VRBOReviews 2,004

Will Never use VRBO Again!
I was Forced to cancel my April 2020, VRBO-booked trip to the Caymans due to COVID-19 pandemic, the closure of the GCM airport and related travel ban. VRBO refunded VRBO-imposed fees - in my case approx $300 - but despite numerous attempts to contact the owner of the Cayman Reef Resort condo to request a refund, including messages via the VRBO app, the owner did not respond - no reply at all - not even to deny my refund request or to offer a credit for future travel. Nothing. I lost $2000.

I will never use VRBO again. VRBO needs stronger policies and practices to govern property owners, including the need for VRBO to establish formal exceptions to owner-established refund policies during such special circumstances like a global pandemic.

I did not want to cancel my vacation but the GCM airport was closed and travel to the Cayman's was banned. Despite this, I did not receive a refund from the owner and did not hear a word from the owner - this is appalling! Never again will I book via VRBO!

We booked a one-bedroom apartment in London's Chelsea area (Sloane Avenue, Nell Gwynn House) which had great photos on the VRBO website. When we got there, the apartment was actually a studio with peeling paint, broken window frames (I could add a long list of problems) and most upsetting, black mold on the bathroom ceiling. Anyone who knows about black mold will tell you to stay away from it. After calling VRBO multiple times, they did nothing. They always promised to return my calls but never did. My conclusion: VRBO care not for my family's health, nor do they care that the apartment owner totally misrepresented her place. This goes far beyond staying in lousy conditions, but into the realm of endangerment to health. Strangely enough, this apartment is still available on VRBO. If I could sue them and put them out of business, even if it cost me money, I absolutely would.

I had to cancel a trip due to COVID (Hawaii isn't allowing people in without quarantining for 14 days.) It has been five weeks and I have not received my refund. I cancelled within the allotted time frame for a full refund with or without COVID. VRBO's website says to allow 2 to 3 weeks in some places, 3 to 4 weeks in other places. I have never heard back from the rental owner. After being on hold for an hour with customer service, I was told my case has been escalated but because of the number of escalated cases, not to expect a call or email within the next 3 business days. Shouldn't refunds be an automated system by now? I also had to purchase damage protection insurance and that was refunded back into my bank account within 2 days of cancellation. I have rented through VBRO many times in the past but will be very wary about renting from VRBO in the future - at least until the threat of COVID is over.

I used VRBO successfully for many years before it became part of Google and Expedia. However, since then, customer service has gone downhill exponentially. This most recent reservation was the worst. VRBO actually lost all records of the reservation I made. I called the property manager where I booked my vacation, and the manager confirmed that I had a valid reservation made through VRBO. However, after spending 30 minutes on VRBO's website waiting for a virtual chat, the customer service rep typed "Hello Are you there?" Then left the chat while I was typing a reply. I waited another 35 minutes for a new customer service rep, who could only confirm that I never made a reservation with VRBO. My case was supposedly sent to a higher case resolution center, which I was promised a reply in 72 hours. I have never received any other contact from VRBO, except emails trying to earn more of my business.

My trip to London/Ireland has been cancelled by my airline due to COVID 19.
The apt I booked in London has a no cancellation no refund policy and requires payment up front
I agreed to this not having any idea what was coming.
Even though I have booked through VRBO many times and have had to change or cancel plans without issue, they are not intervening or assisting me in any way
This owner is keeping $4000 of mine and not allowing a reschedule or even a partial refund.
Until VRBO has a consistent policy so that every travel is treated the same by every owner, I will not be using them or referring them to anyone.
The customer service people did nothing but write an email to owner which states same thing I did.
I understand we are all affected. I also understand that I have to look out for myself. I just thought a company this big, with this much social media presence, would try harder to solves this problem.

First time using VRBO and I will never use them again. I have been trying to get in touch with them for over a month. I have been calling and never getting through the automated system. I have sent multiple emails and never gotten a response and I have left messages and never got a call back regarding a refund. Not to mention their fees are astronomical. I did not realize there were so many extra fees that sent my reservation total through the roof! Not worth the time or money I have invested in a 3 day vacation! Stay clear of their rentals!

What a terrible experience. Canceled a home rental in March and still fighting refund. Owner and VRBO worthless at this point. Look elsewhere. Working with insurance and provided proof of surgery, and dr written documentation stating not allowed to travel and COVID high risk for others.

O my goodness! Long story short. We got to our cabin about 7 pm it was dirty from the last renters. We called the owners but also vrbo they said if there wasn't a resolution they'd put us in a hotel for the night. While on hold the line was disconnected and I never recieved a call back. We went back to the cabin at 945 and it still wasn't clean! When I called back the 2nd time and asked for a refund, Vrbo representative (after seeing photo confirmation of the dirty cabin) stated " well ma'am it's very late where do you think you are going to stay?". I don't understand how that mattered but it took may phone calls back and forth with the owner and vrbo to get my refund.

Our daughter booked a high end property through VRBO. What she did not know was that the property did not exist but yet was featured prominently on their website. Of course after she booked and paid for the rental she finds out that the property is not there. There was fraud and she was mislead yet the fraud department from VRBO does absolutely nothing. You cannot even talk to them or be connected once you call VRBO 1 800 number.
How many other people have been defrauded?
Please be aware and don't do business with this organization

Over the past month I have had several suspicious scam inquiries about my property through VRBO. These inquiries have CO-INCIDED WITH AN ATTEMPTED BREAK IN. The scam inquiries tend to have a common pattern:-

Inquiries are for stays which would commence within the next 1 - 3 days
The person inquiring asks for confirmation if the property is available (in spite of the fact that the specific VRBO calendar shows the home is available)
The"person" inquiring puts in their credit card details to hold the booking until a response is received.

The homeowner is then obliged to respond in some way.

Unfortunately as a Homeowner you are penalized by VRBO for declining any inquiry or letting the inquiry time out. If the inquiry is accepted the credit card will be declined and there will be no further response from the individual making the inquiry. However the scammer will then have the confirmation that your property is empty.

BEWARE of any inquiries like this.

VRBO recommend that homeowners specifically pinpoint their property on the advertising site location map. DO NOT DO THIS. Potential scammers will be able to obtain your exact address by taking that information and looking on Google Maps.

I booked a trip for my son 11th birthday and paid the amount in full. A day later I was emailed from the property owner stating that the house was already booked and my reservations was canceled. I haven't yet to receive and refund and my son trip was ruined. I saved for that trip and we was unable to go because I didn't have the extra money after they took $900 for me. I am a single mother and this was so upsetting to me and my son. I feel that if the place is not available, it shouldn't be listed on the website and if a mistake do take place, someone should be more responsible and refund your money back as soon as possible. But this haven't been the case. I have been waiting patiently and now I am going to go through my bank to get a refund. I will never use this company again and I advise others to be careful. Then you call and no one sen to know what's going on. Never again, never again!

DO NOT RENT UNIT 1607
Review of Club Wyndham Ocean Walk

The owner of this Unit 1607 at Ocean Walk 300 N. Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach FL ******* is a straight up crook!
We were suppose to arrive to this location on March 14,2020. However this was the beginning of the Covid 19. The Governor, Ron Desantis, gave a DO NOT TRAVEL order starting that weekend. Therefore, I contacted the owner and informed her that we would not be coming due to the Governors ORDER. She refused to refund our money or even offer a different night stay. She in March wouldn't return my phone calls about this situation.
I spoke to Cindy again on July 2,2020 regarding the refund and she refuses to give us a refund, or a different night stay. She was VERY RUDE and kept cackling (laughing) at me. She told me that I should have gone ahead and traveled like all the other people who didn't follow the Governors order, very unconcerned about my families health.
She is the MOST UNPROFESSIONAL PERSON I have ever spoke to and really SHOULD NOT be in this type of business.

VRBO rents properties that are sold and does not verify their status with the owners before renting them. We rented a property and we are charged for it, the person who owns the property never answered our messages to give us an indication of where we would collect the keys, my family was scheduled for their vacations and with everything ready to leave home we called them to verify where We would collect the keys and the surprise was that the contact person no longer worked with the owner of the property and she said that the house had already been sold that was something terrible for our family because we had nowhere to spend our holidays or money to rent another property because We sent them the money we had in our
Savings for the property and they did not return our money until after 7 days, please be very careful that what we go through does not happen to you.

If you are looking for a safe vacation during this pandemic, don't go to a VRBO property. We booked a property - ID ******* - in Santa Barbara for what we thought would be a safe getaway during the pandemic, but when we got there it was totally unsanitary. There were nubs of soap and hair in the bathroom from the last visitors, a dirty sponge in the kitchen, half eaten chocolate bars in the cupboards, stained moldy smelling towels and bedding, hand and footprints on the walls, etc. We immediately called and complained and they told us if we left we would get a refund. We ruined our vacation and left, however, the refund they informed us we would be getting was for an arbitrary amount that didn't reflect what we actually paid, shorting us about $500+. We called VRBO to intervene - spending 4 1/2+ hours on hold, getting disconnected, calling back, starting over, etc. - and they basically passed the buck, saying it's the property management company of that particularly property to blame. So, in essence, VRBO will take your money, but they will take none of the responsibility. The property is still on the site, despite the photos and I descriptions provided, ready to ruin another person's vacation.

Booked a trip to Orlando for my kids first visit to Disney. COVID-19 shows up, Florida parks and beaches close. VRBO/Homeaway provided guidance to owners to work with travellers to either refund/ partially refund or let travellers reschedule. With FL closed the owner cancelled my reservation and I was supposed to receive a 100% refund (even told i was getting a refund twice by CS), then the owner declined stating that it was under 60 days, even the listing page says within 30 days gets a 50% refund, still the owner declines that, and would not let me reschedule any dates. Then cut off communication with me. VRBO/HA then says we strongly encourage owners to follow the policy but if they decline there "nothing they can do". It took about an hour on the phone with the "supervisor" reading from a script to get him to admit that ultimately I was not getting a penny back.