LAS VEGAS (KSNV & MyNews3) -- A group of high school volleyball players from Washington state were anxious to participate in a nationwide tournament held in Las Vegas.
The tournament was fine. Their stay was not so great.
News 3's Gerard Ramalho has the story on how they booked a vacation rental home online and it did not turn out the way they expected it.
It's a case of not getting what you pay for. They booked what appeared to be a beautiful rental online but in real life it was a filthy mess.
News 3 caught up with some of the team member just as they were getting ready to leave Las Vegas.
What was supposed to be a trip to remember for the young athletes of Skagit Island Volleyball Academy turned out not so pleasant.
"The bedsheets in all the rooms were dirty so we had to go wash them all," said team chaperone Melanie Calles.
Calles describes her ordeal with a home they rented off the website www.lasvegashomevacation.com.
"It looked like a brand new home, and had enough beddings for all 20 people in there,” Calles said. “You know it was pretty modern and open."
It sounded perfect and an ideal opportunity to keep the entire team all together. Online, the property look nice and was listed along with several other Las Vegas properties. But when the team arrived they found the home was something entirely different.
Sinks were filthy and backed up. There was hair, dirt and what appeared to be blood stains on the linens.
Fixtures were absent or disconnected and not only was the upstairs toilet not working, it was leaking water through the ceiling down to the bottom floor.
Even the flat screen TV had a shattered monitor. And one other slight inconvenience, the king bed that was advertised was missing.
"They told me to go and buy an air bed and bed sheets and they would reimburse me. Really? And I said that was unacceptable," Calles said.
The property managers were not helpful, she says and Trying to book a hotel would have been next to impossible. The team decided to stick it out for the weekend and endure the not-so pleasant accommodations.
"It's a huge lesson learned for me,” Calles said. “But we plan on coming back next year for this tournament anyways."
Calles says she'll be doing more research next year and may end up opting for a hotel if it's within their budget.
News 3 contacted the property manager and was told he's going to offer them a full refund for their troubles. He also said that home will no longer be rented out until it's repaired.
Consumer advocates advise going through a travel agent, checking with the Better Business Bureau and also checking on-line rating sites such as yelp.com before booking a vacation rental.
