Alex Scott & Staff - Cowes

We were extremely disappointed with the service we received. We booked accommodation in Phillip Island through Stayz, believing we were dealing directly with a host, as “Robyn” was listed. However, it turned out the property was managed by Alex Scott & Staff Real Estate, which was not made clear upfront. This felt misleading, as it gave the impression we were booking directly with an individual host rather than a real estate agency. After booking, we discovered that no bed linen or beach towels were included. As we were travelling from interstate, this was a significant issue. When I tried to contact Alex Scott & Staff for guidance, it was very difficult to reach the person responsible for holiday rentals. It took multiple calls and messages before I was finally able to get through. I was eventually referred to a linen hire company, but the cost of renting linen and towels—especially over the Christmas period—was extremely high. On top of that, we would have had to pay additional cleaning fees for someone to collect, make the beds, and return the hired items. This made the total cost of the stay far more expensive than expected. Because of this, we decided to cancel. The Stayz website clearly stated that the booking was fully refundable until October. When I cancelled through the platform, it indicated that a full refund would be issued to my credit card. However, Alex Scott & Staff advised that their policy was different and that refunds would not be processed back to the original payment method. From there, the process became incredibly frustrating. I was told to speak to Robyn, who was difficult to reach and only worked certain days. She instructed me to provide my bank details to head office, but when I contacted head office, they told me I couldn’t deal with them directly and had to go back to Robyn. This back-and-forth continued for quite some time. Eventually, I was able to provide my bank details over the phone and was told the refund would be processed within 48 hours. No refund was received, and again, communication was very poor. After two weeks with no progress, I contacted head office out of desperation. They acknowledged the delay and said they would process the refund, but then told me I would still need to wait another 48 hours, despite already waiting well beyond that timeframe. It was only after persistent follow-up—and mentioning that I would escalate the matter to Fair Trading—that action was finally taken. Overall, the experience was extremely frustrating. The listing was misleading, the communication was poor, and the refund process did not align with Stayz’s stated policies. I had to fight far harder than I should have to get my money back. I would not recommend this holiday rental company to anyone.

Lee-Anne WellsGoogle

Leanne at Alex Scott is a great property manager. She found a tenant quickly, is very communicative, open and responsive. If you’re a landlord on the island or surrounds, recommend you give Leanne a call at Alex Scott in Cowes.

Jason GreenhalghGoogle

I had a great experience with Leanne from Alex Scott while securing my new rental property. From start to finish, Leanne was incredibly helpful, responsive, and proactive—nothing was ever too much trouble. She worked quickly and efficiently, and her flexibility made the whole process stress-free. What really stood out was how knowledgeable and experienced she is. Leanne had answers to all my off the top of her head! Highly recommend Leanne and the team at Alex Scott!

Thea O'LoughlinGoogle