VRBOReviews 2,004

The tenant found us via VRBO, made a reservation, and cancelled it through VRBO. As result, we couldn't rent out our rental apartment and lost money. Additionally, we have done everything on our behalf according what we have been told by VRBO representative.

We were told by VRBO that this cancellation will not cost us anything (except lost rental money!), then they charged us $25 from our bank account. My husband noticed it while he was checking the bank statement. We immediately requested to be refunded $25 by email and by calling VRBO numerous times! Unfortunately, we either have come across a rude operator or received emails ignoring our requests and told our bank not to pay.

We have even tried to close our account but we have been told that it could be closed only by VRBO.
We still don't know and nobody's been able to tell us, why we have been charged $25 for their customer cancelling a reservation with us!

Lastly, the company even not letting us refund $200.00 to a previous customer's security deposit and not able to cancel the future reservations.

We are listing our property also with Airbnb and didn't have any problems; seems like they are working more professional.

Since Expedia purchased VRBO, the website has declined astronomically. It was bad, but now, it's terrible. I'm supposed to be positioned among 20 other townhomes in my 2 building complex. VRBO constantly moves me from that listing area, where I'm supposed to be located, and moves me miles from where I'm supposed to be located. This has cost me thousands of dollars in bookings. Last year, I failed to rent multiple weeks and discovered that I had been removed from my listing position. Of course, VRBO told me it wasnt their fault. It's Google's fault - so they tell me.
They cancelled all of the people I had booked on my calendar. Suddenly, I was being contacted by potential renters, who told me that a particular week was available. Of course, those weeks were already booked, and of course, VRBO swore it wasn't their fault.
Their analytics are faulty. I'm fully booked 42 weeks of the year, but according to their analytics, I'm not getting any bookings. They give top billing to my neighbors, who don't have 24 pictures, don't have many reviews, and don't offer online booking. VRBO doesn't have an explanation for that problem.
Their customer service people have limited information and cant answer questions about analytics. Neither can their supervisors, who always say that the computer isnt available.
Im moving on to what I hope will be a better experience.

WHAT IS HAPPENING? All the FEES and AGENTSI
Used to love VRBO - used it for years, but now? It's seriously become misleading/false advertising that the site name is still VRBO - rental by OWNER - so many of these places are now posted by RENTAL AGENCIES, which jack up the prices and add fees! Wasn't their original idea to cut out the middle man so people could rent directly from the owners and save $$? Disappointing. - Never mind using VRBO - I just go to the rental agency websites anymore - why bother.

Received yet another fraudulent chargeback. YapStone, the credit card processor for HomeAway/VRBO claims to use advanced fraud detection techniques but they didn't even check the name on the credit card - and they wont provide me any information so that I could check the credit card against the ID or pursue the people who files chargeback. YapStone Inc. is headquarters are in California, so I filed a complaint with the CA Attorney General and them moved my properties over to Trip Advisor and AirBnB.

We were looking to rent a condo via VRBO and had emailed William Bill regarding his condo #*******.
He had a refundable security deposit that was $700 (3x more than any of the others we had seen) I emailed to ask why it was so high. No response. So I emailed again and his response was "if you have to ask then you cant afford to pay for damages." That was not only extremely rude but uncalled for when a valid question is being asked. Needless to say, we will not be staying there and would suggest no one else does either.

Our reservation for a peak time in Ann Arbor was canceled less than a week before our trip because the manager could get a better rate. We were forced to book with a hotel 30 minutes outside of town at an inflated rate. VRBO kept our money for over a month. We were refunded but wind up with inconvenient and more expensive accommodations. They provide no support whatsoever. If you can afford a cancellation, maybe they're ok. If you really need a room, don't trust them

VRBO was bought by Expedia and they did away with the tier system. I have listed my units with VRBO since 2002 and never had a problem til recently. The renter gets charged a ridiculous 6 - 10% fee on top of everything. The vetting of potential renters is next to nothing, and recently we have had underage renters get through the process and secure a reservation. It has been nothing but problems. On line booking should be the owners choice, but this is no longer an option or VRBO will not let you renew your subscription. Take the advice of everyone on this stream and drop VRBO... find a different site!

I booked a flat in Munich Germany for two weeks. I was able to make the initial payment through the vrbo site, but not the final payment. I reported the problem to VRBO customer service and was told it was a problem on the owner's part because they changed bank account information. Fast forward a month and multiple attempts to work with the property owner (who was a helpful as he could be) and VRBO, I finally gave up and made the final payment using PayPal. Customer Service folks could only read from their script and try the same steps over and over. They refused to escalate the problem. They finally said there was nothing they could do to fix their own problem and I was on my own to work with the owner. Don't waste your time using VRBO.

We listed on VRBO in September 2016 same time as Airbnb. On Airbnb we have hosted over 80 bookings with only 1 who turned into a problem guest. On VRBO we hosted 4 bookings with 3 who turned out to be absolutely terrible, including throwing a 40-50 people party without our consent. We found out later that it was because VRBO has been marketing to college students encouraging them to book their graduation party house through the site. It is consistent with the sub-standard crowd that VRBO attracts since Airbnb has cornered the market in quality, professional 30+ age crowd.

Additionally, the 9-10% fee versus Airbnb's 3% doesn't inconvenience me, the host, because I just charge more money to make up for the ridiculous margin that VRBO takes - it sucks for the guest. But it's worth mentioning that for that additional % fee, you will receive terrible customer service and no guest vetting (VRBO's original problem).

There is a clause in VRBO's Host Guarantee insurance policy which is like Airbnb's Million Dollar policy but more complicated and bureaucratic. The clause does not cover bookings that are booked less than 24 hours in advance. It is a pretty important clause! The problem is that the site's navigation does nothing to protect you from these secret clauses. I require that all guests must pay to have this insurance policy, but on VRBO, it will allow guests to book without it anyway. I can only imagine how many more of these shady clauses we would have found out the hard way about, if I hadn't paused my listing and decided I will never rent my home through this service again.

When you try to book a certain area in Hawaii be advised that VRBO 's first 10 -20 pages are only properties that pay an extra fee... also there is a 90% chance the area you think you booked could very well not be. Say your request /filter was the Northshore of the island of Oahu... pages and pages of properties will come up and if you are not familiar with the island you won't recognize one area from another. Believe me. Chances are you just booked a property 45 miles from where you thought you were staying. I'd go with Airbnb... Flipkey any of these will be a better deal and more accurate representation for vacationers and owners.

The dogs bark 24/7 and the owners seem to encourage it-the transfer of noise to my
Mother in law unit from owners dogs is beyond not acceptable-does make the airport noise sound like bliss by comparison-this has been a very long anything but a vacation month I know better than to
Try to write a negative vrbo review because it won't get published-stay away from any
Listing that says cozy in San Diego Point Loma posted on vrbo airbnb etc

My husband and I spent two nights at the Williamsburg Sampler Inn. Comfortable room with silky sheets and a large shower. Loved the eclectic charm of the inn. The breakfasts were very varied with fresh fruit, yogurt with berries, eggs with home fries, shortcake with fresh strawberries and wonderful breads and muffins. The owner and staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We plan on returning again.
Ron & Linda

VRBO is a seriously a badly run company. I own a great Las Vegas property and was getting minimal but some bookings from VRBO (Air B&B is they only way to go) they basically told me because to many of their clients inquired about my property but did not book that I had t switch my plan or they would not advertise me any longer. Not impressed with anything about them-especially there customer service, which is basically NON-EXISTENT!

After having had my listing with VRBO for the past 4 years... it's time to say GOODBYE and go to a more reputable organization... forcing owners to take on-line listings, charging exhorbitant fees from both owners and renters... contract violations, not posting reviews, changing owners ads, problems with deposits from renters, bad customer service, making it difficult to navigate thru the site (always trying to force on-line bookings), showing ficticious rates and then having to explain to PISSED potential renters what a SCAM "VRBO" has become!

PhilippinesI am a consumer who is trying to book a rental property. Initially when I booked the property and paid a substantial deposit I received no confirmation from VRBO of my payment. I chased this with the owner who did confirm that the payment had been made. I am now within 4 weeks of arrival at the rental property and have received nothing from VRBO requesting the balance payment. Once again I contacted the owner who believes VRBO have tried to contact me twice. I rang VRBO to try and sort this out and got through to some young female in the Philippines that struggled to understand English. I am now waiting for a call back from the customer service manager... I will never book another property through VRBO it is too much hassle... I have no faith that when I arrive the property will be available?