Was the owner Fench? I ask this because there are generally significant differences between the way the French owned vs 'foreign' owned gites are let/managed.
In general, the French provide nothing, no bin liners, tea towels, towels, linen etc. and the renters are expected to bring/provide all of this themselves. They also do not include cleaning in the rental charge as they expect each guest to leave the place spotless, thus when it's not, they will apply cleaning charges (even if just cleaning a fridge, the cost will run to €40-50 for a min of 1hr and travel of the cleaner). That said, it does sound like you found the person who gives all owners a less than glowing image.
In contrast, places owned by Brits, Irish, Dutch etc. generally provide everything one would need including all linens, bin liners, cleaning equipments, dishwasher tablets etc. and they (we) expect the guests to clean, but not to a spotless state and price accordingly allowing for 2-3 hours for a cleaner at the end of the stay.
This all goes back to the idea of a gite way back when, it was a very basic place to stay (and in some cases, merely a shelter) for travellers; around the early 90's the foreign property boom started with Brits, Irish, Dutch etc. swooping up bargain properties, renovating them and starting to let them as holiday lets - this had the effect of changing the market and improving it significantly for the guests/renters, but many of the French owned properties are still firmly stuck in the late 70's/early 80's menatlity.