Historic Fletcherplace sleeps 12 Indy downtown

This house was truly stunning inside. Very clean and furnished nicely. It should have been a 5-star rating, but we had two major issues: First, the kitchen sink faucet had no water upon arrival. After contacting the host, it took about 20 HOURS to get the kitchen sink faucet working. That obviously made using the kitchen extremely difficult. I requested the host simply pay for the one dinner the girls ate out because they couldn't cook in the kitchen that night. Here is what he messaged back, copied/pasted from our messaging: "You just told me about the issue, we have someone coming out as quick as possible. This is the earliest that we could have someone there. We do not intend to reimburse for any meals. You’re welcome to use water out of the bathroom as they should not hold up you from utilizing the kitchen. You’re also welcome to go and get a couple jugs of water which can’t be more than five dollars which is also provide water if needed in the kitchen. I don’t think we should make a bigger deal of this than what it is which is a small inconvenience, which we will handle promptly" No apology was ever made. Subsequently, the locking mechanism on the front door broke. The girls had the deadbolt turned on the back door, not expecting to need to use it. They were completely locked out. Unfortunately this occurred during a rainstorm, so they stood on the front porch in inadequate clothing for the chilly, rainy elements for 45 minutes waiting for "Carlo" to come fix it. When I told the host that the girls were standing outside in the rain, his response again was not to offer any kind of apology whatsoever. He instead messaged back (copied/pasted): "There’s also a huge front porch, so they should not be getting wet while putting in the code." They finally were able to get in, but Carlo did not fix the lock. Late that night they had to walk around to the back door in the rainy, muddy conditions to use that door. I would have expected, given the price I paid for 2 nights, to have at the very least some concession for the tremendous failures on the property during the short stay. If not that, then perhaps a sincere apology. Instead, the host treated me as if I were the problem. Again, copied/pasted from our messaging, here is what I last messaged the host, and then his reply to my message: "Hi Dennis, I’m reaching out regarding our recent stay at your property at 545 Fletcher Avenue from April 4–6. While the house was beautiful and clean, we encountered two significant issues that seriously impacted our stay: • The kitchen sink and dishwasher were non-functional for the first 20 hours of the stay, making it very difficult to cook or clean, and requiring the girls to dine out at an added cost of $176.46. • The front door lock repeatedly malfunctioned, leaving the girls stuck outside in the cold on Saturday afternoon for 45 minutes. It was not just a battery issue — the mechanism itself failed. Saturday night, they again couldn’t get in the front door and had to walk around the house in the rain and mud to enter through the back. Given these issues, I’m requesting a partial refund of $400 to reflect the direct expenses and the disruption to the stay. I’d prefer to resolve this directly with you given that it was a lovely house aside from these severe disruptions." Here was Dennis' response: "I’ve advised before that we will not offer any discount for your stay as all issues were minor and resolved quickly. We appreciate the opportunity to host your stay and wish you safe travels home." These issues were major, not minor. Please be advised before booking this property that if you do have any issues, you will be treated rudely, your problems will not necessarily be solved in a timely fashion, and you will receive nothing for your trouble. (We did contact VRBO directly after this stay, and they too refused to make this right, saying it was up to the host to decide if a refund of any kind was in order. My advice is to get yourself a hotel with good ratings and skip the vacation rental idea all together. I will personally never again do a VRBO.)

There is a lot to love about this rental: - Very clean - Historic home with modern updates - Walkable to the city center and many fantastic restaurants - A responsive and accommodating host A couple things I wish I knew beforehand: - For travelers with small kids, the noise level in the house can get quite loud due to the high ceilings and hardwood floors - For those accustomed to black-out sleeping conditions, the curtains in all bedrooms let in a fair amount of light - Front steps seem steep and could use a railing; though there is the possibility of entering through the alley/back yard which is safer