VRBO Consumer Reviews - Page 3

**Warning DO NOT BOOK WITH VRBO**. I am writing this post to expose the pure SCAM that is VRBO during a nationwide pandemic (Coronavirus). My family and I booked a vacation rental in Siesta Key, Florida for our spring break vacation in April. We paid a large amount of money, being $3,500, as she has 5 children & we needed a large rental. The rental is also on the beach. The beaches have since been shut down as the state of Florida continues to be one of the epicenters for the Coronavirus outbreak.

The owner is refusing to refund our money and IS NOT being accommodating to change our dates when VRBO “suggested” to give renters a year to change. We contacted VRBO who was NO HELP and stated it is between us and the owner! I am sure they are doing this to other poor families who paid good money to go on vacation, some of which may REALLY need it during this time of unemployment and uncertainty. This is such a scam during a nationwide epidemic when we cannot be going on vacation during this time particularly to a place (Florida) which is as I said is one of the a primary locations of the virus.

1985, FLORIDA -- As per Government orders & Global pandemic dictates, we cannot travel. VRBO & Owner refuses to change our travel dates or refund or help out at all. After connecting with THOUSAND upon THOUSANDS of other travelers online in the same situation, it is clear that VRBO does NOT care about public safety and is more concerned about short term money gains versus long term reputation. This will be the end of them. AIRBNB did the right thing and changed their policy to serve their customer base in this emergency. Does VRBO think they are immune to social media? The airlines refunded us, the tours we booked were no problem, the ski resorts, the lifts, the rentals, the car rental company, etc. VRBO is the only one giving us problems. We are currently out $5k! We have saved for years for this. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!! THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMER BASE. WE WILL NEVER EVER BOOK WITH THEM AGAIN, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE WORD.

We had a room rental. COVID 19 hit the borders were closed and we could not travel. The owner refused monies back or to move dates. He stated he lost 1/4 million on the stock market and he was not giving us back 5% of our annual retirement fixed after tax income and not to bother him again, Which I believe he told VRBO as well. VRBO sent a few letters but made many promises to us, that it was being escalated and even when I phoned again today the girl read the notes and could not figure out why it was not done and now would not do it. It is crazy. They also would not allow me the opportunity to leave a review at this point which really defeats the purpose of trying to help and make others aware.

JENSEN BEACH, FLORIDA -- My wife and I rented a vacation rental through VRBO in January 2020. Shortly after staying there bed bugs and fleas appeared and numerous bites were discovered. When we brought the matter to the attention of the owner he agreed to rectify the matter immediately, but initially denied any possibility of bugs and never came to see the evidence or the bites on body. We took pictures of the bugs and bites. On the day we vacated the home early on vacation he sent his maintenance man to the house to destroy all the evidence before Terminix arrived later that morning.

We filed complaint with VRBO on the guarantee stay with photo evidence of bugs and bites. They totally disregarded the photo evidence and said the owner sprayed for fleas and provided proof after the fact and we were entitled to nothing. The owner now claims the story is totally made up and he never saw pictures. He never asked and he had a chance to see everything first hand and chose not to. VRBO's home away guarantee is an absolute joke, it has no merit and is just propaganda to get people to use there site for bookings but when it comes down to really doing something for travelers it ain't worth the paper it is written on. Horrible company.

GEORGIA -- My story is a long one so to make it short and sweet, we rented from a nightmare owner that has refused our deposit refund and even accused us of stealing his property. He has a history of this that we did not unfortunately see until after we had paid for our rental. The place was a nightmare! I immediately contacted the owner. NO response. I decided to go straight to Vrbo and file a case. Nothing has been resolved and we have pretty much been ignored. This is reprehensible from both sides and we decided to file a complaint with the BBB. Lesson learned. We will never use Vrbo again and we hope that at some point others stop falling for their scam as well.

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- Awful awful awful experience as an owner. I had a guest stay at my property through them over 1 month ago. I called them many times about payment and still can't receive it. I spoke to an agent named Mesha who was extremely rude and when I asked for a supervisor to tell them about her disgusting and disrespectful behavior, she hung up the phone on me. When I called back another agent said that no one would be able to locate her because she works from a call center and the call cannot be traced so she can just be disrespectful to whoever she wants to with no recourse. They told me I have to wait 5 weeks to get paid 4 weeks has already passed. I have a mortgage to pay and these low life termites could care less. I pulled my properties from them. I hate them. Stay away

HOUSTON, COLORADO -- VRBO Vacation Rentals review. CHECK BEFORE YOU RENT. In Houston the tax on rentals 30 days or less is 19%, over 30 days the property is considered a home and the tax is not applicable. This is true for all short term rentals (31 days or more) including hotels (tax varies according to location). During the past two weeks I have repeatedly applied to rent accommodations for over 30 days. In each effort the 19% tax was added to the total cost.

I requested that the 19 % charge be deleted and a new cost be forwarded. In each case I was told the residence was unavailable or my request had been referred to the applicable department which later informed me the residence was not available. I was seeking a 60 day plus accommodation. Not only was I denied rental the owners lost income. It would be interesting to know if the owners shared in this profit, or if VRBO was the sole 19% payee. There are some VRBO rentals that do not charge the tax and offer a competitive rate.

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- I have been an owner advertising on VRBO since 2001. Customer service is ABSENT for owners and renters. I rented to a repeat guest over Christmas. The guest paid a $3000 security deposit held by VRBO. The guest checked out on 12/25/2019. I received notice the condo was left in perfect condition by my cleaning team.

On 12/26/2019 I went onto the VRBO and requested a full security deposit refund. As of today, over 40 days later, the guest has still not received their refundable $3000 deposit back. I have made 5 calls to VRBO and my guest has made 7 calls to VRBO and they continue to tell us there is a problem with the system. I have requested a VRBO leader call me 5 times and no one has called. There is no urgency to resolve this issue for my guest. VRBO is ruining my rental business. Do no use VRBO, they have no customer service.

ALABAMA -- My husband and I have used VRBO several times through the past 3-4 years and have always been extremely satisfied with them. Until now. Our vacation was cancelled just 2 days prior to our arrival date by the owner. It took hours on the phone along with numerous texts and emails to get a full refund. We were given a partial refund twice before getting the full amount. Essentially, VRBO was sorry, but could not help with a new place unless we wanted to pay full price for it. That would have been seriously crazy as we had yet to get our money back from the prior reservation.

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA -- Within 2 hours of arrival at this advertised "paradise" I had a severe migraine due to the heat and non-control of the thermostat. There was a screw driven into it. It was reading 80 degrees and climbing even after being set on 75. We found other accommodations immediately and immediately contacted the onsite property manager that we would not be staying. All in all - too bad - refunded only the damage deposit and that was it. Ended up paying double for one vacation. Tried calling and accessing VRBO online - was on indefinite hold and couldn't get through online because there was no appropriate category from me to choose from.

Same happened with me about the review - blocked, denied - this is a fraudulent practice when people with negative comments can't post them to give bookers a fair assessment. Upstairs sink had cracks all in it, smelled awful - did a video and the home is in serious need of upgrades but most importantly the air conditioning - this is an island with temps upwards 90-100 degrees! When I requested the refund I was told I didn't 'cancel' within the appropriate timeframe. This wasn't a cancellation. It was a breach - I can't deal with heat INSIDE after playing in it all day! This was in Georgetown in the Bahamas - The Exumas.