Cottage Care Rentals Offers Advice to Avoid Ontario Cottage Rental Scams
Haliburton, Ontario (PRWEB) October 16, 2013 -- In response to a number of troubling stories of cottage rental scams in Ontario this year; both in the news and from talking directly with people who have had their cottage vacation ruined by trusting a fraudulent rental company, Don Critchley, the owner of Cottage Care Rentals & Property Management (http://www.cottagecarerentals.com), an established Ontario cottage rental management company warns consumers and offers advice on how to avoid being scammed.
“This July, I received a call on a Friday night from a distraught lady,” recalls Critchley. “She had been cheated by a bogus cottage rental firm. The cottage that she had booked online turned out to be no more than a shack. Unable to stay there, she called Cottage Care Rentals hoping that we had a cottage available for her family starting that night. She had been driving aimlessly around Haliburton for hours with her husband and two children in a car loaded for a two week cottage rental vacation. She was desperate to find a rental cottage to save her family’s holiday. Unfortunately, our inventory of rental properties was totally booked so I had to refer her to another cottage rental agency that I knew, in the hope that they had available inventory. It infuriates me that this kind of illegitimate activity can destroy a family's vacation dreams. By taking just a few precautions, people can avoid getting ripped off and having their vacation ruined,” says Critchley.
Cottage Care Rentals recommends that people should do a little research before signing with any cottage rental company to ensure that they are professional and above board. A few quick checks could save a great deal of trouble and heartache.
1) Visit the area's tourism web site and see if the firm is listed there.
2) Check with the local Chamber of Commerce to determine if the firm is a member.
3) Do not hesitate to ask the rental firm for references.
4) Don't rely solely on email exchanges. Call the firm directly or ask them to call you.
5) If you are renting from a Travel Agency, verify that they are a member of TICO.
Critchley states that there are many excellent cottage rental companies and highly reputable vacation property management operators out there and finds it frustrating that a few bad apples tarnish the reputation of the entire industry. “Cottage Care Rentals operates the way most legitimate cottage rental firm do. We are registered with the Haliburton and Bancroft Chambers of Commerce, Haliburton County Tourism, the Algonquin Gateway Business Association and other municipal agencies in our operating area. We offer only clean and well-maintained cottages for rent. We take pictures and provide descriptions of each cottage, without embellishment, so that our customers know exactly what they will be renting. By doing a little research, it is easy to ensure your cottage dreams don’t turn into a nightmare. Finding the right rental cottage for your family’s cottage country vacation can be as simple as finding the right cottage rental agency,” adds Critchley.
About Cottage Care Rentals & Property Management: Serving the Haliburton Highlands, Algonquin Park, Bancroft and the Kawartha Lakes regions, Cottage Care Rentals & Property Management offers trusted turn-key cottage rental management for cottagers who want to make income from their vacant vacation properties, but don’t want the work and the hassle of marketing it themselves. Cottage Care Rentals takes care of all the details of marketing and managing your cottage rental property. With a wide selection of lakefront cottages for rent, Cottage Care Rentals is one of the most popular sites for Ontario cottages for rent and vacation rentals. For more information and to view waterfront cottage rentals in the Haliburton, Bancroft and Kawartha areas, visit their website: http://www.cottagecarerentals.com or call 705-448-1861 or 416-729-5474.
Contact Information:
Don Critchley, Owner
Cottage Care Rentals & Property Management
705-448-1861
416-729-5474
don(at)cottagecarerentals(dot)com
http://www.cottagecarerentals.com
Don Critchley, Owner, Cottage Care Rentals & Property Management, http://www.cottagecarerentals.com, 705-448-1861, [email protected]
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