1 star apartment - 5 star service! (Interhome)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Interhome
Date:	15/05/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent customer service.

Disadvantages: None at all.

Interhome is a worldwide travel agent and holiday home rental agent. If you are looking for a holiday, especially an independently put together holiday, rather than a package, then you could do worse than to start off with a look on their website, www.interhome.com.

We recently went to the French Ski resort of Val Thorens, in the Three Valleys area of the Alps. We did not book our holiday through Interhome, but used another web based ski-agent, iglu ski, who we have used before. However, iglu then used Interhome as their French agent, and so it was actually the Val Thorens office of Interhome that we had our contact.

Our apartment was "basic" - we expected it to be as we had chosen the most budget option available to us. We wanted cheap, and clean - nothing more. When you are paying "bottom line" prices, you don't expect great things.

We were told to collect our keys from the local Interhome office at 4pm on the day of arrival. Eager to get into our apartment, and unpack, we tried our luck a couple of hours early. Unfortunately, our keys were not ready, but the lady at the desk was incredibly helpful, and despite there being a queue of people who were there at their allocated time, she took a few minutes to ring the person responsible for cleaning the apartments to ask what time the key would be available, and then completed my paperwork, so that when the key did arrive, we could just nip in, pick it up and head off without any delay.

I felt that this was very good service - she could have said "non" and shrugged her shoulders in that Gallic way we love so much.....but despite the office being busy, she did what she could to help get me into my apartment - perhaps I looked in need of a place to drop!

Now, my apartment, as mentioned above, was cheap and cheerful - I don't know what the agents fee is for a holiday let, but I don't suppose it is too much on a very low priced "shoebox". To keep our costs down, we had not requested bedding - we took our own, but we were still given mattress and pillowcase covers. Only a little gesture, I'm sure, but it was one that was a welcome extra.

Next, we had not requested cleaning at the end of the stay - again, to keep the cost down, I am happy to don my Marigolds and clean the (very small) apartment myself.....yet Interhome arranged a cleaner for me, without charge......apparently all part of the service. Who was I to complain!?!

Finally, and a really nice touch, we were given a "welcome box" - now, we have had these before, with self catering holidays, and they normally contain a sachet of washing up liquid, and a couple of tea bags. This, though, was a welcome box of some quality....including.....

Plenty of tea, herbal and breakfast,
Coffee
Sugar
Selection of jams and honey
Dishwasher tablets - enough for the full stay
Enough washing up liquid for the full stay
Enough "multi purpose cleaner" for the full stay, plus cleaning cloths
Fabulous shower gel/shampoo and soap - more suited to top hotels than budget self catering!
Full size bottle of olive oil
Bottle of salad dressing
Tissues
First aid kit, including elastoplast, scissors, steri-strips......
Bin bags
Washing machine tablets

Now, I know that I shouldn't really get over excited by such things, but this little box of goodies helped my shopping budget no end - I did not have to go to the resort shop to stock up on basics, and I did not have to pay tourist prices for such basics.

So, if this is the level of service you get when booking the cheapest possible apartment, I would certainly be happy using Interhome to look for accomodation in the future. It has certainly given me confidence to go to them directly next time.

Summary: More than I expected from this agency.