Sibarth- NEVER AGAIN

[LongIslander]

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[LongIslander]

I agree that this is blown out of proportion. The forum is a wonderful place to share information--good, bad and in between--and most members are careful and thoughtful when presenting negative reviews or reports--in the interest of fairness and so as not to completely malign a restaurant or business. I myself have commented on aggressive servers or asks for tips or food perhaps less than expected but try to be respectful. Obviously we welcome everyone's experiences and constructive criticisms but perhaps this thread presents a good reminder to be fair. I understand when it comes to "festive" rates and what guests are spending that one's patience might run thin when things don't go as planned. However, this same poster maligned St Barth Commuter a while back here on the forum which I disagreed with completely. The vast majority of forum members who use SBC continuously sing its praises...one bad experience by one person or group should not, in fairness, put that business in purgatory. I'm all for the free exchange of ideas and opinions but let's remember these are real businesses and people's livelihoods we are talking about--all on St Barth. A place we love and support.

Referring to my comments on St Barts commuter, I simply shared my experience with them which is valid and compared it to the other airline we now fly. If this is maligning, then half of the forum is guilty of maligning any restaurant with a DJ (Tamarin, Nikki Beach, etc).

As someone significantly younger than the majority of forum members and with often differing opinions, it often seems as these opinions can’t be shared based on replies (boosters vs fully vaxxed, sharing nevative experiences, etc). I have made my best efforts to overly explain this situation and the type of traveler our group is. I hope members can judge for themselves as my intention has always been to be a happy island visitor and respectful contributing member.

 

[Amery]

Referring to my comments on St Barts commuter, I simply shared my experience with them which is valid and compared it to the other airline we now fly. If this is maligning, then half of the forum is guilty of maligning any restaurant with a DJ (Tamarin, Nikki Beach, etc).

As someone significantly younger than the majority of forum members and with often differing opinions, it often seems as these opinions can’t be shared based on replies (boosters vs fully vaxxed, sharing nevative experiences, etc). I have made my best efforts to overly explain this situation and the type of traveler our group is. I hope members can judge for themselves as my intention has always been to be a happy island visitor and respectful contributing member.

I'm not sure what this has to do with age. Opinions can always be shared. My point was mainly that discretion goes a long way when you are dealing with reputations and businesses.

 

[JEK]

 

[TR561]

I don't know who to believe now.

 

[Happycamper]

I don't know who to believe now.

I expect this is the classic case where both sides are telling their truth. The renter had several real issues. The agency worked hard to fix them but were stymied by various outside issues. The renter's larger point seems to be that he could have been mollified by better and more apologetic communication, which he didn't receive, and even now in the online back and forth seems lacking. Of course things in a villa break and reservations are sometimes lost, the customer's faith is only lost when the response is weak, or fails. And an agency in good communication also senses when the renter has suffered a series of unfortunate events and is in need of a targeted act of kindness--whether a free meal or spa treatment, or a rebate, or an otherwise unobtainable ticket--something to say, "we agree that this did not meet our standards and are embarrassed it happened". Otherwise the renter is left feeling that the results did meet the agency's standards and therefore that agency ought not be used again. None of this takes away from the fact that the agency may have spent extra time, money and effort working on the issues behind the scenes or that the holiday weeks may be particularly tough times to get anything done. Effort and results are two different things and are measured in different ways.

 

[etx]

I expect this is the classic case where both sides are telling their truth. The renter had several real issues. The agency worked hard to fix them but were stymied by various outside issues. The renter's larger point seems to be that he could have been mollified by better and more apologetic communication, which he didn't receive, and even now in the online back and forth seems lacking. Of course things in a villa break and reservations are sometimes lost, the customer's faith is only lost when the response is weak, or fails. And an agency in good communication also senses when the renter has suffered a series of unfortunate events and is in need of a targeted act of kindness--whether a free meal or spa treatment, or a rebate, or an otherwise unobtainable ticket--something to say, "we agree that this did not meet our standards and are embarrassed it happened". Otherwise the renter is left feeling that the results did meet the agency's standards and therefore that agency ought not be used again. None of this takes away from the fact that the agency may have spent extra time, money and effort working on the issues behind the scenes or that the holiday weeks may be particularly tough times to get anything done. Effort and results are two different things and are measured in different ways.

Hear, hear

 

[Cwater]

I expect this is the classic case where both sides are telling their truth. The renter had several real issues. The agency worked hard to fix them but were stymied by various outside issues. The renter's larger point seems to be that he could have been mollified by better and more apologetic communication, which he didn't receive, and even now in the online back and forth seems lacking. Of course things in a villa break and reservations are sometimes lost, the customer's faith is only lost when the response is weak, or fails. And an agency in good communication also senses when the renter has suffered a series of unfortunate events and is in need of a targeted act of kindness--whether a free meal or spa treatment, or a rebate, or an otherwise unobtainable ticket--something to say, "we agree that this did not meet our standards and are embarrassed it happened". Otherwise the renter is left feeling that the results did meet the agency's standards and therefore that agency ought not be used again. None of this takes away from the fact that the agency may have spent extra time, money and effort working on the issues behind the scenes or that the holiday weeks may be particularly tough times to get anything done. Effort and results are two different things and are measured in different ways.

beautiful and well stated. Thank you

 

[JEK]

From Ashley Lacour

Dear readers,

Sibarth is not used to handle such matters on public networks. Instead, we prioritize direct communication with our clients and partners. However, Sibarth cannot let certain comments unaddressed as our understanding of the aim of this forum is to guide visitors on our island.

I am afraid that some readers might not know about the amount of work that goes behind in mediating such a situation. In the case of villa Ipanema we have been and are still in direct contact with the client and the villa owner and villa representative. Sibarth offers a 24/7 concierge service. Each concierge answers in due time to all requests and reports back to our in-house team. We are all based here on the island with a hands on approach as Brook and Roger Lacour have done since 1974. Obviously, no real estate agency can avoid all the difficulties that may arise, but of course we do everything in our power to find solutions. In this case we are discussing about financial compensation, which is, once again, part of our communication with the client which is done directly and cannot be reasonably shared on a public network.

We believe everyone can understand that.