Drop Anchor

We had a really disappointing stay at Drop Anchor, booked through Waiheke Unlimited. The listing had appealing photos and a glowing write-up, and the location looked great. We were excited to spend New Year there with another family and had paid a substantial amount in advance. It was described as a “retro kiwi bach” that had been “completely updated,” so our expectations weren’t unreasonable. The property fell far short of what was advertised. Over the first few days we came across a long list of problems: blood-stained duvets, broken mosquito screens and taps, threadbare curtains, a filthy utensil pot, and other things that didn’t work or weren’t up to standard. The house was also very dirty, with thick dust under the beds and in the bathroom. Some faults couldn’t easily have been fixed over New Year, but we told Waiheke Unlimited we were unhappy. At checkout, we walked through the house with the “Concierge” and showed her 26 issues. She was horrified and said Waiheke Unlimited would respond within two days. They didn’t. After we followed up, director Ed Coutts was rude on the phone and said we’d hear back the next day. That didn’t happen either. Eventually we received a defensive email that addressed only some complaints, referred to the 92-year-old owner “who does not worry” about certain issues, and made patronising remarks about the agency’s wealthy guests enjoying the house more than we had. Ed offered just over the cost of one night as compensation. We felt brushed off, so sent a detailed email setting out each concern, including points we’d already raised with the Concierge and that Ed had largely ignored, and asked for a substantial refund. After two more exchanges, including criticism of our email and how we communicated, Waiheke Unlimited made a “final” offer of a 25% refund. We felt we had no real choice but to accept. Even after all that effort, we still feel ripped off. It was a wholly unsatisfactory experience, and we’ll stay elsewhere next time. We’ve already found Stay Waiheke, which has very good reviews compared with Waiheke Unlimited’s fairly bad ones. Maybe the agency would have a better online reputation if it treated customers respectfully and dealt with their concerns.