and here is another vote for Reed. Wonderful food and Catherine is a fabulous chef.

Joan, I'm curious where you found the rental information for Chateau LaTour as I could not find it on the PP website or in a google search. I think we've stayed there in the past so wanted to look and can't find it.

All's well that ends well! Have a great trip and enjoy that lovely apartment.

Since gracejoan posted on the 18th that ParisPerfect would NOT charge any additional if the replacement was a more expensive apartment, I can't help but wonder what finally happened with regard to the cost.
Is Benita being charged more for the replacement than for the original apt?

Judy,
The Ch La Tour is not presently on the website. My price mention was from memory...the reason it was not exact.

Cynthia's question could only be answered by Betina, if she cares to. She is happy and has a great and upgraded apartment for her stay. That is really all that is umportant.

Joan, I am insanely jealous of your memory!! We are in Paris a lot and I cannot remember which apartment was which, let alone the cost. Very impressive!

Hi Judy,

It was somewhat of a guess, too. I know that the Ch La Tour is a lot more than the Vougeot! You stayed in it, too?

Joan

I now I think not....I believe I had it confused with a 3 bedroom on Quai Henry IV, which I also don't see on their website any more. Or I was confusing the name with Chassagne, which we've stayed in.

Kind of fun to look back at the various apartments and remember trips (my recall of the actual trip is far better than my memory of apt names/costs!)