Complaint Review: Hawaii Dream Vacation Rentals

In early September, we made arrangements to rent the Cronk's beautiful "Blue Hawaii" Unit 311 beachfront condo on Oahu at Pat's at Punaluu for three weeks, Oct. 6-27, for $3,362.33--to celebrate my husband's 82nd birthday.

Internet photos portrayed the condo as an exotic, picturesque, well appointed and comfortable one-bedroom unit tastefully decorated and furnished in a Hawaiian theme.

However, upon arrival, we found ourselves in a dingy, ugly, shabbily furnished, poorly lit and unsanitary 3rd floor unit--the antithesis of what was pictured in the Cronk's full-colored internet advertisement that enticed us to spend the $3,362.33 to rent "Blue Hawaii" for three weeks.  

I will summarize briefly the major problems, as follows:

The small, unclean bathroom had a folding door that wouldn't close, a toilet that overflowed three times during our stay.  The front screen door wouldn't close for cross ventilation because of rust corrosion.  Louvered windows didn't open or close.  Closets were filled with rags, tools and sundry ink left by previous tenants.  The refrigerator was filthy.  Bedroom window curtain was constantly damp (perhaps from the water pipe leakage in the fourth floor unit above ours).

But the major source of discomfort was the noise.

We were constantly bothered by the incessant pounding of workmen using heavy hammers to break up the cement patio on theoceanside area beneath our porch.

Moreover, from that fourth floor condo above ours, there emanated the incessant shrill, screaming and metallic grinding of an electric tile cutter as other workmen installed a new floor in that unit.

And it only did the dirty water from the tile cutter seep down to our lanai carrying with it tile shards and other debris, the metallic screaming was so deafening that my husband and I couldn't hear one another talking, much less hear our cantankerous TV, when it was working, which wasn't often.  The lanai was unusable the entire time we were there.

Thesedisturbances continued eight hours a day, 5 days a week,for three weeks.  When we complained to the management, we were told that we were advised in advance of the construction.  WE WERE NOT!  Otherwise, we said, would have made other arrangements.

But apparently in an effort to apply salve to our problems, the manager gratuitously moved us temporarily--for a few days--up to the eighth floor into what he called "the penthouse".

This penthouse unit 814--a three bedroom double- story unit--appeared acceptable.  That is, until we discovered that someone had vomited in one of the two bathrooms, which we cleaned up, and that the bathrooms and kitchen were in need of some serious cleaning.

We spent the night there.  But when in the morning we found that we both had been bitten repeatedly by bed bugs, and that the unit seems infested with cockroaches and flying termites--no screens on any of the Windows--we packed up again and moved ourselves back down to the 3rd floor, where we remained u til our contract expired.

During this time my husband contracted a case of Bacterial Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) and I came down with an acute sinus infection.  Upon examining my husband, Drs. Vincent P. Risen, MD and Kendrick W. Lee, MD at the Kahuku Medical Center explained that the Conjunctiviitis, which left my husband virtually blind in one eye for three days, most likely came from sleeping soiled bed sheets or using soiled towels.  No unusual explanation for my sinus problem.

For weeks, we attempted unsuccessfully to contact the Crocks by email and telephone to discuss the misrepresentation of their "Blue Hawaii" Beach Front vacation.  We finally received a small $670 refund and an email from Mrs Cronk said, in effect, that the matter has been closed and "there is nothing more to communicate".

The entire episode obviously smacks as a classic case of "bait and switch", where the seller offers the prospective buyer one vacation package, which he pays for in advance, but what he receives is something entirely different.  This is a crime.

As of today, Cronk's Hawaii Dream Vacation Rentals website continues to promote its "Blue Hawaii" condo with beautiful full-colored photographs of the furnishings.  Also, they advertise there is a sauna on the property.  There is none.

I have many photos to show what we thought we rented and what we actually were given.