VRBO.com

I have rented condos through VBRO many times over the years I recently used their website to rent a condo and was charged a $"service fee" which I have never been charged before After spending multiple phone calls and minutes on hold, I was informed there was nothing they would do and as of Feb all people are charged a service fee This despite the fact that the website took me to a realtor and the realtor and condo association charged me more fees to rent this condo So the rental was via the realty company but I was charged $for the use of VBRO website to find them Outrageous Never again

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention, we do apologize for the delay in our response.This consumer contacted us in case# [redacted] back on 8/9/According to our records the consumer called and was not happy with the search results of his propertyUnfortunately the case is noted that the call terminated and we do not have any additional specific detail to assist with the case documentation.We would like to request that this consumer call us back and reference his internal case number and ask to speak with a resolutions team memberWe would be happy to try and assist

sent the following response to the Revdex.com: Thank you bringing this matter to our attentionWe do show that this consumer did contact us and request a refund to an annual subscription feeBelow is a timeline of the specific contacts that are notated in this consumers case /> 8/31/- Consumer reached out requesting a refund, HomeAway representative explained that he not applicable for a refundConsumer asked to speak with an escalation agent 9/2/Escalation agent called back (#1), was only able to leave a message at number provided 9/3/2014Escalation agent called back (#2), was only able to leave a message at number provided 9/5/Consumer called in and did not want to speak with senior agents and asked to speak with one of the previous escalation agents, set call back 9/6/9/3/2014Escalation agent called back (#3), was unable to leave a message at telephone numbers on account and provided, sent email explaining where he can read our specific refund policy Unfortunately this consumer is not applicable for a subscription refund based on our refund policy found here: http://www.homeaway.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions/HA_no_booking_no_fe...⇄

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I was specifically told by VRBO, after filing my complaint, that if the property owner did not refund my money that they would refund my money and now they are not standing by that Regards, [redacted]

I recently booked an apartment at vrbo.com for my family vacationBut the day before my scheduled arrival, the owner informed me he had to cancel my reservation because of emergencyAs a traveler, you'll never want to be in this kind of nightmareIt is even worse that vrbo.com/HomeAway told me they could do nothing about it except letting me file a complaint to the ownerIn vrbo's own words, "we are an advertising venue"I filed the complaint, but you can imagine what this kind of owner would do - No response at allWhat frustrated me more is when I rated this owner a star out of on vrbo.com, they rejected my rating saying "It would appear you did not stay at the property being reviewed"They want to protect this kind of irresponsible owner! If you are a traveler, never rent on vrbo.comThey just take your money but commit for nothing

booked a property three months in advance. Two months out from the date of arrival, my owner messaged me saying she no longer wants to rent the property over the dates booked and informs me that I need to be the one to cancel the reservation. Clearly, the owner does not want to be dinged by the penalties accompanying a canceled reservation. I called customer service to receive assistance in forcing her to cancel, as it was her decision. After three 30 minute phone calls with customer service, a claim opened (which they had no record of upon my final call after telling me during the last one that it was created) they did nothing other than email the home owner to tell them they needed to be the one to cancel. They did not flag this property as infringing upon rules/regulations or force the cancelation by owner. Terrible customer service, empty promises, and lack of morality in regards to rules and regulations of running a business. Will absolutely never book with them again. Don’t take your chances, not worth the time or energy.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attentionWe do show that this consumer did contact us about this situation (ref# [redacted] ) and supplied us with a copy of communications that the consumer was having with Holiday Rent Payment (HRP) our third party payment processing company.We are not involved in payment disputes between the owners and travelers on our siteThis matter does need to be handled with this consumers financial institution and HRPThis traveler paid through our third party payment processing company in which this consumer is contracted directly withIf this traveler filed a chargeback then this consumer should fight that chargebackIn the event tat they are unsuccessful in recouping their funds we do recommend that they seek other avenues with regards to this matter.Also this consumer mentioned that they do not have this travelers contact informationThat is not the caseThis consumer simply needs to log in to their account with us and navigate to their dashboard for this particular listing, and they will be able to see the traveler name, email address, and phone number

This complaint is not against HomeAway Inc.We cannot comment on this consumer/traveler’s complaint, because it appears that this complaint is not with our online advertising service, but appears to be the result of a marketplace transaction between this consumer and the owner or manager of an individual vacation home rented by that owner or manager to the publicWe are in no way a party to the agreement or contract between this consumer traveler and the owner manager, and cannot solve this consumer’s complaintOur advertising service is an online site for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property managerSee the Terms and Conditions below that the consumer/traveler and landlord/property manager agreed to about our role hereTherefore, this complaint is incorrectly being associated with HomeAway Inc, and it should be associated with the landlord/property manager.Section of our Terms and Conditions http://www.homeaway.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions:“The Site is a Venue and We are Not a Party to any Rental Transaction.We urge all users to be responsible about their use of this Site and any transaction entered into as a result of either listing a property or renting a property We do not own or manage, nor can we contract for, any vacation rental property listed on a SiteHomeAway.com and other Sites act as a venue to allow homeowners and property managers who advertise on the Site (each, a “member”) to offer for rent in a variety of pricing formats, a specific vacation or short term rental property to potential renters or renters (each, a “traveler” and, collectively with a member, the “users”)"Members" may also include property owners or managers who originally advertised their properties on another website and their listings have been redistributed on the SiteWe also may offer online booking or other tools or services to allow users to communicate with each other and enter into rental agreements or other transactions.We are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users This is true even if the Site allows you to book a rental or provides other ancillary products or services, as the Site may facilitate booking a rental or other tools, services or products, but we are not a party to any rental or other agreement between usersAs a result, any part of an actual or potential transaction between a traveler and a member, including the quality, condition, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any review relating to any property), the ability of members to rent a vacation property or the ability of travelers to contract for properties are solely the responsibility of each userYou acknowledge and agree that you may be required to enter into one or more separate agreements, waivers or terms and conditions prior to making a booking or purchasing a product or service and may place additional restrictions on your booking, product or service.While we do take certain measures with a goal to assist users to avoid potentially fraudulent or other illegal activity of which we become aware, we assume no liability or obligation to take any such measures or actions When we provide warnings or messages to users about any such activity, we do not warrant that such messages are accurate or that such messages will reach any or all users they should have reached in a timely manner or at all or that such messages or measures will prevent any harm or otherwise have any impact."According to our records this consumer also filed a formal property complaint against this advertiser (case# [redacted] )As part of that formal complaint process we did reach out to the advertiser on behalf of this consumer in order to try to get the two parties to settle their disputeWe however do NOT mediate; we simply try our best to put the two parties together to work the situation out if possibleWe also closely monitor accounts that have had formal property complaints filedOur policy is to carefully document both sides of a dispute, and keep track of all complaints submittedWhen a pattern clearly develops where an advertiser is causing problems for our travelers, we do not hesitate to remove that member from our siteI assure you we have taken the appropriate action in regards to this complaint.Thanks [redacted] !! [redacted] *** Trust & Security Lead | HomeAway, Inc[redacted] | o: [redacted] | m: [redacted] | Skype: [redacted]

This complaint is not against HomeAway Inc We cannot comment on this consumer/traveler’s complaint, because it appears that this complaint is not with our online advertising service, but appears to be the result of a marketplace transaction between this consumer and the owner or manager of an individual vacation home rented by that owner or manager to the publicWe are in no way a party to the agreement or contract between this consumer traveler and the owner manager, and cannot solve this consumer’s complaintOur advertising service is an online site for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property managerSee the Terms and Conditions below that the consumer/traveler and landlord/property manager agreed to about our role hereTherefore, this complaint is incorrectly being associated with HomeAway Inc, and it should be associated with the landlord/property manager Section of our Terms and Conditions http://www.homeaway.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions: “The Site is a Venue and We are Not a Party to any Rental Transaction We urge all users to be responsible about their use of this Site and any transaction entered into as a result of either listing a property or renting a property We do not own or manage, nor can we contract for, any vacation rental property listed on a SiteHomeAway.com and other Sites act as a venue to allow homeowners and property managers who advertise on the Site (each, a “member”) to offer for rent in a variety of pricing formats, a specific vacation or short term rental property to potential renters or renters (each, a “traveler” and, collectively with a member, the “users”)"Members" may also include property owners or managers who originally advertised their properties on another website and their listings have been redistributed on the SiteWe also may offer online booking or other tools or services to allow users to communicate with each other and enter into rental agreements or other transactions We are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users This is true even if the Site allows you to book a rental or provides other ancillary products or services, as the Site may facilitate booking a rental or other tools, services or products, but we are not a party to any rental or other agreement between usersAs a result, any part of an actual or potential transaction between a traveler and a member, including the quality, condition, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any review relating to any property), the ability of members to rent a vacation property or the ability of travelers to contract for properties are solely the responsibility of each userYou acknowledge and agree that you may be required to enter into one or more separate agreements, waivers or terms and conditions prior to making a booking or purchasing a product or service and may place additional restrictions on your booking, product or service While we do take certain measures with a goal to assist users to avoid potentially fraudulent or other illegal activity of which we become aware, we assume no liability or obligation to take any such measures or actions When we provide warnings or messages to users about any such activity, we do not warrant that such messages are accurate or that such messages will reach any or all users they should have reached in a timely manner or at all or that such messages or measures will prevent any harm or otherwise have any impact." According to our records this consumer also filed a formal property complaint against this advertiser (case# [redacted] )As part of that formal complaint process we did reach out to the advertiser on behalf of this consumer in order to try to get the two parties to settle their disputeWe however do NOT mediate; we simply try our best to put the two parties together to work the situation out if possibleWe also closely monitor accounts that have had formal property complaints filedOur policy is to carefully document both sides of a dispute, and keep track of all complaints submittedWhen a pattern clearly develops where an advertiser is causing problems for our travelers, we do not hesitate to remove that member from our siteI assure you we have taken the appropriate action in regards to this complaint

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:VRBO advertised 100% payment guaranteeBut now they told they are not responsible for the payment.Therefore, the Company guarantees of activity that is not under their controlSo, they mislead customers with such advertisementIt is not compliance with law.Also, their partner YapStone does not response.I am not satisfiedI consider VRBO needs to provide the guaranteed payment Regards, [redacted]

Vrbo has a "book with confidence guarantee" to protect against last-minute cancellations by hosts. When this occurred to me on a reservation I held for over six months, Vrbo could not be reached and then when I finally did reach them after a great deal of effort, they claimed they had nothing to do with it and would not even acknowledge their widely advertised guarantee. Use ***, Vrbo has poor integrity.

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: just to clarify, are you saying that your business motto is renter beware? You take no responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy of your listings, do I understand that correctly? You see nothing wrong with an "advertiser" lying in a listing about who owns the property? Regards, [redacted]

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Regards, [redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attentionAccording to our records this individual contacted us in case# [redacted] regarding this matterOur advertising service is a online marketplace for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the monetary transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property managerWe also are not a travel agent serviceIf this consumer entered his credit card details then he agrees to the terms and conditions of both the use of our site, as well as any rental agreement terms set forth by the home ownerIn this case it sounds like the booking was made outside of the owners cancellation policy (days) on their rental agreement, and that this consumer was aware of this at time of bookingThe consumer purchased a product called Trip Cancellation Protection which we offer and is hosted though a third party vendor CSAThis consumer will need to contact CSA in regards to any coverage offered through that productThey can be reached at [redacted]

HORRIBLE and insulting customer support. I spoke to Odayl on Oct 28th at 06:09 Pacific time. He is an incompetent agent, who will trash the VRBO bussiness. Overall the VRBO goes downhill.

First of all, we thank you for being a longtime customer.As you know over the last several years, HomeAway has changed quite a bit as the industry has grownEvery year we make important changes to help continue to grow the vacation rental industry and your bookingsOur job for you has been to attract travelers and bring them to your and other customers’ listingsBest match is the most recent change because we know travelers are having a hard time finding the right rental to book and we want to fix that so it means more bookingsWe will test all of the changes to ensure the changes mean more bookings overallYour platinum subscription level remains the most important thing you can do to influence where your listing appears within search results, and unless a traveler has applied a specific filter such as "sort by price" you are appearing within your subscription levelIf you are noticing fewer page views or inquiries, it is likely because you are already booked for that period that travelers are booking for, and it wouldn't make sense to send you a booking request that you have already fulfilledSo that may put another subscriber above you for a certain time, but you above others another time.Everyone wants to find and buy the things that match what they are looking for quickly and easilyThat’s true of travelers looking for vacation rentalsBy matching eager travelers with the best listings for their unique needs, HomeAway strives to drive more bookings for our owners and property managersDelighting travelers with an excellent booking experience encourages repeat travelers and repeat bookings that help our shared marketplace thriveThis is the goal of best match, which we will use to determine search results within subscription levels, as opposed to focusing on listing quality scoresListing quality is still be relevant, as explained below, and we continue to believe that higher quality listings will produce higher performance.Best match is a sophisticated process that looks at traveler preferences as well as the booking experience a listing provides to place listings within search resultsListings are first placed within their subscription level (as applicable) in search results and then sorted based on the best match for the traveler and their search to optimize bookings for property owners and managersBest match is also used to determine the optimal placement of pay-per-booking listings throughout the search results.There are a few instances where search results do not factor subscription level into consideration.When travelers are easily able to find what they are looking for, more bookings occur! To help make sure search results are delivering as many bookings as possible, you might notice:We hope you have been a valued customer over these last several years because we’ve delivered you value and bookings and we hope to continually increase the value you get every year

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Travelers have started to request discounts from owners with much higher frquency than beforeTravelers do not just accept owner's rate the way they "accept" hotel ratesHomeAway fees to guests are an increase to the overall payment by guests and untimely HomeAway is driving the market to an increase profit on yourside, vslesser profit to ownersI am very disappointed at the fact that you continue this fee, which ultimately only benefits you as a multinational corporation, not the owners or guestsI guess you have become the new Walmart of tourism Regards, [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: If a company or THEIR 3rd party partners cannot keep my information secure then I should be able to request that they remove my personal data especially bank details (account information) If I am no longer using their services then why do they need to keep my banking or personal details on file? I find it odd that they refuse to remove the data I have requested Because they are subcontracting YapStone it is their responsibility not mine to ensure my data is safe All I am asking it that they remove me from their system as well as all of their 3rd party subcontractors This will give me the piece of mind that my data is safe! Regards, [redacted]

Consumer is advertising VRBO [redacted] The listing went live on 2/24/ Consumer contacted us on 9/10/(ref# [redacted] ) explained to us that her travelers are not receiving emails from herCS agent ran a test with consumer at that time and CS Agent was able to receive the consumers emailConsumer mentioned this issue happened to her friend as well, CS Agent found that there was an issue with the email address of the Friend of the consumerCase was closed as resolved 9/12/consumer called in following up on previous issue (ref# [redacted] ) Consumer claiming still that when she sends a quote to her customers that when they hit request booking nothing happensShe states that she tested this and she got an error message saying unable to request booking find another propertyCS Agent tried to send an inquiry and then she sent one back and CS Agent was able to request a bookingCS agent advised he would send to tech team to see if there was an issue with these email quotes that where being sentCS Agent advised he was not aware of any issues but would have tech investigate since everything appeared to be working on our end 9/16/Tech case [redacted] , emailed consumer that the issue that she was reporting was resolvedTwo separate occasions we were not able to reproduce As a gesture of good faith, even though we were not contacted until 9/10/and issue was resolved by 9/16/2014, we have added months extension to this consumers listing for the inconvenience

VRBO New Policy - to take as much money from anyone and everyone who's stupid enough to use our website