advice needed.. in FL now!

[florida4sun]

Sorry but that makes no difference. If pool heat is included, it should be provided payment terms makes no difference. If I have my car serviced and it includes 'free' oil, they need to put oil in the car. If not they have broken contract.

When you say pool heating was included in the price, did the owner give you separate price for the rental and the pool heating?. The reason why I ask is that some owners provide and all inclusive quote which is where you may have difficulty. If however they have quoted a separate price for the pool heating, then I would say that the owners sound as if they have done all they can under the circumstances and I am sure they will offer some form of compensation for the inconvenience. I do hope that the owners can arrange for the pool heater to be replaced very soon because as other home owners have said a pool heater can be replaced quite easily within a few days. If they can't then I think you need to consider staying in another villa for the rest of your stay if you really need the use of a pool. I am sure if you contact the owners they will understand your disappointment and the need for a warm pool for your son. Good luck whatever the outcome and enjoy the rest of your stay in Orlando.

[Joolz]

Resolution.......
Thank you all for your replies. They helped us make our decision about what to-do. We contacted the owner who has been EXTREMELY understanding and has offered us our money back for the second week of our holiday. Then we spoke with the local management company who have found us another villa which we shall move to tomorrow...the new villa has a heated pool. Many thanks for everyone's help and ideas. Looking forward to a warm swim tomorrow.

[steph_goodrum]

That sounds like a perfect solution to at least get some more pleasure from your 2nd week. As owners we can never guarantee that things won't go wrong (and as we know with our own homes we live in - Murphys law says that 2/3 things will always go wrong together) but it is how the situation is dealt with that makes the difference. It sounds like everbody involved worked well together to solve it rather than have heated debate about who is at fault as can happen. Enjoy the rest of your holiday and have a grreat swim

[FraserLynn]

I am sure that this has caused some disappointment during your holiday, but it does sound like everyone has tried to do their best and find a good solution. As I have said before, there has to be an element of trust in this whole process and this sounds to me like another Villa owner leading with doing the right thing... Fantastic. I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[SteveandJan]

I'm pleased to hear it has been resolved and you are going to another villa so can enjoy the pool. Have a lovely holiday

[floridavillas]

Sorry but that makes no difference. If pool heat is included, it should be provided payment terms makes no difference. If I have my car serviced and it includes 'free' oil, they need to put oil in the car. If not they have broken contract.

Sorry Martin I have to disagree with you on this point. Owners do provide things on a complimentary basis eg phone, internet and also pool/spa heating. Things unfortunately do go wrong and it is how you deal with it is what counts. Most guests are understanding that things happen as in this case and the owners have done their best.

I have posted this response again as it would appear that my orginal reply was removed - no idea why though???

[daisey10]

I am happy to hear everything worked out for you and the owner of your villa is a very up right person.

[Father]

Similar thing happened to us.

We went for around three weeks one winter and paid for pool heat. The pool was never right - it was emptying overnight though not sure where the water was going (maybe leaking from a pipe underground). Every morning the level was down maybe 18 inches (maybe more). Anyway, the pool maintenance guys were there every day but it never really got fixed. Not only did we not have heating, for most days we didn't have a pool. Of the 21 days we had access to the pool, maybe 8 days. We had a pool with heating, maybe 3 days.

We emailed the owner but did not get any refund at all. Didn't pursue it - life's too short (stuff happens). Turns out the villa was up for sale and there was obviously a quite messy split going on. Fairly obvious that the owner(s) had stopped caring about the villa - we had used it before and it had been outstanding. Apart from anything else, they must have been out a fortune for water bills so hey ho. Just decided not to go back to that villa again.


Also, I absolutely take on board that the pool was cold but I don't really understand how this is. A few years ago, we rented a villa in May/June and our friends rented the villa next door. Neither of us paid for pool heating but, while our pool was a lovely temperature, theirs was absolutely freezing. You simply could not use it. The pools were similar size, same aspect so can anyone help explain how one was lovely and the other was icy cold?

[Snapper]

Also, I absolutely take on board that the pool was cold but I don't really understand how this is. A few years ago, we rented a villa in May/June and our friends rented the villa next door. Neither of us paid for pool heating but, while our pool was a lovely temperature, theirs was absolutely freezing. You simply could not use it. The pools were similar size, same aspect so can anyone help explain how one was lovely and the other was icy cold?

This is a wild guess as so many things can affect this; but perhaps the pool had been heated for the guests who were in your villa just before you.

Around May/June you are just starting to come into the time of the year where pools won't lose a lot of heat overnight. Similarly they won't gain much through the day either, but it's the overnight loss of heat that makes pools feel cold. If the pool was warm to begin with it might just have stayed that way.

Another explanation might be that you had pool heat even though you hadn't ordered it. For example we include pool heat year round as standard for exactly the reason you have described. Having a warm pool that you can jump straight into makes such a huge difference in how much you enjoy the whole experience. Sure, it costs us a bit more, but the benefit is hugely happy guests who come back year after year. We also find that at the shoulder ends of the summer (May/June, September/October) the pool heater doesn't have to work too hard as the pool tends not to drop a huge amount of temperature overnight. The heater kicks in for a couple of hours each morning and before you know it the pool is back to a dreamy 89 degrees.

Solar pool heat would be another explanation but I would guess you would have noticed that if you had it.

If you used the pool blanket and your friends didn't that could also explain it. There are also thin film products you can get for pools in place of a blanket. When the water is still they create a microscopic film on the surface that helps to keep the heat in the pool. You wouldn't notice it, it's just there instead of a blanket. Some owners claim to have had great results with these products.

[Father]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Steve. Much of what you say makes sense but I wondered if there was something else.

I suppose I should have qualified what we would consider to be 'a lovely temperature' - that is quite cool and fresh when you initially go into the water but becoming comfortable once your body adapts to the temperature. Then you can float about on the lilo, listening to music and let the time drift by. We visit frequently at this time of year and our pool was pretty much what you would expect.

Next door's pool was freezing though and we wondered if it was being filled faster (with very cold water). In any event, their pool was simply unusable even though the weather was in the 90s. Our friends contacted the management company who came and switched the heating on - actually too much because it ended up like a warm bath but that's another story. We wondered if the plumbing for their pool was somehow different from ours and it was being filled all the time with very cold water.