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After having problems with posting a listing to VRBO.com, I attempted to contact Customer Service for assistance (twice) and received standardized replies that were no help. I requested a phone number to talk to someone (they don't provide any phone numbers) and was told that they do not talk to their customers, only email. I finally sent enough emails that the customer service manager emailed me and said that she could call me, which she did (on an unlisted number). She said that there were issues but blindly defended all their actions. I requested a refund several times without any results.
I would avoid this company at all costs as there is no value placed on customer service.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
VRBO customer service for owners is a joke. It takes over a month for a response and it's a non-answer. It keeps going on for months until you give up in disgust.
Complete rip-off for owners- for what they charge- an over-priced $743 a year (for the top 16 photos and you still cannot dig out our listing in the crowded mess)!
VRBO charges considerably more than other vacation property listing sites that offer more. VRBO is resting on it's name in the industry and just loading listings .
Avoid VRBO at al costs- maybe if owners and property managers stop using them, they will be forced to go back to what their business was built on.
I agree. I just listed with VRBO last week, and for that entire time I've been trying to get a simple correction made to my listing. Same standardized reply, same non action. I finaly called someone in "Billing" this morning - the only phone number they seem to have- and told them that I would cancel if the mistake wasn't corrected on my listing by noon. I am very sorry I listed with VRBO. They are also starting to get a very bad rep for listing substandard rentals with misleading discriptions. They are not a quality business, I may just cancel even if they do correct it.
My experience with VRBO is kinda like me telling a guest who requests a roll of 'toilet paper' - 24 hours after the request- that we don't provide 'paper towels'! Four more requests with the same response, each taking at least 24 hours to process. Finally, after 6 requests for toilet paper, I tell the guest that 'your request for toilet paper will be forwarded to the proper department". Then, 48 hours later, still no toilet paper! Seriously
I am having a problem right now with the VRBO owner trying to keep my deposit claiming the cabin was filthy and the sheets were damaged. I am livid . If I don't get my deposit back I plan to make this be known on all social mdia. The cabin was left very clean and I respected the cabin as I would my own home. I am livid.
Kathy Weiss
So, miraculously after I called "Billing" and threatened to cancel my listing, they corrected their mistake within the timeline of noon today.
VRBO Billing: [protected] They will at first tell you they are the wrong dept. Don't let them off the hook!
VRBO/HomeAway Corp. (from BBB):
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
Unbelievable what hoops I had to go thru to get a simple error on their part corrected. I hate VRBO, They give diddly squat about the quality of thier listings! They are looking for quantity only. Unfortunately with what seems like everyone now listing their ordinary tacky house as a "vacation rental" on VRBO, I too had to list my established lodging business on there and hope to somehow float above the bottom feeders.
Thank you Willow57 for posting those phone #s! Everything said above is true about vrbo's Customer "Service" (and I use the term loosely), and you are stuck, while the owners of VRBO get rich.
VRBO constantly makes you feel like you've been had. They overcharge, have no support, all I've gotten are stock auto-responses and refusal of refunds.
I am the property manager for owners who have several vrbo listings and the owner is disgusted with them, wants to cancel the whole thing, but already paid for the year.
Question - what happens if your rental property sells, or you just don't want to advertise it anymore but they require a year's payment in advance - has anyone tried to get a refund after cancellation and been successful?
I had multiple problems with VRBO. First they denied my website link because they said it had nothing to do with my listing! Click on it! My web site: www.francestonehouse.com & My listing # 302721 and the website are IDENTICAL! As of this date May 28, 2010 the listing is still on VRBO. They also reassigned my house as an “Apartment” when it is so obviously a huge French stone house! They wont change that either. I had to put my owners info in three times as VRBO deleted it! There was nothing wrong with it…..just poof! Gone. I sent them multiple emails, all unanswered. I called….the woman I spoke to “couldn’t do anything” really! All she COULD do was take my money. I emailed them to remove my listing immediately….no answer. I finally fled a complaint and refused charges on my credit card. These [censor]s must be smoking crack! I have never experienced such a TOTAL lack of regard for customers. Customer service just isn’t BAD it’s NONEXISTANT! Never again. Spread the word.
VRBO is a scam. THe problem with using this company is you must ask the property owner every conceivable question. And then you still have to trust the owner is honest.
We rented a house in Bend, Ore for the month of July (#193724). Asked lots of questions including any rental agreement. The owner Eric Staley said he hadn't used rental agreements and had had good luck with vacation renters. This was my first big mistake... get everything in writing.
We were coming up for the second half of the deposit and I had a hard time getting hold of the owner. It was a fluke, but I was looking at a real estate for sale site and noticed it listed the same house we were renting. Whoa, the owner was selling the place and allowing buyers to walk through while we rented it?! This was news to us and was never disclosed.
I then put the owner's name into the county recorder's office... and the rental house was in foreclosure! The foreclosure date was BEFORE our rental period. I took the next step of contacting the Trustee to find if the house had been foreclosed.
I finally got ahold of the owner and told him what I had found out. I asked for written documentation showing he still owned the house, that he'd stopped the foreclosure, and that he was in compliance with his lender. He gave me the personal phone number for a friend that said, sure he still has the house... lot's of confidence in his friend.
Since I had taken out the insurance VRBO offers, I thought that I was covered. Even though the policy says it covers against homes in foreclosure, you can't make a claim unless you are denied access. So basically you have to go on your vacation, show up to find that you are locked out, before you can file a claim.
I would urge everyone to avoid VRBO. Its a site for owners to scam unsuspecting renters. I will be pursuing this as potential fraud with the attorney general.
My words of advise. Avoid VRBO. But it you still want to rent through VRBO, only use a credit card. If the rental turns out to not be as advertised, your credit card company will reverse the charge. If the owner says they don't accept credit cards, there's a good reason. They know the rental isn't as advertised and you'll reverse the charge. Be aware that renter comments are fabricated. Any negative comments have been scrubbed by the home owner so you can't make a fully informed decision.
If by chance the owner comes through with the documentation I have asked for, I will post an amended update. But I felt people need to be aware of the VRBO pitfalls.
I had an owner just not show up or respond for check in. I'm trying to get my $1, 500 back...but VRBO policy is that they won't help you without a letter from your bank that they won't reverse the charges. In other words, VRBO can help...they just won't! So lucky you discovered that before your trip.
I had a listing on vrbo (3b/3b on South Beach - Miami) . It was clearly listed that it can sleep maximum 6-8 people and the minimum stay is 3 nights.
I've received an email from potential guests to rent my apartment . The request was for 1 night to sleep 12 people ?!. Obviously they needed the place for a party.
I wrote back to the client saying that the minimum stay is 3 nights and that I'm not willing to rent to a group larger than 8 people, because it is 1, 3 million dollar apartment and I've suggested to use local hotels in Miami Beach.
I've received angry email back, saying that they need the apartment for bachelor party for only one night and that only 5-6 people will sleep in the apartment.
My response was that, my apartment is not a public house to make parties, and that there are plenty of places on south beach where they can organize bachelor party, and that I'm refusing to rent the apartment.
After that I've received a phone call from the same person threating me that they will sue me, because I'm discriminating them ?!?! and that I don't know with whom I'm dealing with.
The very next day I've received an email from vrbo.com, saying that they received an complaint and that I'm not using a correct language in my emails when comunicating with clients?!?! My listing was DELETED the same day.
What should I do ? According to them I should rent the apartment to bunch of drunk kids just to destroy my 1, 3 million dollar apartment ? For $500 for one night - come on ?!?! are you serious ?
I've asked for a refund of my $690 for the remaining period of the listing. They didn't wanted to refund my money ! I've contacted my lawyer, he wrote them a very nice letter and they refunded my money.
VRBO is ultra expensive web site, trying to charge you as much as possible. It's not worth the service.
Also they will start send you emails to add listing on their other websites (cyberrentals.com, homeaway.com, greatrentals.com, a1vacations.com and charge you over there also the same fee ?!?!)
I WILL NEVER, EVER list my property to their websites again, i've made my own web site and started advertising on google and craigslist !
I can't stand these people! Both VRBO & Home Away are a JOKE. They are F**king Unprofessional and completely disorganized. NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM!
I had been chasing for over a year the deposit that I had paid (50% of the total rental amount!) from the owner without success. The listing has been removed and I suspect the house probably sold. I live overseas and this was my first experience with vacation home rentals. VRBO's replies were at first sympathetic, but in the end, I received a standard one which states they bear no responsibility for any transactions between the owner and the renter. That's it, I'm done. I'm never going to rent a vacation home again - it's all hotels for our family from now on!
VRBO.com Listing Number: # 148555
Location of Property: 4614 Meadowview Avenue, North Bergen, NJ
[protected] USA
Advertiser Name: Mr. Richard Pearson
Advertiser Email: rick@tricrown.biz
Advertiser Phone: +[protected] and +[protected]
Advertiser Mailing Address: 1524 47th St.
City, State, Country, Postal code: North Bergen, NJ [protected] USA
I've been with vrbo since 2005. In 2008 I rented my unit for 2 years. On June 7, 2010 I listed my property with them and got rentals for the month of July. I also received a notification from them to list my apartment with Home Away with a $50.00 discount. I declined and since I have not had a rental from August to present. Coincidence? I don't think so. This people, Home Away advertise on the Super Bowl which cost millions and I suspect that they have a big debt with them to pay it off. My take is that this people are getting greedy as the time pass by and it won't stop until somebody puts a stop on this scam. I don't recommend them. they are scammers!
VRBO is a mess these days. They have absolutly NO customer service. They refuse to help with any issues you have with your listings. The inability to talk with a human on the phone is infuriating. They have made it so difficult to make changes on your own and then require that you send a request for assistance. Then you receive a response which is totally unrelated to what the issue was. I have 9 listings with them and pay them thousands of dollars a year. I resent not having any help when I need it. It's getting worse every day. They are the most expensive listing site online and the customer service is the worst. HomeAway should be ashamed of letting them continue with such horrible service.
I have had several problems with VRBO over the years and have had the final straw. Homeaway is the best site for my listings. VRBO won't refund money to my neighbor who's losing her home to foreclosure, eventhough she has 6 mos. remaining on her listing.
Also they advertise that you can move up the list by buying more photos. I used to be in a satisfied position; but they changed their default view, basing it on communities. Then I dropped 100 spots lower. The picture ranking helps during sorts, but for the first views, I am buried. I demanded a refund and received nothing.
vrbo #283513 is a scam. It is listed as $260-$330, but was listed in Feb. as 40% off. I emailed the owner and was told the price was $360. I asked him about the discount and he responded to be "where". I told him vrbo and never heard another word...SCAM...Don't book with these people!
How sad that you all have had such a bad experience. I find that I have access to my whole listing by going through Edit and changing any aspect of it that I need to change. I have been using VRBO for almost six years and do not use anything else because I can pick and choose who I want for a Tenant because I have so many requests but I do pay for 12 pictures, so I am near the top of the particular pile I am in. It is most unfortunate that VRBO does not have a phone number for Customer Service. I did not appreciate that, as it is one of my primary rules, that I only deal with companies that will actually talk to you if there is a problem. Do take a deep breath and try the Edit button on your website. I have learned that in most cases a company that doesn't correct your problem on-line is because their system is designed for you to do it, and you just have to manage that learning curve rather than getting frustrated. Good luck.
We had a less-than-satisfactory experience with VRBO. As soon as we signed up and paid for a year, they changed their policy about reviews. I could not believe that we would be forced to pay hundreds of dollars for the site, and then no longer control the reviews! We never had any other than glowing reviews, but that is not the point. It is not a site paid for with ads or funded by the renters' subscriptions; the owners pay, and pay a lot of money! Then VRBO implemented the Dashboard and changed the sign-in, making every little change take longer. We cancelled, and of course they would not refund a cent, even though they had completely changed the web site from the time we signed up.
I have tried to make a new york city - soho, chelsea, tribeca booking for 2 weeks and had only one owner contact me...a 4 floor walkup. They constantly sent me properties that didn't match my needs. I am going to complain to the BBB.
We booked unit 61 for a weekend. When we were all set to go we got an email from owner saying this unit won't be ready and it won't be available that week. It was also mentioned that the advance amount will be credited back next day. We had to cancel that trip as there were no other options provided.
As I did't see the credit for a week, sent couple of emails but there was no response. Tried to call different #s provided. None of them picked my call. I had to dispute the transaction after calling the credit card company.
Finally I saw the credit in my online statement yesterday.
I thought the owner is responsible for arranging a place if the booked one is not available for any reason. Also there was no cancellation fee.
Don't waste your time. VBRO doesn't require owners to keep their calendars updated. You may, as I did, spend time searching for an appropriate, seemingly available spot, select it, get an email back from VBRO confirming its price and availability, but that means nothing. This was my experience and when the owner wrote some time later she said that she was unable to accommodate us.Huh? She referred me to another property that I had already ruled out. When I pursued the matter with VBRO, they were not troubled by the experience. They don't require owners to keep their calendars up to date and most don't. They didn't think the bait and switch aspect of the situation was problematic. Also, they really don't allow negative reviews. That policy alone makes them shady to my mind.
I have been trying to list with VRBO for three weeks. I think this is the most NON USER FREINDLY SITE I have seen online. Particularly travel sites and I am a 30 year Travel Industry/Airline Operations and Sales & Marketing Vet.
I'm giving up and going to "the other guys". Good luck for those with the extroidinary patience it takes to even get started.
Stay Away from #560993 (Sweet Retreat) in the Destin Area. Upon arrival, there was poop on the bathroom door, bedding was dirty and mattresses were filthy. Oven didn't work, neither did the internet. The owner was nice, but not responsive. Charged $500/night and there was no getting out of it. Stay FAR< FAR away from Sweet Retreat #560993 in the destin area.
I agree they have coupons posted that they don't honor after the fact. And then they say they didn't know about the coupon. Do the right thing VRBO it's only 50 bucks. It's not the money it's the principle. They could care less about there customers in my opinion or they would honor coupons with there company logo. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE !
Has anyone found a better replacement for VRBO? I PLAN TO LEAVE THEM BUT HOPE TO FIND ATER COMPANY thanks ib
The owners of a vacation rental refused to refund my $500 damage deposit even though we left it cleaner than when we moved in.
The house was in ABQ, NM 3/17 - 3/23/2016.
My VRBO number #580857
House #3878788
The company claims to have Security Deposit Protection when the deposit is wrongfully with held. I have called them several times only to be on hold 30 min. I have emailed them several times. They are not responding.
This company is now charging a huge service fee for inferior customer service.
Vbro.com did not allow a negative review to be placed on a property that we rented in Lakehead, CA. Our review followed the guidlines that vbro.com provided and it was still rejected because it was negative. Take a moment to look at their reviews; they are almost all very positive and don't seem to be written by actual customers.
The owner of the rental property kept our deposit and made numerous false claims to justify keeping it. He also exaggerated almost everything about the property. We documented his lies in emails etc. Do not rent this property.
I have used this website in the past to find lodging. I will rethink that action as after staying at a very mismanaged property/mold, etc... I tried to write in a negative review. The owner disputed this review. After several phone calls and an email requesting 3 or more types of documentation - rental agreement, picture inside the property, receipt, etc.. (1 of which should be more than sufficient). I found that the "customer service" at this company is almost completely totally lacking, in specific Ron was unhelpful and rude on call. I would avoid this company and try for other companies that are showing up trying to do this process right. Beware Homeaway, VRBO, and vacation rentals.com are all the same company.
If you do not like VRBO try a site like Vacationstayz.com
My business partners were searching for NJ CN 10169 last month and discovered a business with an online forms library . If you are looking for NJ CN 10169 too, here's https://goo.gl/1bgxgC
I've been a member for the past 20-25 years and it's been pretty good except the last year. They have expanded taken over and their customer service is terrible, their web site is not working, their pricing has good way up to $500. It's a mess! to big, to much Greed! looking for another rental company..
Tk
What happened to the VRBO website we used in recent years. This combination with HomeAway's web site is terrible! It's not user friendly at all! Apparently we'll find another way to find places to stay but it won't be on VRBO!
What happened to VRBO's old web site with maps and other helpful things. This combined web site with Home Away is not user friendly at all. Half the time it won't even allow me to enter dates in the date box. It would seem we will be looking elsewhere to find rentals. It's too bad for the owners who are paying a fee for their listings and we can't access them.
I"m Zole. I have rented my ocean place through VRBO, having rented it in June, July and August. The amount owing is $4, 663.53 which VRBO has refused to pay. According to the amount owed to me they have taken out their percentage and given me nothing. I am a single woman trying to make a living and have now found myself up against an uncaring shark. I have made numerous calls, written many letters to no avail. I have done this for 5 weeks now. I will now give up my fight which of course, is actually want they want me to do. I have forwarded numerous documents, 6 to be exact, running off copy after copy of documents. They make excuse after excuse, asking me for more & more documents. What a greedy bunch.
Beware! Just because the description emphasizes on their beautiful pool dig deeper because I booked in Destin Florida a verbal home and the host was Beachview Vacations. Later to find out that the pool wasn’t even heated and I’m coming from Minnesota with my grandchildren. Nowhere in the description does it state that the pool is not heated. Expecting a 100% refund except for a little blurb that says $159 for partner fee whatever that means, Beachview vacations kept $484 and told me to read thru everything because it states $159.00 or “above” which hence the 484.00! Maybe that’s not a lot of money to a lot of people but it is and as far as I’m concerned it was false advertisement! I never ever would have booked that property if I knew the pool was NOT heated! Beware! I never will book through this company, unless they get rid of the host Beachview Vaction Tentaks! looks like Airbnb is looking better all the time !