Vrbo Reviews

I had booked a 3 bedroom condo for a family reunion and we reserved dinner reservations, a walking tour and more for our weekend. 3 days before we were to go, the owner canceled our reservation. No explanation whatsoever. The VRBO customer service was the worst. They barely speak English, their phone service is terrible, and one of the many calls I tried to make, the person hung up on me! My sister also called them multiple times to argue with them about the deposit refund. After hours of trying to find another place to stay, we had to cancel our weekend. SO disappointing. I WILL NEVER USE VRBO AGAIN. AWFUL BUSINESS.

I used VRBO a few years back to rent out our beach house. It had good customer service at that time. I decided to use the VRBO.com website again and what a mistake! They now have awful customer service. They have outsourced both the customer service as well as the payment company to what appears to be the Philippines. They now are charging the customer and the renter exorbitant fees as well as not releasing the funds to the owner of the home until after the rental period begins. They are holding thousands of dollars probably millions nationwide, of other people's money for months and collecting the interest.

Lesson Learned and We Were Burned – Sept 2018 I had reserved lodging for my vacation before leaving on my vacation. However, within the first several days of my vacation, one of my lodging confirmations cancelled. I had to quickly locate new lodging within two days. I go to VRBO and requested a property and felt relieved to have found something on such short notice. My wife and I go to dinner and on our return, VRBO sent a splash screen to our phone telling us the property was not available on the dates requested. Back to the drawing board!

Let me add to all of the negative reviews. I used VRBO for beach trip rentals for years without a problem. When I booked this trip, I was charged so many fees that were not explained. I was shocked by this because it was very strange. I then realized that HomeAway was affiliated and I thought maybe that was the problem. We did not get any fees back either. Luckily we got to use our rental and they returned their $400 deposit that we paid. The bad part was that the kitchen in the apartment was all torn up with 2 guys replacing the boiler. We were told that it would take 2 hours to fix, but that turned into 2 days without hot water. We had other issues too, but I won't bring up all of them here.

I recently (tried) to stay at a VRBO listed property for a friend's wedding in New Hampshire. The owner canceled the reservation the day of my arrival. She didn't even have the decency to call, text, or send an email. I turned on my phone after my flight touched down to see that my funds had been returned. I finally got in touch with her, and the reason for the cancellation was that she didn't have time to clean the place. (!) She was so rude - it was completely disheartening. I told her I would just wash the sheets because I really needed somewhere to stay, but she said no (because I might give her a bad review).

I used VRBO to book a weekend stay in cabin to see the waterfalls in Georgia. I booked the first one, paid, got insurance, got confirmation number, good to go! NOT! About 10 min later, I received an email from that property owner stating he had already booked the unit for that weekend so it was not available. I finally received a partial refund weeks later. New story... I went back to the VRBO website (silly me) that same day and booked another cabin, paid for rental, cancellation insurance again and got confirmation number. The week before the scheduled trip, a storm came up from the Gulf of Mexico so there was rain and lots of it coming in so we decided to cancel our trip. We had cancellation insurance, right? Wrong. That was 5 months ago and I’ve still not received anything from VRBO, HomeAway, property owner or anyone else. Will NEVER use this site again.

I had to cancel our vacation rental with VRBO. We cancelled within the 60 day time frame for full refund. They refuse to pay us the full refund saying we had to contact the owner directly. Did that and he stated that they didn't give him any money and are keeping my 400.00. This messaging went back and forth so many times and they are trying to tell me that I was 59 days. Wrong??!!! I just want people to know that if you cancel you pretty much won't get a full refund. VRBO keeps your money and will argue with you to no avail. Was so frustrated we finally gave up and they sit with my money. Just greed is what I feel about them and will never book again with VRBO!!

Terrible experience with VRBO/HomeAway customer support while trying to get refund for cancelation that is well within cancelation policy. VRBO is practically useless in their attempts to resolve the matter as they have no way to contact the owner. They allowed listing with no contact information and provided zero protection from fraud. Their "Book with Confidence Guarantee" policy is a clear misnomer. Stay away from this business.

Before my VRBO reservation was made, the homeowner told me he'd give me $100 off the rental, which was documented in VRBO messaging. I chatted with VRBO customer service to ensure that this was possible and was told it was. After the rental fund's disbursement I received the $99 damage deposit refund, but not the extra $100. I messaged the owner multiple times but received no response. I called VRBO customer service and was told they would have to "escalate" my complaint and they had me fill out a formal complaint form.

We have used VRBO before and were very pleased. We had not needed to use the cancellation policy. I would encourage any travelers to read all the print in this policy. 60 days or less cancelation forfeits 100% of your payment minus the deposit. The owner was willing to work with us. The VRBO was not helpful at all. We will not use them again. Live and learn. God Bless them and pray they take better care of their customers.

One day, I began receiving e-mails from VRBO about an account being opened. When I went to VRBO.com, an account had been opened using my e-mail address with the username of "PREMIYA SCHASTLIVIY EMAIL PODHODIT K KONCU ** ZABERITE VIYGRISH DO 20 AUGUST." That is literally the username, I copied it directly from said e-mails. For those who don't know Russian, it's claiming that I won some kind of prize, and that to claim it I need to go to the link by August 20th. Obviously, it's some kind of scam.

We have used VRBO in the past with no problems. We were looking forward to a vacation, booked an available property two months in advance. Got a confirmation, money was exchanged. While driving to vacation destination, we realized we haven't received the lockbox code. Attempt to contact owner to no avail. Three hours into the drive with three children under four, we finally get a hold of a VRBO agent. Put on hold, lost call, three separate times. We then get a text that said, "Contact us immediately, your reservation has been canceled."

We rented a VRBO-brokered property in Venice Beach California. I will be opening another post about the owner Venice Local Living. We arrived at the property late and it was NOTHING like the pictures. There was literally filthy, caked on dust everywhere, walls, doors, light switches were dirty. There was no soap or amenities in the bathroom, and the towels had such a bad mold/mildew smell that we could not use them, or dare shower. There was NO functional lighting outside, and the smoke detector was non-functional. There was an ant and spider infestation. There were ants all over my personal belongings. The property manager did not pick up the phone or call back.

VRBO, also known as Home Away, shows very misleading prices on their search for vacation rentals. For example a home that is advertised with a $250 rental rate per night, will actually cost $779 to rent for two nights. It is laborious to figure out all of the additional fees they add on for "security", "cleaning" and so on. Prices should be standardized and easier to see so consumers can compare. Additionally, I stayed at a place last summer and did not receive a deposit refund nor any notification of why I did not receive a credit. There is no accountability for property owners to have to return deposits - which are hundreds of dollars.

Reserved a rental with a 100% cancellation guarantee up to two months before check in. Requested cancellation four days later (five months before my time is up) and received no response from the property owner. Sent another request - nothing. Waited an entire week before calling VRBO for assistance. Now they said they have to open a claim on the property owner and wait for a response. Only then, after the deadline, will they open another claim to start refunding my money. In the meantime, I am on the hook for $500+. This is not fair. They should refund my money and deal with the property owner on their own behalf. Instead, they're deciding to leave the customer hanging. I will no longer be renting from VRBO and will spread the word to my friends and family. This has been a horrible experience and not at all worth the trouble.

On booking via VRBO/Homeaway, I was required to provide personal data, and make a full prepayment plus a "service fee." I did not agree to receive any marketing communications but ever since, they and affiliates have spammed me relentlessly, and refuse a resolution despite phone calls, web chats, and the involvement of the BBB and Texas Attorney General.

They charged over twice their listed price on the website. They said the listed price was an average? Who knows what that means. I also did not like the extra "fee" they charged which says it is designed to make your leasing experience more pleasurable???? Will never use VRBO again... BEWARE.

Rented a property in Bradenton, FL for Aug 26-Aug 31. Bought the recommended trip interruption insurance from their check-out page. Worst case of red tide in 20 years forced cancellation due to health issues. FL Dept. of Health warned anyone with respiratory issues to avoid red tide inflicted areas. I cancelled the trip thinking certainly I would receive a refund under these circumstances. Think again. Owner Maggie only cares about money, and the recommended insurance from VRBO denied my claim and was basically a scam. Read the reviews for CSA Travel Insurance. Of course, VRBO takes no responsibility for this insurance, even though they recommend you buy it in case something happens that you have to cancel. VRBO/Home Away and CSA Travel Insurance are a total rip-off. Stay very far away.

When you put in your destination, dates, and guest count, it pulls up properties in the area You can then filter further based on beds, bath, etc. When the results set come up, there is a price per night and price for 6 nights that is shown. You can sort the results based on that price. When you click into the property, the price is drastically different... 5 times more in most cases. I called customer service and was hung up on twice when I presented my concern. The third agent told me that the price on the result set was an average. It does not say that it is an average on the website. It is very misleading a very bad user experience. For this, I will be using a different company to book my vacation property.

Where do I begin... The pictures of the house were not a true representation of the house. I cant attach the correct pictures to this review. I messaged about early check in and received a call about 5 minutes later at 12:02pm saying there was a problem with the sewage - wasn't sure if we could even stay at that house. They would let us know at 3:30pm- check in is at 4:00. They would make sure the house was going to be safe and enjoyable. I was very upset because I picked this house for specific reasons. She did TEXT and say the house was ready. When we arrived trash in the front of the house a big box with garbage and full trash can. The landscaping on the front yard- a joke at best, areas that were dug up and not tended to. The inside of the house was fine- the pictures do not reflect accurately but it was good.

We rented a home through VRBO for a 1 week stay in Dauphin Island, AL. We found 2 hidden cameras in the common areas of the home including living room. This is a beach house, so we had 3 children under the age of 3 in the home, that were running around naked a various points of the vacation in the living room. We notified police, as this is a crime in the state of Alabama. We also notified VRBO, and they said they don't handle personal complaints, and to take it up with the Home Owner. Are you kidding me??? I have proof of hidden cameras covertly installed into carbon monoxide detectors, and VRBO is condoning this practice. RENT ELSEWHERE.

Living the dream on Florida's Emerald Coast! is the name of the property. The condo owners are Cristy & Tom **. I messaged them on VRBO about our initial check of the condo and found that a bath towel was missing, the place had not been cleaned well at all, and glasses/dishes were still dirty from previous uses. We washed all dishes/glasses, cleaned floors, and even purchased additional towels from WalMart so that we did not have to share bath towels. They were friendly and apologetic that we found it that way and mentioned waiving our $100 cleaning fee and would get with management about replacing the towels.

***This is not a bad review against VRBO but of the property (Kaibo Yacht Club Rental) on their website that was a horrible experience - The photos and reviews posted on the VRBO website were in no way indicative of the actual property.*** Let me start by saying that I don’t know where all of the amazing reviews on the VRBO property page are coming from but it is certainly not what we experienced during our stay (Aug 14-19 2018).

Even I have tried to do any new reservation twice. 1st-time representative said I will connect to the booking department. After waiting for 30 minutes in call disconnected. After that, I contacted again. This time the person who picked my call he was very rude. When I asked to help for reservation he said, "Go to VRBO website. There you will find what is available. You do it from there," and he disconnected the call. The payment system whatever they are having is right now is the worst thing, they have to change that. It confusing for the customer. I would like to zero rating but there is no option that's why I am giving 1 star.

We rented the vacay property at 4 Moreno point in Destin FL known as the MELLOW MANGO. It was nothing like the VRBO photos. It literally looked abandoned. The pool was filthy and over run with weeds. The house was 89°, the fridge didn't work, bathroom outlets didn't work, drains were clogged, shower water handles literally came off in our hands. The house hadn't been cleaned and had food stains on the cupboards and walls and an unlimited supply of cockroaches. The property's vegetation hadn't been landscaped either. The windows were water damaged as noted by the permanent fogging of the glass.

Sunday August 13th, we arrived at the hotel around 5 o’clock and went to our room 805. The first thing we noticed when opening the door to our room was all the black mold that covered the room. As we looked around we noticed many things were broken. The stove burners were disconnected and laying on top of the stove, The Freezer was frozen solid, the drawers to the dressers were busted out through the bottom. Tiles were laying all over the floor, there were plastic silverware that had been washed over and over again, one coffee cup and 2 glasses for my family of four. The towels looked like they had been used to clean with. Everything was disgusting. It looked like this room should have been shut down and not rented to anyone. Ocean Breeze did nothing to help. Will never use them again!

If you are new to the vacation rental business do not use VRBO!!! As an owner of multiple vacation homes, I am VERY disgusted with VRBO. We have listed with them for years, and the rules keep changing. I am sick and tired of the poor customer service that they give to the owner and the consumer!! Fees that they charge both ends have skyrocketed out of control. I don't think most consumers are probably even aware of the struggles we have with them on our end also. I do NOT recommend anybody do business with them from either side!!! Go direct if at all possible, Google the name of the business and you can usually find their personal information. Or like us, we are also on Facebook. Cut out the middle man and the company might be forced to change their ways!!!

I booked a place and the rate shown was not the rate agreed to. The property owner was fine but calculated my service fee to them based on the higher amount that is nearly double. I called and was hung up on twice and now says that the number is not working. So I tried to chat and was disconnected 6 times. I finally got through and rather than help me the agent was rude and kept cutting and pasting an answer that didn’t address my question. They are in effect stealing money from me. I am beyond frustrated. Rentals are expensive and a company like this should not be allowed to stay in business. Disappointed.

We were promised that the executive team at VRBO reviewed my cancellation due to disability and illness and promised a full refund. Upon my inquiries the story changed many times. Ashely insisted that a credit was made through a processor. The processor had no idea what I was talking about and hung up on me because she did not speak English.

I rented a home in Hawaii for 8800. A month before our trip, (now) I learned through an acquaintance that our property was inaccessible due to flooding 4 months ago. Prior to sending my bulk check to the owner of $6400, I asked if his property was affected by the floods and if anything would affect my stay. To which he replied no, I sent the check and he cashed it. Come to find out, he is living in the rental, knew full well the road there is open to owners only with checkpoints, and when he cashed my check, the mayor has notified the residents 3 weeks earlier that the road would be closed through October (my stay was in September). He will not return my money but offered to reschedule in the future. Like I would ever rent from this person again!

Air conditioning was not functional the entire stay and ice maker did not work the first 2 days. When the nightly rate is $566.67/night, then the lack of advertised air conditioning becomes a significant issue and there has been no partial requested refund per "certified letter and FedEx mailing" on my part. I am a 77 year old senior (retired financial analyst) with an extensive travel history, and this is the first time that I have encountered this type of situation. I realize the property owners are new to renting as they only purchased the property this past March; however, there is a defined obligation to provide the amenities as advertised.

Lake Skaneateles boat house- Upon arrival we had to clear the yard of dog poop. When we stepped onto deck to see beautiful view we were greeted by hundreds of yellow jackets that made their home in roof (for many weeks). Kitchen had mouse poop on counter, dirty dishes in cabinets, garbage in bathroom & kitchen. Furniture in living room had broken recliner, and chair with missing cushion, but chair pad stacked instead. Bed rolled into middle, owner left everything out with no room for anything. I immediately complained & owner offered for me to wait and meet exterminator (Not my job... His job if he wants to rent his property... I’m supposed to be on vacation, not a maintenance manager!!). VRBO has offered nothing as far as price reduction, still have not received my $500 cleaning deposit which is a joke because I cleaned!!! Please think twice before using this company!!! However, water is wet and Skaneateles is a beautiful city!!

This review is specifically about our reservation for Christmas 2018 in Key Largo, FL; however, we have had multiple bad experiences with both VRBO and Airbnb. We reserved and paid in full for a home in Key Largo for our family Christmas. The listing indicated it was available for our dates so we booked it, only to have the host say it's NOT available for those dates. After some negotiation, the host said YES, absolutely we can have the house and we paid for it in full at that time.

Terrible experience using VRBO to book Shep's Quarters in VA Beach. I lost my security deposit of $1000. House was dirty upon arrival. Owner claims it was my family (even though I took pictures when I arrived at emailed her the next morning). She also lied about me not having permission to bring 2 small non-shedding dogs. All lies and I lost $1000. Beware! VRBO took her side of course. She took advantage of me and it was ok with VRBO. Never Again! Worst vacation ever!

VRBO was my "go-to" for vacation rentals. Now I see online $200/night - which for 3 nights would be $600. BUT the VRBO price is over $1000! They ADD more than $400 in fees, taxes and service fees to VRBO. The pricing is OUTRAGEOUS and definitely designed to screw the renter! Never again, never again - if they allowed less than 1 star I'd give it a negative. This is a great lesson in how to lose customers.

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 so affordable. Cost of the condo $250 per night, compared to Smugglers Notch Resort rate at $450 per night. Now I know why the condo was so cheap.

I am a property owner, I am evaluating VRBO's management. VRBO is an awful property rental agency. They accept more than one reservation for my home, then cancel both. They won't allow my property manager to speak to the clients (potential renters) to answer questions to make sure this is the right house for them. They repeatedly take money out of my checking account, and make redundant accounting errors. They now introduce "YapStone" to unscramble their errors, and YapStone is just as bad as VRBO.

I booked through VRBO/HomeAway for 5 nights in Aiken South Carolina to bring our daughter to school from New Hampshire. Basically the owner of the listed property was already in foreclosure which obviously is nothing we could have known as his property was still active on VRBO. After he took my full payment, I didn't get a single response ever again. We were made aware by a former employee of the rose cottage estate that Steven **, the former owner, had skipped town after the foreclosure and that the rose cottage's new owners would not be available for rental when we were coming anyway as they were in a construction phase at property. We flipped out since no one from VRBO ever informed us and the listing was still active.

I have contacted VRBO for our vacation in the Florida Keys. I found a wonderful property and the website said this home was $100 per night (I have screenshots). The homeowner reached out to me saying my dates, 4 nights in September, were available and she will rent to me. Sounds good? Just wait! I went to book and she now tells me that the nightly rate was $200 and she would never rent her home for $100. I inquired about the price difference stated on the website and she didn't respond.

We rented a property two months in advance for a family reunion. We had 15 family members from 3 states traveling to the house. When we arrived the property owner said she had made a mistake with the dates and the property was already occupied. She told us to call VRBO and that they would find us a place to stay. VRBO was unable to secure anything for us - hotels were booked, all properties booked. We were homeless with children on the streets. Had to spend FOUR HOURS on the phone, with 40 minute wait times each time I called just to negotiate with them. The only property we were able to find was on their competitor, Airbnb's, website and they refused to pay for it.

I used VRBO for the first time this past July. VRBO is currently holding my $500 refundable deposit. After many phone calls and runarounds I still can't seem to get an answer as to why they will not refund my money. Nothing was damaged as per the homeowner and she has no idea why they will not refund the money. She has tried to contact them also but they give her the same tag team phone calls. They just continue to put me on hold and transfer me to other people. And the process starts all over. NEVER USE THEM!!!

HomeAway (VRBO) commits fraud by stating reservations are 100% refundable if cancellations are made 60 days prior to arrival. They would not refund our deposit when our cancellation request was submitted 7 months prior to arrival. "John" the "customer care" representative admitted that the 100% refundable statement was incorrect and assured me that he would "ask" the owner to correct the discrepancy for future renters. We would not have booked the house a year ahead of time we knew that the deposit was not eligible for a refund. This is fraudulent advertising, buyer beware, this is not an ethical company.

We rented our condo for 30+ years. This year, VRBO/HOMEAWAY required that they must collect monies and deposits. Our first rental with them was a scam! VRBO does absolutely NOTHING to protect owners - and treated us like we were a nuisance complaining about the chargeback and just allowing the people to get all their monies returned. After looking on their forum, apparently this is very common at VRBO. No help or support whatsoever for the owners.

We have used VRBO for our vacations over the past 10 years and have always had good luck either finding a property to rent or a rental company that works with VRBO to rent. We have rented a beachfront condo in Pensacola Beach twice in four years and the rental of this same property this past year was a total nightmare. The rental company we used for the property was Pensacola Beach Rentals on Pensacola Beach. We selected the property again this last summer due to the fact the property worked out for us two years ago with no problems. I certainly understand that these properties turn over every week and issues arise that need to be fixed, but I expect the issues to be minor if the property is properly maintained by the property management and owner.

My friends and I booked at 5 bedroom house with VRBO in December, 2017 for a wedding in August, 2018. Everything was paid in full and confirmed. 48 hours before we were due to arrive, VRBO contact us to let us know that there was a glitch in their system and the people currently renting the property had extended their stay so the house was no longer available. They offered us a 4 bedroom house from Saturday-Tuesday instead and not comping anything. We all arrive Friday morning for the wedding and now have nowhere to stay. All of the hotels are now exorbitantly expensive. I would stay away from VRBO at all costs - they do not honor reservations book 7 months in advance.

Renter beware when reviewing reviews on VRBO and Florida Rentals.com. We rented a condo unit, on the first floor, of the "Ashley" condo complex in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida. We experienced numerous problems from the refrigerator dying, a constant undulating sound and a dining room table that was bar high (we are seniors and we have a handicapped daughter). The owner refused to cover our out of pocket expenses and as much as said that we caused the problems. I wrote two negative reviews on this condo; one on VRBO and one on Florida Rentals.com. Neither reviews were published. I called VRBO and got the run-around for 45 min. They were supposed to get back to me; no such luck. I also sent Florida Rentals.com two inquiries and never received a response. Conclusion: Don't trust reviews. Ask for the names, dates and contact info for the past 3 renters. If the owner refuses, move on.

VRBO (HomeAway) has stolen money from our checking account. This has been an on-going problem which has not been resolved since January of this year (2018). I have made numerous phone calls to HomeAway's customer service department over the past 6 months, and I have sent several emails to the HomeAway to them as well as their payment processing and chargeback departments with no resolution. This problem began when a "traveler" made a reservation of our property through VRBO/HomeAway. Based on this particular "booking," a partial payment was deposited into my checking account on 2/1/18. Within a few days the traveler changed his mind and wanted to cancel the reservation. However frustrated with the traveler's indecision and lack of commitment, I agreed to refund the deposit made into my checking account.

The lack of transparency by Home Away/VRBO. I used VRBO several years ago when it was called VRBO, not Home Away. When it was VRBO I had no problems. In 2018, the first rental payment to my bank account was made within a few days of it being received by Home Away; it was minus a hefty wire transfer fee, which did not happen when it was called VRBO. As It got closer to my renters arriving (8/2/18), no money had been sent to my account. When I called about it, they said I was on a "check in plus one" payment plan. Which means, I will not receive the final payment until the renters have been in my home for days. I was never informed of this change by Home Away. This policy was not in effect when it was VRBO!

VRBO charge me $140 fee for taking a payment and didn't even handle the rest of the vacation. The company that did handle which was Teeoff Beach charge me a $40 fee and handle the rest of the reservation. So I call VRBO and asked why they charged him $140 for just taking a payment and they said well that's their policy and it's it and that's that. Beware of VRBO. Do not book through them. They are crooks, thieves and liars. They never mentioned $140 fee when they took the payment but they said, "That's policy. It's it and that's that." I will never deal with VRBO again. They are trash sucking monsters.

I reserved a 3 bedroom unit in Vista Cay (Orlando FL) on 6/20/18 and paid with my credit card. Woke up the morning of our trip to an email sent at 12:30 am cancelling our reservation. We were on the road! No refund yet.

I wish that I had read reviews of VRBO before using them to book a cabin. I didn't notice that all the reviews of vacation rentals posted on their site are 100% positive-- isn't that interesting? On top of a premium rate for a weekend cabin getaway, there was a large damage deposit; a cleaning fee; a general administrative fee; plus tax. All those extra fees added up to an additional 66% of what we thought we were paying for a two night stay!

Attempted to make a vacation rental for specific dates in July 2018 back on May 20, 2018. After locating a property and supplying dates and credit card info a message appeared on screen that those dates were NOT availabale and I should try different dates. Different dates were not an option so I left the website and booked with a different company. Almost a month later, I receive an email to pay my balance on the July rental I had wanted. It appears that VRBO charged my credit card a $323 deposit without informing me or sending any confirmation. After contacting VRBO by phone they put me on permanent hold and did not get back to me.

Tops’l Tides at Miramar Beach - Destin, Florida: We recently stayed at this condo July 7 - 14 in unit 406. This unit had very old nasty carpet, no hot water for part of our trip, and the cleaning fee of $200 was a joke. There were clothes left from the previous guest. I requested a refund for one day and was quickly denied. Don’t waste your money on this condo, the pictures are very deceiving. #406

Booked a vacation rental in February of this year (2018) for use in June of this year. Owner contacted me about two weeks prior to the rental stating that I would have to "change my dates because the house was being listed for sale". What? This vacation was coordinated with three families and was 500 miles from our home city. Travel plans had been made in good faith. The owner was very blunt and didn't seem too concerned with the position they were putting me in. So much for the hospitality industry!

I rented a apartment on VRBO that was listed as sleeping 5, when we got there it only slept 4. The owner of the property said I got what I booked and it's not her fault it was listed wrong and VRBO is saying it's the owner's fault not theirs. No one wants to take responsibility. Would recommend that no one use this company or rent from a Rosanne **. She has place in Islip NY and I believe Cape Coral/Ft. Myers FL area.

I tried to rent a vacation home for a month, when trying to get a location and look at the home, they would NOT give me an address until I booked. WHY WOULD ANYONE BOOK FOR ONE MONTH AND NOT LOOK AT THE PROPERTY. They would not give me the phone # on the owner, they blocked out the #. SO I booked a rental on Airbnb. Too bad VRBO. I spent $3000 somewhere else. I feel sorry for the owners of the rental property.

I rented a condo in Hawaii. I sneezed and wheezed all night so decided to wash the bedding. What I found underneath horrified me. I took pictures, stained mattress pads, shredded foam pad to cover sagging mattress. The pillows were covered in sweat stains and mildew. The owner did send someone out to change the bedding. However, I did not want to stay there. I left two days early, filed a complaint with VRBO with explicit pictures and requested a partial refund. VRBO has given me a case number but no follow up. I have called three times. They cannot tell me owner's response and will do nothing else to help. DO NOT USE VRBO no protection. No integrity.

Three different times now I have found a place on VRBO, begun the booking process (w/ credit card and all), and then find out that VRBO is providing INCORRECT PRICING! I am quoted one price and then told by the owner that the actual price is more than double what I was quoted! I am amazed this is even legal! Buyers beware... confirm pricing BEFORE you proceed!

We rented a condo from Barry ** ID #**, and bats came in almost every night through the vents and holes in the walls and ceilings. It was in Orange Beach at Romar Beach Condos number 307, managed by Three Palms Realty. The owner said "act of God" and stopped taking our calls, as did Three Palms Realty, and VRBO won't post our review. VRBO website runs you round and round. We hope no one else has to go through this. It was expensive and frightening.

I looked up a host, when seeking to rent a vacation home for my family on VRBO. In searching, I discovered that the host had an arrest record. And, the host later bed in the home being rented. Improvised all information to VRBO and they stated they would remove the listing. However, they continue to list and rent the unsafe property. Unaware families are renting and staying in the residence with this individual.

I posted a polite but negative review on a property I rented. Odd, but it never showed up on that property listing under "reviews". So, if negative reviews are deleted or hidden, how can I trust any reviews in future rentals that I may consider.

I know that as a new owner/lister, VRBO/Homeaway holds the first payment for 30 days or the 1st day after the renter checks in, whichever is later. This situation is different and I am STILL fighting VRBO/Homeaway on receiving payment for a week from June 30-July 7. On 5/31 I had the first booking for a week in our rental home and they paid in full. This was for the week of June 23-June 30.

If you want to rent a property - do NOT use VRBO. There is nothing but issues but the worst part, if you do have a damage and claim the damage deposit, they block the listing until you pay it back in full. My guest damaged the table, even wrote to VRBO about it, and my listing is blocked even though he admitted, I sent pictures and original receipt. The customer service is horrible, I wait up to a week and longer for a simple reply. I used to list my properties on the website for 8 years but will no longer since they think they can control and decide. They changed a lot lately and I can only recommend to stay away. All fine unless you really have an issue, they only support renters because they pay their extragous fees. I will not accept this and I can only tell you - Stay away!

This was the worst experience ever!! We booked a house through VRBO and had to cancel 90 before we were going. VRBO's policy says 100 % if 60 days or more. The property owner charged us $250.00 cancellation fee and VRBO would not stand behind their policy. We will not use VRBO again.

Your policies concerning reviews seem to be focused only on protecting the owners. As a renter I can be given a bad review with no recourse to defend myself or even ask for an explanation as to why. If a renter has several 5 star ratings from owners then inexplicably gets a 1 star rating from another there’s no protection in place to protect their reputation. These reviews can be seen by other owners and could adversely affect future rentals.

Company is very unprofessional... I booked in advance and received an email confirmation that my condo was paid in full... you all did not notify me that I would drive this far to be told because I booked with a third party that there is an additional 200.00 fee. When I called in the representative said it was a mistake they forgot to tell me and I got upset. She then contacted the property owner and said, "Oh well we can submit a claim but it’s not guaranteed that we will give you a refund even though we didn’t tell you." I even called after I booked to confirm everything.

VACATIONERS BE AWARE! I booked a condo on June 28th for my family of 4 from VRBO, Property #**, owner Marie **. My stay was scheduled for August 14th - August 20th. My deposit was $314. Due to a family situation I had to cancel our family trip. I attempted to cancel that reservation and was told that I was required to do it at least 60 days in advance and I would not be receiving a refund. I cancelled the reservation 40 days in advance of the trip. I only reserved 46 days ago. REALLY! From what I can see most VRBO's cancellation policy is 30 days. A TOTAL RIP OFF. The owner will not even try to give me a credit for future travel. Of course when the owner was taking my money she was responsive but, now that she ripped me off she will not even return an email. Who regulates these owners, how can they get away with this type of robbery... Can someone HELP.

We rented a home and then had to cancel it 90 days before check-in. VRBO policy makes owners put in the clause on contracts 100% refund if cancellation is 60 days before check-in. The property owner had added into the contract above the refund statement that refunds were subject to $250 fee. We of course believed the 100% refund if made 60 days in advance of check-in policy. But we contacted the property owner and she said no she would charge us the $250 fee plus the $150 VRBO fee.

Rented my condo on VRBO for the first time and the place was completely trashed. Cigarettes ashed out on every surface, empty bottles hidden EVERYWHERE, blood stained pillows and wine that will never come out of my floors (they need to be replaced completely). Called customer service 2X to explain what has happened and both times they said that it's "tough love" and they will do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help me. No money back from the HUGE fee they took from me renting my place and they will not even contact the horrible person that rented from me. I have rented my place on Airbnb over 100 times and I have NEVER had ANY issues. I hope that NO ONE uses VRBO in the future! They are a horrible company with horrible customer service.

The VRBO needed to train their employees better and fortify procedural structure improved but they had refunded my 350 plus dollars right away unlike what the girl on the phone suggested that I was a few mins too late to do so. She was even suspicious about the fact that my unforeseen event of my daughter getting a new job and starting the work that weekend. So rude and unexpected but however someone saw that she was crazy and refunded the full amount. I would one hundred percent sure next time when I book through these middle man companies. Beware!!

I've been a VRBO owner for several years - since they were the good guys! I'm also a web developer so I have a pretty good idea of one of their problems: they have "good idea fairies" in suits coming up w/ new features, changes to the booking process, changes to the interface CONSTANTLY. Every time they do that, their tech team needs to make it happen and those changes aren't easy - mistakes in code happen in a high-stress work environment with a constantly-moving target. They're constantly playing whack-a-mole w/ the bugs in their booking platform. It doesn't help that they keep partnering up w/ more and more external companies.

Had decent VRBO rental in the Denver area and wrote honest and detailed review. Owner was disappointed and sent me childish email. Then owner gave me [renter] a ridiculously poor review with no examples to substantiate. When I tried to get VRBO involved to help mediate, they never seem to call back. Ugh... Can't wait to see what happens to security deposit.

This company takes your money for an out of country and then won't help confirm the address. The phone queue is ridiculous and you have to re-tell your story repeatedly - only to discover no one writes what you say. They email you, but you can't reply to the email as it routes to an error message "this email is not monitored". They're hiding and don't really care to help. ADVICE: Book through Airbnb. Don't use VRBO.

They booked my first guest for two nights and they got paid already. In order for me to receive my funds I have to wait 30 days. That's bs. I have a condo worth over 500k and you tell me you got paid and I have to wait. Will cancel all my future booking they have with me. No more business with these crooks. Stay away.

They will take your money, then the homeowner takes your money, then you have to contact them all separately to get a refund and then contact them all again to make sure your refund comes back, I am sure many people are getting taken for a can't get a refund ride, watch for it if you change your dates or your mind. It is impossible to get an English speaking representative on the phone and your hold time will be in the half days. It is absolutely ran like a zoo of clowns.

I was browsing cabin rentals and found one I thought would be a good one. I needed to enter my credit card information (which I thought was odd because I was just browsing). One cabin located at Wasa Lake said those dates are not available. Two days later my credit card showed a $955 deposit to HomeAway. I had no idea. I cancelled the reservation as soon as I found out about it. And VRBO tells me to contact the homeowner. The homeowner (Mr and Mrs **) are refusing to refund my money as they have a no refund policy. I am extremely frustrated by this website for charging my credit card when my dates were not available.

I had a terrible experience with VRBO and they're deceit. Long story short... the owners showed me the emails and their emails and charges... Unbelievable HIGH. Don't use VRBO. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS BAD... go direct to the owners. The owners made it right with us and was so kind and HONEST. So if you go to Costa Rica go directly to the owners of ** then go to (rentals). Or see their place on YouTube. "Grecia Guest Home" 2/2 Fully furnished. They are so kind and the place is real Luxury at a real fair Price. Bottom line We had a great time because of the owners and will never use VRBO.

After rental confirmation the price was increased and our reservation canceled because we refused to pay the extra rental fees. Tried calling VRBO with very little effect. They could have cared less just wanted the extra fees or cancelation. Not expecting a speedy refund either after reading reviews. Spoiled our whole vacation.

Beware of vacation rentals on VRBO, as their ratings may be falsified and you may get more (or less) than you bargained for! VRBO will not post my review (see below) and they were no help in resolving an issue with the property we rented. I will never trust VRBO again, and you should not either! Your rating: 2 of 5. Title of your review: Pirate's Plank was Missing a bathroom!

I am a 28 year owner of a vacation property located in the Florida Keys. I am now retired but was a 35 year real estate broker in a California ski area... more than just a working knowledge of the vacation rental industry. I started advertising with VRBO over 14 years ago and was extremely satisfied with the service. I typically booked between 20 and 25 revenue weeks each year... couple with a like amount of repeat business, so I was at full occupancy year in and year out. My property is a very small boutique, well located condominium. All our owners have the units cleaned professionally and maintain the units to a high standard. I got the other owners to doing the professional cleaning as well as choosing to rent only by the week (or more) and have a Saturday change over date. All our units rent very well and have strong guest loyalty.

The house was for sale when we arrived. First day no water pressure. Drip showers. Toilet barely flushed. Contacted owner. She told us we need to practice conservation for the day and water pressure should be back to normal the next day. Day 3 Gave owner a video of shower that still only dripped. Owner told us to shower in town at public shower house. At that point I contacted customer support at VRBO. Day 4-6 Could not do laundry, barely showered, had to fill bucket in kitchen sink to flush toilet, neighbors told us she is not to be renting house out till she put in a sprinkler system in the house. No sprinkler system. No fire extinguisher.

Have been researching vacation homes for the past month, on VRBO, observing terms and condition etc. Finally narrowed down my choice and excitedly, request to book our vacation home. Now when I say request to book that is exactly what I thought I was doing. I noticed the purchase went through and our reservations confirmed in less than 5 minutes! After booking I continued to browse and noticed this homeowner had several homes that I did not notice before, that is when I noticed the poor reviews! I realized that I had made a mistake. I immediately contacted the owner and told her that I would need to cancel due to her poor reviews. She refused cancellation and stole my 1500.00, she refuses to refund, and VRBO said they could not help me.

When we initially reserved a property for rent through VRBO late last year, the rental price was quoted at $2,800. Now, the site shows that we were quoted $4,000 -- that's more than a 40% increase! The property owners are unhappy with VRBO as well and are working with us directly, so kudos to them, but we will NOT be using VRBO for any future rentals. Increasing fees on future rentals is one thing. Increasing fees on an existing contract is an entirely different matter. I will boycott Expedia and its child companies due to this incident. This sort of tactic is entirely unacceptable and is likely illegal, not that I have the funds and desire to try and fight Expedia in court.

I have a vacation rental listing on VRBO. Because I am not comfortable accepting instant bookings and because our strata rules require our guest to book directly with our on-site management my listing rarely appears in potential guest searches. In the past VRBO was an excellent place for owners and renters to list and search for vacation rentals but since being purchased by Expedia their business model focuses entirely on making as much money possible for the company and not on what is best for owners and vacation renters. As a renter I want personal contact with the owner BEFORE I pay them, I want to talk to the person who owns the property and get a feel for how much they love their vacation home. In my experience owners who truly love their vacation home typically have a property I am interested in renting.

The site is filled with glitches and errors. Their policies are continually changing. I own a rental. Policy is to refund damage deposit, which VRBO keeps, unless claim for damages is received prior to 14 day deadline. I was going to claim extra charge by my cleaner for excessive cleaning needed because guest left my property a horrible mess. VRBO refunded the entire deposit 9 days after check out. The made the error of refunding prior to 14 days but will not reimburse me. Their site has so many glitches it is difficult if not impossible to use. They include properties 50 or more miles from the area searched for a rental. They continue to raise their fees to travelers for a useless guarantee and raise the cost of subscriptions. VRBO was a wonderful, competent company before being purchased by Expedia 2 1/2 years ago. They continue to go downhill while raising cost to use.

Today I received a call from the VRBO representative from Austin, Texas, asking me if I wanted to renew. I said, "Not really..." and wanted to explain why I didn't wish to renew but the representative promptly hung up in my ear right in the middle of my sentence. This is no way to do business in my opinion.

We were to travel on Saturday May 26th 2018 and depart on Saturday June 2, 2018. Midweek before our day to travel we heard on TV news that there was a Tropical Storm, Alberto, brewing and headed towards the Gulf of Mexico and could possibly hit directly at the point of where we were going to be staying...Fort Morgan, AL Gulf Shores area. We had made reservations in the Spring April 11th, 2018 through VRBO/HomeAway. When I made the online reservations, it appeared that the place was already booked but it also looked as though my reservation went through more than once...and I had to contact the owner Donna (she had to approve our reservation through VRBO as we requested to bring our 8 pound Shih Tzu and she approved our stay).

Do Not Rent From VRBO. We advertised on VRBO and HomeAway for 10+ years. Their new requirements have almost put us out of business. Any legit long time home renter will be advertising on other sites with 20%+ discount off of VRBO fees. Be wary of those still on VRBO-no guarantees, hard to get return deposits, etc. Deal direct with owners and with fee-free sites such as hometogo.com, homeescape.com, tripadvisor.com/rentals, local sites, etc.

My major complaint is that when you review a VRBO property that review is only available on the site you booked on. The same property is listed by VRBO - HomeAway on more sites than I can count (50+?). Not showing existing reviews to all is leaving renters vulnerable to poor conditions etc. Owners knowing the above have little reason to improve. Recently used VRBO to rent in Madeira. The agent was difficult to deal with, did not respond to emails. Contacted VRBO, who initially agreed to cancel, then after we had searched for another suitable place, refused to refund saying their agent had made a mistake. Finally had an email from agent, I suspect because of VRBO. Rental was the worst we have ever had, not dirty, it was a nice apartment, very poorly equipped, no micro, no can/bottle opener, 2 uncomfortable chairs, no sofa - ants - the list goes on.

We are a senior couple who booked a unit in the Historic Center of Asheville, Montford for 10 nights. Upon our arrival we had to walk down a long driveway blocked by the owner's car and overhanging untrimmed bushes. After getting to the back of the building, we had to negotiate three steps w/o a railing onto a slate patio with uneven concrete seams. Upon entering the unit it was obvious that the picture was not worth 1,000 words. The bunker bedroom walls were concrete slabs and the electrical outlets were exposed; the kitchen sink faucet was about to come apart.

VRBO is doing everything to increase its revenues from vacation rentals at the expense of the owners. The new online booking requirements includes substantial additional fees to both owner and guest. Recently when responding to a potential guest's questions using VRBO's email system (quest contact info is not revealed to owner until after booking), I noticed that VRBO's default response authorizes instant online booking automatically. To avoid instant online booking owner must choose another reply tab which was told by VRBO agent that the instant online default was for owner's benefit. Does VRBO think we're that stupid? Since it was acquired by Expedia/Microsoft, VRBO's mission seems to be to maximise profits even at the expense of the owner. The new culture at VRBO is such a disappointment.

I have been using VRBO for years, and it has worked great until last year that they change all their fees. Now they are like a car dealer: commission fee, based fee, service fee. In all the fees they took over $1000.00. This service has become very unattractive when 6% of credit card fees are charge in addition to all the service fees. Very disappointing!

I was one of thirty two people that rented a house on King St., in Yachat, Oregon for a week. We were charged @ $250 cleaning fee. When the organizer showed up the place was filthy. They had to clean the house before the first group showed up. The pictures on VRBO were misleading. It was apparent that the house and grounds had not been managed, cleaned or maintained in years. There was mold on curtains, rusted sinks, dead bugs throughout the house and going downstairs the stench of mold on at least thirty year old carpeting made you gag. Complaints wanting to be filed with VRBO, but They don't accept negative comments. I wanted people to know that VRBO is not a reliable source especially when they don't and won't accept the truth about their listings.

As a group of 10 women, we rented a home located at ** Milton, DE 19968, for a long weekend away. Within 2 hours of being there, we had our first rodent sighting. Over the course of the night, there were several more sightings. Upon waking up, the home had also developed a significant leak inside the house. We contacted the property owner, Mike **, and he offered to send over a maintenance man. The homeowner was rude to us until he talked to his maintenance man, who agreed with our complaints. VRBO did offer us a refund but couldn’t relocate us and only offered to put us up in a substandard hotel in separate rooms.

On 2/27/2018 I placed a reservation for a property in Hilton Head. After receiving confirmation email from VRBO.com of the selected dates, I made final travel plans. I was then contacted by the property owner advising me that he was adjusting my reservation for one day shorter. I advised him that I had a confirmation of my original reservation and I had made travel plans so, I would need to keep the original dates. Without any further contact, I received a new confirmation with the new dates. I contacted VRBO about this and was ensured I would get a return call. As of 5/15/2018, not contact. I received a final payment request from the property owner for get this... the same amount as the original reservation! So they want me to pay the same original amount ($200 per night for 8 nights) but, it is now $227 per night for 7 nights.

My recent experience with VRBO is shameful. After I reserved a condo on the site for my 40th bday and contacted them after the reservation seemed confusing and I didn't get a confirmation they assured me it was all set. I even corresponded with the owner who explained we were good to go and would give me check in details... Fast forward my reservation is now canceled... No one is taking responsibility and passing the buck on a major booking error. No help, nothing... Just happy birthday. DON'T USE THIS COMPANY. They are very unprofessional and the customer service is outsourced and you cannot understand what the person is saying. They might as well hang up on you. My experiences with Airbnb are night and day compared to this.

I booked a large boat in a dock in Florida for a 3 night stay in February of 2019. My plans have changed. I have requested a cancellation. The property owner charged my credit card $897.00 for this trip and will not issue a refund, will not return emails and will not return phone calls. I have been asking for 6 weeks for a refund. I contacted VRBO... they gave me a case number, but continue to tell me they are just a service linking travelers to homeowners and do not seem to be offering any solution except for me to continue to contact the homeowner. VRBO should handle all transactions until the cancellation window has expired so that travelers don't have a problem getting money back from a VRBO member that obviously doesn't want to refund. DO NOT DEAL WITH VRBO. DO NOT BOOK A YACHT FROM PAUL **. MY ATTORNEY WILL BE CONTACTED NEXT.

So far, every dealing I have had with VRBO since November 2017 when I signed up, has been done incorrectly on their part. They have lost bookings by incorrectly billing the customer, and their latest blunder is that they refunded the damage deposit to a traveler that I specifically called and said do not refund his deposit. This traveler broke the closet doors, left 20 cases of beer bottles and a week's worth of trash in the apartment, and vomited all over the kitchen, as well as did not take the sheets off the beds or empty the refrigerator. The damage deposit would have covered the additional costs, but this morning after they already refunded his deposit, they told me I had to file an insurance claim, after it was too late!

VRBO now has what appears to be a monopoly in the online vacation home rental market. They appear to have changed their terms where the transaction MUST be booked through their operation. This is a major change in the business model. The homeowner must provide a bank account number. There is no screening of renters and it is easy to create a false identity to browse and phish for further identity information from high net worth people who own expensive vacation homes.

I signed up for VRBO and after comparing similar properties decided to lower my rates. I noted my average on advertisements was not reducing with my changes and so began the horrible service from the representatives. I have called multiple times explaining that my average nightly price cannot possibly be my highest price listed but they continue to assure me it is correct. Every single representative dismissed my complaint and I would eventually get tired of wasting my time talking to people that don't know how to get averages and end the call. The last call, not only was my complaint dismissed, she argued with me telling me people don't consider their budget when looking for a vacation rental and then denied me the opportunity to speak with a manager stating they would tell me the same thing she had. Unbelievable!

VRBO can't explain how their accounting system works. We manage 300+ rentals and try to implement a short term rental service but quoting the VRBO fee is nearly impossible. They charge both landlord and tenant fees. VRBO accidentally refunded a guest and now we have to fight with the guest to try and get it back. When you try to call customer service there's a huge language barrier and it's difficult to understand their representatives as they don't understand accounting or what I'm saying to them.

I've been a homeowner on VRBO for over 8 years; offering our Lake Home for rent. It was a wonderful service when I started, as they connected people searching for a Vacation Rental to homes. A year or two ago they put processes in place that prohibits Owners from booking their homes directly with vacation guests so they could begin charging large processing fees to Guests and Homeowners. I tried to book some reservations directly with some guests that had been coming to my home for years, and VRBO suspended my listing (though I'd paid my $500 to be listed). I tolerated this, and adapted, so my guests and I both get charged big fees.

Back in 2015 we used VRBO to find a house to rent for my birthday. We found this house that was in Santa Monica and the total price was over $6000. Trusting VRBO would screen for scammers and this house had reviews which apparently were fake again obviously not scanned by VRBO, We signed a contract and sent $6000 for the rental. This company suddenly said the house was flooded and we couldn’t stay, we tried to contact them and found out that the house did not belong to the people that were trying to “rent” it out. We signed a contract and sent $6000 for the rental. This company suddenly said the house was flooded and we can stay, we tried to contact them and found out that the house did not belong to the people that were trying to “rent“ it out. I would never trust VRBO again and never use their services as they do not do any security screening to make sure that the house that’s for rent is a real one.

This is a wonderfully located condo with excellent views. The condo itself is poorly equipped and cheap in terms of furniture, upholstery, bedding etc. The linens, mattress padding and towels are of very low quality and poorly maintained and have stains. The living room sofa has stains and the sofa bed in the living room meant an extra bed does not work. Beware of the property management who did not refund us the cleaning deposit fee of $500 and exaggerated the state of the condo upon our check-out. The cleaning expenses should have been covered in the $150 fee, but the property owner retained the deposit by charging outrageous cleaning charges against issues listed above, the same have been reported in review comments from previous renters.

Martie was wonderful and assisted us in every way possible and really listened to our needs. She is the reason for two stars. The issue is the master bedroom, I have been bitten over 40 times and my daughter was bitten over 30 times herself. Lice or bed bugs? Doctor mentioned bed bugs. After contacting VRBO I was disappointed that they didn't take my complaint seriously. They stated I have to deal with the owner? But, it's your website! They have limited resources on investigating if my claims are true or the resources to check proof of practice if they have bed bugs or lice have the issues been rectified.

Very dissatisfied with this monopoly company. I've been using VRBO since 2006. About 2 years ago, they started bullying me to use online booking. I told them they were not a management company, just an advertising tool. They dropped my listing to the bottom of the list because I refused to let them book for me. In April 2018, my listing was up for renewal again & this time they refused to accept my rental listing if I did not let them do online booking AND THEY WANTED MY BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION.

I have used VRBO for years off and on for a condo I own in Naples. I signed up in May last year to find renters. I was able to communicate with prospective renters and book all three months for 2018. In January of 2018, suddenly I was blocked from any communication with prospective renters. There was no warning. I still had 4 months left on my annual membership. I contacted their customer service. I was told that I was correct. They were blocking me from using their service the way I had for years. No, they would not refund any money to me for the lost time I had paid for to list my property.

VRBO will not post bad reviews. I tried to give a home one star and they would not post it. I have had friends experience the same thing for different homes. Since VRBO receives a percentage of the rent, it is not in their best interest to post poor reviews.

I have been with VRBO for 5 years. The thank you I have received for doing business with them is they now are gouging me and gouging my travelers with huge booking and service fees. Without any warning, the quotes started showing up with these fees, fees I cannot opt out of. I do all the work. They answer the phone. They are making more on all of these new fees than my cleaning lady does working for hours. All of this expense is just an electronic fee, they are doing nothing. They have already made money on booking with the old fees, these new fees offer no service to my travelers nor to me regardless of their bloated claims. They are now blocking out all phone numbers so people cannot communicate or discuss their stay without first paying off VRBO. Sometimes an email is not enough and people need communication, NOT after they book and make a commitment.

I tried to book online an apartment. I put in my information and when I would submit my request, I got a message that said, "The dates you're requesting are not available." So I looked for another apartment and the same thing happened. Long story short, I was charged 2500.00 dlls for reservations that didn’t go through. One of the owners is keeping 300.00 out of 1600.00 because he is being fair with me. I'm in the process, but it looks pretty bad!

I have been with VRBO as a home owner for three years now. I have been 90% booked on a year around rental business. My business has dropped to a 10% booking in the last year. What in the world is happening. All the changes made within this company is nothing but a failure to a very successful business. A well run and smart business person began this company. We thank you so much. I am not sure what kind of idiots have control now, but all I know is that you have destroyed a very good thing for the home owners. I am trying my best and shedding a lot of tears of this once good thing going very bad. I will fight to make the best of this situation and will discover the solution and let the public know who not to do business with.

Paid for a VRBO reservation in NC thinking I had a film project. The project didn't happen so I began trying to cancel this reservation. VRBO site says 'talk w/ owner or property manager about cancellation' so I talk to 'property manager' who basically says he cannot do anything and I should call VRBO. So I call. VRBO says they cannot do anything because they do not have access to the software that the rental company (which they advertise on their site!) uses. I have been trying for two weeks to cancel this to no avail...

I foreclosed on my house and needed to cancel a booking a customer had made 5 months in the future for 2 days. They told me I owed them $150 for cancelling and I signed up for that when I signed up with them. I am outraged!!! They wouldn’t even work with me to try to find a solution. They wanted their money. When you sign up for VRBO you unknowingly sign up for FlipKey, HomeAway, TripAdvisor... so many company names under one family. I didn’t even know this booking existed because they don’t make things easy for you to track. I got a call from VRBO, an email from name@flipkey.com about my booking on HomeAway. They charge their owners and guests WAAAY too much in fees. Book with Airbnb. Better service, cheaper fees. Never again with VRBO or the hundreds of other companies they say they are.

OMG! Dealing with VRBO has been a nightmare!! It is nearly impossible to get in touch with anyone and when you do the customer service is the worst I’ve ever experienced. I repeatedly asked to speak with a native English speaker and was told there was no one. I asked where they were located and was denied that info for security reasons (??? um...can’t imagine why). The “customer representative” I spoke with was barely understandable due to a heavy accent but even with that I understood I was getting the runaround. I still don’t have my $1500.00 back...so buyer beware. VRBO is horrible horrible horrible!!

VRBO charged a $374 service fee that was never disclosed. After having the reservation accepted, an email from VRBO came back stating they charged my card an additional $374 service fee that wasn't in the initial quote. In their email in bold black letters it stated "service fee; $374 not in payment request". I spoke to 4 reps and 2 managers, all whom said "pay it or cancel your booking". You can't charge a fee that was never authorized to be charged and then use blackmail to pay it. I will never use VRBO ever again. To top it off, they've said they've been receiving a lot of complaints about this business practice. You think?

Upon securing a reservation through VRBO and going through their process of booking, the number that was disclosed to me was significantly different than the amount that was billed to my credit card. Both VRBO and iTrip Vacations, never disclosed to me the full terms of my rental. Instead there were fees resulting in an increase of $800 over what terms I agreed to. In addition, I find out that this property cannot legally be rented out. It is embarrassing to walk around this condominium area knowing that I'm in violation of some rules. I would not recommend using VRBO or iTrip Vacations for anybody's trip or planning vacation.

Since being bought out, VRBO has taken a wonderful service and turned it into a cash cow for VRBO at the expense of both owners and customers. I have rented several houses through VRBO and have 5 stars on all my rentals. We have seen VRBO gradually squeeze and squeeze to get every dollar out of both sides of the transaction. They are all about monopoly power now like so many tech companies. Once you get used to using their platform they restrict and charge and manipulate. We are actively looking for other more reasonable platforms. I think VRBO will be out of business in 5 years if they keep this up. It is too easy to start a website and someone will figure out how to capture the VRBO listings. Until then we all will suffer with excessive charges, poor service and frustrated customers and owners.

Seems easy, but they are only an ad agency. So any troubles or money issues they don’t handle. A third party in Ireland does. They distribute to the homeowner. Meaning they can’t fix anything and won’t give you direct contact info to the third party... They may contact them for you or connect you... Talk about difficult. Probably easy without any problems, but with any concerns it is a nightmare. They tried to fix the problem and were nice but I had to file a chargeback with AmEx to get it taken care of (their recommendation) as they didn’t know how to refund my money... 6000$ tied up for a month?!

We accepted a booking through VRBO, The renters were chronic alcoholics, not just mild drinkers, we saw 30 bottles empty of vodka etc, mind you we are very tolerant. They stayed an extra 1/2d day, left felt pen marks on floors, brand new furniture, broke the microwave and permanently stained new sheets. We were holding back the $1500 damage deposit to reconcile the replacement costs. All of the accounting is on VRBO headings and documents. It states very clearly that there is $1500.00 PAID BY THE RENTERS as a refundable damage deposit.

As an owner of two properties I had some pretty good experience with Vacationrentals.com until their acquisition by HomeAway. This website is no longer competitive. They now charge 500 to list your property then charge each customer booking your property a fee of 8-15%. They also charge you a credit card fee of some 3% and leave it up to you to handle any chargebacks. This fee schedule has slowed down business for my properties to a crawl with Airbnb picking up the slack.

They have made it very difficult to have direct contact with homeowners and managers. They also take an extraordinarily long time issuing refunds. I canceled a reservation within 24 hours of booking. $2106 Credit was to be done in 2-3 days. It's been a week and I'm being run around. I will not use them again.

I am an owner of a house that lists on VRBO and I am shocked by how expensive VRBO fees are for my guests. As a basic website listing a property it is shockingly and unjustifiably expensive. It offers little value. It is a horrible website. Now, in addition to charging fees it also is requiring payment through its site, which also increases the cost to consumer. It is a HORRIBLE site for consumers.

I was just on the phone w/ VRBO and my last two payments were short the damage deposit from my renter... I was informed "this is the way the platform is moving". What's up - this isn't VRBO's money - it's mine!!!

I am a property manager who manages several vacation rentals at a local resort. I acquired 2 new properties recently, and up until now, had no problem receiving copies of emails regarding the deposits to my business account. They gave me the runaround after I called for "SUPPORT" at least 10 times, and they just bounced me back and forth between the HomeAway website and the VacationRentPayments company. They have lied to me about what proof was needed to receive proof of payment from the renters, which I need to do my job. Their customer service is also the worst. Everyone I spoke to sounded like they were scripted, they would not let me speak to a supervisor, or they would put me on hold hoping I would just give up. I want every homeowner and renter to be warned not to list or book with them. You will regret it.

Rental in Clermont, FL at Silver Creek on Woodcrest Way - When arriving at the home we rented for 3 months the toxic fumes of bleach were so bad we ended up sick! The home was filthy... mold in bathrooms, showers. Carpet and tile were so gross. Couch and loveseat were disgusting. Pool area so dirty, mold around tiles, drains covers broken, pool lights not working. Patio furniture was old and worn out. Garage with pool table stunk, and junk all over. Washer was filthy. All exterior lights were burned out as was bathrooms. Property Mgmt came and agreed, but said the "owner" wouldn't do anything about it, wouldn't spend the $. Ann and Gary ** already had our $11800... so we were stuck. I even sent pics of all the filth to them... then found a wonderful woman who came and spent over 4 hours cleaning. She was shocked when she saw it. I sent pics again of the before and after... of course nothing was done about carpet.

I have been with VRBO for ten years. I enjoyed being a part of their business, it was great. As you all know things changed when purchased by new owners. Recently they started to retain the traveler's damage deposit. No warning. No explanation. Just did it. Why? They must have millions retained in damage deposits. Now they have their greedy little hands on our cash for their benefit. This is only speculation but 2 & 2 does = 4 and so since money is going out everyday and new money coming in every day, they only need a total reserve cushion of 10%, so they have 90% or a lot of money to invest and profit from. Money hungry company.

I am an owner of a vacation house. I have used VRBO for renting my property for 10 years. I was always pleased with them until HomeAway took over. Now it is a nightmare. I have my own cancellation policies as I have been stiffed with people putting a deposit to hold the reservation and kept shopping for a better deal. Needless to say they would cancel the reservation and I wouldn't be able to rent it for the days that this renter had booked. I now charge a 50% cancellation fee if cancelled > 31 days of arrival. Now VRBO has a limited choice of cancellation policies and is just not acceptable. I had a renter cancel and said that they received an email from VRBO stating they would get a 100% refund.

VRBO is absolutely worthless. Searching for properties to rent in Nashville. Property 1 - Credit card declined, used another card, declined, Fiancee used her card and got an email of confirmation (wth)... then within the hour it got declined. Property 2 - Paid and confirmed with credit card, had to wait 24 hours and owner never approved the stay. Property 3 - Paid and confirmed with credit card, had to wait 24 hours and owner never approved the stay again! This is the epitome of absolute timewasting and mental frustration. SO, I use VRBO to find properties and then do a search on that particular property and book them through the property itself. It amazes me how a company like this can exist.

Back in October 2017 we attempted to have reviews of our house transferred from one listing number to another listing number. This was the same house that we own but we were with a new rental agency and therefore wanted our old reviews to be transferred from the old listing to the new listing. Back in October we spoke with Louise in customer support and she took on our case, # **. We then set up 2 separate times to speak with her on the phone and both times she did not show up. We then followed up with emails and she stopped responding. At this point we gave up.

My family and I have been using VRBO rental as a guest for over 10 years. I am so disgusted with the way all the attachment fees are almost double or the same amount of the rental cost! It’s making us guest impossible to stays and afford a vacation. There’s no way at all, it makes me sick to my stomach to tell my kids we no longer can afford to go to PCB Florida on spring break or holiday because the prices are jacked up to max our budget! It’s almost better to stay in roach motel and pile the kids in the same bed. Homeowners you can stick together and do something about these piracy! They are robbing you of quality guest and customers with your eyes wide open. There’s gotta be some law to step in and stop this.

I have had a listing on VRBO for nearly 20 yrs. All was good, now with the HomeAway takeover NO customer service, non-English speaking reps that will lie instead of checking for the truthful answer. So frustrated, looking for another option.

We have owned a vacation rental property for over 10 years and listed primarily with VRBO. While we get good exposure and good renters we have seen VRBO doing more and more to get between us and our customers and charge excessive fees for bookings and refunds. We used to simply list our rental on VRBO and then close the arrangements and payments directly with renters. Online booking is now required. VRBO claims this is necessary to provide a smooth and “insured“ experience for the traveler. However it is really a thinly veiled move to gain control over the whole transaction and extract fees at every step including timely cancellations. We also pay an annual fee of $399 which should be sufficient compensation for our listing. As someone else said, customer service is scripted. I wouldn’t want to work there. Looking for better listing option recommendations. HomeToGo? Others?

I have used VRBO as a traveler and owner for years. The single most important feature to me - from both angles - is being able to communicate with the owner/traveler prior to booking. I don’t even mind the extra fees! As an owner, no longer being able to speak with my guests prior to booking is simply not acceptable. I have a significant investment that I need to protect. I am looking into alternatives for listing my home. So sad that they have ruined what was once a fabulous travel platform.

VRBO had a good thing going connecting owners and renters for vacation rentals. Now, they won't even reveal the contact info to each other. You're supposed to just blindly accept a renter if you're an owner. They forget that I have a significant investment. I'm NOT going to hand keys to someone I haven't screened. And renters have the same concerns. They don't want to just blindly walk into someplace. No more, there are options. Using hometogo.com. Renters can see everything (including VRBO) and make their own choices.

When looking for property in Naples’s Florida the number of listings actually available are far less than advertised. The time spent using VRBO could be better used dealing with a realtor. I found a property but not without days of aggravation. This business needs new and better management or another company will steal their business. Would love to see others enter this business.

The level of customer service is nearly non-existent at this company. Since the HomeAway merger, service has rapidly declined. As a property owner, they treat you as you're an inconvenience and are less than eager to help actually support or assist when issues arise. The communication is difficult, many Representatives have extremely heavy accents and very broken English (not to be judgmental, but this does make conducting business and communicating very difficult). Representatives are unknowledgeable and are unable to divert from their scripted roles. There is limited contact information or resources on the website, as it seems they are avoiding contact with their customers. For the fees they charge, this is unacceptable.

Our family recently began a vacation with the expectation of staying in a VRBO rental house. On January 22, 2017, eleven months before our planned vacation was to begin, we had made the reservation for a six-night stay from December 25 to December 31, 2017. All payments were made on time, using VRBO’s website. We were looking forward to relaxing in our 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom house with a shared living space and enclosed heated pool, game room, and washer and dryer. With eight people, three families coming from two states, the space and amenities of the house we booked was what we needed to be comfortable.

Lake Las Vegas - 18 Luna review. Last year I stayed in Vierra for four weeks. I was moved at least five times so this year I thought I’d try Luna for five weeks this year. I work with a number of HOA’s so I know the drill. I want to start by saying that the owner (Victor) was great to work with. He always got back to me when I had a question. The unit was neat & clean with great lake views. I was very happy with this part of the stay & he did anything within his power. There were some issues that were totally out of the owner's control & are management/HOA issues that need to be fixed. I brought up a few issues to the front desk, they blew me off & they said there wasn’t anything they could do & to contact the management company. I contacted the Management Company but never got any results.

Renting your home out through VRBO and having damage occur at the hands of your renters is awful. Dealing with their insurance co is a nightmare. First be prepared provide original receipts. All you're going to get is 1500.00. After doing that you have to get the renter TO ADMIT THEY DAMAGED YOUR PROPERTY to the insurance co! What? Our renters burned our home down after checking in 6 hours earlier. They would not speak or return calls to any insurance company. Not ours, and not VRBO’s. All we expected was a mere $1500.00 but no, we were required to provide proof they burned our home down. Our house was gone and they didn’t want to pay $1500?? I got a letter from the fire dept with the renter's name on it. I got that $1500, VRBO and their Insurance co needs to do better by their customers. Homeowners beware.

I have been a homeowner member of VRBO website for numerous years. I was always 100% satisfied with VRBO rental website until they were bought out and revised the VRBO rental system. I own rental properties that require approval from the HOA and Property Management Company before I can rent. The new site allows travelers to book directly through the VRBO system and VRBO charges me extra for this service! I pay a high annual fee for VRBO website and now they charge me extra for bookings that aren't approved. I have had to reject several rental bookings because of this problem.

I am a property owner and have used VRBO for about 5 years with no issue until this past year! VRBO has taken away all control property owners have of renting out their homes. I prefer corresponding with guests and getting a rental agreement signed. VRBO does everything in their power to prevent this type of negotiation! Guests are expected to pay by CC and get charged a huge a service fee in addition to the fee they charge property owner. If they pay by credit card, we owners are charged 3-5%. If, instead of accepting a reservation request within 24 hours, I reply to the potential renter to answer their questions or give options, VRBO cancels the reservation request and HIDES MY PROPERTY even though I have paid for an annual contract!!! They won't even allow owners and renters to share contact information!!! WTH... I PAID THE ANNUAL FEE!!!

I was charged more than the advertised price and reached out to VRBO. However, they provided very little assistance and told me that I need to deal with the owner directly. Will never recommend or use VRBO again. The customer service rep Chris was sarcastic in his emails and no help.

VRBO tells you on their site that they are there to help you in any way they can. Apparently this means consistently giving misinformation, maintaining a system that makes it impossible for new owners to take over an existing listing (thus losing any reviews), apologizing for misinformation but doing absolutely nothing whatsoever to help resolve the situation. I took over a property with great reviews. I was told I'd be able to transfer reviews: turns out: not possible. A booking made with previous owner occurred after I took over the property. I was told I'd be able to get the review for this: turns out: not possible.

I found a place on VRBO/HomeAway and requested a reservation for a period to the owner. My request was accepted and I paid through my credit card the full amount of the rental immediately. The very next day I received an email cancelling my reservation. I emailed the owner to find out why he had cancelled by reservation. He emailed back that he had looked at his 2019 calendar by mistake - the time was opened - but then checked his 2018 calendar the time I have reserved and discovered that lo and behold the time in 2018 was already rented.

I rented a house for a week in Pembroke Lines, Florida during Thanksgiving 2017. The property manager/owner of the property refused to give me back my $500 damage deposit. I also paid a cleaning fee. I left the property spotless and took pictures of the entire house before I checked out. The owner/property manager said she had to keep my $500 deposit because the stove was scratched (normal wear & tear of a stove top... I didn't even cook there!) and a small tear in the fabric of on of the headboards (not vacant to the naked eye... In the pictures I took before check-out it can be seen that there was no damage).

Expedia's purchase of VRBO has taken away all control property owners have of renting out their homes. Guests were very upset to see they were charged a service fee in addition to the fee they charge property owner (which they don't tell property owners). I can request payment be made by e-check provided I have an annual contract, however if the renter chooses credit card, I am charged 3-5%. If instead of accepting a reservation request within 24 hours, I reply to the potential renter with a question VRBO cancels the reservation and HIDES MY PROPERTY even though I have paid for an annual contract. As others have noted, their website is a disaster to navigate, especially since the latest updates. They apparently think everyone is illiterate so they have removed writing everywhere they can, giving you the luxury of spending time unnecessarily trying to figure out what stands for what.

I renting a vacation property off this site and was charged a service fee by the company for utilizing their services only to get to the property and it not be at all what was advertised. After contacting customer service for assistance I was basically told it's nothing they can do about it as it isn't their property. I am beyond disgusted as not only are they scamming by charging a fee for service or guarantee they don't provide, but they allow these property owners to also scam you.

Their website booked my credit card for 8 separate charges when I tried to book a vacation home. In each instance my card was charged and then I was told the property(s) were unavailable. I had nearly $3000 in pending charges!! I called the booking support number who told me to call billing who said they could not help me who then told me to call my bank. I would have entered a receipt on this complaint but they never issue one. Now I am getting emails about completing leases that aren't even available. I can't even resolve this with my bank since the charges are still pending. This company is ridiculous. Poor customer service, ineffective procedures, an uninformed off-shored staff. Stay away from this website!!

I am a homeowner who rents out their vacation home privately and on several booking sites. I was previously signed up with VRBO and decided to reactivate my listing with them; I secured three bookings for March. I set up my preferred payment methods with them, and later realized this was not for me to receive payment, but to send payments to them if desired; they still had an old bank account on file for me, in which my first payment was rejected by the bank. As soon as I realized this, I submitted the required bank change form and provided a voided check, because you are not provided an option to update the information through your account on their site. I assumed it would not take long to change out the account information when I noticed a couple of days passed with no change I called them.

Everything I have read about the new VRBO platform is scary, but true. They are trying to scare guests into booking and paying directly through them (at a high price) by offering a "guarantee" that they can't even provide. Only the homeowner knows 100% if the property is available, what the correct price is, if the home meets their guests' needs, if their dog is allowed, etc. Our homes are not hotel rooms and guests shouldn't be forced to book sight unseen without open & private communications with the owners or property managers. I used to love VRBO, was happy to pay their yearly fee, and have gotten 99% of my guests through them for years. No more! I am going to try other sites like HomeEscape that has the old VRBO model.