VRBO

We booked the reservation in Orange Beach Alabama on August 28th 2021 property ID ******* I went online check the weather and I find out hate Ida hurricane all over the news and internet I did contact the property they never respond to me then I did contact your customer support 24 hours she said that somebody will contact me soon as possible and never heard from them called a Vrbo the said I will get full amount call today in the morning 8 I did I need to contact the property we did contact the property she claimed that she did contact me when she did not then she said oh I did contact you a few days ago the guards to pin... but you never called me or contact me regards the hurricane she claimed if something was wrong they will contact me how I supposed to know how to run their business there and gas I suppose to Drive 11 hours to make the long story short she will refund the money but she will charge to cancellation fee wrong because we did not cancel it the natural disaster and vrbo said they will not found us to feed because I did not got the full amount from the property and I spend with them on the phone from 8 am in the morning to 11:30am I did ask to talk to the manager was nicely rejected

VRBO rental venue protects more the money making property owners over the protection of the renters.

Travelmob, along with VRBO and many others like them fly under the flag of Homeaway, which has legal ties to Expedia, coerce together to provide differing policies which inhibit your ability for a refund should you find something not right with your booking leaving you no grounds for recourse.

After receiving a reply from a host on VRBO I was prompted to continue a booking through VRBO via Travelmob, which somehow is an affiliate of VRBO. The policies of VRBO differ to that of Travelmob with Travelmob having the worst of the two.

The fundamental differences of two policies meant the 'Book with confidence' policy of VRBO was meaningless.

Travelmob, having no moral compass, willingly aligns itself with companies whose policies are heavily advertised as being beneficial to the guest while their own are far from it. VRBO, also with no moral compass, palm you off to 'companies' like Travelmob during the booking process excluding themselves from legal responsibilities from those companies policies whom have no incentive or desire for you to make a booking in confidence.

The accuracy of the filtering process of all of the associated companies leaves much to be desired. An apartment I initially had an interest in came up after going through the filtering process. I'd requested a washer, dryer and a balcony. As it turns out, there was no dryer, only a shared washer on a balcony which was also shared by other tenants of the building. All this on the roof of an apartment listed as a penthouse.

Travelmob couldn't care less about these discrepancies and was only interested in lining their pockets with booking fees.

Id suggest steering well clear of any companies flying under the Homeaway flag including Expedia itself.

A list of the known companies related to Homeaway can be found at the bottom of their website page homeaway(dot)com.

There are also many hosts dissatisfied with their lack of a moral compass.

See also:
http://www.jasonmendelson.com/archives/2011/01/vrbos-questionable-review-policy-shame-on-vrbo.html

I have been with VRBO for over 15 years. They were originally Expedia, then VRBO went separate. They were a great start up for listing vacation properties. Then they merged with Homeaway, and had two separate sites which listed virtually the same thing. I went with both of them for several years, and never, not one time did I book a Homeastray booking! Sure I had inquiries, but not even one from Homeaway materialized. I still got plenty inquiries and bookings from vrbo. In my area they had upgrades which were for extra listings and also to be in the front pages of all listing that were in the described area. The first year, I was in the top five! Not bad, and always on the first page. I decided to try another year, and did not bat an eye to pay almost 1300 bucks for the bang. The first few weeks were OK, and then I noticed the inquiries dried up. I looked on the site and saw I was no where near the front page and now was on the second page towards the bottom. I contacted VRBO and the person on the phone told me it was because my computer knows who I am and my listing is not essential in my searches. I have plenty of computers, tablets, iphones, and laptops. None of them showed me my site on the first page. I knew right away that I was given the run around, and right now I will most likely never list with VRBO as they forgot their loyal customers and now only strive to flood the area with listing that are not even in the immediate area where they belong. I also experienced several fake inquiries from Homeaway, and even replied to one of the fake inquiries letting them know I that it was a fake inquiry, and offered them a huge discount if indeed they were serious. They said they were for real, but even with the massive discount, no booking! Now I know for sure Homeastray is not bonified on the inquiries, and VRBO is NOT the way to list your vacation rental. Try Airbnb.com for more listings, even though you do not see your money until 24 hours after the guests arrival, at least they get listing for you and it hardly cost anything!

"I had a very disappointing experience with VRBO and the host, Careen Santos. I booked a vacation rental property for my mother's surprise 60th birthday celebration on February 12th, which was fully paid for. Before confirming my reservation, the host Careen Santos asked me what the reason for my stay was and the age of every person staying at her home. After 24 hours, the reservation was confirmed.

Over six weeks later on May 30th, I received a message from the host stating that she would like me to cancel the reservation because the price I reserved the property under was not accurate. I immediately contacted VRBO to explain the situation, as family members were flying in for the celebration. VRBO informed me that it was the host's responsibility to ensure the accurate pricing was listed and that the host had the right to cancel the reservation or increase the price at any point in time. I was shocked that someone could increase the price six weeks after the reservation was confirmed just because they realized they had listed the price inaccurately. VRBO also informed me that they would not cover the difference, and the host would be penalized for poor business practices if they did not honor the reservation or at least discount the difference.

I was disappointed with the lack of customer service and care from both VRBO and the host. Despite multiple attempts to speak with management on more than five separate occasions, I was told that my case would be elevated, and I would receive a call. However, there has been no resolution to date.

The host, Careen Santos, currently has her property listed at $497 per night. It is clear that she canceled my reservation so she could make a few hundred dollars more over a three-night stay. I am disgusted with how Careen Santos and VRBO handled this situation. It is evident that they do not care about their customers or their reservations. I will never book with VRBO again, and I caution others to be careful when booking with this host or this company. If you are looking for a vacation rental, there are plenty of other options available that value their customers and their reservations."

Vrbo allow Guest to stay for free as they allow chargebacks from Guest. Vrbo is NOT to be trusted with payouts

I booked a vacation house for a week in July 2020 and then needed to either change my dates or cancel my vacation due to COVID recommendations made by the Governor of Oregon as well as the Mayor of Joseph. Kathleen Evans-Rawls the owner refused to give me a credit for a different date. She then went on to tell me if I canceled my dates and she rebooked them she would give me a refund. She stated this to me twice. I then canceled my dates and she was able to rebook them. Win/win right? Not so much. When I asked for the refund she then stated she had a no refund policy (which was addressed numerous times before I agreed to cancel so she could rebook) and she then refused to refund me my $2500. She went on to say how the Covid virus has impacted them financially, as though that justified her going back on her word and not sending me a refund. On the VRBO website every week of July and August were booked solid. And she doubled her money for the 7 nights I booked! The Covid pandemic does not give her the right to commit theft. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE RENT ANYTHING FROM KATHLEEN EVANS-RAWLS of The Evans Farm in Joseph Oregon. VRBO did nothing for me other than to tell me to contact the owner. SERIOUSLY? I am out $2500! DO NOT USE VRBO. LET'S PUT THEM OUT OF BUSINESS.

We had an awful experience with one of the property. I would like to make a review on that property but unfortunately, I saw that the owner answered the customers who made an honest review of the property a very nasty response. I will not waste my time making comments when it is not taken seriously. Property link https://t.vrbo.io/Wiw0WwrMysb
It was my sister who booked our stay for overnight. Check-in time is 3pm but yet the cleaning crew, a men and women only was still in the house when my sister came to the house at 3:30pm. Rooms were smelly especially the room with the bunkbed. One carpet had poop on it and there were no towels like the picture and mentioned in the amenities lists. I found the towels left in the dryer when I was about to do a laundry because our sheets were also dirty with full of foot marks. The house was not vacuumed nor swept. The chairs were all stained and dirty. The dishwasher smelled like sewer. The house is not well kept and it's falling down. The beds are very old and needed a new ones already. The crib was dirty and tables are not cleaned either. I have to mention here that I should me thankful to small things in life since the host Nadia gave good amenities on the property as what she claims in the bad review made by a real customer. Should she not be thankful that we gave our money to a horrible place that is not worth the money you gave her? On the property link, I saw fake excellent reviews and the bad ones were answered inappropriately by Nadia who is the host of the property. Please be very careful with this property. The host will not take reviews very lightly. She is very Nasty herself.

Owned By Carl and Brenda Hulcher. Misrepresented completely on VRBO, they were unwilling from the beginning to discuss refund. I said, "I will stay then If I can't have a refund." I thought that was the end of it, I would stay the week and move on. I arrived to the little village to find the cabin I had been expecting to be in was in fact occupied by a resident who states she has lived there for months and will be for months to come. I was surprised and embarrassed. The owner then notified me to go to a different cabin. I then mentioned refund again since this was not even what I had secured and he became belligerent. He shouted "if your going to complain or dispute anything just leave now!" I said "I am not saying anything at all negative and I am not speaking to you any more, goodnight.' I went inside and closed the door and he left. I turned the heater on to warm the place as it was freezing cold out and no one had tried to ready this property. I then left for a bit while it warmed up. While I was gone I was messaged by the owner stating I had abandoned the property and was now banned from setting foot there again. They Would not even allow me to return for the groceries I had placed in the refrigerator. I was astonished and immediately began to try to find a way to get ahold of VRBO to get some help. Guess what.? VRBO ain't got no help to give. They are a trash company site that supports trash people robbing decent folks of their hard earned money by fraudulently making bogus rental agreements with no intention of honoring them. On a whim the owner is capable of canceling your reservation and keeping your money without any consequence. I was unable to reach anyone at vrbo that evening and because my money for the week was tied up in this rental I literally had to sleep in my car. That is not ok and yet I can get no help or even a response from Anyone involved in this SCAM. I am Hopeful there are enough people looking to sue and VRBO has enough $$$ to get us at least a burger each or something.

I made and paid in full for my reservation in April to rent the property for July 15th, (Property contact were Matteus Pecly) property ID *******. I drove 225 miles for my family reunion and 15 minutes before checking in the owner send me an email stating that my reservation is cancel, the host also send me an email stating it was cancel. 15 MINUTES BEFORE CHECK IN that was so terrible and disrespectful.
I had 3 small children with me and customer service with VRBO is terrible, I had to search around for somewhere nice to stay, it took me 6 hours to find somewhere. This owner need to be remove from Vrbo. Looking at the reviews it seems that this happen before and neither the owner or Vrbo make no attempt to compensate their customer for the inconvience. At 1:40am (am) Vrbo send me an email stating to rent an hotel for the night. I booked with Airbnb and they were more caring and professional.
2 1/2 hours to speak to someone at Vrbo with no success at all, the phone communication were lost and no one return my call.

I never received check-in instructions for the condo I reserved in Cabo through VRBO and thus I was forced to cancel a long-planned extended family Holiday celebration at virtually the last minute. I have used VRBO for 14 properties since 2014, so I know the owner is supposed to provide information a week prior to check-in. After not receiving that info, I emailed the owner repeatedly with no success and when I called "his number" I got a message that no voicemail box had been set up. I called the resort and was told there was NO reservation for me. I started contacting VRBO several days before I was supposed to leave. They could not contact the "owner." either. So I cancelled my trip, despite the fact that they told me if I couldn't get into the property, I should contact VRBO and they would find me "other lodging." I was unwilling to put my family through what easily could have been a nightmare. Since then I have called VRBO "customer service" repeatedly. I was told early-on that the owner would be contacted and told he had 48 hours to respond. If he didn't, a claim would be started. When I called today and explained my "case" again for the umpteenth time, I was told that I would have to get my refund from the credit card company or the "owner," despite the fact that neither they nor I am able to establish contact with him. To ad insult to injury, when I started protesting the call was suddenly cut off. And the credit card company said the claim was too old to process. This experience clearly demonstrates that it is way too easy for someone to list a property on VRBO, get paid, and never have to provide access to it by simply not providing the necessary information.

False advertising, overpriced, slumlord running a scam! It's nothing like the description or photos. What a rip-off!
I had spoken with the listed host of the property prior to my booking, which was only 24hrs before our actual arrival.
He failed to mention that he's currently "in between internet providers" at the moment, so there was no Internet access, which meant no TV's either.
We chose this overpriced rental because of the rooftop lounge area that's listed as an amenity with photos showing that it overlooked downtown, but upon our arrival, the door is locked to all guests due to Covid. It's obviously been locked up for a long time, but they still advertise it as a selling point on their VRBO photos/bio. Without the rooftop, there's no other option to sit outside at all. Not even a chair in the "mulched" backyard.
The business owner controls the temperature & keeps it at 76 degrees. Difficult to sleep when your sweating profusely in your bed.
The evening before we left, it was cooler outside so we opened some windows for relief and to air the place out. The front room curtain rod pulled right out, like it has done many times before us. There were drywall screws pushed into 1/2" drywall & no backing in the wall. Drywall alone will not hold 9' tall curtains & metal rod.
In typical slum lord fashion, the owner took $786.00 of our $800 deposit for emergency curtain repair & soiled sheets (aka: from sweating profusely in our beds)
This must be an ongoing scam played out on unknowing travelers. Our deposit was taken before we even boarded our plane. There are locked cameras monitoring the front and back at all times which is creepy.
I've rented from VRBO for years, but never again. They've offered no help and we're left dealing with this poor slum lord on our own.

I've had my property listed on vrbo since 2012. The first 3 years were very good. Just a normal, nice company to do business with. However, in the past 3 years they have gone from being a site to advertise my villa to potential renters, to taking over nearly every aspect of how I run my business. It feels like I've become the schmuck who just pays the bills!

Now they've changed the way they handle REVIEWS.

Recently, they sent me an email that looked like it came directly from my last renter, but upon opening it, I realized it was actually sent by vrbo, using my renters name. Is that even legal?
The email said that I'd received a new review, but they wouldn't show me what it said, or how many stars we were given, until I rated my renter first! I felt like I was a child on a playground and they were running around saying "I know something you don't know... NaNaNaNa. NaNa!" Lol! They were basically going to extort a rating out of me! I called them to question this new procedure and the representative all but came right out and told me that it was a negative review. I was pretty upset, as we've had nothing but positive reviews and have worked very hard to ensure our guests have a positive experience. Although some furnishings did sustain damage, maybe $100 to repair/replace, I eventually rated my renter with a less than positive review than I would have normally.
Vrbo literally pitted us against one another. I suppose since they were purchased by Expedia.com, they've become a very poorly run company. Not only will we never book anything through EXPEDIA.COM,(or anything else they've bought up, Hotel.com; Booking.com, etc.), we will be dropping our listing and going back to a local rental agency, airbnb or maybe TopVillas.com. What a shame, it used to be a great way to connect couples and families with their next vacation rental and now there's so many fees added on for the renters and the owners that it's definitely worth it to explore other options.

Booked for July14-22,2023. Owner Rios asked we notify him when our plane took off & landed. Rios apparently knew there was a problem b/4 we left but didn't tell us. We did as requested & asked for an early checkin. Although our reservation was for 3pm, Rios said it would be ready at 4pm. Then b/c of an "emergency" he was putting us in a "wonderful" place for the 1st night. The place had bugs crawling in the bed. Towels hid two ripped up leather chairs. Stove & fridge looked like a 1960's dorm room. We took pictures & video. Counted 9 live bugs that crawled on us. Washed the bedding so we could sleep. It was a cheap room in need of repair with cheap decor. Rios said he rented "bug" room from Booking.com & tried to make it our problem. Rios took no responsibility for: 1) breaching our rental agreement; 2) not telling us the truth so we could make our own decision about the 1st night; 3) or the fact that HE picked it. Rios then lied about the condo being ready at 11am the next day. It was almost 1pm. The condo is pretty. The view and AC great. The cabinetry cheap. No dishwasher. Beach & pool access limited to 9am.-6p.m. Otherwise locked. Beware riptides. Elevator gets stuck. Parking FAR away & space very small beside a cement wall. 2 days later condo water was off. Couldn't flush toilet, bathe, wash dishes, drink. We said we were leaving on the 19th. Rios texted us he would immediately refund. Many complaints to VRBO later Rios has ghosted us with no refund. A "real prince".

Will Never use VRBO Again!
I was Forced to cancel my April 2020, VRBO-booked trip to the Caymans due to COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of the GCM airport and related travel ban. VRBO refunded VRBO-imposed fees - in my case approx $300 - but despite numerous attempts to contact the owner of the Cayman Reef Resort condo to request a refund, including messages via the VRBO app, the owner did not respond - no reply at all - not even to deny my refund request or to offer a credit for future travel. Nothing. I lost $2000.

I will never use VRBO again. VRBO needs stronger policies and practices to govern property owners, including the need for VRBO to establish formal exceptions to owner-established refund policies during such special circumstances like a global pandemic.

I did not want to cancel my vacation but the GCM airport was closed and travel to the Cayman's was banned. Despite this, I did not receive a refund from the owner and did not hear a word from the owner - this is appalling! Never again will I book via VRBO!

VRBO.

At present, we are leaving Seawinds at Ormond by the Beach. Our reservation was June 26-28, condo 801. I am writing this review because, as we greatly anticipated our vacation, I felt it necessary to share our impressions with future people choosing to reside at this establishment.
Firstly, we were very impressed with our view and the layout of this condo. Sadly to say, this is where our positive remarks end. Upon entering the kitchen, we discovered grease on the the floor which made it very slippery. The kitchen was stocked nicely, but for adult vacationeers who enjoy a drink, a blender would have been nice. Traveling to the bedrooms: our sheets had blood stains and urine stains on them. Sand was prevalent. No screens on windows, which inhibited us from experience the ocean breeze and waves crashing while sleeping. Ceiling fan in master bedroom did not work and exhaust fan in both bathrooms were either nonfunctional or very loud.
Moving on to the living room: NO INTERNET! Which, as you know, that means no TV. One of our members needed the internet for business. She was forced to walk across street to use the internet connection from Dunkin Donuts. We followed protocall and contacted vrbo by phone and messaging 4 times. A solution was promised but no follow through. The last time we contacted you, you offered a $50 refund. I'm sorry but this is unacceptable. When we accepted your contract a working internet and tv was listed. We had neither. The cleaning done prior to our visit was lacking immensely. A mere $50 does not compensate us for the hardships we encountered. We are open to discussion regarding our compensation.
Lastly: the view was amazing! The condo package was nice, but not worth the $611.00 we paid. We thank you for sharing this home with us, we had a very enjoyable time and with corrected issues, we may consider returning.

We recently rented a property through VRBO for a trip to Destin, FL. The experience was awful and I would never want anyone to go through it.

Take a look at these pictures and you can see how filthy the property was when we showed up. The carpet was stained and dirty, dust was hanging off the ceiling fans, curtains were stained with what appears to be vomit, and bird poop all over the balcony furniture.

Also, the rental unit claimed to have wireless Internet access, but when we showed up there was no Internet. Contacted the owner immediately and he was very rude and refused to help us. His solution was for us to steal Internet from the neighbors. I asked him if he had recently seen the condition of the property and it turns out that he lives 600 miles away.

We notified the owner we were leaving immediately and we filed a complaint with VRBO. The complaint included the pictures detailing the unsanitary conditions you see in the links below. This is their response.

"When we receive complaints, we encourage both parties to work toward a mutual resolution. We provide the vacation rental owner or property manager an opportunity to resolve the dispute by forwarding them the details of the complaint. Our procedure is to note both sides of the situation and closely monitor accounts that have had a complaint filed.

As our site is strictly a venue for advertisement, we are unable to mediate disputes. To do so would violate our terms and conditions."

Basically they refuse to do anything. I contacted them again and they sent me the same canned response. Never use VRBO!

http://imageshack.com/i/f5nhcsj
http://imageshack.com/i/09kb0vj
http://imageshack.com/i/nr2v30j
http://imageshack.com/i/0jl3i9j

Do NOT rent your home with VRBO.
I was a home owner who used VRBO for years before I had to sell my home to pay a tax bill. It was a great house in a beach area and was very popular and I made VRBO tons of money and helped as every home owner does, make them look great and improve their reputation with great photos and reviews of homes that they do not own but take a piece of the profit to basically advertise on their site.

They do absolutely nothing in terms of services for the home owners and at the time they allowed people trying to scam leave a snarky review looking to get money back after stays and wouldn't let you leave a comparable review on their profile. They exploit the home owners string arming them into catering to their business model but allow no recourse when the renters damage the property except going through a third party insurance company which as they do. Make you wait and suffer.

Their VRBO help center is off shore and barely know what's going on when you call them and you're put on hold and transfered to people who don't speak English well, and make any hope of solving any problems. Hopeless. If you owe them back fees from one of the hundreds of reservations that made VRBO thousands on YOUR home at little expense to them. They sick wealthy lawyers on you who put their hands in your bank account and take what they want without your permission then threaten to sue you, the little home owner, with their huge million dollar team of lawyers, if you ask for even an invoice.

If you own a home rent it ANYWHERE but VRBO! Do it yourself or go on Air bnb or even Craigslist. VRBO is clearly making millions off us homeowners, as their fancy new ad campaign suggests but they will do nothing for you in return and squeeze every penny they can from you with no ability to negotiate or talk to anyone capable of making decisions at the company.
It's a horrible experience and I hope I help someone here who was thinking of making the mistake of doing business with VRBO.