Family’s holiday nightmare after finding room full of sex toys and bondage gear
A family arrived at a £300 per night holiday rental home to find a bloodstained mattress, loose medication and a bedroom filled with sex toys and bondage gear.
The father, who did not want to be named – referred to instead as Mr Norris – rented the five-bedroom property in Northern Ireland for a holiday with extended family but got off to a rocky start when they found the illicit items.
They were disgusted when their five-year-old son discovered the sex toys and medication in a bedside cabinet.
Mr Norris said: ‘We quickly moved the children into the kitchen, where we found an open bottle of nicotine vape liquid on a worktop, and checked the other bedside cabinet and wardrobe.
‘These contained even more items including ropes, whips, penis enlargers, handcuffs and opened tubes of lubricant.’
The home, which was rented through Vrbo, also had a ‘bloodstained mattress’ and other soiled upholstery.
The family emailed pictures of the unkempt house to Vrbo, who said they should raise it with the host of the home, calling it a ‘minor’ issue not qualifiable for a refund.
The host told the family he didn’t clean the house because ‘police shot his dog’ after it escaped and bit someone, according to the Guardian.
The family was eventually allowed to be put into a hotel while the property was cleaned – but instead opted for a nearby Airbnb property for £2,000.
They have still not been refunded, according to the family, adding: ‘Vrbo refused to publish my review, yet allowed the owner to post a zero star rating of me.
‘The extent of what we found in that house was surreal and we felt trapped by the lack of support.
‘I was forced to spend hours during the first three days of the holiday stuck on the phone – mostly on hold – to Vrbo, the host and my bank. The experience completely ruined our trip.’
Vrbo said: ‘We take the health and safety of our Vrbo guests very seriously and we are sorry Mr Norris had this experience.
‘As discussed, we have now provided Mr Norris with compensation in addition to refunding his full booking and service fee, totalling over £3,000.
‘Additionally, we arranged and paid for alternative accommodation. We also contacted the property host regarding cleanliness and safety issues.
‘We regularly assess our policies and our health and safety team is currently re-investigating this case.’
Metro has reached out to Vrbo to see if the listing is still active.
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