We were shocked when we arrived at our rental at 55 Harvard Street provided by Cape Cod Oceanview Realty. We were greeted by piles of bottles, rags, boxes and cans strewn by the entry way. Entering from the porch, a stench of mold hit us throughout the house. As the attached pictures document, we found dark mold on the shower liner, three filled dehumidifiers that had not been emptied, grime and dirt on window sills, and, to top it all off, dirty dishes,cups, and silverware that in this time of Covid needed to be boiled and sterilized. (We had known there was no dishwasher.)
We've been happily vacationing and renting in Wellfleet for over 25 years--until this year. As we learned at 55 Harvard Street, It is obvious that under the new ownership of Jim and Susan Collins that while Cape Cod Oceanview Realty may aspire to be a "world class marketing firm," their commitment to the health, well being, and comfort of their rental customers is sorely lacking and even dangerous.
Back at the house, taking allergy pills, we tried to make this work and stayed the night, a huge mistake: my wife had an asthma attack, while I had a skin rash and itchiness throughout my body. We contacted the Collins's emergency staff immediately the following morning, and by the end of day had gotten the following bruque response: the owners (Gilbert and Eudekis, who live year-round in Denver) refused any refund. Likewise, Jim Collins told his service representative to inform us: (1) that it was our responsibility to check out the rental before we signed the contract (an absurd stipulation, as renters come from all over the US); (2) that the mold was mildew, suggesting our allergy attacks were overstated; (3) most but not all of the humidifiers were now empty; (4) it's not their job to have a sanitary domicile as long as the floors and counters have been swept and mopped.
In the past, Cape Cod Realty's former owners, the Crowells, went out of their way to accommodate us, year-in, year-out . Unfortunately, in 2021 and the second year of Covid, Jim Collins remained hostile to our attempt to "meet in the middle" with a partial refund and our willingness to pay for an even more expensive rental elsewhere. Preferring to tell two 70 year-olds to live with it, their proffered option was for us to return to 55 Harvard Street and place our health at risk. We are sad and disappointed that this once reputable real estate agency is now driven solely by even the most of modest of profits at the expense of quality service and safety to all its customers. We suggest that, like us, you use other rental agents in the future. read more