Vrbo Reviews
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About Vrbo
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Vrbo provides a marketplace for booking unique accommodation options and vacation rentals. Established in 1995, the platform connects homeowners with travelers seeking rental properties, offering homes, condos and cabins.
- Clean and well-maintained properties
- Good amenities
- Poor communication from owners
- Hidden fees and charges
Vrbo Reviews
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- 4,887,913 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
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Reviewed May 26, 2026
I feel misled by VRBO regarding insurance charges. I clearly remember selecting only one insurance policy, yet I was charged for multiple additional insurance products that I did not knowingly authorize. When I contacted support, I did not receive clear proof of my consent. Instead, I was repeatedly redirected to the insurance provider, which did not resolve the issue or explain the charges. Overall, the process lacks transparency, and the insurance additions during booking were not clear or properly explained. I feel that the way these charges were applied is misleading and unacceptable.
Reviewed May 25, 2026
NEVER AGAIN VRBO!!! I booked a cottage through VRBO for a short 2-night stay. For a weekend trip, VRBO immediately charged a massive $1,500 security deposit to my credit card. The stay is over, and the landlord immediately gave the "all clear" to return the deposit, confirming zero damage. Yet, I have now been waiting for almost two weeks, and my $1,500 has still not been refunded. As I was told the refund is scheduled for exactly 14 days after check-out so there is method this deplorable behaviour!
Why does VRBO need to hold onto a customer’s $1,500 for weeks after a 2-night stay? Are they using my money to generate interest and work with? Withholding these amounts of money gives VRBO immense cash flow.There is absolutely no justification for this delay when the host already authorized the release. It is completely unacceptable to lock up this much of a customer's credit limit. Terrible financial practice and awful customer service. I want my money back immediately.
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Reviewed May 20, 2026
My experience with Vrbo has been completely unacceptable and has exposed serious flaws in both their booking system and customer service practices. Three days before my scheduled Memorial Day vacation, my reservation was abruptly canceled due to a “double booking” error allegedly caused by VRBO’s platform. A failure of this magnitude should never occur, especially for customers who booked and paid in full well in advance.
What is even more concerning is VRBO’s handling of the aftermath. Despite this issue being entirely caused by their system and/or host management failures, I was informed that my refund could take up to 14 days to process. In the meantime, I am expected to somehow secure alternative accommodations during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year while VRBO continues holding my money hostage. Property prices have dramatically increased due to the short notice, and because VRBO refuses to immediately release my funds, I am now facing the possibility of canceling my vacation altogether. The lack of urgency, accountability, and customer protection is astounding.
A company of this size should have safeguards in place to prevent double bookings and should absolutely prioritize immediate refunds when their errors directly impact customers. Instead, customers are left financially burdened, stressed, and without meaningful support. This has been one of the worst customer service experiences I have encountered, and I will seriously reconsider ever using VRBO again.
Reviewed May 20, 2026
The Company Vrbo is not going to protect you from their hosts. We had a host that was scamming normal people out of their hard earned money. The Host deceived us and misrepresented the property and has been doing this for many years according to him. Vrbo's custom protection consists of asking the Host to refund the money if he refuses you are out of luck. We traveled all day to get there and found the place to be unsafe. We had to drive another hour and a half to find a place to stay.
Reviewed May 14, 2026
If you have no issues with your rental then everything is great. Watch out if there is any issue, vrbo and the hosts are working together. The guest is not a concern. A hot tub cleaned walked in unannounced, apologized and went and cleaned the hot tub. Clear privacy violation and safety issue. When I reported this to vrbo and the rental company, they said they had no record of a hot tub cleaner accessing the property. Either they are lying to cover their end or someone was entering the house under the cover of a cleaner. The person cleaned the tub btw….
Reviewed May 13, 2026
I have been listing by beach house for five ears with VRBO. Several months ago, after not having any booking for months, I called Customer Service (what a misnomer). Apparently I had forgotten to pay the local Short Term Rental License and instead of advising me of this, they merely restricted (delisted) my property. I have made countless phone call to the so-called Customer Service, numerous on-line Chats, sent several emails, sent copies of the paid STR license SEVEN TIMES, and after two months I am still delisted and no-one from VRBO has contacted me to tell me why!
Reviewed May 13, 2026
I wish there were a zero rating. This company needs to have a class action lawsuit filed. I booked a condo back in March for a stay coming up May 22nd in Galveston, TX. When I booked this, it stated the price per night and stated "all fees included." I then went to booking page and it showed the amount of my condo for one night was $148.05 and there were some taxes added for a total of $198.05. I paid this amount in full. As it is getting closer to my stay, I realized that no one had reached out with information on how to access the property so I logged in to VRBO and found that the owner of the property had messaged me through the website, which I had no knowledge of.
They had sent me three messages saying my final payment was past due. What final payment. I went to the detail of my booking and several other charges were listed including host fees, service fees, etc of which none were listed when I originally booked. I had no idea that I had a balance. I never once received an email from VRBO letting me know that the owner had messaged me. I reached out to the owner and after a back-and-forth conversation and speaking with two supervisors from VRBO, the owner said they would refund me. I then noticed that part of the payment had been applied to my One Key cash credit. Since I no longer want to use VRBO, I contacted them and was told that this could not be refunded. Apparently, they are owned by Expedia who also owns Hotels.com and who knows what all. I then went to Hotels.com and booked a hotel room. Very deceitful company and the owner as well.
Reviewed May 8, 2026
To say the least we will not be renting/booking through VRBO. We booked our place on January 11, 2026, for our stay in April from 4/19-4/25/2026. When we walked in the place was a mess. The linens were all stripped from the bed and left on the sofa and armchair, or mattress. The bathrooms were left in unsanitary conditions, there was trash left on the floor bottles left in the rooms, on the tables. Used condiments was left in the fridge. The back door was left unlocked, the porch is not screened in as was mentioned in the ad, the yard was a mess. I have videos and pics. When I called VRBO, I spoke to Anish, promised me a call back in 20 minutes. We’re now 3 weeks after this whole nightmare and still, no call from him.
We called back because Anish asked us to stay at the property and did not tell us when we can leave. I then spoke to Samia and informed her that we left since we needed to make alternate arrangements, however, I did ask to speak to a manager. She transferred me to Amar, who hung up on me. Then had the audacity to send me to the survey. What were you expecting? A raving review?
Fast forward to last night, I get an email from Yusuf, he said that they were closing my case since I received a partial refund. To which I replied that I should have been fully refunded and that my experience with them has been less than satisfactory. At which time he made the decision to call me at 915 PM (My dogs and I were getting ready for bed) and keep me on the phone for almost an hour going around in circles to only offer me a $120 refund. WHAT is $120.00 going to do for the out of pocket cost to book a new hotel. I told them we need to get off the phone because we are going around in circles and Vrbo isn’t doing anything to make this right. I also advised them that we will not be using Vrbo again. $120.00 will not make me change my mind for the horrible service. Vrbo can go kick rocks and I will certainly NOT book with that honest Daniela again!!!!
Reviewed May 4, 2026
VRBO has high service fees. For my summer weekly rental, they took $300 service fees and also block out personal phone number information. It is my property that I should have the right to communicate with my guests directly in case of issues or concerns. But VRBO won’t reveal contact information until it is booked via VRBO. Also each time, VRBO charges about $300 or more on service charges during summer season. As much as we are paying for these fees, they took website should function and stream in a much higher speed rate! It doesn’t upload pictures in real time and calendar or inbox messages are extremely slow!
Reviewed May 2, 2026
Upon our arrival late in the evening of 4/4/26 we encountered the following:
- damp towels that were stained, gray and thin
- stained bed linens, one flat sheet was so threadbare it had a rip in it
- various stains on the living room furniture
- cracked bedroom window
- Bathroom window had the handle and hinge missing, thus making it extremely difficult to close (windows were opened prior to our arrival).
- Lamp bases were rusty.
- Many windows were open when we arrived; these windows have no screens, thus allowing bugs into the apartment.
- Some lamps did not have shades.
- Coffee table leg was propped up by coasters due to prior damage.
- Wifi did not work.
- dirty floors
- unpleasant smell throughout
**Most concerning of all** The main AC unit (a ceiling unit) blew pink insulation out of the vent all over the dining room table and the rest of the unit. My daughter has allergies and was definitely experiencing some respiratory issues due to the insulation particles blown throughout the apartment. She could not stay in that apartment any longer and could certainly not wait for a repairman–especially not knowing how long that could take.
Given the unacceptable state of the apartment in general, combined with the AC issue we chose to vacate the property after realizing the insulation particles were blowing everywhere and the AC unit was leaking water from the ceiling onto the floor of the kitchen/main living area. All of this was documented/photographed and shared with the host as well as VRBO customer service. The fact that neither the host or VRBO customer service thought that breathing insulation fibers was not an immediate health concern is quite baffling. I am in the process of seeking a refund for the reservation. We stayed one night (only because our arrival was late in the evening) of a six night reservation.
Vrbo Company Information
- Company Name:
- Vrbo
- Website:
- www.vrbo.com