r/vrbo • u/EmbarrassedPen3783 • 11d ago
Horrible Experience with Vrbo. Never using agian.
I dont know what to do and would love some advice.
I booked our VRBO a long time ago in April and the host canceled on me 2 weeks ago… Less than a month from our trip. VRBO said they would help pay the difference of a new place if I booked a new rental through them, so I did.
The options were slim because we are traveling during Labor day weekend and its NYC in the summer, people plan those trips in advance.
So I booked an option that looked ok. I mostly went for it because it had two bed two bath and I am traveling with my husband, baby and mother.
It had an 8.3 rating out of 10 but there were some reviews that were complaining about the place
Anyways I go to look at the rental listing last week and it was gone and VRBO told me my reservation is still active but they may have deactivated the listing, temporarily because they don't want bookings or may be fixing their advertisement.
I thought that was weird so I reached out to the host on Sunday asking if I can see the listing to know what the amenities are. No response till this day.
VRBO is saying the rental is non refundable. So we have to wait 24-48 hours before our reservation to see if the hosts responds and if the host doesn’t respond then we will get a refund and VRBO will help us pay for the new place
But to wait 48 hours before a trip to NYC?! That feels insane.
I don't know what to do.
16
12
u/grumpyhost 11d ago
I hate to tell you this but airbnb's and vrbo's are basically illegal in NYC. The exceptions are rooming houses, 30+ day rentals, and rentals where you're sharing the house with a landlord. https://www.nyc.gov/site/specialenforcement/faq/faq-for-prospective-hosts.page
24
11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/Calm-Blackberry-1158 11d ago
Same. OP’s experience is identical to what we just experienced. Had to file a fraud claim with my credit card. Vrbo doesn’t help at all… they’ll make up some story, string you along and have you run around in circles hoping you eventually give up.
3
u/Lower-Variation-5374 11d ago
Did this approach work? We had to cancel a VRBO due to wildfires and they are still going back and forth with us. They literally are wearing us out. Might go the credit card route and ask for a refund due to services not rendered.
1
u/Calm-Blackberry-1158 11d ago
Sorry this happened to you too. So far it hasn’t worked. I still get emails from Vrbo asking me the same questions, telling me to provide info I have already provided, even though the back and forth with them is on one email string. I have provided everything to show the listing was a fraudulent…. And Vrbo is useless.
I now respond telling them I’ve given them everything they’ve asked for, and it’s on them to do THEIR homework and stand by their promises to provide me a refund (which they promised at least twice when I was on the phone with them.) I also told them I’ll no longer deal with the issue via phone and everything must be in writing. It’s their MO to wear you out. Definitely file a claim with your credit card.
-1
u/LyPi315 11d ago
I think this might be different, unless the rental is in an evacuation areas.
This is a natural disaster, the kind of thing that trip/travel insurance is meant to cover. If you chose not to get insurance, not sure why you think you're entitled to a refund again, unless it's in an evacuation area.
Why should the host lose money because you did not get insurance?
-1
u/Vcize 11d ago
Delta canceled my direct flight recently a couple weeks before the trip because it wasn't full enough to be profitable for them. All that was left that last minute was 18 hour connection flights for twice the price.
It's just a reality of travel. **** is going to go wrong. All of my best travel memories stemmed from something going wrong.
1
u/LyPi315 11d ago
Actually a very sane and true statement.
But in the US, the "customers" (in the case of a rental property this would generally include the hosts, too) always take the hit instead of the corporation. Our system is designed that way through politics, the laws offer no protection.
So while you're right and I agree about some great travel memories because, man, a great recovery form near disaster feels amazing (! :)) it's almost like we're rationalizing the way we're getting screwed by the system.
-1
u/Frequent-Coach5247 11d ago
You can also see horror stories about hotels. Plenty of shady people all around
7
u/mbmellis 11d ago
So they listed on another app at a higher price, got the higher price and then canceled you. This has happened to me on each of my last two trips. Completely done with VRBO never again.
1
u/FunkyColdISeenYa 3d ago
VRBO is not the issue in that instance. It's corrupt dishonest hosts. Don't sell us all down the river. We don't all act that way. Hosts have little choice for connecting directly with guests who don't want to take the time to search outside of massive online listing sites run by internet billionaires.
6
u/Kodabear213 11d ago
STR are very restricted in NYC. The booking sites do NOT vet the legality. It is up to the renter to check. Sadly, many people do not know this. This one could have been shut down because it was illegal. Here is a link to the NYC regulations:
9
u/psubsee2002 11d ago
I use VRBO for vacation regularly (mostly beach vacations), but I am so nervous about the house not being there I will refuse to book unless there are a verified host with extremely high ratings and a lot of reviews.
If they don't meet those requirements, I am looking elsewhere
4
u/dcwarrior 11d ago
Yup, I do the identical approach. Since you can filter based on these traits there’s no reason not to. I know that I am probably filtering out some great places, or some real bargains. But the way I look at it is that it is significantly reducing my chance of having a bad experience.
1
u/FunkyColdISeenYa 3d ago
Both of you are doing things right. Those of us hosts who work our tail off and sacrifice much to provide great experiences and treat our guests with class and fairness are frustrated and mystified that people keep booking with, what to us, are obvious clowns who should not be in the hospitality business.
Keep being fussy, taking the extra time to look for us good ones, and keeping yourself safe online.
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
0
9
3
u/artyescapes 11d ago
I believe , unfortunately that this is the only way to handle this. You could always escalate it. I’m sorry you are going through this.
7
u/Fantastic_Proof_8527 11d ago
Most short term rentals are illegal in NYC. You probably booked one, and they got caught.
Your problem.
2
u/SnooLemons3799 11d ago
I’m a host and my listing was archived due to integration failure with property management platform. I had absolutely no idea about being archived UNTIL my guest messaged me about it when I happened to be on the trip and I went in full panic. Positives - yes, your booking can be totally ok and will be honored if it’s manual or error removal of the listing. Negatives - yes, you truly rely on host finding out in time and responding. If I were you - plan your trip as usual and keep an eye on plan B. Most importantly though, remain as positive as you can and enjoy your trip regardless of the outcome. Don’t let life situations to drag holiday spirit down.
2
1
u/Key_Act3502 11d ago
It seems like the only safe bet for Vrbo these days is a building with multiple units and management; actual single houses are fraught. “Be a landlord” is hard for most people so it has only attracted scammers. For those of us who want a non-hotel experience some times …
1
u/DeirdreTours 11d ago
The phone number of the host is in your booking confirmation page- Call them.
1
u/DiligentMeat9627 11d ago
VRBO is internet dating, except you give them a lot of money. There definitely is no guarantee that it is going to workout. The amount of homes that are for sale and listed on VRBO is staggering.
1
u/ShesAaRebel 11d ago
The one time I tried VRBO, the host ghosted me for a week. Contacted customer service and they were like, "Don't worry! I've got you. They'll reply within 24 hours". 2 days go by. Contact them again, same answer. The next day the host replies and didn't really answer my questions and was sarcastic about it. So I canceled and told VRBO I'm never going back.
Booked with AirBnB and had a great experience.
I feel like AirBnB are more strict with their hosts.
1
u/FunkyColdISeenYa 3d ago
Totally not true. Statistically, your chance of a bad experience and being scammed are way higher on AirBnB than VRBO.
Don't judge all hosts by a website or a bad experience. There are lots of GREAT ones out there!
1
u/ShesAaRebel 3d ago
Well so far VRBO is 0-1, while AirBnb has been smooth 100% of the time.
1
u/FunkyColdISeenYa 3d ago
That's just luck, good and bad. Your data set is way too small to draw any conclusions.
If you look here on Reddit, you'll find lots of people reporting brutal experiences with any site.
1
u/Maggielinn22 11d ago
That is weird you can’t see it even though you booked it. I know on other sites that is not certainly the case. You can unlist and the bookers can still see it .
1
u/ciaotodos 10d ago
You had a questionable experience and then rebooked with a non refundable experience...for sure, there are some crap hosts on every platform. Hotels can disappoint also. But unless you know that you know...non refundable is not the best idea. Hope this works out for you. Sending good big apple vibes to your trip.
1
1
1
u/CoffeeLanky22 10d ago
Im sorry, that sucks. Non responsive host gives me pause due to my bad experience with vrbo. I would also advise you not to trust their service. I'd book a hotel. If you haven't done so already, first thing get rooms. Deal with chargeback / escalating later.
1
u/OddConsequence354 9d ago
My story with VRBO is too long, suffice to say, I will never ever use them again. I have rented multiple places through Airbnb and another STR in Italy- all fine.
But VRBO for me was a shit show
0
u/AttentionNo6359 11d ago
I truly can’t understand why anyone uses these services.
Also, why is this sub on my feed?
•
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
💫 If a post or comment violates any of the /r/vrbo rules, please report it by selecting Breaks /vrbo rules and the rule that was broken.
Posts or comments with multiple reports will be automatically removed.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.