Thank you for your review.
Given that you have now chosen to open this brand new Trustpilot profile under an incorrect business name in order to further warn others, we do feel it is important to respond clearly and provide the full context.
We strongly reject the suggestion that we are deliberately removing reviews. All your reviews remain visible across all of the platforms on which you have posted them. We have not deleted them. We are responding to them.
We are proud to have received over 300 five-star reviews from guests who have stayed with us and loved their experience. Like any small business, we understand that not every guest will leave happy, and we respect the right to fair and honest feedback. We do not accept is your repeated suggestion that we are hiding criticism or acting dishonestly.
Before your stay began, our team had already spent considerable time supporting your booking and resolving your complaints around additional guests, visitor access and extra beds. Because we genuinely want our guests to be happy, we waived the additional bed charges and also provided complimentary visitor passes as a gesture of goodwill before your stay had even begun totally £590.
When you raised a concern Friday evening, we treated it as a priority. We have an annual pest control contract in place and a close working relationship with our pest control provider. A professional contractor attended within approximately one hour, despite it being very late on a Friday bank holiday.
Following inspection of the bedrooms, bathrooms and the kitchen - including taking off kickboards and behind cupboards, they found no evidence of any active pest activity within the property. They also provided direct contact details should you have had any further concerns during the stay, but no further call-out was requested.
The Team also made it clear that if you did not feel comfortable staying, we would support you leaving. You chose to remain at the property for the full weekend and checked out Monday morning. No further pest control call-out was requested, and the team onsite observed your group enjoying their stay.
A precautionary bait box placed at the property was installed by the contractor as a professional measure following the concern raised. It was positioned discreetly behind the fridge and was not evidence of an active infestation. Follow-up inspections have since found no bait activity and no evidence of an ongoing issue inside the property.
Pigertons, like all homes at The Hesdin Estate, is professionally cleaned, inspected between stays and covered by regular pest control inspections, monitored bait stations and routine checks. We are based in a rural countryside setting, so occasional external wildlife activity can never be made entirely impossible, but we take prevention, cleanliness and guest safety extremely seriously.
We understand that reviews are part of running a hospitality business and we always welcome fair feedback. However, reviews like this are devastating for a small, independent business, particularly where our team responded immediately, professional evidence did not support the presence of an active issue, goodwill had already been extended, and the team went over and above before your stay in very difficult circumstances.
There are real people behind The Hesdin Estate who work incredibly hard every day to create special stays for our guests. We are sorry that, despite the efforts made before and during your stay, you feel this way.
After reviewing the full circumstances - including the immediate response, the professional pest control findings, the follow up checks, the complimentary extras already provided, and the fact that the stay was completed in full - we still do not believe a refund is appropriate.
Jim & Laurie
The people behind The Hesdin Estate — a small, independent business run by real humans who care deeply, work incredibly hard, and feel the impact of reviews like this.
