Disappointed

We picked up our packet from Fickling and headed over to the house. Before entering the house we were already panicked because the welcome letter stated the AC had to be left on 74 or it would freeze up, we were worried but decided we wouldn’t complain until there was a reason. I know some people are critical and complain about everything but I REALLY didn’t want to have to worry about dealing with this while on vacation. Anyway, we entered the home and were immediately hit with a smell of a stuffy home and dog. We rent pet friendly because we carry our two, (small together about 13 lbs and groomed before arriving) but we have NEVER encountered a smell when renting on SGI. I was so disappointed but was quickly consoled by my husband and reminded of how much I love SGI, so we decided to make the best of it. I then opened the fridge to unpack groceries and again, a horrible odor. The freezer also, it was seafood. I get it, people like to fish and in all probability it was bait but it was awful. We ended up using ice from our cooler all week due to there not being an ice maker and the smell. The counter also had something all over it (sand??) I started whining, but again reminded that we could complain or we could learn from this experience and make the best of it. So I sucked it up. We finally got settled in and went to bed. We could tell the home had recent renovations, and it has great potential but the mattresses and pillows were awful. I have never experienced a pillow like those at this home. We usually bring our pillows but didn’t this year. Mistake!!! We were awake all night, between the beds and the temp we were miserable. IT WAS SO HOT!! Since I was awake, I decided to shoot Fickling an email around 3 or 4 a.m. letting them know everything we had encountered upon arrival and our first night. I will say the response was compassionate, we got an apology and were told to “try”adjusting the air maybe 2 degrees to see if it would help. We were also given excuses as to why the house wasn’t as presentable as it should have been. I had to contact Fickling two more times. We had a rodent of some sort, and the internet went out. Pest control was sent immediately to place traps and a repair request was issued for the internet. In all honesty we could have dealt with the issues had we been comfortable. The condition of the AC should be stated on the description of the house. (we wouldn’t have booked, others wouldn’t either) Likes and dislikes on decore, style etc. are all opinions but the air and beds are necessary and the lack of those two things made our stay a depressing one. Had it not rained all week, then cleared up the latter part of the week, we probably would have left early. If you are looking for a beautifully decorated, beach themed, or just a well put together beach home, this is probably not your home. Only the most positive aspects of this home are featured in the pictures. So much left out. On a positive note, we were ok with the location of the home, short walk to beach (I actually like to walk) the porch was the best feature of the home. Bathrooms were upgraded, and kitchen was pretty much stocked.