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Review 8/15/2011
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This review is of the owner Tovi Kitron, who I would advise travelers to Venice/Santa Monica to avoid. I booked a house in January 2011 for a stay in July 2011. We had a written agreement stating the dates of my stay and the exact property I would be renting - a two bedroom house in Venice for four people. I was coming to Venice for my sister's wedding and my entire family had booked houses within walking distance of the house I booked.
One day prior to arrival, after I had already paid in full, I received an email from Ms. Kitron informing me that the tenants in the house we agreed to rent wanted to stay and I was being moved to another property in Santa Monica. She offered to refund my money but given the fact that I was arriving in Venice less than 24 hours later, I needed a place to stay, not my money back. With adequate notice, I would have gladly taken a refund and found alternate accommodations but given her EXTREMELY late notice, there were no other properties available.
There were two problems with the move:
1. The new location was not within walking distance, which required me to rent a car for the week and caused significant inconvenience and expense in travel, parking and gas.
2. The replacement property was 55+ (we are in our 30s) and we were given what basically amounted to two studio apartments that weren't adjoining. While we had no choice but to take the property at the time, it was hardly a comparable replacement.
When I informed her that the location was a problem and I'd need to rent a car, her suggestion was for me to take the city bus, shuttle or taxis. After an afternoon of non-responsiveness and a number of phone calls from both myself and my traveling companions, needing answers as we were leaving less than 24 hours later, she agreed to cover the cost of a rental car.
When we arrived at the property, instead of the sincerely apologetic nature I would expect from someone who had significantly inconvenienced a group of travelers, she was unpleasant and aghast that I would be upset about the change, even though it was she who violated our written agreement. When I mentioned her covering the cost of the rental car, she turned to my father and referred to me as a "jew," implying I was cheap for asking her to compensate me for her poor property management.
Our first night there, we returned to find the key she gave us didn't open one of the rooms. I called her and was told that she wouldn't come over to open the door, but that I wasn’t allowed to call a locksmith, basically we were out of luck. After telling her that was unacceptable, she and a companion finally came over, and after opening the door, threatened me “do you want to go home?” after I expressed my displeasure with yet another inconvenience.
At checkout, she processed the refund for the rental car for the week. She handed me a receipt and as I was looking it over, said “what you don’t trust me? you think I took another $317 from you?” Again, the service I would expect would be apologetic and helpful, instead she was nasty and abrasive. Frankly, no, I didn’t and don’t trust Ms. Kitron. I would advise anyone renting property in Venice or Santa Monica to find another agent. I held up my end of the agreement, paying her on time in advance as she requested
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