There are very few experiences so bad I haven't been willing to give a business a second chance. However, my visit to Evergreen Camp & Resorts is one of those instances. 2 cottages were rented for 4days/3nights with the intent of spending a wonderful family vacation/reunion based on the information & imagery from their website as well as about a half a dozen calls by several relatives to ask questions, clarify & confirm exactly what was included to insure appropriate expectations were set & we were prepared.
The cottages were nowhere near as nice as were pictured & described. There are no images of the bedrooms at all, and after getting there, we now know why. I would guess all of the pictures shown to be at least 10 years out of date. The carpeting was stained, faded, worn & smelly. The walls were beat up. There was a pervasive musty/moldy smell throughout both cottages.
The amenities "included" were insufficient at best & some completely not delivered on at all. Why would there ever not be fully working appliances, lights & remotes to insure your guests don't ever feel annoyed & frustrated?
Bayside Cottage was one we were in. Fully furnished in my bedroom meant a bed, a rickety table next to it, a clock radio and a floor lamp - no other lights at all. The closet had 2 hangers in it and a broken tv. No nightstand, No dresser, No chair. 2 of the other bedrooms were exactly the same, except no broken tvs. That is NOT fully furnished. Linens provided was a lie. There was not enough for the beds and we had to ask twice before we had what was needed for our group. Why wasn't that checked prior to our arrival? FULL Service - another lie, downstairs tv was not hooked up to work as a tv at all - only video games, light bulbs were burned out, the blender was missing parts, kitchen was woefully under-supplied - there were no pots (had to borrow from the other cottage) & got 1 tab for washing dishes for 3 days in a cottage that is supposed to accommodate 14-16 people. 1 roll of toilet paper per bathroom and 1 roll of paper towels per house - more than that we were told we needed to provide. REALLY?
Beachfront Cottage was the other we were in. Slightly better furnishing here, and still an odd assortment of items in the kitchen, but did not need to go looking for anything. But then in here there was issues with the laundry room, while the washer was fine, the dryer was not - it had been unplugged and even if you wanted to plug it in, it would not fit! The sleeping accommodations did not match what was listed on this cottage. Then when pulling the extra mattresses out of the "rec room" we were surprised to disrupt a whole family of mice. Nothing like a bunch of baby mice to make you feel like home - NOT. You did not want to touch or sleep on/near anything kept in that room. The remote has dead batteries and when we went up to the office to get new ones, they did not even have any and needed to go out and buy some themselves, so that was quick service and a timely resolution - NOT. Same situation on the linens, not provided even though it was advertised to sleep 16 and supposed to have been provided. The garbage was not taken out from the previous occupants.
"new - free wifi" was advertised all over. That should mean more than just only in the store area & if you do have restrictions they should be clearly stated.
There was a storm the morning we arrived and not only did no one EVER stop by to put the yard, desks and outside furnishings in order - so yep, i stared at the patio umbrella tiled and leaning across the table and deck railing for all 4 days. One more good storm and that would be falling on someones head. Do these folks NOT do anything proactively?
The power went out on Saturday night for hours. Did anyone come and check to insure their guests were not falling down the stairs in an unfamiliar house since there was not 1 candle or flashlight in either cottage? Where is the contingency planning that any thorough and comprehensive business owner should have in place? Not one phone in either cottage to even be able to call up to the office. So, of our party of 26 people at least 10 of us had to make multiple trips back and forth just to get the things that should have been all ready and available. Outrageous.
When these issues were brought to the staffs attention, they were unwilling and/or unable to resolve to our satisfaction. Some appeared to not care, really did not listen & just referred us to fill in the comment cards. Then others were outright belligerent, actively arguing about what items were stocked - or in this case not stocked - in the cottages.
One staff member when coming out to get a new light bulb for us, just walked right into the house. Unannounced and uninvited - if someone was walking out of their room undressed, there would be a lawsuit in the works by now. Is there no guidelines and training for the employees about appropriate and legal boundaries?
Why would you not have a checklist & policies in place to insure adequate preparation? We are paying guests at your "resort" & deserve a minimum of courtesy & respect. That is not an unreasonable request in my book.
But the deal-breaker here was the attitude & behavior of the manager & owner when we actually did turn in our comment cards. During that conversation refunding the cost of the supplies we purchased was OFFERED. But then after my mother goes out to find the receipt, they asked if the supplies were left in the cottages. Well, since they were candles that got burned during the HOURS with no power, nope, there was none left. That meant no reimbursement, which was fine. But then to pull my mom into a back room to be towered over by 2 big guys who then threaten to call the sheriff on her and press changes for assault? WHAT???? NEVER have I been treated so badly & offensively by anyone who claimed to want to stay in business.
A complaint was filed with the county sheriff.
Based on the abuse & slander, everyone is owed a written apology from the owner & manager. But my mother is owed MUCH more than that & should get some kind of refund. At 66years old 4ft 9in, to be bullied and humiliated like that when she simply tried to retrieve the receipt the manager initially offered to reimburse her for is appalling. She didn't ever touch anyone & got intimidated & threatened.