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Vacation Rental Gone Wrong
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

SANTA MONICA -- My family and I rented a two bedroom apartment in Santa Monica California for a week, to celebrate my wife's birthday and visit our son who lives in LA. We paid $3,600. for a place that was advertised as being on a par with a room at the Fairmount Hotel, words like luxury were used. When we arrived the place was furnished with plastic chairs and rickety furniture. The owner provided no soap, no shampoo, and left bottles of body wash with about an inch of product. The vent to the havoc system was literally covered with filth. The kitchen floor was dirty and the refrigerator had dirty shelving. There were four towels for five people.

The kitchen cabinet was unhinged and presented a safety risk as it almost hit me in the head the first morning. The coffeemaker was broken. Both shower door handles were loose. On our first morning there, after trying unsuccessfully to open the kitchen cabinet and make a cup of coffee, I sent a text to the owner, asking for repair of the cabinet door and a replacement coffeemaker. I also pointed out that a glass table was wobbly and that the shower door handles needed to be tightened up. The owner responded by saying there was nothing wrong with the coffeemaker and she would send a repair person over the next day. We went out to ride bikes and have brunch.

When We were in the restaurant The owner called and told me she wanted us to leave and she would refund our money in full. After trying to reason with her, she continued to rant at me about how I was a trouble tenant and I was shady and I was a “ghost looking for a free vacation” because she could not find me on LinkedIn. (All she had to do was to look at my profile on HomeAway and she would have learned that I am Judge and an attorney.) The conversations and text messages went on for about an hour or so and culminated in the owner Zuma **, (if that is actually her name) telling me, “You need to get the ** out now. If you don't I am going to call the police.” I told her that she was not behaving professionally and she hung up the phone.

I called VRBO HomeAway and told them that we were being evicted on the first full day of our stay. I asked if they could find us or help us find alternative housing, that we were 3,000 miles from home. They said no they would not do that. The owner continued to harass us and say she need us to get out and that she was co-hosting an Oscar party and needed to resolve this immediately. We looked for and found another place to stay. We left the apartment by 6 pm.

The owner and her assistant continued to send me harassing emails and texts throughout the night making demands that I cancel the reservation with HomeAway, even though I was advised repeatedly by the customer service people at HomeAway that it was impossible for the traveler to cancel after having checked in.

I believe that I received no fewer than 4 messages from the owner insisting that I do what could not be done and telling me I would paying for two places until I capitulated to her demands. Ultimately the owner was wrong and she had to initiate the cancellation. Then the next day, contrary to her promise of a full refund the owner processed a 50% refund. I filed a complaint with HomeAway. Here are some pictures of the cabinet door, the coffee maker the filthy air vent and a wet paper towel showing dirt from the kitchen floor.

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You're Screwed If The Property Is Not As Described
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- This is a criticism of VRBO and a particular landlord. The VRBO complaint is this: There is no provision for refund when the property turns out not to be as promised. You're just screwed, that's all. They require you to cancel 2 weeks in advance to get a full refund and one week for 50% refund. In my case, I found the property to be totally unsuitable and not what was promised, so the owner walked away with a week's worth of rent ($600) and I had to drive 75 miles further to obtain lodging, for which I was compensated $0.

Here's the story. My girlfriend and I rented a cabin in the mountains, outside of Las Vegas NM. Denmin Cabin, owner Lacey Loe, property number 1352896. The owner listed all the amenities including WIFI and kitchen. We were given an access code for the door. Before arriving we received an email that we shouldn't use the stove (!), so I suppose we were supposed to eat sandwiches all week, as the property is way out of town, 30-45 minutes down a narrow mountain road with a shear drop and no guard rails for much of the way.

When we arrived, no one was there, so we tried the access code on the door, about 20-30 times, with breaks in between. No way to get into the cabin. We tried contacting the owner via phone (no service) and email (no WIFI). Then the guys 30 yards away, across the road, came back from break and fired up their chain saws and heavy equipment for the log cabin they were building. Ever heard a chainsaw in a narrow mountain valley? Since the cabin was about half built, it was evident that the noise had been going on for a few weeks and would continue throughout our stay. We'd had no warning.

We rented the cabin in part because of the promised WIFI. My girlfriend was on a working vacation and absolutely needed reliable WIFI in order to finish work with deadlines this week. So, we left the cabin after half an hour or so and drove 40 minutes until we could get bars on the phone. The owner was initially cooperative on the phone and offered a 1-night refund since we were not going to be able to stay the first night. We lost the phone connection while driving in the mountains to find other accommodations.

Later, my girlfriend sent an email offering to pay for 2 nights (the minimum stay) and suggesting that, due to the unsuitability, we should receive a refund for the other 5 nights. The email we received back was frankly legalistic, accusatory and bullying. He said he was a paralegal and knew about contracts and I wasn't entitled to anything. Then he said he believed we had some hidden agenda and tried to make himself out as the victim. (Remember, he already had $600 of our money and we had to find and pay for other accommodations, gas, and lose our vacation time.) We responded to his email and he arbitrarily canceled our reservation (meaning, he stole our money and gave us nothing but grief in return).

Now, with the reservation canceled, it is possible that VRBO won't even let me write a review. There was no other reason for him to cancel, other than maybe now he could double dip by keeping our money and renting the cabin again this week to some other unsuspecting folks. I notice that he now has added an ALL CAPS sentence on the cabin listing about "MINIMAL HOME REBUILDING SOUNDS" (chainsaw noise is minimal?) to cover himself in future. Well, if I am allowed to write a review on VRBO, I will mention that, in addition to the room payment, Mr. Loe also kept the cleaning fee (we never set foot in the cabin, so how could it need cleaning?) and the taxes, which I'm sure he won't pay, since we didn't actually stay there. Then of course, there is the money that VRBO gets that we'll never see again. And, the promised refund for our first night? We didn't get that, either.

Needless to say, I'm deleting the VRBO app and will never do business with them again. It's always the case in this country that the businesses get protection and the consumer gets none, and VRBO is a prime example.

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No Recourse to Owner Comments on Review
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

ST AUGUSTINE, MICHIGAN -- We had a horrible experience staying in unit B33 at Ocean Village Club this past winter. When I posted a review on VRBO to try and ward off other potential renters, the owner responded with untruthful comments and tried to turn it around to make me look like I was a difficult renter (all lies)!! I tried to post a rebuttal to his comments, but VRBO would not post it because they said it would be considered a duplicate review!! So essentially, if you are unhappy and post a review and the owner responds, anyone reading the review will see owner comments and figure that is the last word!!!

And also, VRBO should be aware what bad condition this unit is in. Needs major updating and maintenance. The owner won't spend $$ on buying a new microwave (all rusted out) or replacing the moldy shower curtains. Terrible mold odor throughout. Holes in the bathroom baseboard, chipped floor tile throughout, no window screens, very uncomfortable furniture.

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VRBO/HOMEAWAY Knowingly Listed a Dangerous Property and Refused to Refund Our money...
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- VRBO/HOMEAWAY had repeated complaints about property owners and a property listed on their site. We prepaid for an expensive Christmas stay at the property that was listed with beautiful amenities and photographs. The next day the property owners warned us the property would not be safe for our critically ill (not contagious) daughter. We then called VRBO/HOMEAWAY who refused to refund our money or help us in any way. VRBO/HOMEAWAY's customer service call center in the Philippines said we had to photographic proof to get a refund.

Once we obtained photographic proof of mold and algae throughout, no electricity, no air conditioning, appliances with defective wiring, no hot water to shower, cook or clean, shredded screens with holes that disintegrated upon the slightest bit of breeze and filthy piles of hurricane damaged lumber, nails and gunk...VRBO/HOMEAWAY still refused to help us in any way. VRBO/HOMEAWAY's BOOK with CONFIDENCE Guarantee is a deceptive trade practice designed to scam consumers into believing the businesses are honorable. VRBO/HOMEAWAY is NOT! We were cheated out of a family vacation with our critically ill daughter. We were cheated out of $4,400.00. Never trust VRBO/HOMEAWAY. The federal trade commission must look into these companies...

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VRBO Horrible Website
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

INTERNATIONAL, NEW YORK -- I recently booked a vacation rental through VRBO. BE AWARE!!! I booked a 1 bedroom condo with a king size bed, 1 sleeper sofa, futon, and cot. I thought that I won the lotto, because the condo was affordable and included resort passes. Cost of the condo $1610. The condo was disgustingly dirty. I do not say that lightly. The place definitely has not been cleaned in years. I booked through VRBO, Property ID#380411. I contacted VRBO to let them know of the unsanitary conditions. They have done nothing. The condo is still listed on VRBO website. I tried to write a review to warn other travelers, VRBO has not posted the review.

Now that I go back and read through the VRBO listings reviews, I realize they are all fake. Owner reviews on website are current and all 5 stars. There is no way VRBO reviews are real. There is no benefit in using this company to book a rental. If you have an issue they do not do anything but refer you to the owner.

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VRBO Sucks!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- We were shocked when we walked into this rental from Alan Mayer. My husband refused to take his suitcase out of the car and simply said, "We are NOT staying here!" Not only did our car get damaged by a deep rut in the dirt road leading to this place (we had to have it fixed when we got to San Diego) but, when we got there, it was a dump. I took photos of how bad it was because I couldn't believe it. The caulking around every sink and tub was cracking and flaking. The place hadn't been painted in years. The furniture was falling apart. The downstairs was like a dungeon. The owner obviously takes no pride in his rental and merely treats it as a cash cow. And he has the nerve to charge an average of $325/night! We were forced to stay one night until we could arrange other accommodations. I telephoned the owner and told him it was uninhabitable and we demanded a full refund. This is the worst vacation rental I have ever seen and should be banned from VRBO. Compare Mr. Mayer's description of his "Magnificant Ocean Front Home" (https://www.vrbo.com/1680) to the pictures below. Traveler beware!

When we contacted VRBO (several times), they always sent boiler plate gobble-de-gook about us having to deal directly with the owner. The whole reason we used VRBO was not to have to deal with the owner.
VRBO is happy to take your money but, if you have a problem, they leave you totally on your own. I WILL NEVER USE vrbo AGAIN!

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$7,000 wasted
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- The site is OK for renters, but they aren't the customers of Home Away/VRBO because renters deal primarily with property owners. The property owners are the customers of HA/VRBO & they seem to agree that they are HORRIBLE!! Because they are the largest, they seem to think that they have a monopoly, so they can care less about their customers/property owners.

I have been with using Home Away & VRBO for over 7 years. I have 3 properties listed with each, i.e. 6 listing at the highest levels offered. Last year I paid them over $7,000, but I won't b renewing my subscriptions because I am getting no bookings. That's because my listing priority is so low. For example, on Home Away using all applicable filters, my 2 BR cabins are # 54 & 55 out of 150. Without filters, & on VRBO it's even lower. The problem is that they keep changing priority criteria so they can get more $ & some recent priority requirements are things I don't control.

When I 1st started years ago, the only priority was length of time someone has been with them. Then they added priority based on the # of listings we had. Then they added subscription levels & then more subscription levels. Then it was whether or not we paid more $ for a "featured listing." Even though the cost kept increasing, I could understand that, i.e. priority based on longevity, # of listings, & amount paid. However, they then added priority based on reviews. I have no control over whether or not someone writes a review, what they consider a "good" review, or when someone is using a review as coercion.

I've had guests write a good review but give a 3-star rating. I asked them about it & they said they thought 3 stars was a "good" rating. I've also had people stay in a cabin for a week or so with no complaints, but a month later contact me & complain, making it clear that they were going to write a bad review unless I did something to compensate for their "bad experience," i.e. unless I gave them a refund, they would write a bad review.

Last year, Home Away said priority was based on whether or not we OFFERED online booking, so I added online booking. The problem is that if a guest uses online booking, funds go directly into my account, but I don't know who the funds are from nor which cabin it's for (as I said, I have 3 cabins listed on Home Away & VRBO). Therefore, I don't use online booking.

This year, Home Away has changed again & has made priority based on whether on not we USE online booking. As I said, last year I paid Home Away/VRBO over $7,000, but I'm not getting any bookings. All my bookings are coming from Vacation Home Rentals (not Vacation Rentals) or Flip Key & paying less than 1/2 what I paid Home Away/VRBO. Both of those are on Trip Advisor. In other words, I paid over $7,000 to Home Away/VRBO & I have gotten nothing for it, so that money was just wasted.

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Mrs
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

CHESTERTOWN, NEW JERSEY -- Because I mentioned the amount of the security deposit, VRBO won't publish my review, and they refuse to respond to the help request I sent asking them to revise it. My emails go unanswered. Here is my review: We and three other couples rented this house for a long weekend. The PROS: The house is very nice and the kitchen was furnished for cooking. It's got nice rooms, a nice property & I like that we didn't all have to share one bathroom.

The CONS: I was disappointed that after we agreed on a price the owner informed us that the hot tub was broken but didn't offer to give us a discount. I felt that would have been fair, but let it go. After dinner the first night the sink garbage disposal got clogged. When we started to gather in the living room to play games we couldn't get the living room lights on, and found one of the leather sling chair's stitching was loose so that we couldn't use it.

It was late for calling the caretaker, so I called the next morning. I told her about the 3 items & informed the man who came to fix the disposal & the lights that the wood under the sink was rotten & moldy from the disposal having a long term leak. He took care of the lights (circuit breaker issue), took the chair with him & fixed the clog in the disposal. So far so good.

A month later & I still hadn't received my $300 security deposit. I call the owner & he informs me that the chair is being looked at by the insurance adjuster & that he's holding my deposit. I told him that we didn't break the chair -- that the stitching was loose & I was merely letting them know as a courtesy, same as I'd like renters to let me know of anything that needs attention in my own rental. He then proceeds to challenge me: the chair was fine the day before when it was dusted. He hadn't seen it broken the last time he was there, etc.

When I explained that we never even had the opportunity to use the chair, he got a bit heated & insisted that all was well prior to our arrival. (Luckily he didn't accuse us of causing the rotten, mildewed floor under the sink, too, since no one had apparently ever noticed that, either!) He eventually agreed to send my deposit back, but not after basically calling me a liar & getting quite nasty.

We've rented houses for years both in the US & in Europe. I've generally been pleased & often we end up returning to places year after year. One couple we were with was going to rent this home until I told them about the homeowner's behavior, when they decided to steer clear. The whole incident left a very bad taste in my mouth & ruined what otherwise would have been a very nice weekend.

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VRBO Owner Withholding Damage Deposit, NO Recourse!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON -- Don't rent through VRBO, if you expect any customer service. If you have a problem, you should expect them to side with the owner. Use a credit card to pay - this is the only way that you have any recourse if the owner wants to withhold your deposit. PayPal considers this a service, so they will not give you the time of day. Recently, June 30 - July 15, 2014, I rented a one bedroom condo, rental ID #421106, in Kirkland, WA, $85/night. I have a dispute with the owner about my 'damage' deposit.

The owner has already withheld part of my damage deposit. I ask that my deposit be returned. The gist of the matter is that the owner is withholding a portion of my "damage" deposit, so that she can clean her carpets, in a vain attempt to remove the smell, the mold and mildew smell, that I did not cause. Here is how I found out that she is withhold my deposit:

PayPal note from owner - Note from Sherrie **: Hello David, Because beyond normal cleaning was required to eliminate the odor and mold due to the piled wet towels, I'm holding $100.00 of your damage deposit to cover professional carpet cleaning.

I am a 50 year old man. I don't need the $100.00. It is simply unfair that she is withholding deposit, especially to deal with something that I suffered with my entire stay. I paid the money that I agreed to, for this cheap crappy place. I complained directly to the owner, and not in a review. She is blaming me for the smell. Obvious to anyone who has been in a few old condos in the Pacific Northwest, this smell is from a long term problem. It was there when I arrived, and it will return soon, after she cleans her carpets.

Regarding her complaint about towels on the floor. I used one towel to dry myself my entire visit. I never put it on the floor, until the morning that I was to leave. I left it and two other towels that I had used to cover the couch, before I would not sit on it without a cover, on the floor so that the manager would know which towels I had used. I put dirty my sheets there too. I did not wet the towels, more than by drying myself after my shower and I wouldn't risk leaving something that I was going to use, on my body, on that carpet. It is not reasonable that these towels, left on the bathroom floor that morning, a half hour before I left, caused the mold and mildew smell.

The problem is that there is mold and mildew in her carpets. Among other issues, her bathroom has little ventilation and the shower curtain doesn't prevent water from getting on the carpeted floor. Over time, this has caused the carpets to smell. If she would check, the carpets not only smell in the bathroom, but they also smell in the living room. I didn't cause this. I am simply the messenger. When I was there, I kept the fan on in this place, full-time, to keep the smell down.

This especially irks me, as the owner already takes $200 for cleaning, which is excessive based on charging $85/night. But fine, I had agreed to that. I have no problem, when treated respectfully. The cleaning fee was spelled out in the list of costs. However, to then withhold my damage deposit, when I did no damage, this is unfair.

The place is already overpriced and low rent. When I arrived there was stolen and trashed car in the parking lot. The towels are cheap and worn, the sheets are cheap and the bottom sheet does not fit properly on the mattress. The comforter was made for bargain basement rayon and worn through in several places (manager says that they replaced that). The highest tech in the place is a VCR.

The parking space is so small, if everyone in the building is parked in their spaces, you have to exit the build to get to your door, because you physically cannot get to the back of the garage to get in. I wrote the owner about all of this, except for the part about the stolen car. I asked manager when got my key to report the car. A couple of days later someone hauled it away. But, there was a trash, abandoned car in the parking lot.

Finally, this place had previously received a bad review on the VRBO site, including mentioning the smell. I previewed the place because of that. At that time, in passing, I mentioned to the owner's manager Cecilia that there was a smell. It wasn't overwhelming and this was just one of many other little issues you might find in a crappy place. We agreed that the place was functional. I was already resigned and really stuck, so had no choice but to take it. When I arrived I also signed some kind of paper indicating that the place was in order, down to counting the spoons. It does not mention smell.

Here is the previous review - Title: Not even close to the 2 reviews I used to book this condo. Content: Local channels only on TV. No dishwasher soap, Half a roll of toilet paper, Not very clean, hamper in bathroom is moldy and smells terrible. Stayed April 2014. Submitted April 24, 2014 - Source VRBO.

I do not agree with the owner's assessment that I caused this smell problem, and I am not willing to bear any part of the cost of fixing it. I simply reported it. Besides, why would I report it, if I had caused it? I also called the owner's manager that morning, mentioned the smell and told her that I had sent an email to Sherri. She called later and told me that Sherri had received my email and was not very happy. She mentioned the towels, but she did not say that I was going to get charged for damages. I just ignored it. Again, I put them there for their convenience.

If I had caused the smell, why would I tell them about it? I didn't cause the worn towels or the comforter. They don't charge me for them, because they know that it's not me. I am simply the messenger here. Don't charge the messenger. I want my money back! I want payment for my wasted time. I already paid an agreed upon amount, to stay in this rental. I shouldn't be wasting my time, defending my actions. I did nothing wrong. If anything, I was a great tenant. I was never there. It was too unpleasant. I slept there only.

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Tortious Interference by this complany should be filed in a class action law suit
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- I continue to read all the reviews about fees and costs by this company and you are all.... 100% right in your statements. Since VRBO was purchased by Expedia their service fees have increased expeditiously. And you are all correct that before the merger, VRBO allowed owners to operate independently of them and allow guests to communicate directly with the owners. Well, we all know that ship has sailed. All I wanted from them was to bring me traffic...... Nothing more. Now they are not only in your business, they are now running your business. We call that tortious interference in law. But here is one of the most greiges acts to date. In the USA, states want to be sure they get their fair share of the sales and transient or tourism taxes they can. Hotels and motels pay it and now they want to be sure vacation owners are paying it as well. I got it. Not a problem as this process was there for owners/manager to input what taxes to collect in the rate section on this platform. Not so any more. So now, VRBO/HomeAway is being forced to collect and remit state taxes which are now in the quotes for future guests after September 1, 2019. By the way. They just released this new SOP to owners on August 29th, just 2 days before enacting this new procedure. And that would be great as well, but they screwed this SOP as well. But where they completely failed and dropped the ball on this process was the failure to calculate local and county tourism taxes. That's right. If you are in one of those states that require VRBO/HomeAway to collect and remit state sales and tourism taxes and you have county taxes also to pay, they are not collecting this in their quote. So guess who is now responsible for the additional county/local taxes. You are as the owner of the property. Now you're going to love this one...... During my 4th call to CS at VRBO/HomeAway the solution offered was to simple tell the booking guest (after they have paid of course) that their will be an additional monies due for the local/county taxes that were not included in their quote. Are you serious?????? These guests just paid $$$ to you for the travelers service fee that is as worthless as.... well you get it. Then I need to call my new booking guests and say..... "By the way, you still owe me $$$ for taxes not disclosed by this platform".... They are going to have a cow. I won't blame them a bit. What did VRBO/HomeAway think when they rolled this process out. Could they have at least just included an additional line for "other taxes" that have to be paid in their quote to booking guests. Absolutely NO says the CS representative We only collect state sales and tourism taxes. That is your problem to collect now. I of course updated my description for all my properties and explained the situation so that the cow droppings were in their face rather then in mine.

In my opinion, this is by definition "tortious interference" by a company suppressing owners ability to manage their own business and hindering their cash flow. They have now stepped over that peruviol line in the sand and folks need to stand up against them. This is just not right from anyone's perspective. That's why most of my guests are all repeats and book directly with me and not through this platform. I always tell my past guests who express an interest to return to contact me directly to avoid costs and fees from VRBO/HomeAway.

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VRBO Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.2 out of 5, based on 92 ratings and
123 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
VRBO
1011 W. Fifth Street, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78703
877-228-3145 (ph)
www.vrbo.com
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