For Personal Assistance with Your Vacation plans,

robpike@verizon.net

or 802 228 4228

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Privacy Policy

and Terms of Your Reservation and Stay.

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Hot Tubs! Large Groups! Sports Bars with Pool Tables! At Pike's Peaks, all of our resort homes have a Hot Tub, a Pool Table, a warm fireplace, a super stereo, tons of Hot Water, a TV, a DVD player with at least 5 DVDs to play, a complete kitchen, and plenty of comfy beds!


 

Do we need to sign an agreement to reserve the rental date?

No, our receipt and deposit (cleared) of your money for half of the total costs, (rent, hot tub fee, 9% tax, security deposit) will secure your accommodations, as long as someone else hasn’t secured the rental before you. 

Payment should be sent to our Vermont office at

Rob Pike, PO Box 229, Ludlow, Vermont, 05149

Our policy is first come, first served, so we encourage you to send your half payment using an overnight delivery service like FedEx, USPS or Airborne.  We then send you a confirmation of your arrival date, departure date and payment balance.

That confirmation, along with the descriptions, terms and conditions contained on this web site on the date of the receipt of your payment constitute our agreement. 

You should read and understand all of the terms of the agreement including damages, assumption of risk, and our cancellation policy in their entirety. If you have any questions not covered here, you should ask them before you send in your down payment.

The receipt and deposit of your 50% payment creates a legally binding contract. You will be bound by the terms of this FAQ document, including the full responsiblity to make the second payment, upon our deposit of your full 50% down payment.

Please read the FAQ page in its entirety, make sure you understand and agree to it, before you make a payment.

Your final check, payable to Rob Pike, is due three weeks prior to your rental date.

 

Where do we get a key to the House?

The house key is located in a push button key storage box attached to the building close to the main entrance of the house.  The combination to the key storage unit will be forwarded to you prior to your arrival date. These combinations change frequently, so be sure you have the latest.

Once the combination is punched in, the lid will pop open.  You will need to set the combination again to put the lid back on the unit.

We ask that once you remove the key from the storage box and enter the home, please immediately place the key back in the box.  There will be an additional key placed inside the home for your use during your stay.  

 

What is the amount of the Security deposit?

That depends our our analysis of the risk your rental presents, and tends to be set at $300 for our repeat clients with no damage reports, $400 for our new clients and $500 or more for larger or higher risk new clients, or our larger houses. We reserve the right to ask for more before the rental. We reserve the right to demand additional security deposits during the stay, if damage has been done to the premises. Our properties are valuable, our owners' prized second homes in most cases, and need to be protected both from damage, and from loss or use and rental availability, at all times.

What are the check in and check out times?

Check in is 5 PM on the day of arrival and check out is 11 am the day of departure.  We can not be flexible on these times, since we need this time to prepare our homes for our guests' arrival.

We wish to stay a few hours longer than 11 am the day of departure, is that possible?

We may have a check-in during that day, so our cleaning staff needs to have the house to prepare, so in most cases, it’s not possible. Even if it’s not a turnover day, the cleaning staff are independent contractors, they make their own schedule and may arrive right at the check out time.  

We plan to bring more people than the amount described, is that ok?

No. When you call us for accommodations, we describe the properties to you, including how many and what size beds. The number of sleeping spaces in a property determines the maximum number of guests that property can accommodate. Often the limit is determined by the septic system of the property - in other words, very unpleasant consequences may result from too many people. Please don't bring more people than the property can accommodate. If we learn that you have overloaded the unit, you will be asked to leave with no refund. Any costs incurred by the homeowner will be charged to you.

How far are you from Okemo Mountain?

All of our original 5 homes are just a one minute drive from the base lodge of Okemo Mountain. The rest are within a reasonable drive, shown on the individual listing.

How do we find our way to your homes?

On the website's homepage, and here, you will find a link that will take you to directions to all houses.  You can print it out from there.

Are pets allowed?

Well behaved pets and owners are welcomed at most of our houses, but not all.  You must let us know in advance. Just make absolutely sure that your pets are flea and tick free, and that they don't create any problems for our cleaning crews.

When do we pay the remaining balance of our rental charges?

Payment by check or money order, payable to Rob Pike, is due, and must be paid in full, no later than three weeks prior to your rental arrival date.

When do we get the security deposit back?

Your security is usually refunded to you two weeks after your departure date, after the house has been inspected for damage, missing items and/or excessive cleaning needs, and we have received and confirmed a report from our cleaning or house maintenance team

Under our standard procedures, we send out the refunds two weeks or more after the rental ends, so that we get reports from all three maintenance teams and are sure that all systems are still in good working order. Even that isn't enough time sometimes (stereo systems with beer in them, Hot tub filter full of the most unimaginable stuff, blown out speakers, jacuzzi pump run dry) things like that that are not obvious.

What Constitutes Damages?

 

DAMAGES:  Any repairs to, and replacement of property and systems, due to misconduct or abuse to Pike's Peaks' homes will be charged to you in the following manner:

                        1.  Full replacement or repair cost plus

                        2.  25% Administration fee

 

Abuse: Below are additional items that constitute abuse:

- Windows left open in the heating season. 

- Party decorations, equipment or debris left about the premises 

- Heat thermostat left on 70 degrees or more after your departure.

- Rewiring the stereo or entertainment systems.

A minimum $50 charge damage charge will be deducted from your security deposit for any of the above abuse items.

 

Are bed linens and towels included?

Yes, We supply all linens, blankets and towels.  All of our homes are equipped with full kitchens, dishes, pots, glassware, utensils, major and minor appliances. Some consumables like toilet paper may get used up during your stay, so it's a good idea to bring some extra along.

Though some do, homeowners are not requred to provide items offered in hotels (soap, shampoos, paper supplies, detergents), so please plan accordingly.

What should we bring with us to your homes for our vacation?

Although we  do supply linens and full kitchen supplies, you may want to bring extra paper products and soaps for your personal use.

What are the procedures when departing from your home?

First of all, we ask that you leave our homes in the same condition you would expect to find your own home after personal guests leave.  This is an essential principle, which we expect to be honored.

Please turn thermostat down to 50 degrees, close all windows, take all garbage outside to cans and return the house key to the key lock box.

Finally check the guide to the house for any additional instructions unique to the house.

Are there Fireplace/Wood Stove instructions?

Please make sure the flue is open before starting fire. NEVER remove hot ashes or partially burned loges. Please leave the ashes in the fireplace even if you are sure they are cold. It's easier to build a fire with a bed of ashes.

If it becomes absolutely necessary to remove the cold ashes, use a metal container only. (Anything flammable, such as a paper bag or cardboard box, even if you are positive the ashes are cold, is extremely dangerous. This is the leading cause of house fires in the Okemo Valley area)

 

We heard about the flies, post hole beetles, varmints and ants in Vermont, are they a problem?

Indigenous to Vermont (even in the winter) are cluster flies. They will appear on bright, sunny days, especially if the unit's south side is built with large windows. The cluster flies are harmless; our apologies for nature's way in Vermont.

Ants also have a way of finding their way into the houses, and we have had a few other varmints make entry.

We have a regular Pest Control Service, but nothing can work perfectly. If you detect any problem whatsoever, contact us immediately. Do not delay.

 

Is there swimming and boating in the area?

Yes, absolutely. Ludlow first developed as a summer Lake region resort.

That's Okemo in the Background!

For water related activities see our Area Attractions page

 

 

Assumption of Risk

Most of our homes are older and renovated homes; they are all privately owned vacation homes. The older ones may have steeper staircases, floors that aren't perfectly level, lower doorways, improvement projects underway, unguarded proximity to water, hillsides, ravines, railroad tracks, cliffs, trees, mountains and a lot of other charming, but inherently dangerous things in, and around, them.

As such they often have features that do predate and may not meet current codes.

In addition some of the features that have been added for your pleasure, like lofts, loft ladders, railings, staircases, stoves, pot belly stoves, propane heaters, games and entertainment devices, hot tubs, fireplaces & pool tables, each and every one of which has its own unique, inherent dangers.

By renting from the owners, through us, you, your family and your guests are assuming all risk associated with renting these buildings from any and all causes whatsoever.

Make sure that you and your guests overtly understand this.

 

Weather

The weather in Vermont is variable. It is usually cold in the winter and warm in the summer. Some times it isn't. Sometimes it rains. What you might preceive as bad weather is not a reason for failing to honor these terms and conditions. You take the risk of "bad weather."

 

What is your cancellation policy?

Your reservation at Pike's Peaks can not be cancelled.

Our homes are large, and are, accordingly, difficult to rent on short notice, so our policy is different than, say, a hotel or small condo. Your agreement to rent the House is a binding agreement. This includes the obligation to make the subsequent payments. The first and subsequent payments are NOT REFUNDABLE.

If you have a major, documentable emergency that absolutely prevents you from using the premises, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to rerent the premises. We may have to make rate or duration reductions to increase the likelihood that it is rented. If, and only if, we are kept whole, both on the rental amount, and the cost of rerenting, is there a possibility of any refund.

In other words, you are making a big commitment here. Be sure that you can honor it.

 

Descriptions and appliances:

A reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our property descriptions. Pike's Peaks is not responsible for changes made by homeowners to furnishings or equipment.

Reasonable efforts will be made to repair any reported problems quickly, and we ask for your patience and understanding.

No refunds will be offered for mechanical failures of dishwasher, washer/dryer, hot tub, TV, DVD or VCR due to limited repair service in the area. If the problem has been caused by improper use, there will be a charge for the service call, under our Damages provision.

 

Cancellations due to State or municipal work, orders, directives, or adverse condemnation.

Both in Vermont and in Colorado, our buildings are subject to State and Local controls. Both the State Agencies, and Villages of Ludlow and Town Mount Crested Butte do, from time to time, do work on the roads, utilities, public amenities within sight and earshot of our buildings. This is an inherent part of and risk of these buildings.

Further, while it is very rare, these agencies can and do issue orders which have the direct, or practical, effect of shutting down our ability to use or rent these buildings to you. In the event that any such order is given, our sole legal obligation is to refund your downpayment in its entirety, and neither party shall have any further claims against the other.

Legal Venue and Attorney's Fees.

In the event that we have to bring suit to enforce this agreement, to collect rent or fees or to recover damages that you, your guests or your invitees cause, or any controversy between you and us, you will be responsible for our reasonable attorney's fees, a minimum of $500, and all costs and expeditures of the litigation.

Finally, our office is is Vermont. You specifically agree to use of the Courts of the State of Vermont and the County of Windsor as the jurisdiction, and venue, for any and all litigation concerning your rental of our buildings, even the one in Crested Butte.

 

Further terms concerning our buildings with Sprinkler and alarm systems. - Specifically The Club House.

Please note that the Club House has a full fire detection, alarm and sprinkler system. Keeping the property protected both from fire, and false triggering of the system, is an important responsibility.

As an additional term of all rentals at the Club House you agree to the following. The alarm system is in place to help protect you.

False alarms or playing with any portion of the system to disable it, or set it off, will not be tolerated. When you rent the Club House you take responsibility and must inform your quests, all of them, that any damages that we face because of false alarms, damage to the system, and/or inappropriate triggering the system will be your responsibility, under our terms and conditions for damages.

Also, should the sprinkler system ever be intentionally or improperly triggered by you or any of your guests, where there is no fire situation, the sprinklers will cause thousands of dollars of water damage, and lost rentals to quests that would otherwise follow you. You will be responsible for what you, or any member of your party, cause, payable for and under our terms and conditions for damages.

This responsibilty is an important, material and integral part of your agreement with us, and we will not rent this building to you unless you understand and have taken this responsiblity on.

 

 

All rates are subject to change. For combo rates, or rental periods for which the rate chart doesn't clearly apply, call Rob 802 779 2814

Call Rob Pike at 802 779 2814 for estimates, special events, bad jokes....

All rates are in effect as of October 31, 2008 and are subject to change.

 

Remember Our policy is first come, first served, so we encourage you to send your full downpayment using an overnight delivery service like FedEx, UPS or Airborne or PayPal.

Payments can be made to "Rob Pike" in one of three ways;

Payment by PayPal. (Credit Cards work here, too.) Our account at PayPal, http://paypal.com, is wasup@pikus.com.

Check overnighted by United States Postal Service to PO Box 229, Ludlow, Vermont 05149 or by

FedEx and other overnight deliveries (other than the post office,) to me directly at 138 Ostrander Ave., Riverhead, NY 11901

Please advise us of your tracking number if you use either of the second two options.

 

The email confirmation that we send you, along with the descriptions, answers to FAQs, terms and conditions contained on this web site on the date of the receipt of your payment constitute our agreement. 

Your final check, payable to Rob Pike, is due three weeks prior to your rental date.

Your security deposit is refunded to you about two weeks from your departure date, after the house has been inspected for damage, missing items and/or excessive cleaning needs. See our FAQ page for more information.

robpike@verizon.net

or 802 228 4228.

 

The Pikus.com, Pike's Peaks your Mountain Home Privacy Policy

Your privacy is very important to us. We always have and will respect your privacy. Any information you give us is held with the utmost care and will not be used other than as described in this privacy policy. Please read this privacy policy to learn more about the ways we use and protect your personal information.

Conditions of Use

Welcome to Pikus.com, and Pike's Peaks Your Mountain Home a DBA wholly owned by Robert D Pike.


Pike's Peaks, Your Mountain Home provides its services to you subject to the following conditions. By visiting this website, or sending us inquiries from this website, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this privacy policy. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, we ask that you to refrain from using or accessing our Site. This privacy policy describes the information, as part of the normal operation of our services we collect from you and what may happen to that information. By accepting this Privacy Policy, you expressly consent the use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy.

Secure Ordering Through PayPal

Any purchase you make at Pikus.com is safe. Pikus.com utilizes PayPal Corporation's ( www.paypal.com ) online order payment system to ensure that your transaction is secure. PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information in transit from your computer to theirs when you make payment using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available). Before you even register or log in to PayPal, their server checks that you're using an approved browser - one that uses SSL 3.0 or higher. Once your information reaches PayPal, it resides on a server that is heavily guarded both physically and electronically. PayPal servers sit behind an electronic firewall and are not directly connected to the Internet, so your private information is available only to authorized computers.


Electronic Communications When you visit Pikus.com, or send email to us, you are communicating with us electronically. You consent to receive communications from us electronically. We will communicate with you by email, or by posting notices on this site. You agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications that we provide to you electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

Information We Collect. Pikus.com collects user information in various ways: personal information (ie. Name, email address, mailing address, ) that you supply when registering for, subscribing, inquiring about, and/or purchasing services or products through our web site, information that you provide regarding your interests, and activity and preference tracking information from our use of "cookies" and other aggregate activity logging. Pikus.com does not collect personally identifying information from our users other than what is supplied to us on a voluntary basis. A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and is stored on your computer's hard drive. Cookies help us to analyze web page flow, measure promotional effectiveness, and promote trust and safety. "Cookies" are files placed on your hard drive that will assist us in providing our services. Cookies can also help us provide information that is targeted to your interests. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, although in that case you may not be able to use certain features on the Site. If you choose to buy on our Site, we collect information about your buying and selling behavior. If you establish a credit account with us to pay the fees we charge, we collect some additional information such as a billing address, and tracking information from checks or money orders.

As we utilize Paypal for all of our processing needs, we do not directly have access to your credit card number, financial banking information or other personal financial data. PayPal Corporation does not sell or rent your personally identifiable information, or sell lists of its customers to third parties. However, there are limited circumstances in which PayPal may share some of your information with third parties.


To learn more about PayPal Corp.'s Privacy Policy, please go to their web site at www.paypal.com . To open a PayPal account, users must provide name, address, phone number and email address. In order to make payments through Pay Pal, you must provide a credit card, debit card, or bank account information; bank account information is required to make payments totaling more than $1,000.

In using PayPal on our Site, PayPal verifies financial information with third parties in order to protect all of its customers. In the course of such verification, PayPal receives personally identifiable information about you from such services. In particular, if you register a credit card or debit card with PayPal, PayPal will use card authorization and fraud screening services to verify that your card information and address matches the information that you supplied to PayPal, and that the card has not been reported as lost or stolen. All personal information provided to PayPal can be reviewed and accessed by their users at any time by logging into your account on the PayPal website, and changing your preferences in the Profile page of the "My Account" tab. You can also close your PayPal account at anytime. For more details on your PayPal account, please visit their website at www.paypal.com . Security Features Pikus.com has implemented a number of security features to prevent the unauthorized release of or access to personally identifying information. We utilize Paypal, which encrypts all financial and credit card information that you have provided to PayPal; Pikus.com is not privy to this sensitive information. Please be advised however, in utilizing Paypal through Pikus.com that perfect security is not yet available on the Internet, and that the confidentiality of any communication or material cannot be 100% guaranteed. Once we receive your order, which will contain your name, mailing address, email and telephone information, we will make our best effort to ensure its security on our system. Only authorized personnel have access to any stored information that Pikus.com may collect from its users that is personally identifying.


Additional Information Utilized

If you choose to post messages in our chat rooms or other public message areas, we will collect that information which you provide to us. We retain this information as necessary to resolve disputes, provide customer support, and troubleshoot problems as per law. From time to time, Pikus.com will ask our visitors to participate in contests and surveys. If you choose to participate, the information we collect may be associated with your account, and used to improve your overall customer experience. If you send us personal correspondence such as emails or letters, we may collect such information on a file specific to you. Our web site may now or in the future log IP addresses and browser types, but we do not match IP addresses to any personally identifiable information. This means that your session will be tracked, but you can remain anonymous in the public areas of our sites. You can browse those areas of our sites without entering any personal information and therefore remain anonymous during your visit. However, we hope that all of our users will register with us so that you can utilize all of the product and services offerings available at our sites. This serves to help us learn more about our valuable customers and to better serve you. Pikus.com web sites may contain links to other web sites. We encourage you to visit those web sites to learn more about their online privacy as they may differ from this privacy policy. Pikus.com does not control the privacy policies of our advertisers, sponsors, or other sites to which we may provide hyperlinks.

The Use of Your Information. We utilize your personal information to facilitate the services you request. Personally identifying information that we collect may be added to our databases and used for future communications regarding site updates, new products and services, upcoming events, and status of orders placed online. The data that we collect from cookies and browser identification provides data about our audience in the aggregate that we use to improve our service and tailor our offerings. You agree that we may use personal information about you to improve our marketing and promotional efforts, to analyze site usage, improve our content and product offerings, and customize our site content, layout and services. These uses improve the Site and better tailor it to meet your needs and to provide you with a safe and customized experience while using our Site. You agree that we may use your personal information to contact you and deliver information that, in some cases, are targeted to your interests, such as targeted banner advertisements, administrative notices, product offerings, and communications relevant to your use of the Site. By accepting this Privacy Policy, you expressly agree to receive this information. If you do not wish to receive these communications, we encourage you to opt out of the receipt of certain communications by emailing us at any time. You may send correspondence to us at (pikespeaks@gmail.com ) or by calling us at 1 802 779 2814.


Sharing of Information with Third Parties Pikus.com may provide personally identifiable information, voluntarily provided by visitors to third parties who provide products and services that Pikus.com believes their visitors may be interested in purchasing, obtaining, or learning more about. Many visitors and subscribers find this a valuable service. Unless you provide an "opt out" notice, we may (and you authorize us to) provide your personally identifying information as part of our visitor and subscriber lists for such third party to use, if we believe our subscribers would be interested in receiving an email or other written correspondence from such third party.


Users Right to Opt Out In the event that you do not wish your personally identifying information to be used by third parties to send you information about products and services, you may opt-out of this service by checking the "Opt-out" option wherever provided. You may also opt-out at any time by sending us an email, calling us, or sending us a letter. Please include your full name, address, and email address with your notice to: Pikus.com, Address, or to pikespeaks@gmail.com . You may also phone us at 1 802 779 2814. We will update your records as promptly as practical, although you may receive third-party communications while we process your request. Updating Personal Information If you would like to correct, update or delete your personally identifying information, or any other information that you have supplied, please contact our webmaster at pikespeaks@gmail.com. Once we have updated your information, we will send a return e-mail indicating that the requested changes have been made.


Children's Policy It is important to us that we do our part to protect the privacy of children. For this reason, we do not intentionally collect or maintain information through our web sites from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our web site is designed to target or attract anyone under the age of 13.


Privacy Policy Subject to Change Please check our privacy policy frequently, as we will update our policy as our business changes and grows. Should we change our privacy policy, we will post the changes on this page so you are always well informed about what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. If you have any questions about our privacy policy, you may email us at pikespeaks@gmail.com, or write to us at Pike's Peaks, Your Mountain Home, 138 Ostrander Ave, Riverhead NY 11901.