Vrbo Reviews

I have the same complaints as many other VRBO clients. In renewing a listing agreement with VRBO, I discover they are requiring us to accept online bookings and payment by credit card. They are putting up every roadblock possible to prevent us owners from having any direct contact with our renters prior to their booking. We have no opportunity to screen renters. I have no interest in online booking or credit card payment, of which VRBO imposes a 3% transaction fee on us owners and a 5-12% booking fee on the renter. These outrageous fees (which VRBO said would never occur) serve no purpose other than to extort money from owners and renters.

I just booked my first vacation rental with VRBO.com (also HomeAway.com) and I am shocked at the deceitful and misleading manner in which they charge hidden fees to their bookings. The individual owner of the rental we were booking was very helpful, honest, and easy to work with - my complaint is strictly with the online booking experience.

I perceive there are fraudulent business practices taking place: 1) delaying the release of owner's funds. 2) the mysterious calculation for the traveler fee that can change as VRBO pleases as well as if it is legal to collect fees on taxes, cleaning fees, booking fees or other fees that the owner has to incur with each reservation. 3) not representing me accurately by deferring a potential traveler who is requesting my complex's properties to other, non related off site properties included in their search. 4) telling me how to run my business and forcing me to accept their operating rules for deposits, how money can be collected and refunds. Please see below for further explanation.

I was emailed that VRBO/Home Away will no longer renew accounts unless I accept online booking and online payments. Plus they now charge a service fee of 5 - 12% to the renter. I can no longer accept checks. Renter must pay by credit card or electronic check (many will not want to give their account info). If by credit card, I pay the credit card fee. I got different information from the customer service and sales departments. I'm very dissatisfied that renters will have to pay extra and will ask me for discounts to make up the difference.

After almost 8 years on VRBO with 100 5-star reviews, I went to renew and was told that it was now mandatory that I be in their booking program which charges fees to both the owner and the guest. This would mean that I would lose direct contact with guests and would have to lower my rate to make up the difference of the fees. Since Expedia bought VRBO, there has been no end to the insults and disrespect shown to owners. They can make a killing on fees, credit card charges, usually-worthless insurance programs, and "the float" of money (from deposits that they hold for sometimes months before and after a guest visits). THAT IS IF AND ONLY IF they retain their listings after people like me get disgusted and bail. I'M OUT!!

I recently booked a 3-night rental through VRBO.com (actually, my husband did, which is relevant to the story). The listed price for the property was $250/night, so I expected that ($750 total), a pet fee for our two Teacup Chihuahuas, plus a cleaning fee, which is typically around $150, plus tax and perhaps a service fee. It should have added up to no more than $1000. Instead, when my husband sent me the bill, it was $1326. I was somewhat shocked, so I looked more closely at the fees. Here's what they charge: Cleaning fee: $150, Damage waiver fee: $49, Pet fee: $150, Tax $112.50, Service fee: $115.

I am no longer the owner. It has become VRB? (Expedia). They have completely inserted themselves into my resort business. Since 2015 I paid them to advertise and immediately found results; more bookings, more revenue, and more happy customers. Upon trying to renew for this year, their newly enforced online booking for property owners and costly service charges assessed to the vacationers have effectively whittled away something that was working great. It was so simple. It was travelers finding destinations. The rest was up to me. My calls and emails and our hands-on management style made it work fabulously.

We are a vacation homeowner who has used VRBO for the past 6 years. There are many reviews and complaints listed against VRBO who has changed their business model from a variety of paid subscriptions to a fee based system (fee also paid by renter). Our experience since the fee has been introduced has only been positive. Our bookings are significantly up even with the increased fee that the renters pay, and our listing is not quite high on the rankings. I would argue that the ranking system is now more consumer friendly, with the most popular and booked rental now showing up first rather than the listing that has paid the most for the privilege regardless of its popularity. I know that Google has similar issues, where they now show which search results are from an algorithm, and which ones are due to a promoter paying to be shown higher.

VRBO has changed their search engine that hurts the consumer/renter in the pocketbook substantially. And it doesn't even match up the right size or location of the facility the renter is requesting. They now tack on the extra percentage of commission for themselves and ask either the renters or homeowners to pay for it... in addition to their annual subscription fees. They've absolutely destroyed a very reasonable online booking reservation system through their greed. It's not good for the homeowner, and it's even worse for the renter.

Taking too long for refund of security deposit. I have contacted VRBO twice to get $1000 security deposit back. Outsourcing to Philippines where apparently English is poorly understood. 3 weeks have passed and I finally had to stop payment on this. Use Airbnb and not these crooks!!!

For many years I've paid VRBO & HomeAway to be listed on their web page and I was quite happy with the service. Their new system is full of excessive fees and I can't communicate directly with the prospective renter to judge, for example, if a house in the country with four levels is appropriate for them. So I thought I'd try it. I accepted a renter who gave his credit card to HomeAway. The guests were fine fortunately although we were flying blindly. However, VRBO/HA charged me 3% plus 2% (My house is in Mexico). Since the credit card company charged the guest for the Foreign Transaction Fee and then paid HomeAway in dollars, I don't think HomeAway should be charging me the FTF also. And when the deposit was returned, another 3% plus 2% service fee and FTF. Since HomeAway also charges all of this to the guest and I pay to be on their web page, isn't something wrong?

We have been with VRBO since 2009. Back in the day, it was a service to introduce home owners to travelers, for a small fee. Things started to go sideways after their Super Bowl ad... because someone had to pay for that. It was their customers. There was a big hike in both the ad fee and booking fees. Now that Expedia has taken over, it is a free for all hot mess for both home owners and their guests. They release the funds a week after guests arrive... And it is two to five days business days after that before you get payment. So, you have to wait two weeks to get paid. VRBO got their money about a nanosecond after your guest books. You get to wait until weeks after they leave to see that money... whatever is left after they claw back every cent they can from you. Fun! Speaking of clawing back, for some reason I am being hit up for an additional sixteen dollars, after the fact.

The way this Company operates, has to be illegal! I booked a rental in Cape Coral, FL for a few days for June 2017. Well, I was quoted 580.00 + 65.00 service fee which came to a total of 645.00. Well, you must use a credit card to submit your request and if it's accepted, you will automatically be charged the deposit amount. Well, not only was I charged over 200 for the deposit, but I also received an email saying the price I was quoted was incorrect and should be 192.00 more because it's an extra 15.00 a day per occupant over 2 people staying at the rental location (I booked it saying 4 people & a dog were staying) and they forgot to add the cleaning fee. So, not only did they charge me already with a NO REFUND POLICY, but the fact that there was an error with the price? Shouldn't they have contacted me to verify that I still wanted to book with the additional 192.00 cost?

VRBO has morphed in just a few short years from being a trusted resource for unique properties to a low-rent shill of cheap timeshare properties. And in the process, it has swept up homeowners like me who just wanted to rent out a vacation property. I was even willing to pay their $499 annual fee to list my property on their site, as long as I did not have to accept online booking. Now they have made this a requirement so that they can fleece both sides of the transaction - 3% to me, even though I have NO interest in accepting credit cards, and 5-12% from my guests, a nebulous "service fee" that provides absolutely no benefits over what I was already providing. This is extortion and I truly hope that the class action lawsuit underway at Chimicles & Tikellis succeeds. Go to their website and sign up.

I planned a trip and booked vacation rental apartments through VRBO in London and Scotland. I paid all deposits and payments as requested. About a month prior, the London property cancelled my fully paid reservation for "maintenance". This same scenario happened to me the prior summer. I believe owners list on multiple sites and if they get a better/longer offer, they cancel at will. I ended up just making hotel reservations for London as every property in London listed as available, actually wasn't. THEN, the day prior to arrival in Scotland I began emailing the property owner both via email, and through the mobile app for check-in instructions to the fully paid property. No response. The day of, more emails, no response. Until in a last ditch effort, we went to the property at check-in time and stood in the freezing cold for an hour. We ended up humping our luggage around on foot to find (and pay for) a hotel. Epic VRBO disaster on all fronts!

I used VRBO to list a vacation rental from 2011-2013 and had no complaints. At the time they offered tiered flat-rate listing prices from which property owners could choose from. My property was frequently booked and renters signed an agreement, which I sent via email, and they paid by check. VRBO has since changed their policies and are doing everything they can to collect fees from owners, renters and, apparently, as the credit card processor.

Have been a client of VRBO/HomeAway for over 10 years, and advertise 5 rental properties on their site. They have become dishonest and possibly fraudulent in the last 2 years: Now when we renew our subscription, our guests are being FORCED to book through VRBO/HomeAway and are no longer allowed to book directly through us, or even call us to discuss the property. Nor can we call them. All owner information, including our own website address, is hidden. When guests are FORCED to book through VRBO they pay substantially more for the property as VRBO adds a hefty service fee, AND we also get hit with a service fee on our end (It's not enough that they charge us a yearly subscription fee!). PLUS their credit card processor charges a higher commission than our own credit card processor.

VRBO Credit Card Requirement for Homeowners - I'm beyond angry!!! VRBO can keep their new credit card policy as I will not be renewing my subscription while this policy is active. Homeowners have other options on where to advertise and I'm taking my business elsewhere. Sorry to see VRBO be so careless and reckless in how they care for their customers.

I have been a customer of HomeAway/VRBO (sister companies) for 7 years and up till March 2017 it was a good and fair way for Owners/Property Mgrs and short term renters to come together. Now, upon trying to renew one of 5 properties that I manage I am told that to renew I MUST sign on for online Billing and agree to accept them charging prospective renters a fee anywhere from 3-7% based on the rental amount. Basically inserting themselves into the rental process, where they have no business being - I refused and did not renew that listing and I was about to add another property and changed my mind.

I have been reading the reviews about VRBO and am disappointed at all the negativity out there. Our experience has been extremely positive. We bought a condo in Myrtle Beach and started renting on VRBO. We got a lot of requests and bookings. We respond to requests within a hour and follow up directly with the renters. VRBO provides a platform for homeowners. As with any thing, it's up to the homeowners to provide a good experience for the users. We have received 5 star reviews from everyone who rented from us. VRBO continues to introduce new features and functions on the website. I check the website weekly for the new features. I understand the issue with VRBO Fees and they seem to be high. But, every company needs to cover their operating costs and expand for new services. I hope the VRBO website continues to grow and expand and they continue to enhance their services.

I started with VRBO when it first launched. It was a cheap way to advertise your vacation rental. Over the years the website got better and the price skyrocketed. Over the last several years the website has created too many issues for our guests. Incorrect pricing, mandatory formatting of your ad that doesn't reflect the market. For example, during the summer we only accept weekly rentals. The website forces you to place a daily rate. When someone books for 3 or 4 nights, they get one price. When the owner gets the inquiry and prices it for the week, the customer gets upset.

We went to New Orleans in January of 2016 and decided to get a house for the 9 of us. We found one that was just a couple doors down from Bourbon Street so we booked it about 5 months ahead of time. The place looks awesome, great pics, good reviews and it was just remodeled. A couple days before we left I decided to do some research on the house so I knew exactly where the house was so I pulled up Google street view and I was surprised to find out that the building did not look like it existed. So my wife called the guy that she rented it off of and sure enough the day before they had a lot of rain and he said they had a leak in the roof so they would find us another rental and they did, a lot smaller and farther away from where we wanted to be. When we arrived in NOLA we went over to Bourbon Street and sure enough there are no walls for this building.

I have successfully used VRBO.com for many years to rent out my vacation property. I have also recommended and referred many other owners to use them. I liked the freedom of booking the guests myself and not using their online service for quite a few reasons. First and foremost is the inquiring guests have lots of questions they want answered before committing and paying for the reservations. Many times I have multiple people inquiring about the same dates and need to decide who is the right fit not just who enters the credit card first? Also I know that VRBO immediately charges the inquiring person and if they change their mind VRBO will hold their funds for a week or more before refunding them! It's not a good business practice. Now they are trying to force owners into using their online payments and booking. So they can make more money. I will be leaving them and going to their competitors.

I went to renew my rental property owner's account with VRBO and found out they have instituted mandatory requirements all owners must agree to prior to renewing/enrolling their vacation property on VRBO's site. They now require owners to agree that all consumers contracting for vacation rentals with individual property owners will now have to use what they refer to as online booking under the stated premise that this is what their research shows vacation renters want.

HomeAway and VRBO have notified me that I will no longer have control of my properties. I will have to allow them to control the communications with my guests and they will not allow direct payment to me from the guest. They will force the guest and me to pay a service fee. I have listed on their website since 2004 and I have NEVER had a guest contact them with an issue. This is just a way to hold property owners hostage and squeeze us for money.

I used VRBO for many years until around 18 months ago when the property owners were permitted to NOT block out dates until AFTER you selected them. You didn't use to have to enter all your credit card information to reserve a room but, I'm ok doing that. Except that after doing all my research and booking the space, entering my personal information, the owner says "Oh, it's not available at that time..." Now, I've just tried to book a space and I enter all my personal info, etc and the owner comes back and says: "Oh... the rate isn't right, it's actually WAY more than that"?!? This happened TWICE back-to-back, two different owners. I've COMPLETELY wasted my time researching these properties which aren't really available on the dates they say they are and aren't available for the price they say they are. Went to Airbnb... easily found a great place to stay, entered my personal info and I'm confirmed. LOVE IT! RECOMMEND AIRBNB.

Within 5 minutes of making a reservation request for a VRBO property, I realized I made a mistake with dates selected. I phoned VRBO immediately to cancel the reservation request. Despite the cancellation, VRBO charged my credit card for the reservation. I phoned to have the charge refunded, but after 30 minutes talking with a customer service rep whose command of the English language was marginal at best, I was unable to secure an immediate refund. I was told I had to wait several business days for the property owner to officially cancel the reservation.

I have been documenting my experiences as an owner who uses both Airbnb and VRBO (HomeAway - or whatever they call themselves). The customer service is horrible. The fees they charge 5-12% are unclear and there is no place to find where this fee break occurs pricewise... Do they just make it up? It is extremely difficult to locate exactly what I am being paid out of the total fee. The owner dashboard is unclear. I do not know exactly WHEN I will be paid. VRBO-HomeAway uses a third party to make payments and to find out anything from them is like pulling teeth. CSA Insurance just refused half of my claim for damages by a college student who invited nearly 50 people to my house and lied to CSA about it... Seriously??? That was the last straw!!! I will be using Airbnb from now on. I'm also about to check out a site called Travelers Haven and Booking.com.

I stayed at an apartment in Ocean City, NJ based on the good reviews this apartment had. Ends up we had a very disappointing experience, unlike all the reviews about the property. Shower water temperature was constantly changing. My two toddlers literally cried every time taking a shower. The description states it sleeps 4, which we know one was a sofa bed. However, the sofa bed was sagging, squeaky and very uncomfortable. There was cracker crumbs and dust when we pull out the bed. Towel bar was broken without fixing, just simply placed back in place. It dropped but thankfully no one was hurt. The way to the yard was full of urine smell. I posted the negative review not once but twice. One few months after the trip and one just recently. They filter out bad reviews. It didn't appear anywhere in that property's review. It was my first time using VRBO and I will not use it again.

VRBO WAS a good company until taken over by HomeAway and whomever else. My listing, 155129 has been listed since mid 2007 and until the transition I was getting 2-3 inquiries per week, filling my place up to the limits I set. Since the transition and my renewal this past August I have received a total of 5 inquiries. Of those 5 inquiries I received 2 rentals that have been brought with confusion, difficulties, erroneous fees and so much more negatives. As an owner who is very proud of my property showing better than 50 5 star reviews, VRBO has now tainted the system by making the renter aware that I should be asking for a review in return for me giving the renter a review thus tainting the review system. So now a prospective renter really doesn't know if the review is factual or some reciprocal arrangement for the owner to get a good review.

VRBO went from $399 to $549 to advertise and now they have BOOK IT NOW and booking fees for the rental guest and fees to the owner for guest using their credit card to VRBO. 3.5%... Come on! You'd think VRBO would have gotten a better rate than that from credit card companies? My calendar is usually booked full for the following year but it's wide open and I am only getting 75% of the inquiries I have gotten in the past. If anyone reading this who has a better solution for advertising, PLEASE post a review to let me and others know. Thanks.

On March 31, 2017 someone posted a complaint similar to mine: I attempted to book a vacation rental through VRBO on March 21. I have contacted VRBO by phone twice and by email. The property manager never replied to my request to book. VRBO website showed it as pending. VRBO, however, did charge my credit card for the trip. Fast forward 17 days. I called customer service twice, I have emailed the property owner and telephoned the property owner. In short I had a problem with the fact that VRBO took my payment before the owner approved my stay, and then when my stay was not approved and my card was charged, VRBO is telling me I have to resolve this with the owner.

I have never used VRBO before and attempted to rent VRBO.com #3996296. I was quoted a price of $950.00 for 3 nights and submitted my request to the Owner. The Owner came back with a cost of $1,350.00. That is a huge price difference between the two. By the time all taxes and fees on top of fees, a 3 night HomeAway stay was going to cost me over $2,000.00+. Upon filling out the request to stay there was an option of $59.00 Property Damage Protection or pay the Owner $1,500.00 (which states in small print may or may not be refundable). Then there is a $250.00 refundable damage deposit, service fee, cleaning fee and taxes. I have used "LakeHouseVacations.com" in the past and absolutely love this website and will go back to this home in Sturgis, Michigan for my 3 day weekend that will cost me 1/2 this cost and comes with a Pontoon boat and just as nice of a house. Huge disappointment.

I gave them a HUGE chance - I tried using this site as a supplement to Airbnb. The listing process is overly lengthy and after adding my number like 4 different times and check in instructions. My guests still had no info as to how to get in contact with me or how to get in. They couldn't seem to call me either and one guest had to find another place to stay. Their calendar SUCKS and is hard to use. Tried synchronizing with airbnb's calendar and just got error messages so I was forced to just turn people down if it coincided with a airbnb booking and was suspended for that.

VRBO - Long Time Customer/Owner Review and COMPLAINT. Below is my experience with VRBO customer support regarding their unfair business practices, as communicated to both Carrie in the VRBO office (on 04.10.17 at 3:17pm PST) and Shawn (on 04.11.17 at 9:04am PST). An untrue review of my property was posted by a guest on VRBO. The guest located my property on VRBO and then went to a VRBO competitor to book so they could avoid VRBO's fees. Carrie communicated to me that the review should not have been posted if it came from another site. Perhaps VRBO recorded this conversation and can verify this statement.

I have had a vacation rental property since 2010. All of our reviews have been 5 stars because we speak with each guest prior to them completing a reservation. We intentionally chose to pay higher ad fees to allow us to discuss each booking in advance with potential guests. With the new plan to require online bookings, and no way to avoid it, the guest will believe they have completed the reservation and it will be up to the homeowner to disappoint them if their stay will not be accepted or allowed.

My family and I booked a rental in Hawaii for the holidays on VRBO staying December 23, 2016 - January 3, 2017. As the site required, 100% payment for the booking $10,500 plus another $1,000 security deposit was made on my Citibank credit card. On the day we checked in, we were horrified to see the condition the rental was in. It smelled of mold and mildew, there was feces OUTSIDE in the bottom part of the toilet bowl of one of the bathrooms, there was paint peeling off the rooms of the house, the bed sheets and the towels were stained and evidently unwashed, the lock for the house wouldn't work, there were huge cracks in the tub and the shower head was dangerously just about to fall off, the washing machine wasn't working, and the house turned out to be in a really economically disadvantaged neighborhood, so safety was a big issue.

I recently attempted to book a vacation rental through VRBO. The property manager would not accept the days I requested because he had someone else checking-in the day we were to leave, even though his calendar showed these days as available. VRBO, however, did charge my credit card for the trip before it was approved and said that upon denial (or in my case lack of approval) the money would be refunded to my account in 1-3 business days. EIGHT business days later and the 1000$ for the rental was not refunded. I called customer service to find out what was going on and was helped by an incredibly rude customer service representative. Spoke to someone in another country who was difficult to understand. They then gave me these authorization numbers and told me to take those to my bank to get the money refunded.

One star rating for VRBO is way too high a rating for the service I'm receiving. When I started out with VRBO years ago they charged a reasonable rate for my rental ad, and my rental was easy to find on the site. Things have changed since. The rate for my ad is now 3 times what it was and now they have let me know that I no longer have control over how renters interact with me or how they pay. Along with the inflated rate to advertise on VRBO, extra fees are being charged per booking. I can no longer call directly to get important changes made, but must give notice to the programmers who cannot be called directly, and they just make the changes that weren't exactly what I wanted, then email me and I have to go through the process again. This is not acceptable. Definitely looking for another company that will serve my needs.

Rented a condo through VRBO and received an additional charge of $155 on my credit card. Above and beyond the price of the rental and associated fees. This was a complete surprise and way more than one should pay to make a reservation. Very deceptive. Posted after everything has gone through and there's no way to get a refund. I feel like we have been ripped off!

I am displeased with VRBO and their decision to tack on a 'service fee' to rentals. The fees can vary - supposedly depending on the length of one's stay. We have a VRBO account and have to pay an annual fee. So why do our renters now have to also pay a service fee in addition to all the other fees? We are likely going to have to rent our units on our own without VRBO. They are discouraging business. VRBO is getting greedy just like eBay did. :-(

I have listed my vacation rental on VRBO for a number of years for an annual fee of $399, and been very satisfied with the service, UNTIL NOW. To renew my subscription Expedia (bought VRBO/HomeAway) now requires on-line booking. In addition to paying a booking fee, Expedia charges the renter an exorbitant percentage of the rental amount that is an added financial burden to the renter. To be competitive, that would require me to reduce my rent. I don't want to handle the payments, but prefer to have my management company do so rather than be the go-between. When calling customer service, I get someone who has a strong accent making it difficult to understand plus who put me on hold for ten minutes while trying to find an answer to "is there any other option to on-line booking". Too bad Expedia ruined a good business model for people who want to advertise their rentals. Will explore other options.

We began advertising rental property in the Outer Banks about 2002 on VRBO. Our property's changed over the years and we continued to advertise because we had a good return for the amount we paid. The cost to advertise was high when we wanted to be at the top of the list. The $1,000.00 we paid per year paid for itself many times over. As the years passed the customer service was inferior, the site would have problems, and VRBO merged with one company after the other.

I recently attempted to book a vacation rental through VRBO. The property manager never replied to my request to book (which is fine, I understand people have busy lives). VRBO, however, did charge my credit card for the trip before it was approved and said that upon denial (or in my case lack of approval) the money would be refunded to my account in 1-3 business days. Fast forward 5 business days and the 900$ for the rental was not refunded. I called customer service to find out what was going on and was helped by an incredibly rude customer service representative. This representative actually yelled at me on the phone because I could not understand some of the words she was trying to say. They then gave me these authorization numbers and told me to take those to my bank to get the money refunded.

We started using VRBO in 2013 to list a rental property we own. We were very happy with their service at that time as we felt there was value for the money we invested in the fee they charge to list the property. In 2015 we started to see a steep decline in referrals, the company completely changed their business model to something that no longer remotely resembles the quality product it once was. They now have a model that is so expensive to not only the property owner, but they also charge the renter a fee of up to 9% of the rental amount. I would certainly do your research before listing a property with this company. In my opinion you will not get the results you are paying for.

VRBO started charging both the homeowner AND the tenant for use of the site with no added value. It is also now requiring homeowners to use an automatic "book it now" service that requires the tenant to pay through VRBO rather than directly to the homeowner. Furthermore, VRBO will now be skimming off 3% of the rental payment to the homeowner to process the payment. Repeated calls and emails to the company asking to opt out of unnecessary "services" have been met with gobbledygook legalese replies.

I've been a loyal customer of VRBO for years now, booking my vacation rentals through them in various parts of the world. Now I see that the "poor" Expedia decided to go with an additional cash grab they call "service fee". I'm sure it is all because of the goodness of hearts of the "poor" Expedia owners. Only because of their desire to "provide better service". Right. It's like they hadn't already been charging the owners for using VRBO/HomeAway, but now they decided to ding the renters too. OK, there is a point where more greed becomes too much greed. From now on I will stop using VRBO and all Expedia products altogether. And I would recommend other travelers to do the same. When a company becomes too greedy, it's time to say to them, "enough is enough!" - by stopping using their services altogether.

This company is running a scam. It appears to be owned by Expedia and "HomeAway". It is run out of some kind of Philippine call center. There is no customer service. The contract does not disclose the fee structure. They steal your money. They charge fee after fee without telling you. They lock you out of your account. This company needs to be sued and shut down. This has been my experience. My profile was not approved, then my credit card was charged for the yearly fee, and my account was "locked". I called and called, and could not get through to anyone for longer than a few minutes, and I was always put on hold. I have reported their unauthorized charges to my bank.

I am a vacation property owner (3 properties) and have been using VRBO for 14 years. I was extremely happy with the VRBO business model in the early years. In the last two years they have made some draconian changes that seem to only benefit VRBO and very little to benefit either the property owners or the rental customers. Originally, VRBO ran a business to bring property owners and renters together. VRBO charged a token fee for that service that was reasonable. Over the years, their charges began to increase each year to the point that it was getting my attention. In the last two years, they seem to have changed their business model from one who brought owners and renters together to one where they have inserted themselves into the rental process by adding fees to both the customer and the owner.

I have been w/ VRBO, for 5+ years w/ excellent ratings on my Sarasota property. I just renewed w/ a new condo and am horrified by their new procedures & tactics!! It is no longer a vacation rental by OWNER! I paid my fee & choose to manage & work w/ my guests for a pleasant stay. My website has been taken over. They insist on quoting fees, sending quotes, expiring my contacts, charging service fees on top of what I've paid. The site, as an owner is impossible to manage. It's time to find another owner's venue!! I am being misrepresented by this company... My guests want to hear from me, not a computer.

Saturday, March 18, 2017. The vacation rental property at 913 Palmetto St., New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168; sometimes referred to as Cozy Cottage; owned by (**) from (The Villages, FL) and controlled by a live-in property manager, (**) is not a good choice! ** is a self righteous Mafia style hypocrite who imposes unrealistic expectations for his used furniture and appliances and takes advantage of everyone he rents to. ** is a meddlesome bad copy of ** and interferes with renters constantly like a mother hen with an idiot complex. Together these two cause heartache and grief and will screw you out of vacation time, money, pleasure and well being with little more than a thought!

For over 4 years I've listed my Blue Ridge Mountain Stone Chalet on Vrbo.com. Now my chalet is shunted to the end of their listings -- despite all 5 star ratings -- because I don't use their BOOK NOW option. This policy fails to meet my expectation of establishing a strong and positive presence for my single rental home after years as a loyal owner-customer. Trying to get a straight answer from them on the phone has become impossible. Guests might be smart to go to the end of the listings where no BOOK NOW button is displayed and contact the homeowner directly. I certainly have never cheated or confused any one, and we work out payment usually by check.

I first signed up with them as a host and canceled after only two weeks. My every experience with them was poor. Their customer service was horrible and they behave like the Seinfeld Soup ** like they are the only show in town. I moved to Air B&B and have been happy with them. Service is way too expensive for nothing. Air B&B is free. They say you only pay for the membership then all other fees are waived... well except for the credit card transaction fee for every reservation made and oh year their taxes charged. Those fees are higher than the Air B&B nominal booking fee. "5% commission charged for the rental amount, any fees (such as cleaning or pet fees), and any additional payments. 3% credit card processing fee charged on the total payment amount you receive from your traveler, including taxes and refundable damage deposits." That is outrageous!

I rented my property with VRBO VACATION RENTALS BY OWNER. I was told my first guest payment would take 30 days to post. I check 40 days in to see it never posted. I was lied to and told it posted, however when I checked my bank it had not posted. After several calls of being on hold for 45 minutes, I was referred to the Payment Center. Each time I called the Payment Center it was another 45 minute call on hold. Customer Service would put me on hold, say they would resolve the issue in 7 to 10 days, and send me an email. Each time I call they tell me the same thing but never post the payment. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what course of action I may take.

Well first, I purchased a property from friends and first was told I could transfer their account to my name. We just had to update the banking information. That was not true. We had to open a totally new account and by doing this, lost all the reviews on our property. My second complaint is every time I call customer service I'm put on hold for a long period of time. Sometimes 20 minutes. The same employee answers the telephone almost every time I call. This is the Texas office, do they only have 2-3 employees?

As a property manager, I have been with VRBO for about 13 years and have listed nearly 25 homes on this site during that time. It was a great site to advertise properties on and has incorporated enhancements over the years. My homes were always full. But since Expedia has bought the site as well as many other sites, they no longer care about the owners or guests. They have now become a site based on fees to earn them additional income.

Travelers' beware! VRBO charges a hefty "service" charge to use their website. For innocently agreeing to the terms and conditions when booking, I was charged $238 for a $5600 vacation. For those of you who actually read all the fine print, the service fee agreement is on page 5 of 14. A service fee is mentioned in paragraph 9, but no amount or percentage is proposed. Nowhere else on this website, was I made aware or given the choice to accept this service charge. If VRBO feels that they deserve this "service" fee why are they hiding it in the fine print? VRBO should be more transparent and tell their unsuspecting victims that they are being charged to use this service. They won't get any more of our business!!

This has been resolved.

The owner of a Rome, Italy rental advertised the property on Via Cerchi and when we booked it, she sent out a confirmation with a different address. In addition, in Italy it is a law that leases over 30 days must be registered (even vacation rentals). Our contract was for 42 days. Also, she asked for the second half of payment in cash. When we learned of all this, we attempted to cancel (less than 24 hours later). The owner refuses to refund our $3033.17 deposit and VRBO will not cooperate with us or our credit card company. They claim they have no control. Funny thing is that the charge on my credit card statement doesn't say Vera ** (the owner). It says VRBO.

My property is not yet listed, yet I received an email notification from VRBO that a party they named was interested in making a reservation. First I tried to log into my account to learn more but my password was not accepted. I went through the reset password routine four times but in every case the VRBO website would never accept the new (or old) password. So I called customer service and held 39 minutes without connecting to a live person. I sent an email explaining what happened and 3 days later there's no response. I called customer service again today and hung up after holding for 10 minutes. All I can say is that I feel very lucky to have learned how bad the service is before my listing went live.

We own a condo in Lake Tahoe that we live at during the summer but rent during Holidays and ski season. We never had any problems with VRBO until this past year. They now charge our renters $45 to book online as well as MY yearly fee and want you to use THEIR credit card system. However, I have a management company that handles all my rentals including payment, cleaning, parking passes, etc. as I live out of state.

I recently booked a condo in Arizona and was surprised to see the rental cost, cost for cleaning, tax and then a service fee. I did not realize they charged a service fee to travelers. I think this is outrageous and unethical and would like to file a complaint against VRBO.

I am a property owner with several properties listed in VRBO for more than a decade. Recently we discovered that the Damage Protection option for one of our properties was changed to "automatic refund" without our consent. When we called them to have it removed, they indicated that the change is not reversible. After an hour and a half on the phone with five different representatives, they could not explain how this option was changed for just one of our properties, but they refused to reverse it. I would like to know if anybody else has gone through this. It appears that VRBO is implementing this procedure to all new customers but randomly switching some of the long term customer's properties without previous notification and in a way that indicates that they hope that you would not notice.

I have been booking my vacation rentals with VRBO for over 7 years and always had a good experience until now. Since being bought by Expedia, VRBO now charges a separate fee for booking through their site. I was charged $305 on my recent rental. When I emailed to question the fee, I was told that the fee was supposed to be $78.03 and is now the new norm of booking through the site. I proved that I was charged $305 with my credit card statement, and then was told "oh yeah, your fee is $305 and it can't refunded back to $78.03 or remove it from the booking." I am outraged. I already have the trip booked and it is a multi-family trip where flights have already been planned, so I can't cancel at this point. And even if I did, I'd probably lose my rental and STILL wouldn't get my $305 back. This will be my last rental with VRBO.

August 2016 we booked and gave a deposit for a property in Santorini, Greece for 6/2017. VRBO e-mailed us 2/2017 and said the owner no longer is renting/they broke their contract and told us there was nothing they could do. We immediately called and were told they would refund the full amount of our deposit. 2 weeks later upon calling VRBO told us we are not receiving the full amount due to the exchange rate!!! We have been on the phone a total of 4 hours and talked to 7 people and they are refusing to give us the full amount back that we paid. Not only did they not give us comparable priced substitute accommodations they are telling us to contact the owner directly to see if he will pay the $140- $150 difference in the exchange rate!!! Of course he paid back the deposit in full Euros but because of the difference in the exchange from August 2016 to February 2017 - we basically are out $150 for NOTHING!!!

So, I again this year booked a condo through VRBO like I have done for the past 10 to 15 years with no issue. However, this year, in addition to my deposit, I find a separate charge on my credit card for $99 to HomeAway. After investigating, I find out that this is a VRBO charge and it wasn't even mentioned online prior to my booking the condo. I now have paid an add'l 40% in fees and I haven't even purchased vacation insurance. The advertised room rate of $146/nt. is now up to $210/night. What a bunch of BS! I will NEVER BOOK via VRBO again! I am probably cancelling this condo rental. It is a shame for condo owners... What a major rip off. Staying in a hotel is starting to look way better for a short get away!!!

I made the mistake of inadvertently booking an apartment in London instead of just making an inquiry about the date availability. He took all the money for the three night booking and will not refund any of it, even the refundable damage deposit. This has been a nightmare as neither the UK based Homeaway or the VRBO in the US will help me. They in fact work for the owners not the hapless travellers. I would exercise extreme caution in using this website if at all. The no cancellation no refund notice was hidden within the page and not obvious despite being unusual in the places for rent. I have used VRBO on other occasions and always the owner had a payment schedule which was fair business practice.

I rented a house for my niece's wedding and I will NEVER rent from VRBO again. Their system was not functioning properly, I guess... Who knows. I tried to make payment and the system was not working. I sent ELEVEN emails and got no reply. It took forever to find a phone number to call - there is not one on the help page. When I found the phone number, the wait was over 40 minutes. I had no choice since my deadline was fast approaching. I have NEVER worked so hard to try to pay someone and been treated so badly. It added unnecessary stress to my trip and the people at VRBO were NOT helpful. In fact, they were dismissive. I want to warn anybody considering renting from VRBO to BEWARE!!! I would stay away!!

When VRBO recently asked if I wanted to join their pilot "instant book" program I said yes. What a mistake! The only booking we got with it was 1 day notice. They smoked in the house (and smelled like marijuana). Then to put icing on the cake VRBO's payment processor, Vacation Rent Payments about a month later snatched the booking money out of our account plus a fee claiming the card holder said she did not stay there. The burden of proof was on me they said and I needed to contact VRBO to get information on the booking including who booked it, etc. Hello! They were the ones who did everything with the booking! I just allowed this party into my home based on VRBO's promise they had paid and that VRBO would have their credit card processor pass along a portion to me. I told VRBO they should be responsible for the lost money. All they had to say was I could have checked the person's ID after they booked.

We rent out a property through VRBO. We pay a half a thousand dollars a year to list through them yet they are audacious to bill service charges on top of that even though they have no skin in the game, just people answering the phones who have no understanding of what is going on! The worst part about VRBO is how they rate the cabins' popularity. Incredibly, it's not the reviews which is the only way to reflect popularity. We are rated 6th in the Cloudcroft, NM area, yet we rate out higher than the cabins' above us! There is one cabin third from the bottom that has nothing but 5 star reviews! VRBO is greedy and includes amounts of bookings! Yep, they want the dough!

I have been with VRBO for over 5 years. My Reviews rank 4.7- 5 Stars in the beautiful US state of Arizona. As an owner VRBO has made changes for Owners almost every year. Since Day 1 they have used the power of where they will rank an Owner's listing as blackmail to agree to options that put more $ in VRBO coffers. However, most recently the removal of easy access to guest information - and penalties by higher rates for owners to stay off Online booking (which VRBO gets their % from Booking) and charging Guests a nonsense almost 10% of Rental Rate SERVICE FEE - of which 100% goes to VRBO has broken the system and taken its toll on me in managing my property.

We have listed our private cottage rental with VRBO for 11 years. As of the last 2 years, when they were bought up and became part of the "HomeAway" corporation, everything changed for the worst. When that happened the best "listing.com" for us became a nightmare. We no longer have the ability to showcase our property as we have not signed up for VRBO's online booking and so, have virtually been abandoned by the company. As a result, our listing under the VRBO.com site is almost impossible to find on their site, posing as a potential renter. Getting any reasonable response from the company is also very unsatisfactory. To anyone who might think about listing your rental property with VRBO, keep searching for a company who cares about and represents its rentals and the people who own them, their values and concerns and the ability to communicate with each other with respect. Good luck.

Problem with listing and service fees. I had been with VRBO for 5 years and had been happy. Then when they were bought out by Expedia everything changed. They now charge our renters an extra 10% in fees that offer no added value. The customer service is horrible. I was put on hold for 20 minutes then told they were backlogged up to 2 weeks to help us the customer. My listing at one point showed up in the correct area and now it does not and that affects my listing and rentals.

Everything they have done since buying VRBO/HomeAway has been driven by greed. They made plenty of money before. They are now just exploiting both owners and guests. I am cancelling my service and moving to their competitors. Such a shame.

I requested to book a vacation house in Tucson and realized I'd sent it to the wrong party. Within 25 minutes, I canceled my request by emailing both the homeowner and VRBO customer support through the VRBO booking system. That means my offer was canceled and my authorization to charge my card was obviously rescinded. Or so you'd think. Four hours later, the homeowner, Juanita ** of Star Homes LLC, went ahead and charged my card anyway. She never responded to my emails. Within two sentences of trying to talk to her on the phone, she was yelling at me and literally telling me to shut up (about 10 times).

My sisters and I rented a condo in Nuevo Vallarta through VRBO.com. We thought it was a safe way to rent a condo. Boy we were so wrong. 5 weeks before our travel date, the owner of the condo cancelled our reservation. We paid half of the rental at this point. We tried to get our money back by contacting him like VRBO said we had to do. To no avail. Then VRBO would not do anything to help us get our money. They told me on the phone that it's not their fault that the owner is not responding to emails and phone calls, but he was still on the VRBO site advertising his condo.

We list our 2 beautiful vacation rentals near Nashville, TN with HomeAway/VRBO. I noticed calls and emails not coming in and was concerned because our rentals are very popular. After some research and phone calls all I've been told (3 times now) is that they're working on it and will get back with me. This is so frustrating to pay over $800 per year to list our rentals but they don't show up when someone is searching for a place to stay in our area. We are seniors and this is our main source of income. Don't trust this company to do what they promise.

I have used VRBO for years and have recommended it to others. Just used it again this month for a getaway with family and found an extra $105.48. I was originally told it would not be charged, but after spending an hour today on the phone, being transferred several times and put on hold each time... I guess that isn't true. They are now charging a transaction fee, but I couldn't find anywhere in the fine print that let me know this was going to happen.

They charged my card $399.00 and never confirmed the reservation. A week later I called and found out the rental was not available. No one called to let me know that the rental was already booked. And no one credited my card the $399.00. I had to call and complain to get my money back. Sorry way to do business.

Beware of using VBRO - Homeaway. It was extremely difficult to get a refund when we canceled a booking that guaranteed a full refund. It required hours on the phone and finally filing a dispute with our credit card. I will NEVER book with them again.

VRBO will not address problem with listing. 4 phone calls to report and resolve issue and get no support, call back or resolution. Very very poor customer support. If you have a problem after you have paid and gone live there is no help.

We asked for their help because the apartment we rented out was full of mildew everywhere - the obtrusive smell and the living fungi on the walls all around the flat was evident. We have paid out the full amount in advance, and the owner refused to talk about it ("Das ist normal!"). We would have needed to move out immediately, e.g. because we had a 6-month-old just about to recover from obstructive bronchitis, and we couldn't sleep during the night because of the penetrant air.

I have been listing with HomeAway for six years. They have steadily gotten worse and worse until I am actively looking for a different company. First they tried increasing their fees dramatically and suppressing listings that were on the lower tier. Now, even though I pay them an annual fee, they changed their terms and also started charging my guests a fee. They continually bug prospective guests to book and they now tell guests they have up to seven days to pay for a booking request, when my terms are 24 hours! I was not asked about this.

I, too, have been using vrbo for my vacation rental for more than 8 years for one rental and 2 years for 4 others, and business has decreased since the Expedia purchase. I'm not using their direct payment and, therefore, am put way down in the list of rentals, which is extortion. If they are charging 10% to 20% to my renters, I will have to lower my rates to compete. I've not raised my rates for over 8 years, yet my expenses have increased. I used to pay a much higher subscription rate to be at the top, which was not a problem.

I rented a condo in Austin Texas through VRBO. The specs of the condo were accurate, but the quality and the posted pictures were not accurate and very misleading. When I booked the condo I was shocked at the price (More than $100/night was added, exclusive of deposit and cleaning fees). I went ahead anyway, expecting a luxury condo which would delight us. The condo was disappointing with shabby furnishings and inadequate amenities. Everything was done on the cheap, chipped dishes, frayed bedding, mismatched furniture, no decor. I was embarrassed that I had booked a condo that fell so short of expectations.

We've booked our summer vacation on VRBO online probably 15 of the past 20 years. This year when we booked, we were charged $175 "Service Fee", which has never been charged in the past. Immediately upon booking, we were contacted by phone by the realty agency that managed the property and had to provide all booking and payment info again. My card was billed the service charge by VRBO and a deposit from the realty company. All other are to be made directly to the realty company. I called VRBO to find out why we paid $175 for them to basically email the realty company and let them know we wanted to book a property. They did not have an answer. VRBO was always such great company that provided valuable discounts. The best lessons learned are those that cost something... live and learn.

Had a reservation for 3 couple for a vacation to Okoboji Iowa. No response after getting Credit Card. Waited a day per their process... which is asinine to confirm a reservation if they have a booking system. Dinosaur of business model and I will never do business with them or their HomeAway service. Spent over an hour trying to discuss with someone on Cust Serv line but kept getting transferred and then hung up. All this a day before we are to leave on a snowmobile trip. Went with AirBnB and what a great service. Wish there was a zero star... One is too good for this messed up company.

Having taken advantage of a Sandcastle II opportunity for several years and being long overdue in recommending the location, this is an attempt to make up for past lack of action. If you are looking for an enjoyable vacation on the Gulf Coast, take a look at Sandcastle II, PH2, the penthouse at the 10th floor level. Our first vacation at this location was in 2000 and except for a couple of scheduling conflicts, we have been annual vacationers there since.

We have been listing on VRBO for the last 9 or 10 years. We continued this year because there doesn't seem to be an alternative. The charges that have been added for both the renter and the owner are outrageous. They want to set up a reservation without input from the owner, among other things. Personally, I have done really well speaking with potential renters telling them what is nearby, all that is included in our condo, and answer any other questions. I prefer not to use credit cards because of extra charges. Besides, I like the personal touch.

I actually was with VacationRentals.com prior to VRBO; each were purchased by HomeAway and then Expedia purchased HomeAway and a steady decline in how I can do business has evolved. VRBO - Vacation Rentals BY OWNER... not by corporate. My 2 ads with ~50 5 star reviews each has continually slid down the network's advertising hill... from the very top to near the very bottom. Why, because I'm only looking to advertise 2 very nice places to vacation and enjoy; I'm not looking to let Expedia charge my guests for doing nothing. I pay for the advertising as I have for years. Who is going to look after my guests if there is a need? I am and my caretakers are... not Expedia!!!! If a toilet or stove or TV quits... I'm the person that takes care of it, along with my caretakers. If something is not cleaned to my standards and a guest calls... I look after it (should that happen), not Expedia.

Just paid $500 for annual subscription to Homeaway. Because I do not accept anonymous bookings through online booking and Homeaway recently changed policy to charge outrageous booking fees to owners, my listing did not appear and after several calls from me, was canceled without a refund of $500 fee paid for annual subscription a week prior.

The reviews listed on VRBO website are NOT reliable and should not be trusted. They will only publish favorable reviews. We rented the property ID #:VRBO Listing #836805 Summer Breeze Galveston, TX Property Manager -Ryson Real Estate & Vacation Rentals and had a very poor experience so we filed the following complaint as well as tried to review the property of VRBO website. After getting the run around from VRBO, providing our rental agreement, proof of payment, photos inside the home and numerous other documents they refuse to publish our review of the property.

WOW, I really miss the older VRBO where guests and hosts were important. Ever since Expedia bought them out about 2 years ago, they have practiced marginal business practices, have offered no resolutions, understanding or compassion. In 3 words: I don't trust them. I am looking for ways to get out from under their thumb as a host. Any ideas?

Please do not list your vacation home with this company. They are charging consumers an outlandish price to book their vacations. If you list your vacation property with them and pay the 1 time fee of $399.00 your home will not be seen in the search engine costing you money and no bookings. They actually took my ad down and it was down for weeks before I noticed. When I contacted them to ask why the listing was down they said I was working with interested families on the side in order to help families avoid the booking fee. See it's not enough to pay the $399.00, VRBO adds on a booking fee to your potential guests and pockets ALL that money. If you don't allow enough bookings for their liking they will take your ad down or put your home so far down in the search engine no one will see it anyways. Look into another way to rent your home.

I submitted an honest review to VRBO and they would not post it. I continuously got these emails. "Thank you for submitting your review. Unfortunately, it needs a little bit of work before we can post it to our site. The reason we are currently unable to approve it is listed below. Please revise your review so that it meets our content guidelines, which you can see here. When you're done you can resubmit it by clicking the button below. Your submission contains questionable or inappropriate content."

As a longtime customer of VRBO I am dismayed that they will charge our guests an additional fee of 4 to 9 percent based on whatever their "system" decides. We as homeowners already pay a fee of around 500 per year and the practice of charging for on-line bookings fees is appalling. VRBO's greed is extraordinary. Our potential customers are backing out as a result of additional costs. We just renewed our service and there is no alternative to on-line booking with VRBO unless you are willing to pay an additional $150.00. Their "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude on the phone is impertinent, condescending and rude. Over the past 15 years this company has gone from bad to worse to worst.

I have been using VRBO for the past 8 years for advertising our timeshare in Cabo and had decent results over the years, but last year was an absolute DUD after paying an outrageous $399 annual fee. What a rip-off! So, they put me on "auto-renew" without being aware of it and when I call to cancel the subscription, a smug guy named "Vincent" gives me the runaround and tries to arrange for monthly payments instead of canceling my subscription! After this little encounter, I asked him to send me a simple confirmation email that the auto-renew had been cancelled per the telephone conversation at which point he chuckles and says, "that's not the way it works"... and goes on to explain that he will enter the cancellation in his system.

I had this service for 15 years, paid an annual fee, and was all good. I didn't like to use PayPal or credit cards because of the fees, and I generally do not cash damage deposit checks, freeing up vacation dollars for the renters. Looks like Expedia paid BILLIONS for the site and is trying all sorts of scams to generate revenue. They want the renter to book immediately, before the owner has a chance to learn if it is a senior couple or a frat party, then the credit card costs 3%. Plus they add their own fee, raising the rent by 4 to 10 %. The CEO is on a video, calmly explaining that "It's all to enhance the experience, trust me it will be good for you."

We recently rented a vacation home through VRBO. What gets me is their service fee and $59 protection (insurance). We had a family emergency and had to cancel our trip and the owner did not respond for days. The owner then stated they would give us a refund minus a few days. We paid 1420.00 total for the rental for a month and the owner refunded us 550.00. We called the owner and they agreed to refund the entire amount. The refund was submitted through VRBO and then the owner canceled it stating it was a system error and they never agreed to it. We called VRBO, no help. They told us to settle with owner. I asked what the service fee and $59 fee was for and they said the service fee went to the owner. If you read the description of the service fee when booking it states it is for 24/7 customer support and assurance of protection. THEY LIE! The owner gets that money too as they told me when I called about refund.

I have subscribed to VRBO in order to promote my home in Keystone, Colorado and when I search for it as a guest might do with a fairly strict criteria I start seeing homes in Utah, California, etc. Mine does not come up so unlikely I will be getting any rental bookings through this site. They of course do not have a refund policy so I can say goodbye to my $800 USD and look forward to an empty house. It turns out if you do not pick their online booking system as an option you are relegated to a listing deep deep down in their website, however if you opt for the online booking system anyone can book it including a young group of students who play beer ping pong in your great room and punch holes in the walls plus they charge you and the guest separately for the pleasure of booking through them. Beware. Use Evolve, Airbnb or Lodgify. Don't get scammed like I have.

Available properties for rental, never seem to be available. Have requested bookings, which never are available. My credit card has pending charges, which take too long to clear. Bad experience, but VRBO gets 1 star because I've made a contact with a responsible rental owner, that I will rent from independently. I do not recommend VRBO.

I have been using VRBO for many years and wondered why my inquiries dropped off dramatically in the past several months. I normally have my house booked at least a year ahead and insist on having a conversation with the potential renter to get a feel for our compatibility. It has worked out well with no problems. Because of the drop off in inquiries I spent $300 to have a professional photographer provide better pictures. VRBO is charging a premium now to NOT book online which takes this interaction away. I cancelled my account yesterday without any real resistance so I give them credit for making it easy. Now I am left to find new venues to advertise the house. I will go back to Air BNB and Craigslist. If anyone has recommendations I'd be interested. I've had a bunch of fly by night companies call me but when you do a search looking for houses to rent they don't show up.

Don't let anyone book on short notice. These guys will take a payment for you without vetting the source. I had someone stay at my house and I don't know if that person disputed the charges or if it was actual fraud. VRBO's charge back service wouldn't provide much information on the person disputing the charge. They literally withdrew the entire funds plus 2 $50 fee charges for the taking back the deposit and the rental fees. No one would talk to me, only got generic email responses for about 60 days, only to be told I wouldn't get my money back. Don't do instant bookings. Make sure payment is made at least 2 weeks in advance so that if there is fraud, the charges will have had time to be "seen". And get a copy of driver's license of the person renting. If they don't provide that, don't rent to them.

We rented a vacation home in Rim Village near Moab. After staying 3 nights and getting home to receive an email stating that we had broke furniture and left stains on furniture in the living room. We had stayed in the kitchen and bedrooms to eat and sleep and went out playing in Moab. Upon leaving I did a final check. Everything was left as we found it minus the dirty towels. I've demanded before and after pictures that they don't have. These people made comments not to worry because we had "purchased the insurance". They are making claims to insurance that should not be paid. These are not honest people. Do not recommend staying here.

Review of 57476 in San Miguel de Allende. My cousin and I stayed at this 2BR, 2 Bath apt. December 10-17, 2016 and we found it to be very centrally located - only a short walk up Mesones, right on Hidalgo where you will continue to the Jardin. The apt. is located in a very safe area and is beautifully furnished, decorated by famous artist Toller Cranston. You will find bookshelves full of books. This is a second floor apt. with stairs up to the apt. and another set of stairs to the 2nd BR and bath. Older folks with mobility or knee problems need to be aware of this. The owner had a bottle of champagne, red and white wines awaiting us upon arrival, as well as bananas, oranges, and apples. There is a wonderful bakery across the street and they make the most delicious almond croissants and cappuccino you have ever tasted. There are several other sweets available. I highly recommend this apt. for its location and decor.

The VRBO listing 3573121ha lies to the customer. It says everywhere on the site West bay and it does not mention that is Keyhole bay and I am going on a family trip (28 of us) and everybody else is in West bay, for a family vacation that doesn't make sense. I am very, very very annoyed. I have rented VRBO for the past 15 years and I had never being lied by omission of the facts in the VRBO site before, this is a first. Very disappointed and sad the day before my vacation. This is not fair. If I write keyhole beach on the internet shows some very different pictures as the ones in the listing. FIX IT BECAUSE THIS IS A LIE TO THE RENTERS. I booked everything with advanced and I feel betrayed. I arrive tomorrow and I just can't believe it.

I was trying to find a rental in Flamingo beach and the search results gave me locations as far north as Playa de Coco and as far south as Janquillal. Both are 25 or more miles away from Flamingo. After going through some 15-25 properties I found a few for the location I wanted. They also try to push you to Potrero which is no Flamingo with its ugly brown sand beach. They are trying to force properties on us on some criteria other than where we want to go. Do some owners pay more commissions and thus VRBO/Home Away force the visitor to pay more and go where they do not want to go? This seem dishonest and unethical to me. I wanted help and not to be lead by the nose to somewhere I really did not want to go.

We used VRBO/Home Away to list our rental in the Grand Oasis Sens, Cancun. After seven rental transactions within a space of about 6-months had occurred, we had a problem with the eighth renter, who turned out to be a scam artist. After spending the entire seven days they were booked for, but a week after their return, they had the gall to complain about their stay citing three problems, which were contrived. A week later, they came forward with a list of ten other complaints, including one stating that the air conditioning in their room was not working. If true, this complaint should have been mentioned in their original list of problems, but it was not.

First experience with VRBO and already upset. They could not explain why, instead of getting paid the right amount I was paid less than half of that. After nearly an hour on the phone the THIRD rep hung up on me!! Upon calling again and asking Shakenya (?) what her name was as I did not catch it the first time, was hung up upon again. Now trying it for the third time, but not much hope... I CAN HEAR THE REP USING A CALCULATOR... NOW ON HOLD!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I attempted to book a VRBO rental yesterday. When I went to pay, it repeatedly declined my credit card and said to check it and my billing address and resubmit. I phoned up VRBO Customer service, was told to contact my credit card company because the issue lay with them. The credit card company's agent confirmed no error their end so together, she and I phoned back VRBO Customer Support. In total I believe I spent two hours yesterday, and a further two hours today trying to just *pay* them to book the rental, without success.

I made a reservation for a condominium in Costa Rica and after paying in full could no longer reach the "owner". It turns out that my email was intercepted and I ended up paying a scammer. This condo rents through a rental agency so it seems that anyone working there could pull off this scam. VRBO accused me of not using their site as they "had no record of it". VRBO was the ONLY site I was using. They also refused to investigate the scam or help and the same house is still on VRBO today! When you talk to them it's clear that they have a lot of problems and appear to be trying to milk as much money out of a failing enterprise as possible. Airbnb is a much better choice from what I can tell.

I made a reservation online on a property that was showing 'available'. I waited for the 24 hr window required to get a confirmation. During that time, as per guidelines on VRBO, the booking amount gets held up on the credit card. Later I was told that the property wasn't available to rent although it was showing as available. Later I noticed a charge of $66.24 on my credit card made out to HomeAway. I called the property owner, called back and informed that a refund would be issued in a couple of days. A week later, no refund was received. Then I had to call them myself. That started another time consuming ordeal. They asked me for a reference number starting with "HA". The only one I had started with "BZ". The first lady wasn't able to locate that transaction.

I paid a deposit on 19/10/16 and the following day the owner emailed me to say that the charges were higher than listed and there would be a further £100 cleaning charge to pay (after only a 3 night stay!) which was not listed on the advert, I said, "No thanks. That was not what I signed up for." And he said, "Ok I'll cancel the booking", all this happened in 24 hours but 2 months later and after many emails I was still waiting for my deposit to be returned.

I have been a home owner and renter with 2 rentals with VRBO for 10 years with one home and 4 years with another. Since they were bought out in early 2016 my contacts have continually dropped 90% compared with past years. Both homes have 100% 5 star guest reviews and I have not changed my rents. I am normally booked 60-80% annually and have had only one contact for both homes together for the 2017 season. Their whole business mode has changed. I called customer service and got a foreigner who was barely intelligible and when I complained, the rep told me to call another number. I wanted a refund, so he directed me to the VRBO payment number 866-210-6106. I called 3 times and given two choices of prompts. Neither prompt responded and was disconnected each time. This service is the worst and I can't even talk with someone to complain let alone get my money back!!!

I have been renting through VRBO since 2009. Recently they have tried to use their monopoly power in the web vacation rental ad market to force owners into their online booking system and charge large fees. If you do not use their system, they still take your money for an ad like before but drop your ad from the search so no one can find it, rendering it useless. They try to force all email communication to go through their site by not giving you the renter's email address. Also if you put your email address in one of their forms to message a renter, they automatically remove it. The reason they give for this is for "your protection". This is kind of like double speak from the book 1984.

Like many of the comments on this site, we have used VRBO for many years but have noticed a recent change in orientation away from customer needs to VRBO requirements. Our most recent experience was a Thanksgiving rental that cost over $5000 and was less than satisfactory, i.e., the house had fewer bathrooms than shown in the listing (2.5 vs 3.5), some electrical outlets in kitchen were not functional, oven inoperable (on Thanksgiving!), minimal water pressure, internet connection not functional, fewer bedrooms than advertised (four and an open area vs an advertised five).

We have used VRBO to find vacation rentals around the world for the past 14 years. This year our quotes included a service fee of over $400 that you don't see until you actually contact the owners and receive the formal contract. Another big business going for the money grab! We have cancelled the rental we were in the process of booking and have decided to try companies other than VRBO and HomeAway. This may be impractical for a short term but I expect fewer and fewer homeowners to continue using VRBO.

Been paying VRBO for 15 years annually... and paid them thousands of dollars!! I run a vacation rentals by owner business in Arizona. I told a customer to visit my website since the VRBO listing was booked for their dates. So what does VRBO do? Cancel my paid advertisement!! I just paid them $499 for annual agreement!! And only ran for 3 months!! Stealing money now eh? Good luck VRBO.

Upon a recent booking with VRBO/Homeaway it was discovered a few days later that I was in fact booked in for the incorrect dates. I wondered if I had made an error but was certain that I entered the dates in correctly. I contacted VRBO, and they sent me an email back stating that I was right and it was THEIR system that had a glitch and sent the owner the incorrect dates and to contact the owner to see if we (the owner and I) could find a solution to the problem VRBO caused. The owner was already booked out for the dates I actually wanted so I requested to cancel and to re-book elsewhere. The owner canceled the reservation but I only received a cancellation for my second payment and the damage deposit. The first payment of $500 was not going to be refunded.

I would give zero stars if I could! A month ago I accepted a same day booking request through HomeAway, only to find later that the guest had not been required to pay for the property damage protection plan. In the details of my listing, prospective guests are always required to purchase the coverage. What HomeAway does NOT tell you up front, is that reservations made same day as check in are not even eligible for the damage coverage and that you are basically renting to this person at your own risk, with zero protection against loss or damage. I was informed of this by a HomeAway representative four days after the guests had already been occupying my home, and only then because I called to inquire. I was also informed by this rep that the reason these types of bookings do not qualify for this coverage is that they are often problematic, with guests using fraudulent payment sources!

I've been with VRBO since 2004 and can't believe how they have ruined good thing for vacation home owners looking to rent casually part-time to help defer expenses. Their new policy of requiring a booking fee and processing fee through them even after you pay a $400 listing fee is not working for me. I use to be on the top of searches and now I'm invisible on their site as I haven't enabled their online booking module. I'm calling them now and asking for a full refund. Michael **, once a loyal customer, moving on!

We have been renting properties with VRBO for 15 years and it was working well for us. However in the past few years they have changed their business model. Their objective is force the owner to accept on line booking through them similar to the hotel booking agencies. We have not changed to their way of doing business. The inquiries this year have dropped way off. On my listing I have notices of "warning they do not accept on line payments, your money could be in danger," and I paid them to post that. Also they "have not upgraded their calendar, can I show you other listings?" I called them to complain and to cancel the listing, however no refund. Obviously not a profitable investment in advertising.

We just own one Vacation Home and have used VRBO since 2012. The system worked great and we had no problems with their services or fees. Then all of a sudden they are purchased by another company and begin to charge large "booking " fees just to run their credit card and are forcing us to use their new unethical system or they change the order of our property and we get no bookings. I sure hope that something can be done about this unethical additional charge that they are forcing us to implement. Please help us! I will support any class action suit that might come of this unethical business practice. Thank you.

I am a property owner/property manager in Florida. I have used VRBO since 2004 and HomeAway, their parent, since 2009. It was a good partnership, not anymore! VRBO/HomeAway are pushing their online booking and payment program where the traveler pays a fee of up to 9% to book this way. Wondering why I'm not getting the inquiries we have received in the past, I found out when I search for my unit on VRBO I can't put in any dates when searching. Searching Daytona this way without dates of travel I have 300 choices for 2 bedroom units, including our own properties. However, once I put in dates the number it drops down to 57 properties, all who are accepting online bookings and where the traveler pays the VRBO/HomeAway booking fee!

VRBO suspended my account for 24 hours because I had a statement on my description page stating how to avoid their service fee (pay by check, cash or paypal etc.). I was told I had to remove the warning to travelers because this was directing traffic away from their system. They said my account would not be reactivated until the wording was removed. I told VRBO that I am a transparent person and expect them to be as well. I told VRBO that guests ask me for a discount but I can't afford to give them one or absorb the service fee so I give tell them their options. Wow, guess that's not acceptable! I've been with VRBO a long time and am sad this company has chosen this direction. ATTENTION: VRBO said now that my account has been flagged for violating their policy they will be reviewing ALL my replies from now on!!!

NEVER rent on VRBO. It is a total rip-off. I booked a place in Cozumel, Mexico for $895 through VRBO and was charged $1175.55. I wrote the owner and asked why. Answer is the VRBO fee. Did VRBO disclose that I would be charged a 31.35% fee??? NO!!! I wrote VRBO and told them it was an egregious upcharge charged unethically as there is no mention of this upcharge when you book. I think you can still book directly via the owner, but only if they list their phone number. Whatever you do, never ever book through the site itself.

The worst operation existing in the home rental market. This company cares nothing for the owners who pay their way. They have zero respect and are interested in nothing but adding fees that will only hurt the owners who have ALLOWED them to succeed. Terrible wait times on the phone, no concern for issues and poor response when there is a valid issue raised. I will be moving our 3 rental villas to AirBnb, where we can feel we are part of the solution and not the problem.

We stayed in a VRBO in Scottsdale, AZ. The address was ** Scottsdale, FL 85250. Unless you like waking at 6:30 a.m. To the sound of a very loud barking from a large dog, which echoes throughout the beautiful condominium, I would definitely not recommend staying at this VRBO!!! We tried to have a lovely evening meal on the patio and the obnoxious sound of the barking dog resonated thru the common areas throughout our entire dinner.

VRBO now charges a big fee to homeowners and a fee to travelers. Also, their system is so bad, they are now expecting owners to put travelers in their home and hold payment sometimes up to 30 days after traveler has already paid and left the home. Then they expect us owners to keep allowing people in our homes without even seeing a payment... Seriously? Also, the pressure to rent to anyone that inquires, is of course to make sure they get their fee & HOLD any payment to the homeowner. I just had a traveler leave and ask for their deposit back, well, I have not even seen the payment... VRBO! PLEASE GET THIS FIXED!

We, too, had a horrific experience with HomeAway/VRBO. In May we rented what was described as a "loft" apartment in Santa Monica, CA. Upon arrival, we found it to be a 3-bedroom townhouse, that had been sectionalized as 3 separate rentals. Two bedrooms were located on the first floor of the townhouse and the 3 bedroom was located on the second floor with the kitchen and living room. Our rental of the "loft" was the 3rd bedroom and secured by a plastic accordion style door at the foot of the stairs. We spent the night, as we had no alternative. Later that evening, one of the bedroom renters started banging and pushing the accordion door to our rental, screaming we were being too loud - we were all sound asleep.

What service do you get with online invoicing? You get a third party that subcontracts as the invoice company that offers no protections or help in disputes. This shelters VRBO from responsibility for any protections they claim to offer the host. So we pay VRBO a hefty fee, and when a problem happens they just send a reverse charge and take funds back w/o our permission.

I have advertised my NJ beach house rental on VRBO since 2007. Owners of quality rentals like mine are jumping ship as fast as possible since the Expedia takeover of the VRBO and HomeAway websites. Expedia has ruined a good thing with its greed and bullying of the owners who advertise on its sites. The sad fact is: You can no longer trust the search results when you are looking for place to rent on VRBO and HomeAway. The search algorithm is skewed to show you listings that make Exgreedia the most money in online booking fees.

I am a property manager and have used VRBO/Homeaway for ads for the past 10 years. I have had between 8 and 20 listings each year. Recently I received an e-mail stating that my listings violated their Marketplace Standards and were being suspended until I agreed to meet those standards. It all involves them demanding that all of a sudden, they want all bookings to go through them and they are going to charge the renters a fee for that. I have been fighting it, and have placed wording in my ads that I do not accept online booking or online payment. It is my feeling that this is not legal, since the standards were not in place when I paid for the renewal of the listing(s). It does not seem right that they can change their policy in mid contract. In my opinion, they either need to allow my listings to be posted until the next billing period, then demand that I make changes, or they need to refund my money.

Poor relations between consumers and newly acquired VRBO. I have been with VRBO for years and been satisfied until now. Since being acquired by Expedia, my inquiries on VRBO have dropped 50%. There were 8 listings on our VRBO New York lake site and now they have over 200 listings, some as far away as the Berkshires, and most of them not on the lake at all. VRBO now want us to accept online booking which takes another layer of control away from us and lines their pockets with additional fees, this time from the renters. I wrote VRBO a complaint and since then my listing went from the first page ranking down to number 150 ish. I am hoping someone will file a class action suit and put the new CEO's out the front door. My subscription expires in March and I am going elsewhere. Goodbye dishonest VRBO. You should be ashamed.

I booked a flat in Florence through Homelidays in May (used them before with no problems). Paid 50% by VISA (yes, there were fees, but the total was acceptable) and "talked" to the "owner" (through emails) prior to 1st payment. 2nd payment was raised automatically and I paid it on VISA on Oct 25 - VRBO this time on the CC statement.

Could I please leave a negative five-star rating for vrbo.com??? We have listed our lovely and popular vacation rental for years on vrbo.com and that's where most of our bookings came from. We were OUTRAGED by the new service fee (for what service? Indeed it's only greed!) that vrbo.com started charging once they were acquired by Expedia. Plus the pressure to require online bookings (to make sure that vrbo.com receives that service fee). AND we just heard from a potential renter that they couldn't request or book dates for early 2017 because we haven't paid for our new subscription that comes due in over two weeks. Our inquiries and bookings are down by almost 80% since 2015.

I am a home owner who makes our property available for rent on HomeAway. For a decade I used VRBO with excellent results. HomeAway acquired VRBO and changed its listing fees and policies. HomeAway did the classic BAIT AND SWITCH. They are FORCING renters to use online bookings, which adds 9% service fee the renter has to pay PLUS 3% credit card processing fee the owners have to pay. When I moved my subscription under HomeAway, I was told by their agent that I could give the renters an option to use online booking or to book directly with me. Today, HomeAway DEACTIVATED my listing stating that that online booking is REQUIRED. This is nothing more than a public company gouging both renters and homeowners. HOMEOWNERS BEWARE. Renters, know this is not the service VRBO homeowners want to provide. We are stuck.

HomeAway VRBO requires a damage deposit to be paid in the foreign currency where the rental apartment is located at the time of the booking. When I got my deposit refund after the apartment stay, it was $95 lower than what I was charged, because of the currency fluctuation due to Brexit. When I complained to their "customer service", they blew me off and did not even address my point that they should charge the deposit in the payer's currency or hold it in escrow. They said they are just a "venue for online advertising". Refuse to deal with this company, unless they change their policy.

Just reviewed the charges on my credit card for an upcoming rental. $108 service fee? Really??? I have booked on VRBO several times, but rest assured this is the last! The phone rep said the fee covered if 'we have problem with the reservation'. Problem? No, the charges went through just fine. Just another way to make money. If we arrive at our destination and the rental is not available they will 'help' us find another one or get our money back? That is what a credit card dispute is about. How will you 'find us another rental? Contact other owners on the site? I have used VRBO for years, but this is the last time and I will not refer friends anymore. This 'new' fee is ridiculous! Goodbye VRBO!

I received an email warning and phone call from VRBO for making the potential guests aware they are being charged a fee when they inquired about ways to pay and pricing through the messaging system. Anyone else have this happen? All I said was I can send a private invoice for $2000 or you can pay through VRBO where they charge their service fee bringing the total to $2180. Can I not do this? They said I was violating policy because I was deterring guests to book through their system. Not only this but my invoicing is 2.9% for any credit card fee, where VRBO charges me near 5% sometimes! Let me do my own thing or help me out VRBO!

My wife first contacted VRBO last April seeking a house for relatives to stay in November. They were coming in from all over the US. We paid the fee and assumed that we had done due diligence. We attempted to contact the owner and VRBO in the ensuing months with no success. We were repeatedly assured that we would be hearing from the owner. We heard nothing from anyone. We were unhappy to say the least. On October 29 four days before our relatives were arriving, we were determined to get some resolution. After hours of calls with VRBO, we were able to talk directly with the owner. I'm now awaiting directions and access to the property. I will never use this shoddy company again and recommend the same for anyone else.

I concur with Kelly's post from October. I have used them in the past with no problems. I need to cancel and am attempting to get my service fee back from them. They refuse to send me an email indicating the fee will be refunded, instead turned it onto the home-owner who has no idea of their charges. As the credit card charge for their service charge goes through to homeaway why would the homeowner have anything to do with it. The phone rep refused to put me through to a manager and kept repeating that I had to call the homeowner and that all monies would be refunded. NEVER AGAIN! Stay clear of this corrupt business.

I rented a house in the south of france through HA/VRBO. The owners had the website set up in french (which is not my first language) and had the exact same listing in English on Airbnb. I read the terms on Airbnb(for the ease in English) and since I had contacted them initially on VRBO just continued the conversation on the VRBO website. They asked for a deposit (which I sent), having seen that the cancellation terms on the Airbnb website were "full refund up to a week before" and also having seen VRBO's guarantee policy that stated that they would protect my deposit with a full return policy.

Firstly, I agree with Bruce of Silver City (6th Oct.) that VRBO should be forced to change its name. My properties are in Europe and I have said for months that "OWNERS DIRECT" is misleading to the public. I would be happy to mount a campaign to get their name changed in Europe. Contact me at **. There are many people on this side of the Atlantic who are also angry at the imposition of the proposed changes in contract without ANY consultation with customers.

Booked a property on homeaway.com paying via bank wire transfer per their instructions and assurances it was covered. Their page was hacked and the booking was a fraud. After they admitted to the hack and that they verified information belonging to criminals, not owners of the property, they demanded a letter from my bank that it could not legally provide. They rejected the claim despite their acknowledgement of the fraud, proof of payment and communication, even though they originally guaranteed insured transaction. Beware!

VRBO does not address problems; My rental was cancelled for no good reason three days before my departure for New York. VRBO did nothing to help me find another place. I just had to make all these long distance phone calls from Canada because VRBO would not help me. VRBO charges a service fee now but did not announce it; it is actually hidden. Do not use any of HomeAway banners, including Homelidays, Abritel and other banners. It has all been bought by Expedia and now, customers are the last of their worries.

Homeaway sold 2 property annual subscriptions saying no guests fees, that they would continue to permit owners to use personal contact info. However, as soon as they got everyone to pay 3295 they changes their policy. They are cheats, low life, money grabbers. Stay away from them.

Spent days researching houses on Long Beach Island that are for rent, for the prices that they are listed for. Drove 3 hours with my family to go see the houses that we all agreed on and spent hours driving, looking, & driving back home. Upon reaching out to the owners of the houses to start a contract agreement, the houses that were listed for 2,000-3,800 for the week- were mysteriously all posted "incorrectly" and wound up being 3,000 more than listed prices. If this were the case, those houses we never would have considered. THANK YOU, for a waste of an entire day, miles on my car, & leaving a frustrated family with no options. RENTER BEWARE.

Rented a London flat from VRBO. Paid a 300 GBP refundable damage deposit using one credit card. Subsequently paid for the balance of the rental using a different credit card. VRBO refunded the damage deposit to the second credit card - not to the card I used to pay for the deposit. When I asked VRBO to correct their error, they stated refunds are made to the account/credit card used for the second payment... "by default". Why wouldn't you issue the refund to the credit card that was used to pay it? Sounds like VRBO was too lazy to correct the error. Won't use them again.

I concur with the many negative reviews by homeowner renters who object to VRBO's recent policies. I would like to sue to force the company to change it's name since it is no longer Vacation Rental By Owners. But I would like to hear from others about what alternatives they have chosen. It appears that VRBO can get away with its policies because the competition is just as bad or worse. What can be done?