Hi fellow petitioners and supporters, 

I hope you can support a close friend of mine who has been through a horrible ordeal while staying at a holiday let in Scotland.

My friend’s name is Andy and he stayed at this holiday let in Summer 2023. Even at the point of booking something didn’t seem right, as the owner was explaining she normally takes a deposit of £2,000 but was willing to accept £1,000. This is an extremely high deposit for a holiday let but Andy’s concerns were allayed by the fact she was displaying a four-star award from the Scottish Tourist Board (now called VisitScotland). So, he paid the deposit and accommodation costs via bank transfer.

After a few days in the property, Andy advised the owner of some minor issues – such as a dysfunctional kitchen bin and loose toilet flush button – and she immediately accused him of causing this damage. She then informed him he needed to list and photograph all damage in the property including any wear and tear. The holiday let was full of marks and scratches and it would have taken him several hours to complete this sort of detailed account. It would also have encroached on his valuable holiday time. 

Turning up at the holiday let the following morning, the owner wanted to go round with Andy recording any damage in the property. She was looking to list even small marks and scratches and informed him that any damage he didn't point out may be deducted from his deposit. Andy was now seriously concerned about her conduct. It seems she was struggling with issues around damage to her property and was projecting this onto him. 

After some reflection, he suggested to the owner it might be best if he found alternative accommodation. She agreed but was unwilling to provide him with a pro rata refund for the time he wouldn't be staying and was only prepared to refund him later if she managed to relet the property. As there was no guarantee she would relet, and he was already doubting her integrity, Andy wasn't keen to leave without his refund.

Remembering the four-star award the owner was displaying, Andy called VisitScotland to get their advice. They explained that they couldn't help him, as the award had expired, but they would contact her to request its removal and should she fail to do so, Trading Standards would be advised.

When Andy informed her about the expired award, she claimed it had been rectified. In reality, due to the concerns he’d raised with VisitScotland, she would have to wait to be reassessed by them. Despite this, she continued displaying the expired award for several weeks – potentially misleading other guests. It seems this holiday let owner was a law unto herself.

After he contacted VisitScotland, the owner became especially unpleasant towards Andy. At one point, she contacted a place where he was volunteering and was complaining to them about him. This was highly inappropriate, as he hadn't done anything wrong and his volunteering role had no connection to her holiday let. She would later claim her action was no different from him contacting VisitScotland about his private booking with her.

Less than halfway through his stay, the owner gave Andy three days' notice to vacate her holiday let. This was an extremely distressing experience for him and, due to it being the height of summer season, it was difficult to find somewhere to stay at short notice.

Andy left by the deadline given and, interestingly, after accusing him of causing damage in her property, the owner returned his full deposit. But it's now more than a year since his stay and she's still withholding money Andy paid her for the period after he was instructed to vacate – close to £650.

The holiday let is called Thornhall Chalet and is located in the village of Dyke in Scotland. I'm hoping this petition will help Thornhall Chalet's owner to see that keeping money for accommodation she didn't provide is unacceptable and she needs to refund Andy as a matter of priority.

I'd appreciate if you can sign my petition to stand up for fairness, and help avoid a repeat of this event.

Thank you!

Janice