The cottage had not been cleaned. The sheets and mattress protector had soiled stains on them, the toilet seat was soiled, the bathroom door had brown stains around the handle and the lock was missing, bedside table was covered in a black sticky mess, there was rotting fruit in the cupboard, the walls and light switches were filthy, the children's bedrooms were covered in spiders webs, the main door had a metal bar sticking out from the inside which was dangerous, the glass light fitting was broken exposing cut glass edges, there was mould in the showers, the drawers were full of rubbish left from previous renters, the dining table and fridge hadn't been cleaned, dead flies had been squashed into the walls, the TV remote control had many missing buttons making it unusable, the tumble dryer was full of lint making it a fire hazard, and there were many more issues.
I contacted Love Connemara Cottages immediately with photographic evidence. They made excuses for all the issues. They advised the soiled toilet seat was a tan stain (it was not), I cleaned this myself and sent before and after photos to them. They advised that they would speak to the launderette re sheets, they conveniently ignored the bedside table, fridge, flies, dirt, missing toilet locks etc. They didn't offer an apology or offer to take any immediate action. They advised that the previous tenants reported the property as being immaculate (which I struggle to believe), making it seem as if we were being fussy.
After many frustrating emails they agreed to provide me with a small partial refund, but not the partial refund I had requested.
Receiving the refund was also a battle and many emails later I have finally received it (7 weeks later).
During the refund process they continued to make mistakes, making the process longer and more frustrating. They told me that I had booked the property through Vrbo and needed to chase the refund through them. (I didn't book through Vrbo, I booked directly with Love Connemara Cottages). They also under refunded me. They calculated the refund only from the second payment I had made for the cottage, and not the full amount which included a deposit that I had already paid for the cottage. In making their calculation they also miscalculated the percentage they were supposed to give me. As a result I have still been under refunded.
Overall my experience with Love Connemara Cottages was very disappointing and extremely long winded and frustrating. The cottage was mis represented in the photographs by Love Connemara Cottages and their customer service was poor. I also visited their offices in Clifden twice during this time, to try to resolve the issues face to face, but their offices are permanently closed with the blinds down. Avoid booking with this company.