“We found in the suggestions book in the property that there had been numerous issues with the heating downstairs previously which obviously had not been resolved, our heating downstairs broke with 3 babies and sub zero temperatures.”
The heating engineer could not find the key to the boiler room, so ended up having to angle grind the lock which is not ideal. I would have thought it would have been sensible to have a key hidden somewhere in the property or at least accessible in emergencies such as ours.
I had specifically asked about grit knowing about the wintery weather and was assured that the owners said there was a grit bin. However this was full of water and dog poo.
Also when we asked lake lovers for some grit they never delivered it and said we could collect some from the Ambleside office.
Very disappointing.
- Charlotte, December 2023
Thank you for this feedback. We are extremely sorry about the problems with the heating on the lower floor and the grit during your stay. The night without heating on the lower floor is something we were doing our utmost on that day to resolve and we are sorry that we could not do so because neither our engineer nor the Lakelovers team could get to the house in the exceptionally snowy weather. I believe Lakelovers have been in touch with you about this. We were aware of the historic problems with the downstairs heating and as a result had replaced a faulty valve and tested the heating shortly prior to your stay. Unfortunately a different problem emerged over your first weekend. This has now been fixed and we have carried out a full system overhaul and test. We are as sure as we can be that there won’t be any future heating problems but, in case of unexpected problems, we have provided five new De’Longhi back-up electric radiators which can be accessed in an emergency. I have also been in touch with Lakelovers who have apologised for their confusion over the location of the boiler cupboard key which is accessible at all times.
The grit bins near the property are maintained by the Rydal Hall estate. When you informed us that they were empty, we asked Lakelovers to deliver an emergency supply of grit to you immediately and I am really sorry that this didn’t happen - in our experience they are normally extremely responsive in such emergencies. To avoid this problem in the future, we have now purchased an additional grit bin which will be kept on the property and maintained by us.
We are really sorry you experienced these problems. As new owners of the property we are really determined to make sure every guest has a really lovely holiday and we are very grateful for your feedback.
FROM LAKELOVERS:
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We are sorry to read of your difficulties at the property but can see from the notes that you informed us that the previous heating issues mentioned in the suggestions book were from 2018. Thankfully, the heating engineer was able to resolve the problems during your stay. Unfortunately, the grit bin is a communal one and not maintained by the property. I can see that your request for grit was as a precaution and with maintenance emergencies to attend to, you were invited to collect it from the office. I am pleased to see that a resolution to these problems was provided and accepted by you.
Lakelovers Owner Team
Property Owner