Cottage.com Reviews 

Avoid Cottages.com. I genuinely wouldn't risk booking with them again.

I honestly don't even know where to start. This has been one of the most stressful and upsetting experiences our family has ever been through.

We booked a property through Cottages.com for a family weekend away. There were 16 of us, across three generations, and it had taken months to find a weekend that everyone could do. Three members of our family had travelled from outside the UK, and we had spent thousands of pounds on the booking.

The reason this trip meant so much is because our mum has Stage 4 cancer. We don't know how many opportunities we'll have left to all be together like this, so we wanted to make memories while we still can. That's something you can't put a price on.

We arrived at check-in on Friday afternoon, excited to start our weekend, only to find a hen party already in the house. The property had been double booked.

I genuinely couldn't believe it.

Instead of starting our weekend, we spent the next three hours standing outside on the pavement, in the heat, with children and elderly relatives, desperately trying to get someone at Cottages.com to help us.

The customer service was shocking.

We were left on hold over and over again, passed between different people, and had to explain the whole situation every single time. The first person we spoke to promised they'd ring us back. They never did.

The only alternative we were offered wasn't even close to what we'd booked. We actually found another property ourselves on the Cottages.com website, only to be told it shouldn't even have been showing because it was already booked. If your own website can't tell you what's available, what confidence are customers supposed to have?

The thing that upset us the most was how little anyone seemed to care. There was no urgency, no ownership and very little sympathy. At one point we were even told to “move along." Sixteen people, with nowhere to stay because of a mistake your company had made, and that's how we were spoken to.

To make things even worse, we'd had emails from Cottages.com just days before saying things like “We're looking forward to your stay." Clearly nobody had checked whether the booking actually existed.

We were also promised that a senior manager would contact us on Monday.

That never happened either.

No phone call. No explanation. No apology worth mentioning.

Mistakes happen, but it's how a company deals with them that matters. Cottages.com failed us at every single stage. The double booking was bad enough, but the way we were treated afterwards was honestly just as upsetting.

This wasn't just a weekend away for us. It was precious time with our mum while she's living with Stage 4 cancer, and that time can't simply be replaced.

We'll never book through Cottages.com again, and I genuinely wouldn't recommend anyone else does either. If this can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.

Extremely disappointed with the very poor customer services, you cannot seem to get through on the telephone and their website chat service is awful. Very poor customer service skills and manner. Terribly steep cancellation fees despite providing over 9 months notice! Will not be using again!

Obviously I am very disappointed that Cottages.com. are connected with Expedia. They wanted to charge an extra 600 pounds on top of the advertised price for staying a few days at Lonsdale House in Ulverston. They notified me of the increase several months after I sent them a 50 % deposit for the original price. An email from cottages.com stated: "Unfortunately, we encountered an error at the time of your booking." Unfortunately for cottages.com it's the error of cottages.com advertising incorrect pricing. It was not a fault of mine or any other customer. Obviously, therefore, cottages.com should shoulder the consequences, not the customer. Instead, my stay at Lonsdale House was canceled on me when I objected to a demand of an extra payment of around $800 on top of the advertised price. Even the full refund wasn't returned to me. I paid $302.48 on Sept.20. I was refunded only $290.06 on Nov.5. Classy!!!

Unethical company who allow greedy landlords to add extra money on AFTER you have booked!!

AVOID AVOID AVOID

Booked a holiday cottage with cottage.com called the wee white cottage in stirling for my twin sons 21st birthday, basically wen we arrived the games room wot was shown on the web site photos where nothing like on pictures, the pool table was ripped so you couldn't use it, not the right amount off balls tv didn't work & sofa in there was badly stained! Trying to get help for some sort off refund is an absolute nightmare after we paid £865 for 3 nights, ive also so contacted the owner who admitted it had been like this for several weeks, 😔 😢 I wouldn't recommend going here as it's a disappointment

It’s a shame because their cottages are decent, but their customer service is awful. Have used them a lot before, but never again after a bad experience with their team.

Recently booked with Cottages.com for a property in Scotland. Achnacarry Estate apartment.
The accommodation was good and in a beautiful setting but our whole experience was marred by the problems we had prior to our arrival.
We did not receive the information needed to enter the property which we were told would be available 2 days
before holiday started.
We tried contacting the owner it the number was
persistently engaged and the emergency number given
on booking form unrecognised.
We were anxious that we may have possibly been scammed and were unable to get reassurance from the agency. It is very difficult to get through to agency to
speak to a human and when we eventually did, they too were unable to contact the owner.
We were left wondering whether to risk driving 8 hours to the property and maybe unable to enter or sacrifice a much anticipated holiday.
We finally had confirmation that the property would be
open on our arrival but at 9.30 a.m on the day of our travel!
Not good enough!. Very stressful for us.
Occupants of the neighbouring apartment had an identical experience to us and were equally distressed.
Agency needs to improve customer service and employ more humans to deal with issues.

Recent visit to a cottages . Com cottage, 19 Perran court, the bay Filey.
Absolutely filthy, absolutely unsafe.
Our pictures say it all!!!!!!!

I've been quite a regular & loyal customer of cottages.com for I cannot count exactly how many years. They treated me terribly appallingly with my last booking so has put me right off them ! I booked a bungalow in Bournemouth for my family and myself for the best part of a week. I put in the exact dates we needed and wanted because we were attending a specific event there. I paid the money up front as was required, about £6-700. We arrived on the day I'd booked for & pulled up outside the house, there was a car outside, the lights were on & there were people inside, I knocked on the door, no answer so I telephoned the owner & cottages.com & asked why ?! Only to be told that my booking was to start the next afternoon ! I exclaimed & protested that I KNOW 100% for Certain that I'd booked & paid to start our breakaway holiday starting from that Thursday! They agreed but they said there was a little box somewhere on the booking form (which I Never saw and I am very thorough when booking &/or with everything!) that apparently states that if the dates are already taken by someone else then you get approximate dates as near to when you require but not exactly and that you have to tick or untick that box to get the dates you want !!! HOW & WHY did my required dates come up as available on the booking calendar then ?! They should have shown me that that Thursday was pre-booked & that if only be able to get that particular place from the Friday or otherwise I wouldn't have booked it !!! I was So upset & angry ! I was making these telephone calls from my car with my family in tow with me until 9 O'Clock at night it was before I was able to find alternative accomodation for the first night at Extra expense to myself & as it was peak Summer season ! I telephoned them again the next morning, asking for compensation for the extra expense and inconvenience they had caused us ! We had to unpack & pack & move & unpack again all while we were trying to attend & enjoy our event we'd gone there for ! They flatly refused to give any kind of compensation or apology ! The young lady who dealt with us on the phone was AWFUL, HORRIBLE !!! She made me SO ANGRY ! She Kept saying to "listen, she was trying to help me"! Every time I listened to give her that chance to see What she or they would or could do for me, she kept repeating there was nothing they would do ! She kept repeating herself & wasting my precious time ! Yet she kept saying listen, I am trying to help you, so I asked what are you going to do then ?! She said there's nothing we can do ! It went on like this over & over, again & again ! So infuriating ! My blood felt like it was boiling & about to explode ! She caused me to shout at her and it takes an awful lot to get me like that ! I kept demanding to speak with a superior or supervisor or manager, she kept insisting that was impossible as there was none available ! Terrible, disgusting treatment of paying customers ! We lost a whole day & money's worth of that first nights stay with no apology !

We opened the door to the smell of damp and spiders webs,some with the occupant still in them. The oven was filthy with old fat and mold. The shower was disgusting too. The drain was blocked with human hair and old soap. We wondered why the water took so long to drain. The owners lived next door and were not available to answer our questions. We have photos to show how filthy the place was. The company we used to book the property were not helpful to our plight. We felt quite cheated out of our holiday.

I have booked five holidays in the past with no issues but have never been offered the chance to provide a review of any of the properties. Only way to contact the company is via a chat line; can’t talk to a real person. Monday an agent said that they would enable this facility but it is now Thursday evening and nothing. Only good thing about cottages.com is the low deposit.

Website is appalling. I hope the stay is better
Tried booking 2 times it appears you can't using Google or goole crome but they don't tell you that finely booked with Edge browser .
Then the mail tells you log onto your account fine but booking not showing so message them then get a mail but saying your account is locked today try tomorrow
What a shower of s#it the web booking system is !

Booked a cottage, on arrival as we opened the door we were hit by the smell of dog pee and damp, the cottage was very tired, but worse, it was very dirty, we had been told it had been cleaned that day. It looked to us like someone had been living in it and just up and left. The pictures on the site must have been taken quite a few years back as everything had changed and not for the better. Do they not do checks?? Inspect these properties?? We took lots of photos. We left next morning at 7am having not slept well, sheets on bed stained. contacted owner who didn't seem that surprised, said he would get in touch with cottages.com to issue refund. I've emailed and phoned cottages.com. first time i was told they would contact me next day, they didnt. It would seem from the person I spoke too the second time (only taking messages to forward on)that they are dealing with all complaints as quickly as they can....they must have alot! As yet nothing. First and last time with this company. Holidays are good for our mental health, and this was a much needed one, one we were really looking forward to. Now not only are we pounds out but feeling pretty low. Having no break and now having to dealing with a company that doesn't seem to care.

Property me and my partner stayed at was not as described and was filthy.
Contacted owner who agreed to a partial refund. Owner informed us that partial refund would be £60 (we paid over £350). Contacted company who just kept sending me around in circles. Very poor customer service and the way the situation was dealt with is a shambles.

I’ve been trying to cancel my booking on cottages.com for last three days due to family emergency the website just taking me round in circles booking ref 34785810
It’s a nightmare
Anyone else had the same issue

Currently going round in circles trying to log on to my account. I cant remember my password and the support is to firstly activate the account (no activation email sent, although I have requested 10 times now!!)try a different browser, exactly the same scenario.
Chat box is useless, yet to speak to a real person.

As a Host for many years, in the grand Old days of English Country Cottages ( their original name) l was proud to belong to the 'Team' a regional Manager to contact incase of issues.
All that is left is a frustratingly , incompetent, rude, bunch of people running a company you have entrusted with your Business, by staying with them will be ruination .
Nil support if you have a issue you can bet it will get worse.

Probably the worst Scam of a holiday company I have ever come across,
Booked a 7 day holiday in portscatho Cornwall and tried to cancel it the next morning,Cancellation fee £455 and a £45 refund.
Totally disgusting

Hoeseasons telephone support are great at sorting out the mess created by their overseeing company Cottages.com. Their post has a 5-star rating for support. Others in the group are Vrbo, Hometogo and Awaze Vacation Rentals Ltd.
We booked via Hometogo but the online deposit payment failed. Hoeseasons phoned us up and gave us another number. I checked with my bank, then phoned the number which turned out to be Cottages.com. Eventually sorted by Hoeseasons. This week we received a Hoeseasons reminder to pay the balance via "my account" online. Except that the booking failed to show on line. As before the Hoeseasons phoneline was excellent. Apparently bookings with some of the group do not show on-line. After payment, the receipt referenced both Hoeseasons and Awaze Vacation Rentals Ltd. All sorted, great property, great price.
Previous experience of Cottages.com was 18 months ago when they cancelled a holiday without telling us. We thought the balance payment was automatic, but it wasn't. We missed payment and within days Cottages.com had let the property to someone else without letting us know.
Thanks to Cottages.com, our current booking has involved 4 companies, several different phone contacts, a "failed" payment and a booking gone missing on-line. The scenario screams SCAM, except it's just Cottages.com being incompetent.

booked a cottage, then owner cancelled. Customer service agent stated she would search for an alternative for us. Still waiting. tried to contact but got a automated online chat message with AVA kept getting cut off. eventually got a number to contact they would phone back STILL WAITING. Customer Service an absolute joke