Stay with Vrbo to get more stays. Introducing One Key, the first loyalty program from any major vacation rentals platform. One Key is a loyalty program that rewards you no matter how you travel. You’ll earn rewards across Vrbo, Expedia, and Hotels.com, and you can redeem those rewards the next time you book an eligible vacation home, flight, a hotel, car rentals, and more.
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With the Vrbo app, you can:
EARN
• One Key is the first loyalty program from a major vacation rentals platform.
• Book and earn rewards on vacation rentals.
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• Browse private vacation homes complete with pools, backyards, and more.
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PLAN
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TRAVEL
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Find the perfect vacation rentals with Vrbo.
Note: currency is displayed as USD in the property listings unless otherwise noted. Please visit www.vrbo.com/mobile for more information about the Vrbo app.
Vrbo Vacation Rentals Positive Reviews
Scammed by ownerI have been using VRBO for several years and never experienced what I did this week. We rented a place that looked very cozy and relaxing. I always read the reviews and take that into consideration when renting a place. The reviews were good.
We got to our house and found it to be NOTHING like the pictures. It was very cluttered with junk on the outside and the “yard” area was very crowded with stuff and not a welcoming relaxing environment like we were expecting. The front door looked like it was 200 years old and very heat and sun damaged. I’m sure it would not take much to break down the door. The “neighborhood” was very trashy. We definitely did not feel safe there at all. I called the owner and told her we were not going to be staying here based on what we observed when we arrived. She went on to tell me how much she paid for the place to buy it and fix it up. She did not acknowledge anything I was telling her. I have pictures of the way the house looks in person. Not even close to the ones posted. We asked for a refund and she said she would consider it if she was able to re-rent.
I am very disappointed in VRBO that they would allow this host to rent this place and on top of it all she is considered a premium host. I will not be using VRBO in the future..Penelope 11Version: 2021.11.1
Vrbo will scam youIf I could rate them zero I would. They literally stole >$6K from us. We booked a property on the platform in Mexico for a family vacation. Got confirmation from Vrbo of instant booking. Only a few days from the trip still zero communication from the property owner with confirmation of how to access the property. Vrbo says their policy is owners must respond within 24 hrs or be kicked off the platform. It’s been 7 days and no contact. So I guess good for Vrbo that they can kick off a bad owner. But we have talked to Vrbo customer Svc for hours a day for multiple days and they just say pound sand, zero refund offered for us even though we paid for something that they can’t deliver on. They also charged a $500 service fee to use the platform and “protect us”. They laughed at us when we asked if they were at least going to refund that since they didn’t actually do anything for us or provide any actual service. They told us our only option was to actually go to Mexico and they would accommodate us if we got there and had no place to stay. Yeah right! Who in their right mind would travel to a foreign country with young kids with no confirmation that they had a place to actually stay?!?!? Total highway robbery!.Lexi Loves DanceVersion: 2020.25.1
Cool FeaturesSo I am writing my review on the app and my experience while staying at our Vrbo cabin!
Our family decided to stay a couple nights in a charming cabin just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. We booked through the app and it seemed really easy to make all the arrangements. The owner of the property was quick to respond via email about some questions my husband had and send the information we needed to unlock the door to get in! I would say it’s pretty cool that you can make these kind of reservations through an app on your phone! So neat! We get to our cabin, park, get our two little kids out of the car and head inside our cabin! Get inside and find that the place hadn’t been cleaned from the last guests who had stayed there......We were in awhhh....So we tried to reach out to the property owner ASAP and let her know that the place was not ready for new guests! We waited a short time and still no reply. So we decided to contact Vrbo instead. They were very nice about it. They reached out to the property owner who then contacted us shortly after. Long story short, the property owner refunded our two night stay. We still had to pay taxes on that and was charged a cleaning deposit still of $100. Anyways. Vrbo doesn’t take financial responsibility for refunds etc. Its not their fault at all this happened. Anyways..Afwife817Version: 2019.19.2
Cranberry CabinThe picture on the VRBO app doesn’t compare when you drive up to the cabin and see it in person! Out host Captain Tony and wife Nancy welcomed us made s feel more like great friends than guests! Upon walking into the private entrance I was in awe of how beautifully decorated it was with the rustic cabin decor! The bathroom was breathtaking with the amount of detail in making the entire cabin look just where it belongs,in the mountains! Plenty of room in the living area to watch tv and the bed was very comfortable EVERYTHING was PERFECT! Do not have concern that they live upstairs never heard anything, very quite and private! We enjoyed their company,we cooked banana boats for ourselves and them they were such joy to spend time out on the porch and talk! Perfect Hosts! Enjoyed their 2 mini schnauzers Sophie and Marlin, they were fun to watch! We were greeted each morning by chipmunks a ground hog and a baby rabbit along with birds and the sunrise and sunsets are beautiful! This is my ideal vacation spot quite and tranquil not only to relax but reflect on the beauty! Tony and Nancy we will be back before you all retire! Again thank you for making this our #1 vacation spot! Hope to see you all soon! Chip and Karen Little.Crazy Kay kayVersion: 2021.12.1
Beautiful house in RioJust stayed here for six nights with a group of friends and we thoroughly enjoyed the house. It was our first time to Rio and at times, we wanted to just hang out at the house rather than explore Rio because it was so nice. We of course, did both. The house itself belongs in Architectural Digest as it is beautifully designed and well kept. The top floor with the outdoor spaces on either side was incredible and we spent most of our time here while at the house. The housekeeper was around in the mornings and made breakfast. She was very friendly and helpful. We hired the driver Leonardo for the week as recommended by owner and he was excellent. I highly recommend using Leonardo especially if you have group of people. He made getting around town so easy. Owner Eduardo also was readily available via text for issues and any needs. He also left a very detailed guide/rule list in the house which was quite useful. We ate at several of the restaurants that he recommended and they were all amazing!! I would highly recommend staying here if you are visiting Rio!!.Jhaus128Version: 2023.45
Could use some workUse of the app is okay. Does not save my trip boards and creates a new one (which later can’t be found under trip boards) every time I want to save a property. I do not like the fact that there is no way to contact a representative from VRBO directly in the app. It takes you to the website which then takes you through a maze to locate contact information. I also didn’t like that you can’t see a list from the map view when you “search here” you have to click on each individual price bubble to preview listings. I had an issue with a host canceling a day before I could no longer receive a 50% refund. In my opinion it is really unfair for me to pay half price for a place I never got to stay in and had to find something within a week before my departure. I reached out to host to confirm well before the cut off date with no response up until the message that they could not accommodate me and would issue me a refund. All I got was 50%. I booked in July and it is now October if that gives you a timeline. Just be wary if you don’t get a response from a host. Make sure you confirm your stay and even then there’s nothing to stop them from suddenly saying they can’t accommodate and you losing out on your money..SwyeeetSarahVersion: 2021.19
Picture Perfect Cabin!My husband, myself, our son, daughter in law, and 2 granddaughters (8 & 10) spent4 nights at the cabin. We thought it was pretty close to perfect. So convenient to have the creek right in the backyard where they all fished and rode the tubes. Our dog couldn’t hAve had more fun either! The property is private so they had lots of room to run around. We did the gem mines, we hiked Wayah Bald and went white River rafting. At night we sat by the fire pit and soaked in the hot tub. The kids were thrilled to see so many fireflies!
I highly recommend any of the area activities. The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) was the company we went to for rafting-our guide was amazing! A must do!
The cabin is very comfortable and is stocked with everything you need. The nearest grocery store is 30 min so best to bring a few things if you can.
Scotty and Barbara were great hosts! We had a problem with the oven and they went out and bought a new one that next day! We came home and it was already installed.
We’re not even home yet but have already booked for next year!.The NC & SC BlumbergsVersion: 2021.12.1
Cancellation policyDo not use VRBO!!! I booked a property that had great reviews. However when we got here getting to the vacation home was a death trap See Ya Round in St Thomas . It is located on an unsafe mountain road. I had a Full panic attack! Owners refuse to refund not even a penny! Lost almost $3000! This is a scam! They take your money and if upon arrival you are not satisfied you are out of luck for the Entire amount!!! This was supposed to be my birthday celebration! Total nightmare!! Lost so much hard earned money to this owner scamming guests that can’t possible know how bad it’s going to be until you get there!! We as the consumer have no rights. No protection from these vultures. Please do not book with See ya round villa in StThomas. Please do not listen to all the wonderful reviews!!! This is the biggest scam of a lifetime!!! I have traveled a lot in my lifetime. Never ever had an experience this bad! This entire organization VRBO and these owners are ripping people off. My birthday wish is that this entire organization and the owners of See Ya Round villa in St Thomas go out of business!!!.ImmaculaStlouisVersion: 2022.07
Our rental was disgusting, Home Away/VRBO didn’t help usWe weren’t allowed to check in to our house until 45 minutes after check in time. It was gross. Hair all over the back porch from someone getting a haircut, the floors were filthy, there was vomit in an upstairs bedroom, just to name a few. The boats we were promised were not available, the hot tub that was supposed to be ready wasn’t even filled and there were no chemicals. Homeaway said we needed to work it out with the owner. we tried for two days to work it out with the owner. He was unapologetic. We tried for two days straight to talk to someone at customer service. We were told they don’t have managers??? I should not have been forced to stay with my family in a disgusting rental home. Nevermind during a pandemic. They didn’t do the bare minimum. The house was not ready to rent and hopefully they will pull the listing. NOT impressed with how they didn’t help us when we got stuck in a dirty home for our one and only family vacation this year..ChlovertVersion: 2020.12
VRBO Better Than AirbnbI am traveling abroad with my daughter and the say arrangements got mixed up due to incident at prior locations. So we had to book a new location and could not book any Airbnb listing due to account issues on Airbnb. So I reached out to my family back in the states to have them assist with booking on Airbnb. Unfortunately all five of us were informed that we had to make new accounts on Airbnb. One person was told that they have to wait for their background check to come, all others were not informed of the reason as to why they would have to make new accounts. More importantly my daughter and I were in distress at 3 o’clock in the morning due to Airbnb not giving us a legitimate reason as to why no one booking was excepted after we provided our IDs and credit card payments. As a matter of fact it appeared as though once we provided our identification we were informed that we have to make another account. For safe travels you should use this app vacation rentals and NOT AIRBNB..LuvKidVersion: 2021.12.1
Easy to useEnjoyed using it!.Poohed,Version: 2017.12
No communicationI have been trying done 9 days to get in touch with anyone at vrbo or evolve vacation rentals.
We are trying to cancel due to the state being on lock down, and have still not heard back from anyone.
They have now gone and processed the entire payment, after 9 emails, Facebook messages, comments, calls, and 5 messages through app.
This is a joke!.JanellesdoyleVersion: 2020.06
Be careful.Even though the VRBO app may show that a place has availability on the calendar, and you book it an put down payment , down, does not mean you have it! I did this only to be told the next day that someone else had booked on another App, for a longer period so my short stay trip was not accepted any more by the owner, after it had been confirmed on the VRBO app. So on cancelling one day later my refund was reduced by $81.00 for something that was not my fault. Felt like ripped off! Terrible way to do business..Gibbs1309Version: 2022.02
We love using VRBO.We have used VRBO for stays in many countries, and we find that it is an easy and affordable way to travel the world. The Hosts are always helpful and fair. The homes we have stayed at have been from functional to exotic, but always clean and secure..GreenscubadiverVersion: 2022.02
Great appThe property was excellent for all of us. This was great getaway from home. We enjoyed each and every moment at the property. I highly recommend downloading the app and search for great and cozy places to stay with kitchenette and living room..Tabora101Version: 2021.18
Vrbo app still lackingIt’s slow, and doesn’t remember parameters etc. The old version was poor as far as always losing connectivity and it being down, but the new one is not much better..Vrbo frequent userVersion: 2019.16
Algarve GetAway…Just got home from a week long stay at this wonderful beachfront suite in Luz.
This is as close as you can get to staying in your own place.
Location is 100%.
Layout is perfect for up to 4 with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A fully equipped kitchen with gas range, dishwasher and a Weber Electric grill out on the large balcony/deck.
I’m new to VRBO… and thrilled.
Thank you for sharing your great home and being such wonderful communicators.
We were greeted after our drive from Lisbon ( which I highly recommend) with fresh buns, cheese, fruit and a chilled bottle of wine.
Great Hospitality-Great Holiday..Dick-richardsVersion: 2024.11
CleanEverything was just as advertised, clean with no issues..Bill & AlethiaVersion: 2024.11
Another day in paradiseI stayed at Frith Estate, January and February 2024
Happy, happy, happy
I truly hit the jackpot here
This was the very best get away that I’ve ever had
A perfect cabana on the pacific coast, gorgeous sunsets every evening right from my porch
Fully equipped kitchen, comfortable bed, complete washroom large walk in shower
Shower outside to clean the beach off
A covered porch which kept the sun off me most of the day
It was such a joy to hear the ocean, day and night and the breeze from the ocean was so welcomed on those hot days
A table and chairs on the porch and 2 rocking chairs
Eggs, milk and cheese delivered right to my door and a truck packed with fresh fruit, veggies and herbs at the end of my driveway 2 x each week
I didn’t rent a vehicle however other things needed from the grocery store, my hosts took my list and picked up when they went shopping
The hosts Sonny and Sandra have got some really fabulous trees, flowers and shrubs on the property almond, cashew, avocado, lemon, cherry, palm, and many more
Right in my yard, I saw sloth, macaw, monkeys, iguanas, parrots, and so many incredible birds and butterflies everywhere
My hosts have 2 fabulous spoiled dogs who visited me everyday, which I welcomed with open arms
They came for my love, a beach walk, and a drink of cool water I had on my porch
They were a very special part of my time there
Early morning beach walks were terrific, you can walk a long way and see only a few folks
Sunday there is a market about 35 minute beach walk
Folks sell many different things I bought organic coffee, clothing, jewelry, an amazing hat and the best red pepper jelly
And as if that isn’t enough a few doors down you can sit at a table amongst the flowers and have a coffee and homemade French pastry, wow
This was my first trip to Costa Rica and I went as a solo traveller, I never felt unsafe
Sonny picked me up in San Jose and yes it’s a long drive from there to Zancudo but so worth it
Sonny is a great driver
Both of my hosts were beautiful people, kind, caring and respectful
they live on the property and are very responsive when you have a need or a question
Zancudo is a small, very friendly welcoming community
Thanks every so much to Sonny, Sandra, Wendy and Betty for an unforgettable experience
Pura Vida
Kimberly.Cabana paradiseVersion: 2024.11
Wonderful stayWe had another wonderful Florida family vacations. Accommodations were great. Plenty of comfy spaces for all of us.
Just a couple of recommendations. Some new outdoor furniture. Beside the table and chair set there were only 2 Lounge chairs that were in a very sad state. The second would be some platters or serving trays, ones that would be safe to take outside would be best.
Thank you ..Gran GummowVersion: 2024.10
Perfect locationWe really enjoyed our three nights here. The Halekulani Bakery is just around the corner…the coffee, chai lattes, chocolate macadamia croissants, quiche, muffins are delicious.
It’s a short walk to the beach, restaurants, ABC Store, everything is so convenient..DouglasjameswVersion: 2024.10
Love itBetter then Airbnb they actually have entire houses to rent.G1884Version: 2024.10
Nice enough condoWe stayed for 11 nights and overall, the condo was okay
. The unit was clean, bed comfy, A/C units worked well enough, and noise not an issue at all. The kitchen had enough utensils to make cooking in easy. Only spices were salt and pepper. If mobility an issue, not an issue as elevator close to unit. The not so good things are the unit doesn't include a beach umbrella, which nearly all other ads seemed to include. I asked why and was told it was a liability issue , but i could have one for $4 extra per day. The other thing i would say is the buildings in the inner loop would be nicer and the complex is a bit of a walk from restaurants nearby. Would i come back? Yes, but to a different unit likely..LebigdogVersion: 2024.10
Inbox does not loadAlways issues with the in box. Can’t communicate with the hosts because it never loads thus having to revert to e-mail.DanielL52Version: 2024.8
Free International Money Transfer 💸Enjoy high maximum transfers into more than 20 currencies while saving up to 90% over local banks! The cheap, fast way to send money abroad. Free transfer up to 500 USD!AdvertorialVersion: 2024.12
Vrbo Vacation Rentals Negative Reviews
Fees are RIDICULOUS, don’t bother.Downloaded this in hopes it wasn’t as money hungry as AirBnB. It is somehow worse. Didn’t think it was possible. My total went from $495 to $1200 all from “fees.” I know fees are necessary to keep the app running, but come on people. There is no way on God’s green earth I will ever pay for something that is more than doubled from fees like “$125 - management fee” 🤡.
Edit:
After receiving a response from the developers, I’d like to expand just a bit. First off, I respect that you take the time to thoughtfully respond to reviews. I think it is a great idea to incorporate more transparency in your fees. It’s rather jarring seeing your total more than double, but if I knew why it doubled, I might be able to bring myself to buying it. What exactly is a “management fee” and how does that differ from the rest of the *expansive* list of fees? I don’t remember the rest of the fees but adding some type of information as to why those fees exist and what they are would at least be a good step in the right direction. Another thing, if price is solely dictated by the hosts then they need to be regulated. A $125 “management fee” is 25% of a $495 total price. That fee alone has added an additional quarter of what I’m already paying. That is ridiculous. So, hosts either need to be constrained within more reasonable percentages or outright denied from charging outlandish fees like this one —outlandish in my opinion, that is..ReaperrrrrrrrrVersion: 2022.16
Never Again…I booked a place 10 days before arriving and the stay was supposed to be for 30 days - we are relocating and needed temporary housing. We were traveling by car and running a day behind, I messaged the host to let them know and got no response. The day we were arriving, I messaged the host again because I hadn’t received any check-in information. The host informed me she canceled the booking, and since I didn’t show up on the first day, she thought it was canceled - 5 days later the app still doesn’t say my reservation is canceled. I received no refund, and as a consolation vrbo tried to book a motel 6/ super 8 for 3 days until they found a comparable place to house us. I declined and asked for a refund as the motels they suggested did not look safe! The rep said she was making sure my request was escalated, puts me on hold, then hangs up. I called again later that evening, and another rep hung up on me - after placing me on hold to get to their resolution team. Meanwhile, they still have over $2,800 of my money with no date/ expectation of when it will be returned! Moving across country is stressful enough, to arrive in a busy city and have no where for my children and I to lay our heads - and to have to pay more money for a hotel AND another temporary place to stay until we find permanent housing. I am going to fight for a refund AND the refund of the hotel stay that I shouldn’t have needed. Vrbo did not act in my best interest in this situation whatsoever..KaeNriysmomVersion: 2023.12
NIGHTMARE!!!This company was an absolute nightmare. I booked a vacation and paid in full five months ago. Today I went to share the property link with a friend only it’s no where to be found. VRBO assured me that it was still booked and it had to be honored. Out of an abundance of caution I messaged the host and thank God I did. Their response is the property was sold, the rental was canceled, and VRBO should have contacted me. Not only did NO ONE contact me, I never got a refund of the money I paid, and the trip still showed “booked” on the app. Had I not done the leg work to really find out what was going on, id have shown up there next month with no where to stay!!!! No one seemed to think this was an issue. Everyone is pointing fingers and placing blame on the other parties and NO ONE was even slightly helpful. I had to call twice to get my refund processed which should have happened IMMEDIATELY upon sale of the property if they weren’t going to honor it! That was two months ago by the way that this sale took place. That would’ve given me three months to find a new place. But no here I am one month out looking for a place on a holiday weekend and begging for my money back. Absolute NIGHTMARE. Avoid this site at all costs! You can actually book it cheaper by booking it direct almost all the time just google search the address and find the property management company or social media pages! Learn from my experience - Save yourself the headache and money in fees!!!.Lem0174Version: 2023.07
VRBO customer serviceWhen I booked my trip, I unfortunately typed my email incorrectly into the reservation details. I booked the trip and was prompted to verify my identity through my email in order to receive the reservation confirmation and details. I immediately recognized my mistake and called VRBO to resolve the incorrect email. I was told that my email could not be changed and the reservation could not be cancelled. My only option was to continue to call back till the host could be reached and change my reservation. I CALLED 3 TIMES AND SPENT 4 HOURS ON HOLD. I was told I could not speak to a supervisor because they couldn’t do anything for me either. When I insisted, I was told that the call had taken too long and that the supervisors hours were over and he couldn’t be reached. It was 4pm my time. When I asked what time zone the supervisor was in, he was in fact in my same time zone and his hours were until 5:30pm. When I informed them of this they changed the supervisors location and then HUNG UP ON ME and did not call me back. The next time I called I asked to leave a review and was told that one would be sent to the incorrect typed email, which I obviously couldn’t access. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS SO POOR, AND OBVIOUSLY GEERED TO AVOID GETTING CUSTOMERS TO THE SUPERVISORS AND PEOPLE WHO CAN ACTUALLY HELP!!! I was eventually connected to a supervisor who was able to amazingly, change my email and fix the problem very quickly. FIX YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE PLEASE!!!.Poor.Customer.ServiceVersion: 2023.01
Worst customer serviceI was reading some of the reviews on here and I am shocked that there are so many positive things being said about Vrbo’s customer service. Unfortunately that was not my experience at all. I have never experienced such an awful customer service or I should say lack of. My family and I had an awful experience with our Vrbo rental, after many back and forth the owner gave us 2 Nights free( we stayed for only 2 night) however the balance was towards the cleaning and admin fee , $250 total. The main issues from this rental was that the house was not cleaned at all , they came the next day but during that time we had to leave the house and keep in mind we found d a dead mouse in the drawer.
I escalated the issue with Vrbo , the process of even getting a claim is brutal , they finally sent me an email where I would provide all issues relating to the rental I have a full description with pictures , timeline etc. Once that was submitted I followed up for 3 weeks and every single time I followed up I was being told it was being worked on and escalated. Lies! I finally got on the phone and was told nothing was done on the case and nothing could be done , no supervisor to speak to no one to escalate it too, just “sorry no we cannot do anything.” Absurd. No apologies for the lies , no accountability. They really do not care. I will be deleting Vrbo and using Airbnb 100% for now on..Upstate nightmareVersion: 2022.20
The absolute worst companyBooked a house far away from my home 2 months in advance. Paid in full. On the day of, I contacted the host to get instructions, and he told me he is not honoring the booking. He said something about not knowing I was coming until I contacted him, but he DID take my money back when I booked. The customer service at VRBO was laughable. The usual runaround (over 2 hours waiting/speaking with them). Here’s what I learned: a host can not honor a booking for any reason, whenever they like. If they cancel on you the day of, you can’t book another VRBO place because there has to be 24 hour notice to book. On rep told me the problem was test I had booked for only one night (huh?). The next two said they had nothing to do with it. The customer service reps all told me (again and again), there is nothing VRBO can do about it, including trying to help you find another place. Which was a repeated lie- once I got to a “Supervisor” (after being hung up on) he said it is policy to try and find a hotel room in these situations. Nice consistency of message. Of course, the nearest hotel that was available 2 1/2 hours away. I’ve been a customer for a number of years and this is the way I was treated. Not one person expressed any real regret for this screw-up, no one took responsibility, and eventually I was told straight out- your on our own finding your own place, nothing we can do about it..Emka7432Version: 2022.16
Wish I could give ZERO starsTRAVELERS BEWARE I’m giving this a 1 star only because I can’t give zero. The house I rented in Macon Georgia was absolutely nothing like it was advertised. The furniture was burned with cigarettes and broken- the furniture in the kitchen was broken to the point that it was dangerous. There was a huge hole in the deck walking up to the door that almost cost me an ankle fracture. I called the owner and she refused to refund my deposit so I began my nightmare attempt to contact customer service at VRBO. Not only did my “please hold for 15 minutes” turn into an hour and twelve minute hold waiting to talk with a customer service agent who not only had no interest in resolving my issue, when I asked for a supervisor, I was told that she would have one return my call within 4 hours because they were all too busy. That was 9 hours ago. When you call the wait times are so long that you’re in outraged to quit. The online chat help is no help either. They keep you online for an extended amount of time only to tell you to call the customer service line. I have now been at this for 8 hours non-stop just trying to get someone to help. I would be a fool to use this service or it’s glitchy app ever again. TRAVELER BEWARE!! There is absolutely no protection from the owners misrepresentation of their property nor VRBO’s complete lack of concern for the people using their service..Debi PrattVersion: 2023.03
Deceived by Property owner and VrboWe planned a girls trip to Dallas and we were so excited to get here. We booked what we thought was a beautiful location. I reviewed this property several times because the pics were so nice. We arrived Friday to a house that was nothing like we saw. We entered the home to see a BIG tacky board sticking from under the carpet. It’s covering a hole in the floor. There were air conditioning units in the window which was not a issue but it was hanging out the window and anyone could just come up and do anything. Take in mind again all ladies not safe at all. The house is beyond outdated for what we paid. Back yard looks like a construction site and we were planning to hang out side but not at that place. We had to go book a hotel in the downtown area so pricey yes. We proceeded to reach out to the host/property owner name Jerri and she proceeded to hang up in my face. We called VRBO and all we get is back and forth between the 2 and everyone wants to email. I will be contacting a lawyer about m refund since neither can seem to do anything about this mishap. I even sent a video of the place and the VRBO employee was agreeing the place looks nothing like the pics posted. VRBO allows these people to post deceiving pics so these places can be booked and upon arrival the customer is scammed. Bad business and trust me I will be going up the chain and this was my first and last time using VRBO!.WarrdeVersion: 2021.12.1
Ice Storm in the PNWThe ice storm in the Pacific Northwest caused all flights to be cancelled. This were not able to use the VRBO I rented for the week of Christmas. I reached out to VRBO, as I have done in cases of emergency weather like this on Airbnb (Airbnb has fully refunded in similar situations), and VRBO said nothing could be done on their end unless the host decided to come to a resolution and give a refund. We decided to catch a flight a few days after Christmas, the earliest that was available to book. I told the host, and she said that VRBO notified her to cancel and that she was going to put the place back up as available. Our intention was to just pay for the full stay and only stay half the time since no refunds were accepted. The host decided she wanted to make extra money by canceling our booking, keeping our money (since it was past the refundable periods under VRBO apologies), and opening it up for others to book. VRBO is not doing anything about this. So we lost all of the money and now have no place to stay when we come. We will need to spend more to book another place due to our host’s decision. We do not recommend using VRBO due to their policies that allow hosts to take your money like this and have no consideration for guests. We will not be using VRBO again and hope this can help anyone considering it to avoid it. That way this doesn’t happen to you, too..ChelseymcVersion: 2022.23.1
SharonI spoke with 3 different reps. The first rep. Understood how we wanted to pay, there were 3 parties, and we each wanted to pay our share of the down payment. 1st rep said we were only able to use two cards but thought we could get permission from owner to use 3 cards. He took 3/4 of the payment due on two cards. All was fine.
2nd rep- we can use two cards. So I needed to discuss with rest of family. Spoke with owner, all was fine, could use two cards. Called back to book....rep said No we could only use 1 card for down payment, and could use second card for final payment. Spoke with owner 2nd time, with rep on phone with us, but with 3 families each wanting to pay their portion of down payment seemed again difficult to reach an understanding with me using 2 cards, so I just paid down payment on one card. If the 1st and 2nd rep could understand everything without any confusion I am not sure where the breakdown in communication was and why the differing opinions. I finally got the 1 card down payment made, knowing that my original desire to use 3 cards may have been unusual, but with the 1st rep easily possible. The owner was so very gracious, and her property was so beautiful, right on the water, and private. I just think the issue could have been made clear right up front, and no changes in procedure between reps.
We are going to have a great time anyway..567sfhjjytfVersion: 2021.10
FIX YOUR EMAIL VERIFICATIONHow is it that, when you sign up for VRBO, you can take someone’s money without verifying their account first? My personal issue was that I signed up through Facebook (which had an old email from college attached to it). Without knowing, I booked a vacation and gave a deposit, but then I was not able to verify the trip because the verification email was sent to the old email. Therefore.. I could not cancel my trip, I could not verify my trip, and yet you guys still took my money! I THEN had to go through a two hour process of talking to customer service people that were not able to change the email, but rather took me through an arduous process of connecting me with the property owners (which did nothing the first go around). I eventually had to call and cancel the order myself through the property people outside of VRBO, re-create a new account, talk to the property owners that I was re-booking under the same name, and then wait for the money to show back up in my account (still waiting). One of the most ridiculous experiences I’ve ever had trying to book something in my life. If it wasn’t for it being a timely manner I would’ve definitely looked at other options. Figure it out VRBO. And spare me the “we apologize” response with a contact number to call. I’ve had enough time on the phone with your “professionals”..VRBO not a fanVersion: 2021.24.3
ScammedRented a condo with bay tree condominiums in Port Aransas through Vrbo. I had a night shift at work so I skipped my 4pm check in for an early am check in the following day. The room was horrendous roach in the fridge, dog hair all over the bed, dirty showers. The room looked nothing like the pics would leave you to believe. It was worse than a motel and what I paid for they stay was just unacceptable. I kindly let staff know I would not be able to stay and requested a refund by front desk for the dirty room. I was lied to by the host Deborah that they didn’t offer refunds so I had to call Vrbo and argue with the host who was extremely rude while speaking to Vrbo on the phone. I was given every excuse as to why the room was dirty and my pictures of the room were brushed off. Took a 4K pic of the roach in the fridge and host tried to tell me it was a piece of old lettuce… I got a partial refund. They had they nerve to take a cleaning fee and service fee out of my refund for a room I never stayed in and that was never clean… Vrbo also won’t post my review of the property. If you look at their Google reviews they have a low rating but they don’t tell you the full name of the property until you rent. They just try to lure you in with picture. Vrbo allowed the host to to essentially be paid for below par service and lies. I’ve used rental services before but I don’t think this company is worth trusting..RtyhfssgbjudcbhjVersion: 2021.18
Very disappointedOur experience was completely and totally terrible when we arrive to the Resort the computers were down and it took them an hour and a half to be able to finally give us our apartment opening it with the security guards key this was at 11 o’clock at night we were we did not arrive in our room till 1230 after that the next day when I went to get our keys they claim that we were not there registered the Night Shift had not communicated with the dayshift so our experience was that they nobody knew who we were we were able to finally get into our room when they finally gave us keys again the following day and when we arrived in our room employees of the of the resort we’re doing laundry in our washer and dryer inside the apartment without all of our belongings there the following day when we arrived back in the hotel again our keys did not work and again they claimed that we were not registered there they requested an extra fee that we had to pay after all these problems and us with a handicapped child with us what they offered back to us was $100 which I thought was completely horrible my experience at this resort was terrible in my experience with the people that are managing it is also terrible since they did not have our back beware be very aware of what if you book here.Wackattack21Version: 2022.05
Believe me, please do not rent from VRBOI have booked Jan2nd, 2024 to 6th through VRBO back in October, 2023 for Flagstaff, AZ trip for family and friends of 13 members. We have called host company REBL and VRBO several occasions for confirmation of attending parties, host, etc. prior to the trip even a day before the trip and both VRBO and REBL confirmed the booking confidently. Once we have arrived at the rental place, owner claimed he has never rented the place and we end up stranded at place 7 hours from home. Our family and friends hurdled up at restaurant and try to figure out the issue and resolution with both VRBO and REBL but both either put me on hold or hung up during the service call. With several tries (and I strongly believe VRBO service agents are not from US) for several hours into late night, they end up calling me to give me the refunds of the trip without help or compensation to cut the dialogue or agreement. Our family and friends end up staying at last min hotel and book the stay with AirBnB to continue our trip. I will never book again through VRBO as they weren’t taking any responsibility through their issue and only to cut the relationship when things go sour with their mistake. I am warning others who is thinking to book through them as I highly recommend to book through AirBnB or other reputable site rather than VRBO..Dont book through VRBOVersion: 2024.1
High Point Rosemary FlWent here on April 2nd - 9th 2022 for Spring Break. Had gone previous year so went back to same place to stay. This trip was different as far as the stay. They hired new security guards that made it feel more like a jail than vacation. We were not allowed any guests to come visit us in our room or any areas on the property. We rented bikes on the property and because they were left by the door the bikes were taken and put into a locked gate but no one let us know where our bikes had been moved to. We lost a couple of days of our bike rental because of this. A security guard there took two of our bands from us so we had two people that couldn’t get in or out unless someone else was with them. The security guard told us that the owner would have to come to get the bands back. We called the property manager right then to let them know. I was told a few days later by the property manager that the bands were lost or misplaced(by the security guards) but they wanted me to replace two bands at $300 after there insurance claim that I purchased beforehand was denied. In my discussions with the property manager I was shamed by her and told to stay somewhere else from here on out for something that wasn’t my fault. Needless to say this was $9000 for one week. Irresponsible security guards and property managers. Very disappointed..Blackeyes 2310Version: 2022.07
Do not trust, you might be recorded for your entire stayVRBO has an explicit policy that hosts are not allowed to have outdoor audio or video surveillance unless it is explicitly on the listing. We booked a 3 months stay and our host has a doorbell camera and audio recording device that records all of our conversations in the living room and kitchen areas of the apartment and observes us anytime we come in and out of the apartment, which is located in a secured building that has plenty of professionally monitored surveillance. VRBO decided that it is ok for the host to violate the policy and that we cannot leave unless we forfeit the $8k we paid to stay here. Huge violation of our privacy and literally ruined our honeymoon. We are under stress now daily and cannot wait for our holiday here to end.
In addition, the host harassed us by asking for documentation for our service animal, had a camera inside the apt which he eventually let us take down, told us we can no longer get mail or packages after the incident, and tried to intimidate us by threatening to send the police on us if we refuse to be surveilled by him. He also lied to us by saying that the recordings are monitored by a team, only to later say that only he has access to them. VRBO continues to ignore our case, and insist that he is in the right.
Never use them. They are horrible. If you have any problem, you are screwed..RH675Version: 2021.01
Disappointed in VRBODisappointed that VRBO does not hold owner accountable for their mistakes. I booked a trip March 2019 for March 2020. I reached out to the owner and told her we were excited to come. In May, the owner sent me a message to my personal email stating that there was a mistake in the booking and our trip would coast an additional $100 PER NIGHT (plus additional taxes and fees). The email actually went to my junk mail and I just saw it (Sept 2020). I contacted customer service and was told that it went against their policies however nothing was done. They advised I could cancel for full refund, however the availability of other places at the same location was slim and closest thing in our price range was $300 more. I asked if they would waive a portion of their service fees on the new booking and they told me no since it was so far away. There is no way to write a review on the owner. She admitted to me that she sent a few others the same email in regards to wrong price so I know there are others that she did this too. Had she informed me right away, I would have understood however she waited over 2 months to contact me and when she did contact me she sent to my private email address instead of thru the app. The situation is very shady and VRBO should require owners to honor their bookings when it’s their mistake or help vacationers find another place comparable in price..KoonC2020Version: 2020.21
Unacceptable customer service experiencesThe app is okay at finding rentals. However, my first experience with VRBO was so terrible that it will certainly be my last unless they improve their customer service support and fix their cancellation policies to protect renters who get ignored by the rental owner/manager. We unfortunately got a rental that was manage by someone who did not respond for days. I VRBO directly first through the website online chat support, which seemed to be positive, but then I was told to call the corporate customer service hotline number to speak with an agent to “escalate” my grievance about the lack of communication from the rental owner/manager. Because of the lack of contact from the manager and a negative review on the property I was confused about how to proceed and whether or not this rental was legit or a scam. I requested to cancel, and the manager finally responded by cancelling the rental and keeping the $1,700+ for 4 nights. So now we are out $1,700+ and have no rental! The agent from VRBO kept referencing policies and sounded cold and unable to make any changes or even partial refunds. At times, the agent could barely be understood. The customer service was abysmal at best. Apparently, VRBO does not do a good job at quality control and keeping property owners/managers in check to ensure customer satisfaction and good communication..Jtr03cVersion: 2018.20
Guests and Hosts - This App Needs HelpAs both a host and someone who books through both VRBO and Airbnb the VRBO app has slowly gotten worse. Here are the major issues with the app from a hosting perspective. By the way I’m using the latest iPhone pro. Finding messages is horrible. You are notified and then you have to search for it an often when you run a search it will
indicate the search failed (with something like a first name search). If it’s a new message why isn’t the first message in the inbox? Additionally, you cannot schedule messages to go to guests. This feature is in Airbnb and it makes it easier to automate message delivery. When it comes to listing - you are limited by the amount of text to enter house rules, so you have to send a separate document in a pdf (very clunky). It also doesn’t yet have a feature to list if your property has EV charging. The app often logs you out for some reason. Last week it couldn’t retrieve any messages and the app had to be reinstalled on every phone and tablet my group uses to manage reservations through VRBO. I really feel like VRBO needs to work on this app and develop a new version with both guests and hosts in mind. If the app continues to be problematic it will lead to people just not using it or directing people to use a competitor..C_z_andVersion: 2022.10
Messaging mishapWe booked a home for our daughters wedding in San Diego in Jan for May. On the message site we received confirmation of booking through Avant Stay and also we received messages from another person named Ryan Michaels. It appeared Ryan was the owner and Avant Stay the manager of the property. We conversed with Ryan several times throughout the months leading to May. I noticed a discrepancy in dates and address at least 3 times in our conversations. I kept asking Ryan if we had the right home? He said yes. He never double checked and vrbo doesn’t require the people messaging clients to check bookings. The day of travel (we are on the tarmac) Ryan messages me we don’t have a booking with him! I can’t call anyone now since I am on a plane. Mind you 5-9 I asked all these questions with him stating I still had a reservation. We did not know we still had a place to stay at the avant- stay location until we landed in San Diego. This should never happen. I called avant- stay and vrbo for some compensation for the stress and calls I had to make on day of arrival due to their site error and got met with it is all your fault. This was sounding like a scam and we were very worried. House was mediocre with unsafe conditions for a child to be in. Buyer beware of using these sites. Vrbo should have checks and balances..Michelle ArbuckleVersion: 2023.10
Rude hosts, Terrible Customer Service - use AirbnbFirst time trying to book using VRBO and won’t be using it anymore. I made a request for five nights that were available on the app and just assumed I was done. Less than a day later the Premier Host updated my stay to the next day for $10,000 a night. I couldn’t cancel because it was outside the cancellation window so I call VRBO customer service. The agent I talked to couldn’t do anything to cancel but said that even though it said my payment was scheduled for $6000 (half the total plus fees and taxes) that it shouldn’t charge me but I should call back tomorrow (guessing I had an after hours agent). I called back the next day and the agent contacted the host and then came back to me and said that I didn’t respond quick enough to the host (again who is premier) saying the dates were no longer available and that they had accidentally updated the dates to the next day and the nightly total to $10,000 a night. I am baffled the agent didn’t see any issue with this and asked for a supervisor. They said it would have to be scheduled for the next 24-72 hours. I said I would like to speak to one now and got out on hold and then the call disconnected. Why did the host not just reject my offer if it was truly unavailable minutes after I requested it?.DwcuiVersion: 2023.03
LiesI used VRBO twice last year. One time was a Miami townhouse that was supposed to have a balcony with a hot tub and free wifi. Neither of those options were available.
The second trip was way worse. I booked a one night stay in Chicago in August. The person renting the place listed a nice 1 bedroom that would have worked perfectly. That was just not true though. The renter had listed this property as a shared dwelling. The renter was there, wouldn’t leave and wouldn’t allow for private access to the property. He wouldn’t provide a key, there was no access to the house unless he was home and this was beyond bizarre. I chose not to stay there given that I’d be in essence in the next bedroom from him with no ability to keep him away from my space. I complained and got told it wasn’t a shared listing. I escalated the grievance to a “higher department” but didn’t get a response for over a week. At that point, the renter gave me a trash review for my stay although I never entered his property. I complained further to VRBO with no help. I don’t think anyone should have to share a home through this service and definitely not for several hundred dollars for a night.
I now watched a VRBO commercial that said you’d get guaranteed privacy and wonder why they’d let that ad air when they don’t practice this in real life!.JJfromIAVersion: 2022.23.1
Predatory BookingI booked a rental through VRBO in March 2022 and made the first payment on April 1 of $223. I was told the remaining balance would be due on June 10 and it would be around $1500. However to my surprise after attempting to make my payment over the phone with the actual rental agency I was notified that the total balance was more than $1700. I was told that in an email it was made clear to me that I would have this additional charge that I would have to make, however it was never explicitly stated (and I spoke with the rental company a handful of times since I booked to clarify details!!!). In addition to that, the invoice went to my spam mail (of which the customer service rep at the rental company stated “happens often”) and was told there wasn’t much that could be done and it was VRBO’s fault with their marketing. It’s quite unfortunate to me that VRBO would market in such a way that is harmful to the people booking with them, but that’s exactly what happened to me. Now I’m being forced to pay a service fee to the rental company in addition to the service fee I’ve already paid to VRBO in order to book - when none of this was explained upon booking. It’s predatory. Think about the people that can’t afford to pay the “hidden costs” associated with booking through agencies like this. Wild!.Gibby4Version: 2022.11
DisasterWe reserved this property for a family reunion one month ahead of traveling. At 9:02 A.M. on the day of our scheduled arrival, we received a text from Chris, the owner/host,explaining that they were unable to host us this weekend because the management software DOUBLE BOOKED THE PROPERTY!!! At this point, our dogs were already at the kennel, and the car was loaded for departure. The host was not sympathetic, but he gave us a phone number for VRBO’s customer service for stranded travelers. (Seriously? Does this happen a lot?) VRBO was UNHELPFUL, saying that they couldn’t help us find another property, but we should book hotel rooms for the family and send them the receipts. This wasn’t a good solution for our family reunion , so we wasted four hours calling everywhere and finally found a property with Vacasa to accommodate all of us. It was an extremely stressful experience and terrible start for our family trip which we had planned one month ahead. To add insult to injury, during the long weekend we continued to receive emails from VRBO, “How was your first night? Did you find everything OK? Christopher” The next day, “We hope you’ve enjoyed your stay at the Ranch” with check out instructions. What a mess! Beware of reserving this property, You may become a stranded traveler on your day of arrival. Never again..Stranded Traveler 2021Version: 2021.20
Bad ServiceI booked a room with this company. My card was charge twice. I immediately file a report about a duplicated transaction. I was told the refund will take three weeks because of COVID. I was already disappointed, but I understood COVID makes everything more difficult. I waited the three weeks and decided to called. I was told they need to call the hotel to confirm my transactions. I kept going back and forth between this app and the hotel for two weeks with no answers and no refund. After the 5th week I was told Vrbo will not be responsible for the refund because it was Expedia who was in charge. I never made no deal with Expedia, but I was stock with them. Once again, I spent hours calling and asking for answers every call was at least 1- 2 hours with no answers. At the end this company blame the hotel and they blame Expedia. The hotel blame Expedia and Expedia blame the hotel. Bottom line I am still stuck with out a refund and no one wanting to take responsibility for the transaction. This is the first and last time I would ever use this app. Their customer service is horrible and I wasted at least 20 hours trying to fix something that it was not even my fault. Bottom line I paid twice for my same room. Saving a little money cost me twice as much the money I was planning to spent. This is so disappointing 😒..Marisela2020Version: 2020.15
Double booked on NYE after driving 9 hrsWe had a trip to NOLA planned for NYE and the Sugar Bowl and drove 9 hours to our rental home that we booked a month in advance. We arrived a half hour early and just waited in the car for instructions. At our check in time, we were unable to access the home and we’re not given instructions, so we called the host, only to find out that someone else was already staying there and wouldn’t be leaving until the next day. It was a 2 night stay on NYE and New Year’s Day. Do you know how hard it is to find a hotel with 2 available rooms on NYE in a city that hosts the Sugar Bowl?? We ended up paying $1000 out of pocket for a hotel. The whole point of renting a house is to see our friends that we traveled with. The host was nice, but this was her fault for not checking to see if she had double bookings. VRBO customer service was absolutely horrendous. We were on the phone for 3.5 hours, being placed on hold for a half hour at a time and being hung up on, we were getting the run around simply trying to cancel our reservation. They finally canceled it and issued a refund that would take up to 15 biz days. They wouldn’t cover our extra expense for the hotel and didn’t have another home to let us stay in. We will never use them again..Brittany1032Version: 2024.5
I was ripped offI booked for a depto in Destin for 8 people ( usd 1200) not all of the family was going to be able to attend, I requested for support, Vrbo mentioned I should go direct with the owner at Beach view vacation rentals “ Patti place”, as I am new in the app I cancelled the booking on the app but try to look for the owner to solve the problem. They did not answer the phone and finally mentioned they could not help with changes. I signed the contract and when I arrived the department was not ready. I called Vrbo as the owner did not answer the phone and after 1 hour standing outside with my mom 77 years old and my three children ( 4,5 and 9) Vrbo mentioned that we will be relocated in a hotel or will have a refund of the money. We decided to ask for a refund and when to another place, paying usd 200 more than what we expected. After 1 week I realized the money was not in the bank, I called Vrbo and they mentioned that they made a mistake as it was cancelled in the app. I explained them all again , They were very rude and advise that a Supervisor will call me and pitifully they never called neither made the refund. When I mentioned I signed the contract, they said that is something that comes from the system, totally irresponsible, they do not care about customer. Be careful!.PaViToArVersion: 2023.11
Host canceled AFTER we were already on-siteApparently we are not the only people this has happened to. Yesterday my friends and I pulled into the driveway of our beautiful booking in San Diego (exactly on time) only to discover… doors locked… and someone else's belongings inside. We reached out to the host and received an email 20 minutes later canceling our booking (though we'd booked months ago). Let me say that again: they canceled our booking AFTER the scheduled booking time had already started, WHILE we were in their driveway. We'd driven about six hours (one way) and now we are stranded in San Diego with nowhere to go, except to shell out hundreds of extra dollars. Vrbo is offering only to credit the paid amount toward another booking, but the only options this last-minute are honestly pretty sketchy, or exorbitantly expensive, and we are spending all our time dealing with this instead of being at the convention we spent 100s of dollars and months of planning to attend. This is not okay.
UPDATE: They got us into a sketchy hotel with no hot water, and no w/d, in a very run-down part of the city. Far inferior to our original booking. And apparently this sort of thing happens a lot with this company. I've warned my 30,000 online followers to never use Vrbo..BirdsAndTheBVersion: 2022.14
Wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemyVrbo gave me a nightmare experience. The host for my stay in Amsterdam completely ghosted me leaving me stranded. Vrbo was unable to provide me with new accommodations as they assured me would be possible. Their app made it impossible to chat, none of the provided customer service numbers worked, I had to have a friend help login to my account on a computer just to get an international number that did work for me. I was not only told I would be completely refunded in 3-5 business days but that a stay free of charge would be found for me. When they sent me the options they could give me, none of them were even available and they kept putting on me to book a new place in order to move forward. I kept stressing that they weren’t giving me viable options and thus a pointless cycle continued. I ended up having to spend an extra $1300 to book a new place on my own wasting two full days of my trip because of them. I’m still waiting for my refund and have since gone through my credit card company to get a refund. Absolute worst service and I would never suggest anyone go through them unless you want to have your time and money wasted while they do absolutely nothing to make it right..KungfushoegirlVersion: 2022.09
Negative reviews for Properties get censoredVRBO does not take negative reviews seriously or complaints with properties. I left them a message two separate days and neither call was returned. On the third try, I was finally able to speak to someone but they were of no help whatsoever resolving the issue with the property I was staying at. They just blew it off and said to resolve it with the property manager that rented us the place. I used VRBO for an entire month renting about 6 different places and I will not be using them again.
Lastly, since nothing was done about my serious security concern, I left a negative review for the property. After a couple days, they said my review didn’t meet the guidelines because I discussed security deposit pricing (one of my concerns) so I had the opportunity to remove that portion and resubmit which I did. They said they would review again but this time they waited about 3 weeks to respond again stating that it didn’t meet their guidelines. They didn’t give a specific reason either. This time when I tried to edit and resubmit, it stated that I was outside the window and could not post the review. This is a very shady practice for VRBO and I would highly recommend using a different app for your short term vacation rentals..Soccerman177227Version: 2022.08
VRBO will scam you and leave you hanging while running you in circles to fix their mistake.Absolutely horrible customer service. They had a listing up from scam owners and kept telling us they’d contact them to contact us. Tell us they owner will call in the morning after contacting customer service 4 times prior, never called, customer service then tells us call when you are out front. Do so, 6th call, they tell us they will call the manager AGAIN! Meanwhile the window of the actual building says it’s owned by a completely different person, whom we talked to, and has been FOR A YEAR. She was appalled that VRBO has it listed and recommended talking to them HAHA, like that helps at all! VRBO only employes non English speaking CS reps so we continue telling the same story over and over again as we get transferred from one inept CS rep to the next. STAY AWAY from this horrid company. We and the people we are with will never ever use vrbo again. Use Airbnb or an actual hotel because vrbo is horrendous and provide awful support/care for their customers.
These positive reviews are all fake too! Look at the actual comments. One talks about getting scammed and it’s 5/5 stars?!? VRBO is a scam! It’s only a guarantee you’ll be hung out dry if you’ve gotten lucky with them so far!.BlaiceVersion: 2021.22
ABSOLUTELY UNPROFESSIONAL & DISGUSTINGY stay started out okay until day 4 and flying ants began to crawl in through the patio door… IM TALKING 60 or more!!! The property manager responds to everything until an actual problem occurs. I was told maintenance would be sent on march 3… after reaching out numerous times and having to contact “vrbo” customer service, maintenance was sent on march 9th, after I had already booked an early flight home due to being bitten in my sleep & I was officially FED UP. Maintenance confirmed they’re was a nest of flying ants & were able to get in through crack of door which isn’t aligned correctly. The kitchen sink has a dead smell on the side with garbage disposal any time you turn on faucet, also doesn’t run hot water! ONLY COLD. Had to clean some dishes in bathroom sink. I’m The property manager stopped responding, Wouldn’t even answer when “vrbo” reached out about the situation… also refused to give me a refund. I have submitted all evidence and pictures that I have. I will never ever book with vrbo again if this how they allow property managers to treat you, Airbnb would never! Worse booking of my life, ruined my whole trip. Please don’t waste your money with these people. I left my stay 3 days early and have yet to hear from them till this very moment..LayshaiVersion: 2022.05
Stick with AirBnBWe had a few different places rented in Dahlonega GA for our wedding in April, some on VRBO and some on AirBnB. When the quarantine began in March I cancelled all of my bookings. AirBnB immediately processed my full refunds and had an excellent response to the changing needs of their customers. VRBO on the other hand has really dropped the ball. It took them weeks to process my refund and I had to get the owner to actively help and make sure that I got my money back. VRBO only has chat support and the operators have no idea what is going on.
Even worse, my father also had rented a property through VRBO. He wasn’t lucky enough to rent through and honest owner like I was. The owner took advantage of the lack of communication between the company, the owner, and the renter and told my dad he would have to book a new date before the original date could be refunded at 75%. So my dad rebooked first the end of May and the original date was never cancelled or refunded. Now that the quarantine is going to last through the summer he is stuck with a second booking that the owner and VRBO refuse to cancel and refund.
Save yourself a the headache of poor customer service. Don’t use VRBO. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Stick with AirBnB..Tawn9816Version: 2020.09
Nightmare Booking ProcessIt just shouldn’t be this hard. VRBO works great until you need help. Apparently they were having system issues. Wouldn’t accept our perfectly-good card. Rejected payment, tried to book again which resulted in two bookings, several conflicting messages…you’re pre-approved for your next booking, booking rejected, on and on. Unsure if card was charged, tried chat (it’s a bot, zero human response), called several times with a wait time of 30+ minutes, gave up few times, finally decided to wait it out, got through, explained problem and he hung up on me. We are long-time users of this service and this is not the first time VRBO’s absence of customer care has proved to be a several-days-long fight to straighten out an issue that occurred on their end. In this day and age where customer care means everything, how can they still in business? No accountability, no higher management to refer problems to, just outsourced phone lines where you explain issue over and over again, and a complete lack of care when they mess up. I just went and found the same listing on the competing site and booked it in 5 minutes. So much for customer loyalty, doesn’t mean anything to this business. It’s a shame..HJFrasVersion: 2022.19
Holding $3000 deposit for two weeks.Poor experience with the app. The property I stayed at was good, but the app is so poorly implemented that opening the inbox takes > 5 seconds, and loading the messages takes another 5 seconds, which is quite ridiculous given the sheer volume of users of this app this level of QPS basically means the app is not usable.
I booked a property and declined to purchase the $79 insurance for damage (seemingly very high price for a two-night stay), Vrbo then left me with the only choice of paying a $3000 deposit upfront, and refund me once the trip was over. I did not know when the refund was going to happen until the trip ended. TWO WHOLE WEEKS. I have to pay up my credit card in the mean time, which includes the $3000 deposit I was charged. This is really poor user experience as Vrbo is either forcing me to purchase an overpriced insurance that I’m sure I won’t need, or holding my money up for so long for no apparent reason. Feel robbed.
Assume I book three short trips for three consecutive weekends, I’ll end up with Vrbo holding $9k from me and I’d need to pay it up on my statement closing date. Whoever came up with this policy inside Vrbo might have been sent by Airbnb. Will never use the app again..Allison Z.Version: 2023.02
Do not book through VRBO!For the love of God, whatever you do, just spare yourself and don’t book through VRBO. I’ve been hung up on by 7-8 different agents when troubleshooting my stay. I’m sure there are some good hosts where this wouldn’t be an issue, but my first booking experience was a nightmare. I couldn’t get check-in instructions for my stay, tried to get on the phone with VRBO and was hung up on multiple times while trying to prep for my flight. Finally reached a decent agent who helped force contact with the host who had went AWOL. Then, we show up to the property and there are all sorts of issues.. wet towels, bugs, pool was disgusting, etc. of course, no communication from the host. The first night, LITERALLY another family walked into the house at 4:30am with checkin instructions to get through the door (double booked the place). Contacted VRBO again and they escalated my issue to a customer care specialist. They forced communication with the host, and we discussed terms of a refund and terms for improved service and communication. The rest of the stay went fine. Now, my host is having issues submitting a refund (supposedly) and I have been hung up on by 4 different agents and they hang up after I describe the scenario. Please, spare yourself.No12246898532Version: 2022.11
Don’t Take A Chance of Losing Your MoneyI have NEVER left a bad review on anything. Ever. But I refuse to keep quiet about how screwed over my family was by this company.
My family of 10 (3 families) were booking to go to a family reunion. A week out from our date, which by the way we paid in full in February and it’s now July, our host cancelled our reservation saying their “renovations were not complete”. Sounds like a bunch of bogus.
I was returned our full refund (well hopefully, we will see in 5-7 business days if it actually hits our account). VRBO website states that they will help accommodate you if your host cancels. The recommendations they gave us were FIVE HOURS AWAY and you had to cross into another country. Unacceptable. Their website also says they will help to pay the extra if the place available to replace your cancellation is more. However, the customer service representative that was no help to me at all informed me that the policy only applies for host cancellations if they are 24 hours.
So this company announces to their hosts that if they bail on the customers within 24 hours, they will bail them out. This is NOT how you create loyal hosts. This is how people get screwed over. Save yourself and your plans and stick with AirBNB..CJCtxVersion: 2021.12.1
REVIEWS ARE LIESAfter using Vrbo for my first time I was extremely upset with my stay. Hotel was dirty, the room was cleaned twinge and still was dirty, extra fees that where not stated by the owner and after leaving the owner a 1 star review he went and trashed my name. I couldn’t even defend myself from the review left by the owner. If Vrbo looks into the last 3 people who stayed with this owner. All 1 star review. The worst part is the property owner was so disrespectful in his review. I had to sun it my review 4 time before Vrbo would let me even post it. Stating it’s against their policy to report pricing on specific hotel. If I was a customer I would want to know that the hotel charges an addition $60 a night after paying all the fees and taxes on Vrbo. They charged us for towels if we swapped them out, got charged for toilet paper, they charged us for blankets on the pullouts. This wasn’t stated in the contract. Then the owner on top of it all state in his review that I should stay by the freeway where it’s cheaper. It’s not about the money, it’s the fact that he’s not stating the extra fees in contract. The owner is a liar and Vrbo has no support to remove his review. Crazy how mine got kicked back 4 times at that point most of the things I wanted tot state in my review where deleted. I WISH THEY LET YOU REVIEW THE OWNERS WITH THE TRUTH. THEY DONT!!.Hamee13Version: 2020.25.1
Two Terrible ExperiencesMy husband and I go to Las Vegas every year for CES in January. In 2019 we reserved a two bedroom, 2 bathroom condo that was very close to the LV Convention Center. The place smelled, there were burnt-out lights, the blinds in one bedroom fell the middle of the night and everything was worn out, i.e. the bedding, kitchen cabinets.
For our trip in January 2020 we made a reservation for a condo at the Jockey Club. On December 9th we received a message that our reservation had been cancelled and a refund was being sent. It is very hard to get a decently priced room during the week of CES, which is why we always book early. My husband contacted VRBO. They said the owner is not allowed to do that. They tried to reserve another condo for us and said they would pay the difference. They also told my husband that if the owner didn’t respond within 24 hours they would call him to help book another place. They didn’t.
We will never book a place to stay through them again and are telling everyone we know.
BTW, a friend of mine who goes to Hawaii every year has had several people tell her about the nightmare experience they’ve had with VRBO. At least two of those said when they arrive at their destination, found out that the place they had paid for was rented out to someone else..AmoffwifeVersion: 2019.26
No ProtectionsIf you use this app, know that you have only one recourse when things go wrong- to leave a negative review. That’s it.
My wife and I recently rented what was basically a small hotel room in a desert community for over $200 a night. We made a two night reservation but could only handle one night because the air conditioner didn’t work. It was 95 degrees outside and started at 81 degrees inside. The a/c unit blew hot air after the air passed through insulated duct work. We contacted the owner who said we needed to use the thermostat properly. It was set to 68. We asked her to send someone over to take a look. After hours of back and forth texts, the room was 83 degrees at 6:00pm with no relief in sight. We notified the owner we were leaving. Some time later, she finally agreed to sent maintenance but we were a well into the six hour drive home. We asked for some consideration from the owner considering the room was barely habitable with zero response.
Don’t use this app. Go with a company that will protect the customer. Even VRBO will tell you that, if the room isn’t as advertised (such as no air conditioning in the desert), write a review. Again, that’s your only option..DustyOrangesVersion: 2021.16
Use any of their competitorsHighly recommended that you avoid using vrbo and use ANY one of their competitors.
Our group of 10, which was inclusive of individuals who work as first responders/essential services (nurses, teachers, seniors care, firefighters, lawyers and law enforcement corrections) wanted a deserved break/kid free weekend and decided to book a property in early December when the region we were staying in was still in the “green zone” and allowed indoor gatherings. However, due to the uncertainty of future events, it was confirmed in writing by the owner of the property that if for some reason he could not rent to our group due to government mandates, that we would be issued a credit and allowed to rebook for a future date!
When the covid lock down occured and the "stay at home order" was imposed in Ontario, we attempted to reasonably come to a resolution to rebook for a different weekend, which was previously stated by the owner to not be an issue. But to our surprise, the owner went back on his statement and instead told us that he didn’t offer refunds or rescheduling and that he would not allow us to rebook for a different weekend as previously stated because “he could still honour our booking and recommend a one household limit” (even though he charged us for 10 people) and that we would be responsible for any fines issued if we were in violation of the rules. He then suggested that we cancel our booking (no refund) and rebook a weekend that worked for us (charge us another $2,100) so that he could attempt to rebook our dates and only offered us a “chance” of receiving a refund based on the funds he could recoup.
We were then threatened with fraudulent claims that we would be held responsible for damages to his property for the weekend we had booked even though we told him we were not coming due to government restrictions.
I contacted vrbo multiple times to get help in resolving the matter and on many occasions I was either hung up on or disconnected from the chat. They didn’t want to deal with any of it. They also just kept saying they can’t change the cancelation policy, which I wasn’t arguing with them. I was arguing the fact that one of the owners they advertise for was going back on a written agreement that was in place before I booked the property. Needless to say, they did nothing. Their customer service is a joke.
Following our weekend, in which we didn’t attend, I received an email from vrbo to write a review. So I reviewed my negative experience with the owner and how useless vrbo is in resolving any issue and to use caution when booking a property through them.
I then contacted vrbo after 2 weeks of not seeing my review posted and was told they rejected my post because “you didn’t stay at the property”. So I wasn’t allowed to review my negative experience with the owner (to warn others) or with them as a useless company because “I didn’t attend the property” which I wasn’t legally allowed to do...I also asked to put in a complaint about the owner they advertise for and was given an email that doesn’t even work.
In conclusion, I would avoid using vrbo. If it was so easy for this one owner to get away with taking money from travellers and not receiving any help from VRBO in rectifying the issue, I would assume that it is common practice..Branch-11Version: 2021.02.1
First time userThis is the first time I have used vrbo. I use air Bnb very regularly. I am frustrated because I have sent several messages with no responses.Shannonw83Version: 2018.18
AVOID VRBO!!!Used to love VRBO until recent buyout by Expedia. They couldn’t process a simple payment on my recent rental leaving me scrambling to contact the owner myself. Multiple calls and online chats ended every time with promises to get back to me, elevate it to tech department, a resolutions department etc. All went unanswered. No responses until I re-initiated contact.
Their final resolution? PAY THE OWNER DIRECTLY IN CASH!!
Spent 3 days of my “vacation” travelling across a Caribbean island to meet up with the owner and pay him as much cash as my debit card would let me withdraw each day. On the third day the bank flagged my card due to multiple large cash withdrawals in a foreign country. 2 hours on hold for that....
I have used AirBnB as well with NO issues whatsoever. They have my business now. VRBO - never again. Cam I give Zero stars?.Frustrated traveller 2020Version: 2020.05
Horrible refundsThis was my first experience using VRBO.
So I booked a place for 5 weeks and paid for it right away. Turns out there was a glitch in thier systems that allowed double booking at the place that I had prepaid $3200 for amd it is not available.
The host issued the refund right away but for some reason VRBO is going to take 15 days to process my refund. Why? You took my money right away why wont you give it back?
Now I still have to find a place to stay while NOT having my $3200. I am in such a bind right now because of this.
Stick with Airbnb. These guys have put me in such a bad position. Dont know what I am going to do now 😡
I need a place to stay and now I dont have the funds to do it.
I do NOT recommend these guys at all.
If I could give zero stars I would 🤬.Jack Sawfa GoteVersion: 2022.05
AVOID!The app is full of scammers & the customer service is the worst thing that I experienced in a long time. If you see this review don't use this app to book, I'm saving you troubles, money & wasted time!.Pachiko0Version: 2022.05
VRBO should be ashamed of themselvesNot only do they have the worse email and the customer service is operated by a computer that answers question by a computer. We had to take my mom to the hospital and I tried to contact the owners multiply times. I’m beginning to think that VRBO does this on purpose. Do not go with this company and Expedia has dealings with them as well. I’m going to contact both companies and delete my accounts from both.UpsettravellorVersion: 2022.1
Customer service is horribleThe customer service is awful.
We rented a property through VRBO and there were many things that were in the ad and weren’t working or provided at the property.
I contacted VRBO before the trip with the owner telling me there were things missing and they said once you’re physically there, get in touch with VRBO and they’ll find you a new place.
We get there, I waited on hold and had 2 separate conversations with people who ended up disconnecting the call with me. They refused to help in any way.
VRBO is quick to take your money but slow to help you when they promise beforehand. I will never be using them again..Pats19Version: 2021.24.2
WorthlessApp and company are both worthless. Will not refund any amount or allow you to reschedule a booking even during a global pandemic. They could step up and force the policy but refuse.
Use AirBnb at least they actually care about people..Melgol0616Version: 2020.05
The worst customer care everI booked a rental based on the pictures and that VRBO gave the host a “super host” designation. When I arrived the apartment was moldy and the Furniture and bedding smelly and old covered with fresh bedsheets. I contacted the host and he refused to refund. I checked out anyway because it was unsafe for us to stay due to the mold. We were planing a 3 week stay. I called VRBO stayed on waited for an agent for 30 minutes then waited for her to resolve things for 59 minutes. At the end all she could offer was 100 EUR for “minor problem”. I would never use this crappy company again and would never recommend it to anyone..Dr. OsVersion: 2022.12
Don’t use - worst customer serviceWe booked a place and it happened to have mold and no AC after advertising they had AC. We had to leave and book a hotel nearby.
We reported this issue to the company and after being one hour on the phone with the company, they didn’t reimburse us. Since then we have tried to get reimbursed and the customer service keeps on telling us to call back in 2 days to get an update. It has been over a week. UNACCEPTABLE.ChloLabChVersion: 2022.12
Wouldn’t use again - felt sketchyThis was my first time using vrbo and I can confidently say it will be my last. Vrbo’s customer service, app, and help center are lacking. Beware, you may have to make payments outside of the app which is a major liability issue. You’ll also be asked for gov. ID by the actual property manager for safety reasons, but that should be asked by vrbo… for safety reasons.
When I reached out to their customer service team to ask about outside payments, they just said that it’s a norm! When I pointed out that it was concerning, they responded with “we are aware.” So, yea, save your time and go with another service..M. MiscVersion: 2022.05
Terrible CompanyMade a booking. At checkout price was indicated in CND. However, upon checking my bank statement I was charge in USD (eg. shown $500 CND but charged $500 USD). Reached out several times to bring this to their attention but was given a number of irrelevant explanations. At one point they even tried explaining the concept of currency conversion and told me I should discuss any issues with currency conversions with the bank😓. Next, I was told that I should contact the host. In the end I was told that they would not honour the posted price because I didn’t not have a screenshot of the checkout window for my booking. I didn’t anticipate having this issue therefore I didn’t think to take a screenshot of the checkout screen.
Vrbo is unreliable and they have poor customer support should you have any issues. You’ll be given the runaround. I had 3 dropped calls which would constantly cut out..Cl.345Version: 2022.05
Greedy ScammersVRBO refused to issue a refund after i was unable to travel due to Covid19. They would not assist in any way and their live chat was frequently disconnected by the chat agent anytime it was convenient for them. Do. Not. Support. This company..PihslacVersion: 2020.06.1
Don’t Trust The ReviewsI used VRBO to book a cottage in Whitney ON with a host named Karen. After my stay I gave a bad but honest review based on my experience there. The host contested my review and VRBO immediately removed it from the host’s page without even talking to me. I rely heavily on reviews to book my trips and after VRBO did this I can no longer trust their reviews and will never rent through them again..Kurrs86Version: 2023.16
Horrible service5 days before we we’re supposed to leave on our vacation to Mexico we were contacted by the owner who cancelled our booking even though we had already paid! We contacted VRBO right away and although we were refunded in a couple of days we had no place to stay and no time to spend finding something. We were repeatedly put on hold and told we would be contacted. We were assured that our booking was guaranteed and they would help us. They never did and we wasted hours on the phone and looking online. We finally booked a place on our own for more money and not where we wanted to be but by this time we were desperate! Worse service ever!! We still haven’t heard back! I would never recommend using VRBO.Mati63361510Version: 2022.22
The worst everThis is first and last time I use Vrbo. Their customer service is awful. I was promised a deposit of $500 but never got it. I sent an email which was bounced back and forth between customer service and accounting with no answer. It’s been 5 days already. I’m trying to call someone and cannot find a number to call.
When we were in Winnipeg the property owners were not even in the city. We had heavy snow for days. I requested a shovel and got no answer.
This site sucks big time and I will use social media to bring the house down.
I’m so irate now that I want a full refund not just my deposit back..HelonakiVersion: 2022.22
Buttons don’t workI’ve been trying to view the check in instructions and the “View instructions” or “contact the host” button just won’t work, what’s wrong with this app?.ZkllVersion: 2022.11
The platform & the worst customer serviceAvoid VRBO at all costs. The customer service does not help you AT ALL. When all things are leading to the booking clearly being a scam, they make you wait PAST the time of booking to handle the problem. Left stranded with NO place to stay the day and MINUTE of check in, they offer no solutions, creating immense stress and no problem solving skills. Every single thing is preventative and the VRBO team does absolutely nothing to help you. You will be left with no place to stay..Mart00341Version: 2022.03
Issues with appThe app is super flaky, I booked a rental and it told me twice it couldn’t process my credit card and then. I suddenly got an email saying I was confirmed and it was paid. Now I have messages from the owner and I can’t open them in the app to respond. Pages in the app regularly just sit in a state like they’re trying to load but never display anything..FyrwrksVersion: 2022.02
No customer supportWas scammed by an owner at the outset of the pandemic and VRBO did nothing to support..Jmsb1111Version: 2022.1
Virbo condo owners cancel at own willBooked a $200 condo in Edmonton, a month in advance to watch soccer game with my son, a block from Commonwealth stadium so watch for this listing. Owner cancelled the rental for no reason the night before our flight. Sent a message asking why, no reply. He probably got a better offer for more $$ from someone else attending the game. So much for planning. So much for the owner being an honest person. There’s no regulation with this Virbo I won’t be using their service again..GeorgevancouverVersion: 2021.22
TerribleTerrible app. How can I close my account?.Bigyin66Version: 2021.12.1
Despicable CompanyThis is an Expedia owned company that didn’t help us out when we weren’t even allowed to leave our country to travel to our rental property during the COVID-19 pandemic. Greedy owners took all of our money, and VRBO just stood by and supported them. AirBNB did full refunds for their renters - they get ALL my business from now on..Should-be WorkingVersion: 2020.06.1
Oops!For a couple of years now, when I try to access my bookings in the app, I get the “Oops! Try again” message. So frustrating. Never happens in airBnB app so what’s the issue here, VRBO? I just access my account via Safari now..AndreaprairieVersion: 2020.01
Not for hosting!Should be able to switch between traveller and host..A RacineVersion: 2024.11
Functions available online are missing from the appWhy would I use the app when it doesn’t have the ability to select the plus/minus on the travel dates??.I Love/Hate AppleVersion: 2024.10
Downloads in FrenchCan’t switch to the English language,
Très frustrant.VrboFailVersion: 2024.10
Error when bookingI keep getting an error when trying to book. I have tried pc with chrome and vrbo app on iPhone. Both produce an error, “We’re sorry, an error has occurred. Please try again.” I have tried at least 10 times. I have phoned the help desk and done the online chat thing and neither one could help..Cant find a nickname takenVersion: 2024.10
Commercial against Newfoundland TourismYour company is a disgrace! Shame on you!.ABC 123466Version: 2024.9.1
Complete disaster.App downloads completely in French (which I don’t speak). I’ve deleted and reinstalled — same result. VRBO tells me “the supplier changed the language on the app, they have control of the settings, we do not have the ability to change them remotely.” FAIL!.Progress KillsVersion: 2024.9.1
Très Très Très mauvais serviceIls peuvent annuler votre réservation quelques jours avant votre voyage et aucune aide rapide..SmelocheVersion: 2024.9
Unable to change languageI have deleted and redownloaded this app multiple times and it only displays in French. There is no obvious place to change the language to English (or any other language). A useless app..DisgruntledMillenialVersion: 2024.8
Unable to change languageI downloaded the app multiple times and they all opened up in French and i can’t change it to English. 👎🏼.FlashingpeaceVersion: 2024.8
Randomly changes to FrenchApp changes from English to French for no known reason, making it unusable..Harv CravenVersion: 2024.8
Application is in French and there is no way to change language settingsI have recently written a review stating that the application is in French with no way to change the language setting. The developers reached out and ask me to contact them via support or to call. There is no category for this and no number to ring. It’s difficult to reach out and explain the problem when it is made hard to reach and contact someone about a problem with the application software..Willf_10Version: 2024.8
The booking platform is a jokeSave yourself some time, book your travel elsewhere… the app works ok, but this company is nothing but a wasting of your time, it’s a shame Expedia has partnership or owns them, but again Expedia is becoming worse and worse too over the years.Reisse saidVersion: 2024.8
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