VRBOReviews 2,004

I own a vacation rental which rent through HomeAway/VRBO, for which I pay an annual fee. I am also charged a fee when guests pay through their system. They are now arbitrarily charging vacation renters an extra "fee" of 4% - 10% for the privilege of booking through their site. My inquiries and bookings have dropped off dramatically. I had a guest call to cancel, demanding a refund when he noticed the new fee. (I allowed him to pay though a secondary source for which this fee was not charged and he kept his vacation dates.)

Owners are not able to e-mail HQ/VRBO to complain; option has been removed. When we try and call in, we are put on hold for great lengths of time. Ultimately, we are responded to by a very indifferent individual on the other end of the line who could care less about taking our complaint or noting our concern. This is nothing but GREED! There is a right way to do business and a wrong way to do business. This is clearly the wrong way. I wish there was something that could be legally done!

I paid for a year subscription to list my home. After a months, I had no more inquiries. I thought there was no interest. After 6 months, I had a friend who wanted to rent, so she looked & couldn't find my listing. Because I had no business, VRBO HID MY LISTING. They contend I was supposed to update my calendar every month. My calendar was wide open. I had nothing to update. Their terms & conditions say nothing about HIDING my listing. They did not notify me or anything. I have lost 7 months of my paid subscription! TERRIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES!

I am a host. Without notice, VRBO has suddenly imposed a large fee on guests who engage a property through VRB0

The website constantly has annoying and sometimes major problems. As I write, the Control Panel (the place where you are supposed to communicate with potential guests) is not functioning. So, if you have a person who wants to stay at your vacation home, you will not be able to communicate with them - or even tell them why you can't communicate with them. VRBO masks the contact information of the guest so you cannot communicate directly. Another recent, idiotic change.

It is impossible to reach them by email. You will wait an eternity if you call then, and very possibly only reach someone who can't help. If I could give them a negative 5, I would. This is one of the very worst organizations I have ever dealt with. I am switching to Air B&B as soon as I can find the time.

This is our 3rd year listing my cottage on VRBO. Since Expedia bought VRBO last year, our entire experience has gone down the tubes. We had 2 successful years with lots of enquiries. I generated a long list of people who wanted to be informed when the next year's calendar opened up. We have had nothing but rave reviews from the people who have stayed and we have really enjoyed dabbling in the hospitality business. This year enquiries have totally dried up... no return on my annual fee to VRBO of $399. The reason for this change has been that my property is now listed at the bottoms of the results for the town where it is located. It was moved from near the top, because, despite the rave reviews and my excellent response time (a few hours) I would not switch to online booking. We make a very small profit after paying the taxes, insurance, utilities and I cannot afford to pay credit card company fees in addition. I have spoken to VRBO customer service several times without success. And now the real reason is revealed for their insistence that travelers book online with the site... they are able to add a fee that the renter pays with the booking. This used to a site that homeowners were happy to use... a win-win proposition for all parties. Now it is a site where homeowners and travelers are squeezed for every cent that can be wrung out of them, with draconian penalties if you don't cooperate (no bookings for you!). The new fees were introduced without warning or explanation, without transparency (the traveler is not told that the fee goes to VRBO), and in violation of the terms of the annual contract.

I have rented from VRBO for many years, at least 3 homes per year. Until now. I have not gone over to Air BB yet since I was thinking that I was safer with VBRO helping out to vet owners, intervene when there is an issue, etc. NOT TRUE. I had reserved a home for a wedding this month back in November through VBRO. I paid the entire amount up front for the home as requested so thought I was good. 2 weeks ago, the owner, after many, many attempts by me to contact them, VBRO, anyone who could help me get the address of the home as I was hosting a Bridal Brunch. I finally found the owner through an Internet search and was told the home was no longer available. I did get the refund, me, not VBRO, and then called VBRO to get help finding another home. I was told I had to file a complaint and they would investigate. I tried to explain to "customer service", NOT, that I needed a comparable home asap. They told me it would be 2 to 3 weeks before they could help. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No help, no call, no communication at all as of today. I am moving over to Air BB until someone better comes along. I feel better talking to owner direct now. Too bad. VBRO use to be good company.

So now vbro have removed any way of contacting a guest before reservtion other than through their site
VRBO do have their service fee to protect after all, They dont give a toss about us homeowners who have a much larger asset at stake. So now no oportunity to check a persons phone area code. No possibility of speaking to them before reservation... I recently had soemone wanting to have a wedding at my home... no possibilioty of checking and then if you DARE to cancel an unsuitable reservation they have the gall to downgrade your listing. I recently was contacted by VRBO and the person said they were there to help me run my business. I asked her how long she had owned and maaged a vacation rental home and I never heard back,. Personally I am finding booking.com a lot more respectful and easier to deal with. They have a huge worldwide presence and are moving into vacation home listings.

Thanks to North Beach Gardens for a very comfortable visit! Your suite 104 was so very clean and well eqipped. Your staff, from housekeepers, lawn workers, to desk staff were the best, most mannerly and considerate! Darryl Fleming, the desk clerk, went above and beyond to accomodate us> My friend is in a wheelchair, and Darryl did everything possible to make our stay convenient and comfortable. Darryl should be rewarded for his efforts and NBVR should do everything in their power to keep thid young man! Great place!

Homeawy/VRBO's new 4-10% service fee charged to renters will drive consumers to other sites. I am a vacation rental owner who already pays a significant subscription fee and believe the new service fee charged to my prospective customers is outlandish. I would have understood a 1-2% fee, but a whopping 4-10% is plain greedy and bad for business. I have already seen a decline in my inquiry rate. I hope Homeaway/VRBO wakes up quickly and recognizes the folly of their choice. I am now actively analyzing alternative sites for promoting my property fearing a significant loss in business.

This is unbelievable... I am a homeowner who lists my vacation rental on VRBO. Since they rolled out their new service fee every guest that has inquired to rent my home has asked me to give them a discount because they feel this service fee is unacceptable. Why should I have money taken out of my pocket because of VRBO/HOMEAWAYS GREED? I feel VRBO is stealing directly from me and I will not be continuing my business with them once my subscription expires. This is so disappointing and i would hope they'd see how unhappy everyone is and stop this fee ASAP! My inquiries have gone down drastically as well so i will begin posting on their competitors websites.

VRBO started charging guests a dubious booking fee-4-10%. This fee applies only to owners that did as VRBO requested and signed up for on-line payments. Good behavior is punished. Likely, by the end of the year, all listings will have the fee.

Book through vacationhomerentals.com or homeescape.com to avoid the fee. Look at a listing on VRBO and use headline words to try to find the owner's website. Look for listings sites local to a specific area.