HomeAway
Reviews and Complaints

We have booked a villa in Spain via yourselves, we have not been informed that this was through a third party and are absolutely disgusted when looking at Homerez website that bed linen, towels and pillows are excluded from the costs and that you have to bring your own - what on a plane from the UK. When Homerez finally responded to numerous emails and voice messages left over days, they have the cheek to inform us that these could be hired at an additional cost ? This is totally misleading as it's advertised as fully equipped. Reservations A95206829, Property ID 1394220a. Also what happens if you have a problem whilst in Spain as their 24/7 response doesn't answer phones or emails for days. Most disappointed with HomeAway as we always thought you were a reputable company

I used HomeAway to rent a home for a week from 9/21/19 to 9/28/19. The home owner stated I left it in excellent condition.
HomeAway sent my security deposit to the wrong account.
I made several phone calls and spent a LOT of time being transferred to various people and they only give me excuses and will not correct their error. Terrible, Terrible organization to deal with. I want my $650.00 deposit back!

On the 4 th July I paid by MasterCard £547.20 deposit + a further £450.00 final payment on 1st August for a 2 week stay at CastroMarim ID 8055779- reservation ID - HA-HPGC3X. The Adverts photos showed a staircase in the kitchen I asked Mrs Nicholson whether this was in use as my wife isn't able to use stairs without discomfort, she informed us the stairs were not in use but failed to mention the fact there were 37 concrete and tiled steps to reach the apartment there were no handrails or lighting which meant an outing in the evening was not possible, we had to leave our luggage in the car, we therefore had no alternative but to make other arrangements as these stairs were too dangerous for people our age, Mrs Nicholson had said in her Ad that it is wheelchair inaccessible but we have no need of a wheelchair
Mrs Nicholson is prepared to refund £300.00 but I feel that as long standing customers of Homeaway we are entitled to some recompense for our distress
Yours Sincerely
James Hibbett

Hello,

I just called the 512-759-0902 to discuss an issue I had with booking 59365. My request was that the 76$ charged in service fees should be reimbursed to me since when I reserved, it was not written on the site. It was not on the invoice. Only once I had payed the total amount did Home Away advise me of this service fee and only then did it apprear on the web site.

I spoke with a lady named Yvonne (sounded like this) and she would not listen to what I was saying. She was repeating over and over that the services charges were charged separately but that it had always appeared on the web site. In a word, she did not beleive a word I was saying and was kind of treating me of a liar.

When I told her nicely that it was the third time she repeated the same thing but that I did not agree, she just "disapeard" from the call. I waited a long time and called for her and she was gone.

This being said, I am very disapointed of your customer service and the way you do business. There is always place for unpleasant surprises with no winning solutions for the customer.

Unless this is resolved a proprer way, this will have been my last time with HomeAway and I will share my bad experience on social media to make sure no one else gets caught with this web site.

The following is an email sent to Novasol regarding their abandonment of myself and husband in Spain. Their terrible customer service. Had I known I was not dealing with Homeaway I would not have booked this accommodation:

Complaint EBL054, Novasol.

'Dear Sir/Madam, The following is a chronicle of our contact and the reasons I will not be using your company again.
We arrived at the property at approximately 17:00 on 12/09/19, it was raining. The representative/key-holder, Gabriel, was present with a young female who I took to be his partner. She was petting a small cat. Before entering we noticed that the cushions on outside furniture were heavily stained. The door into the property had a cat flap in; to us this indicated that the cat was a permanent resident and not a visitor.
On entering the villa it was dark and dingy even though the lights were on. There was a large pack of cat food in the kitchen. I tried to obtain a telephone signal to call your company, I was then told by Gabriel that we would not get a signal until we were back to town. I tried to connect to the Wi-fi, this was not possible until Gabriel used his phone as a ‘hotspot'. This enabled me to send an email to the company expressing my allergy concern to the cat, apart from this there was the cleanliness matter.
My husband had been viewing the bedrooms and bathroom whilst I did this. He returned to say ‘are we leaving'. We drove to the nearest town, Crevillente, to call the company. I was advised that the office which dealt with Spain was closed but the person I spoke to would send an email to Anna who dealt with Spain and she would contact me the following day. I was asked if we would return to the property for the night, I replied no it was not fit for me to stay in even overnight, I am sorry but the smell from the bathroom was terrible.
The following day, 13/09/19, I called Novasol at 09:50 after not hearing anything from them, I was told Ana was in a meeting but the person I was speaking to would ask her to call me as soon as she got out from it. I called Novasol again at 10:45 after not receiving a call back.
Ana spoke to me and every time I tried to speak she spoke over me. I asked her several times to let me speak, she did not.
Your telephone system said that calls were recorded so this can be substantiated. She referred me to an email she had sent,
I told her I had not read it as I had not received it prior to speaking to her. I asked if she would tell me the contents.
I was told that in your terms and conditions, 2.3, this stated:
2.3 Pets and allergies: In some houses pets are not allowed. However, neither the homeowner nor NOVASOL can guarantee that there have not been any pets in the house on prior occasions or that the homeowner does not have pets. Neither the homeowner nor NOVASOL assumes any responsibility for the tenant's allergic reactions as a result of pets having been in any of the holiday homes.
It was obvious the cat was a resident and not a ‘stray' visiting, it was being petted so was used to the person who was petting it. The door to the property had a ‘cat flap' in it therefore the cat was free to roam anywhere in the house. The description of the property should have stated this.
My husband informed me after I had spoken to Ana that the bedroom he had entered had marked linen on the bed.
Further to this, the property was isolated and further than the 3 Km from Crevillente that the description stated. There was no telephone signal and I could not access the Wi-fi.
As this was the worst storms in Spain for many years I'm sure you can appreciate the need for outside contact. We tried to return to the villa on Friday but were unable to do so due to rock fall on the approach roads, I have video and photographic evidence of this.
I had already notified the company weeks prior that we felt this was a little isolated due to our age and health, they had assured us there would be no problem. They did not inform us that there was NO telephone signal. Had either of us taken ill or there was a problem with the property due to the storms we had no way to contact anyone.
I refer to your terms:
11. DEFECTS, COMPLAINTS AND REMEDY If the tenant, when taking over the holiday home, observes insufficient cleaning, damage to or defects of the holiday home, the tenant should file a complaint immediately as the holiday home will otherwise be considered handed over to the tenant without problems and the tenant will lose the right to make a complaint about the problem. Complaints regarding the cleaning should be reported immediately. Complaints regarding damage or defects should also be reported as soon as possible and no later than 72 hours from the commencement of the rental period or from the finding of the defect or damage. Complaints should be made to the homeowner, its representative or NOVASOL's local office. When contacting NOVASOL outside its normal business hours, the hotline number
+45 97 97 57 57 may be used for assistance. The tenant should ensure he obtains the name of the NOVASOL employee handling the complaint. Emails may not be used for complaints during the stay. The tenant shall endeavour to avoid worsening any damage, defect or fault and shall contribute to keeping any loss as small as possible for the homeowner and for NOVASOL. In case of a complaint, the tenant shall grant NOVASOL a reasonable time limit to remedy or repair any defect or damage. Early departure from the holiday home before the end of the rental period without prior agreement of NOVASOL shall be at the tenant's own expense and risk. The tenant risks not being able to terminate the rental agreement and also risks losing the right for compensation or a price reduction if the tenant makes it impossible for NOVASOL to remedy or repair any damage or to offer a relocation to a different holiday home. NOVASOL reserves the right to remedy any complaint by relocating the tenant to a different holiday home of a similar price and quality where possible. This decision shall be made at NOVASOL's discretion. If, in the tenant's opinion, the complaint reported does not lead to a satisfactory solution during the rental period, the complaint should be forwarded in writing to NOVASOL to review and investigate further no later than 28 days after the end of the rental period. Written complaints shall be directed to: NOVASOL AS, att.: Customer Care, Virumgårdsvej 27, DK-2830 Virum, or via email to customerservice(a)novasol.com. NOVASOL will at all times seek to fulfil any specific wishes but it cannot guarantee that special requests will be honoured. Any liability for damages shall only include direct, financial damage. Neither NOVASOL nor the homeowner can be made liable for any indirect damage (consequential damage) or any damage of a non-financial character (non-pecuniary loss). 12. NOVASOL AS THE INTERMEDIARY NOVASOL is the intermediary for the renting of holiday homes and is not the owner of these. All contractual and legal responsibilities and obligations shall therefore rest with the homeowner alone. NOVASOL shall safeguard the homeowner's interests in connection with the completion of the booking. If, contrary to NOVASOL's expectations, a booking cannot be completed due to reasons beyond NOVASOL's control, e.g. due to sale by order of the court or due to the homeowner's breach of contract or similar, NOVASOL shall be entitled to cancel the booking, and the rent which has already been paid by the tenant shall be refunded by NOVASOL immediately. However, as an alternative and at NOVASOL's own discretion, NOVASOL is entitled to offer the tenant another similar holiday home in the same area and at the same price.
I contacted you as required by the above and unfortunately spoke to a member of staff who did not help at all. We were in effect ABANDONED by your company.
Regards,

Patricia Reeve'

Dear Customer Services of Home Away
REF 9923592
Property [protected]
VFT-MA36116
Date of stay Sunday 22 September to Saturday 5 October
Mr and Mrs D Baker
I am writing to complain about our stay in apartment 1A Lac Encimas 1, Benalmadena Costa, 29630 Malaga .
The agency called Canovas looking after the apartment checked us in .
From day 1 water was constantly coming into the bedroom when having a shower, the shower room is not usable .
There are no towel rails or shelves to put toiletries and towels .
There are no blackout curtains or blinds and this is making it impossible to sleep as it is like daylight at night with light from the street lights shining in all night .New regulations came in to holiday apartments in May 2016 stating blackout curtains and /or blinds are needed .
A representative called Paco came from the agency but did not fix any problems .
We asked for the Complaints book twice but this was not given to us to fill in, but totally ignored us, The holiday has been very stressful from the start, no change of bedding clothes hangers etc we had to go out and purchase the stuff ourselves .We are asking for a full refund due to all the stress, water coming from the bathroom to the bedroom and having no sleep due to having curtains or blackout blinds to the windows .
We have been visiting the resort for 50 years and this is the worst apartment we have stayed in .The apartment has not been finished off and we do not want anyone else have the same stress we have had .
There is also no safe for our valuables and passports etc, so we do not fee secure nor want to leave the apartment empty, i am enclosing photos i have more if required, one photo shows lounge with no curtains and other photo shows bedroom with light coming in from street lamps no lights are on in bedroom just street lamps .
We look forward to hearing from you
Yours faithfully
Mr and Mrs D Baker

I'm waiting for a refund on a villa that the owner has disappeared so we never got our holiday to Portugal, we have got photos that the villa is standing empty on the dates we needed, HomeAway have not helped us at all
My name is mark gill, my partner is Victoria Coughlan who suffers seizures and isn't very well so that holiday was meant for us all and thanks to HomeAway we have lost a lot of money and time, stress etc.
I want this matter to be dealt with ASAP
I will be contacting watchdog groups to let everyone know not to trust this company,
Nobody is dealing with my complaint seriously

HomeAway Case No [protected]

We had what we regarded as a serious health and safety issue at the property we rented, last week. The property had a infestation of Hornets. The owners would not take sufficient action to resolve the matter and the property also fell short of the listing in many ways, including poor hygiene and loose flooring.

Despite following all laid down procedures, we were left with insufficient support from HomeAway. Consequently, we felt we had no choice but to leave the property, for our well being, and pay for a hotel, elsewhere. The owners refused to talk to us and HomeAlone fell very short by not supporting us or responding to many communications from us. This has continued to be the case since we returned.

They acknowledge they primarily just host a website. In their own words they are only an "online marketplace". In my view, HomeAway are effectively "eBay for holiday rentals". The risks appear to lie with the purchaser. Feedback ratings are all they seem to offer. Not a lot of use if you've had a bad experience.

We have been left substantially out of pocket from our holiday, having had to pay for additional hotel accommodation when we needed to the level the property. The owners will not engage in communication with us, so we ask for reimbursement from HomeAway.

Below are a few of our many pictures of our accommodation and a video of some of the hornet infestation when we left the property. We have deliberately avoided any pictures which would identify the property for confidentiality.

HomeAway can open dialogue with us via our Case Number, issued by HomeAway last week: [protected]

Originally I had 3 properties with VRBO. This has been reduced to 2 as I have taken one away from them. VRBO seems to have lost its way since I joined. Originally it was a platform for matching landlords and guests and the website included contact details to enable the guest to communicate with the landlord immediately to negotiate prices, availability et cetera.

Since Expedia bought VRBO out, they have sought to turn it into a cash cow and the whole philosophy and dynamic of the website has changed so that contact between the interested party and the landlord, and therefore any negotiations prior to renting out the property were prevented by Expedia, all payments have to be made through them both from the guest and also to the landlord for which fees are charged so that both the landlord and guest are a captive audience.

Things have now come to a head. My standard form of contract requires that a deposit is paid and the balance paid 60 days before arrival. VRBO are now trying to impose upon me a regime that results in me being paid after the guest has checked in. This is in breach of my contract with the guest (which VRBO makes clear it is not a party to) and is also contrary to my agreement with VRBO. It totally wrecks my business model and cash flow.

It also creates a dilemma for the guest. Obviously I can simply write to the guest and say that under the terms of the contract with me I must be paid 60 days before they arrive failing which I will have no option but to cancel the booking. They will argue that they have paid VRBO, to which I will respond that VRBO are trying to change my agreement with them to terms that I cannot accept.

And so it goes on.

VRBO have now sent me an (unsolicited) email inviting me to accept a new lengthy and complicated contract with them which will return to me being paid more or less in accordance with my contract with the guest, but fails to highlight that by signing up to their new agreement I will be waiving the right to participate in any of the class actions that have now been filed against them. Obviously this is unacceptable to me.
If VRBO does not assure me that it will pay me upon receipt of funds from the guest rather than after check-in, I will have no option but to write to the guest and ask them to pay me direct in accordance with my agreement with them because I simply cannot afford to wait nearly 3 months for payment. I am retired and my business model and income depends upon the terms of my rental agreements with the guests being honoured timeously

I have no doubt this will upset the guest as much as it upsets me, so I hope for a swift response from VRBO.

Patrick O'Connor

2 issues here... 1, chose rental property ID 297500 on Sunday 22 September 2019. Messaged owner to ask to book, automated response sent back next day advising request not accepted. No reason, just ‘we are unable to confirm your reservation'. This property is still listed for the dates we chose so can't understand why owners declined this booking. 2, On Monday 23 September we chose property ID 119606 which I called up and clarified cost with an advisor while booking on line. This was confirmed at $214 x 6 nights + cleaning + service fee - Total cost + deposit $2124.74. Confirmation email sent 16.07 hours along with reservation ID HA-RLVWK8. Then an email was received from the owner Ed Tessier (or Pauline as it was signed) at 17.00 hours stating the price was not updated for year 2020, price per night supposed to be $286.00 but you were quoted $214. The outstanding balance is $146'. I queried this directly via the messaging and asked if this was $146 per night extra, to which the response was ‘yes thx'. Therefore we have cancelled this reservation and request a full refund along with your response as to why we were declined the first property when it is still listed for the dates we required and secondly why were we asked for an extra $146 a night after the confirmation on the second property had been confirmed? This is the first time we have attempted to book with HomeAway and the experience so far has not been good. We are still looking for a property to match our dates 30 June - 6 July 2020 and your help and assistance would be much appreciated considering the poor service we have received so far. Many thanks. Allison Foster.

I am disgusted you are making an episode of a lesbian relationship. If you go ahead with it you will lose alot of viewers. Home and away is the only show where you can get decent viewing and you want to ruin it with a lesbian relationship shameful. I for one will stop watching the show if you go ahead with it. There is no need for it. Put something decent on

as of aug 2019 i am no longer putting my properties on homeaway. com or vrbo or any of the other companies that homeaway has purchased in the past.
since homeaway started charging 8 to 12% fees my rentals went down hill.
i also paid homeaway .com $ 500.00 PER UNIT PER YEAR.
i now have my web page with no extra fees for my customers.
so next time you go to rent something check out the fees.

I contacted the owner of 10193220 back in April 2019 through your website. I paid my money to him and then discovered that the owner/villa was fake. I contacted yourselves on 21/07/2019 and informed you of this, as I hadnt paid through your website you completly dismissed me
. My compaint is that you have aided a scammer to advertise on your web page, enabled him to take money of inocent people. I thought that the owner was genuine due to the fact that you are a well known advertising company for properties abroad. I though that you would have done all of the checks that were needed so that your customers are protected from this.
Clearly your procedures you have in place to protect purchases are not a priority for you and that you do not vet your landlords. It shouldnt matter to you that I have paid direct, your concern should be that I have made contact through your website with a scammer.
I have requested a list of your criteria that the owners have to adhere to before you advertise the property and you still havent sent it.
This has caused me alot of upset and stress and more money with long phone calls to yourselves, and a holiday, that I didnt want to spend.
I think that the difference in what I paid to the scammer and the new holiday plus extras for phone calls and stress would be acceptable. I would be very interested in your response.

There should be a full email trail for you also

Karen HIlton

The ins, you recommend for booking with confidence is not paying for travel cancellation I guess they think a CAT> 5 Hurricane. is not enough reason. The people who I rented from through Homeaway said call you for my money you are the people that took it. REALLy HOW RUDE. Very dissapointed in the service I have used VRBO and HOMEAWAY for many trips and recommended to many people. Not so much now. very dissapointed with customer service and lack of contact from the ins. co you recommend while booking with confidence as you say.
Lillian Rossell [protected]
Claim #[protected]
Reservation #HA NQSRNC
Sept.1-5
Cancelled Aug 28 when Gov. declared EMERGENCY
Evacations ordered 9-2 What is the problem REFUND MY MONEY

Property #117226
Reservation ID HA-R15YFF
Dates Aug 30-
Sep 3, 2019, 4 nights
_
Property #7015442
Reservation ID HA-P43Z2B
Dates Aug 30-Sep 3, 2019, 4 nights
Guests 1 adult, 0 children
Traveler name Ann
_
My guest Ann, Aug 30-Sep 3, on or about Aug 25 made 2 reservations for my place-one through Vacation Rentals and one through HomeAway. I advised Ms. Cherry to pick which one she wanted to keep and to cancel the second one. She did and I received communication that I needed to approve the cancellation, which I did.
I was not concerned that the rental fees had not been deposited into my account as usual, but I was concerned that the system would not allow me to exchange phone numbers with my guest as if she had not paid. Comes her check-in date, I still have no way to share important phone numbers with her, and I receive email from HomeAway stating that Home Owners (not sure if it was just me or all Home Owners) will not receive rental fees until check-in date.

My inability to exchange phone numbers with Ann and not knowing when I was going to get paid, prompted me to contact Customer Service through Chat, email.

Somehow eventually the redacted restriction was removed however, no moneys had been deposited into my account.

The last email received from HomeAway is that the situation needed to be escalated and I need to proof owner ship.

I have been a member of VRBO/FlipKey/HomeAway for over 10 years. I have gone from free advertisement to $500 annual fee. I have gone through all the corporate mergers and now I am being single out and deny payment of money collected by HomeAway on my behalf even though I provided the lodging for Ann.

HomeAway would not allow for me to advertise on their website unless I PRE-PAY. How come HomeAway expects me to provide lodging and not pay me? Ann has come and gone and I have not seen a penny.

I cant believe I am out of over $600. This is stealing!

Maria Ortiz Mayer
Austin, TX 78758

I recently made a booking with Homeaway for a property in Sitges. As the booking was for mid September I was required to pay in full. I confirmed the booking and paid the full amount plus a damage deposit. The following morning I received an email saying the property was no longer available for rent and refunding half my payment. I have been battling ever since to get my money back. I have had many long phone calls in which I was initially told Homeaway could not contact the owner. Then the story changed and I was told the owner had made an error refunding the money. The owners agent tells me the money is held by Homeway until occupancy. Clearly someone was telling lies. This morning, finally, I checked and the refund has gone through. I am £25.97 out of pocket due to charges and conversion rates. Please can I have this amount refunded. Homeway needs to keep tighter control over its property owners and penalise them for such appalling behaviour. I

Tuesday September 3, 2019

Dear Home Away/VRBO Support,

I received a letter from the City of San Diego accusing me of being delinquent on TOT taxes from the income I made in 2018 through your company.
I believe this is in error.
My home at 12255 Casero Ct, San Diego 92128 was listed on your website for a few months last year. I closed out the listing because after quite a long time I received no business.
I'm asking that you look into this ASAP. As I stated, I believe this is an error and I need proof from you that I did not 'host' any guests. I need proof of this to send to the City of San Diego, so I won't be charged taxes for guests that I never had.
Thank you so much! Please feel free to contact me by email or phone.
Sincerely,
Annette Rieger
12255 Casero Court
San Diego CA 92128
Parcel #[protected]
[protected]
[protected]@gmail.com

cc:file

We rented a property in Gran Alicant from the 31/7/10-14/8/19. #6865358 agent Karen Grundeken. We booked this apartment as it was three bedrooms and my children are a boy and a girl ages 15 and 19. However, after the initial booking the agent contacted us to tell us that the owner had sold the property. The agent offered a full refund, however our flights were booked. We accepted a two bedroom which was to be 120 euros more expensive. The agent did agree to reduce this to 60 euros.
Our main priorities for the apartment were aircon, internet access, pool. The agent did send us the apartment details and we had stayed in the same apartment four years earlier. Therefore, we were happy to accept.

First complaint- We had to pay 60 euros cash for the new apartment not sure this is ethical as how does the owner know we paid that. No receipt offered. I have raised this with Karen who stated that she offered a receipt there are four of us that did not hear this. The apartment aircon was on a meter which was not in the advert Karen originally sent us.
second compliant- three bath towels and one hand towel no bath mat, no light bulbs. First night we had to call to get both. However, Karen brought one more hand towel and a mat with a big story about not being able to retaincleaning staff.

Third and possibly the most annoying the air con. which we only used at night. Karen informed us that 11 euros would last the two weeks. however, it ran out very quick several messages were left with no response. Day four of messaging I sent an abrupt message and she attend the property. Karen was able to change the tarriff how is this possible and or legal. Karen then emptied the box took the money away and put 20 euros in. However, I have to question this. We still had to top this up. Karen again reiterated the lack of staff which holiday makers really do not need and or want to hear.

I have emailed Karen with this information and she has almost suggested that we over used the aircon. I am really disappointed we have been booking this way for 8 years with no issues. However, we have always dealt with the owner.
I asked Karen for a refund of the 60 euros and the 20 euros we used for the aircon.
As a customer Karen did not respond in a manner suggestive of good customer care.
this was our last family holiday and we were afraid to use the aircon other than at night due to the money. How can someone change tariffs?

As a company I expect you to deal with this. I have missed the review period as it went to my partners email. I would like to let the owner know what's going on as I am sure they do not know about the meter tariffs and the fact Karen can empty them.
I look forward to hearing your response. I want to take this matter further.

Elaine Armstrong
[protected]@yahoo.co.uk
rental under partners name Ewan Campbell.

On7/8/19 I made a reservation through your website for accommodation in Lenno Lombardy Italy from 18/6/20 to 23/6/20
Reservation ID HA-M3P6JR
Property ID. [protected]
Registration number 013252-CN1-00205

I received confirmation of the booking upon paying a deposit of £131.65 (screenshot 1) However all costs were not stated up front on the confirmation. Ambra the owner emailed on 8/8/19 stating there would be a cleaning fee of 60E payable on arrival. I found this unorthodox but accepted it anyway.
On 24/8/19 i received a further email from Ambra saying you had given the wrong price and that there would be an increase and we should rebook at the new prices. (screenshot 2) She then cancelled my booking and claims to have refunded my deposit ( not visible on my credit card statement) all through your website.
Myself and three friends are now left without accommodation for a wedding on the said dates.
Surely confirmation of a booking and acceptance of a deposit constitutes
a contract under law. That contract has been breached by Ambra on your behalf.
Please look into this and inform me of your intended action.
Jackson Craigie

I am a homeaway owner in galveston. I have been calling all day long and have been put on hold for over an hour! No one will ever pick up! I need homeaway to contact me immediately after all I pay you guys! I am about to fire homeaway this is absolutely ridiculous! Call me at [protected] immediately! I have a guest that needs to add an extra day! Im beyond frustrated. This is very very unprofessional!