VRBO’s earns a 1.5-star rating from 301 reviews, showing that the majority of vacation renters are dissatisfied with rental properties.
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rental property misrepresentation
We just rented this place from Jan 20-26, 2010, and we feel their property description is misleading regarding several features. First, the master bedroom w/king does not have an energy efficient window and needs a bigger heater vent because the room temp remained slightly chilly even with thermostat set at 78! Also, since we had to keep the temperature set higher, the rest of the house would get uncomfortably warm. My father was in the other master bedroom and had to close his vent because it would get too hot in there. There was a broken closet knob, missing handle on one of the dresser drawers, one of the toilet handles broke (which we fixed ourselves rather than having to wait for someone to come out), lots of scrapes & scratches on the walls in the dining area, bedroom, bathroom, as well as doors, railings, and wood floors (which leads me to believe the remodel was done quite some time ago, or one of the previous tenants really banged up the place and the owners have not bothered to fix it yet). Technically it’s 1.5 bathrooms, since one has a shower only, which really needs an adjustable showerhead (otherwise the water goes right over your head unless you’re over 6 feet tall!). The owners should purchase new pots and pans for the kitchen, as the teflon is all scratched up and flaking off. We didn’t want to use them, but didn’t have a choice. Also, note that the rooms with triple bunk beds are VERY small – only big enough to fit the beds, a dresser, and a closet. Lastly, the cabin was not cleaned before our arrival, which meant having to wash sheets/blankets/towels and clean up the kitchen/bathrooms so we could use them during our first night. The owner refunded our $150 cleaning fee, but pointed out that since we received a discounted rate of $250/night (our original agreement, not because the cabin was dirty), he couldn't take off any more than that. In my opinion, that's not an adequate reason because basically he’s saying that since we paid less than the regular rate, it’s all right to get a less than satisfactory property! We felt we should have gotten back a little more money for the inconvenience of having to clean it ourselves plus wait while it was cleaned the following day (thus cutting into our skiing/boarding time), as well as the needed repairs/improvements listed above. After driving through a snowstorm to get to the place, the last thing we wanted to do was clean! The owner did offer a free night on our next stay of 4 or more nights, but why on earth would we want to stay there again after our experience? Especially receiving his response to my complaints: “Thanks for your detailed summary of things we need attention” and “sorry the place wasn't ready when you arrived.” No apology or concern that his place is no longer in the “pristine” condition described in his listing. This place is definitely NOT worth the regular rate of $300/night -- you can find much nicer places in that area for the same price. We ended up renting this place because we thought we were getting such a great deal. Boy, we were wrong!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
customer service
After having problems with posting a listing to VRBO.com, I attempted to contact Customer Service for assistance (twice) and received standardized replies that were no help. I requested a phone number to talk to someone (they don't provide any phone numbers) and was told that they do not talk to their customers, only email. I finally sent enough emails that...
Read full review of VRBO and 34 commentsHorrible vacation rental
My wife and I rented this house for a week in June of 2009. The pictures were very attractive and the location was perfect, the north shore of Kauai in Hanalei. Dawn, the owner, seemed pleasant enough from her emails and the price was within our budget. Imagine our disappointment when we arrived and found the place in horrible shape. Dust and dirt everywhere, the ceiling fans not working. The DVD player not working AND cat feces in the bedroom. My wife is allergic to cats so after one miserable night we left and were fortunate enough to find a another place which is difficult on such notice. Our attempts to deal directly with the owner went nowhere, despite our numerous attempts. Our attempt to deal with VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) went nowhere despite the fact that their complaints department agreed with our list of complaints and voiced genuine concern about the listing. Finally, our attempts to get the 2nd half of the rent refunded from our Credit Card (CitiBank Visa) were unsuccessful for reasons that were never explained to us. WARNING TO ALL who plan to rent a home for a vacation! 1. Insist on a contract that stipulates the return policy. 2. Don't use CitiBank Visa!
WARNING #2: The owner has craftily changed the name of the house on VRBO to "Red Ginger Retreat." Same property. Same dump!
There are a lot of great houses to rent in Kauai. Avoid this one!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I stayed here in 2011. Same story. Owner was abusive. We stayed a few days and moved out.
Its now called Red Ginger Hale.
VRBO keep allowing the owner to repost using a new name to lose teh trail of poor reviews.
poor show VRBO!
220 gulf blvd. indian rocks beach looks can be decieving!!!
During our 6 day stay here at 220 Gulf Blvd, VRBO # 153137, we were miserable. The noise outside the bedrooms were so loud at all hours of the day that we actually had to pull the roll away beds to a different part of the condo to try and sleep. Trucks & motorcycles sounded as though they were actually IN the bedroom with us. VRBO listing stated 'across from Intercoastal Waterway' but there was nothing but a patch of water a mile up the road. This was one of the reasons this condo caught my interest. The true view from the Master Bedroom was constant traffic and an old run down building. When we 1st arrived at the condo, neighbor downstairs came out to TELL us to keep the noise down because she had to work & was 'not on vacation' like us. Also surprised with long flight of stairs not mentioned in description as I have a bad back & mentioned it to the owner right before our arrival. Contacted owner and mentioned a very small refund due to our sleepless nights, she responded 'we don't appear to be able to come to a compromise with this' and 'she couldn't believe our claims' ALTHOUGH 'she knew there was a noise problem'. After that we never heard back. Horrible experience, in my opinion money and memories wasted, don't waste yours!
filthy mountain cove cottage
THE WORST EVER! Filthy does not come close to describing this cottage - Mountain Cove Cottage listing # 93643 in Bat Cave, NC. The owner, Anna Garrett of Asheville, NC is very dishonest. The cottage, despite the filth has a creepy feel to it, as there are dozens of photos of the owner's and their family members all over the property. Not only that, but the owners clothing, shoes and other personal items are in every closet and cupboard to include old opened, out of date food in the refrigerator and pantry.
Owner, Anna Garrett listed the cottage as PET FREE. This is a lie as the owner rents to pet owners and has pets herself that she brings into the cottage for weekend visits. We were told this by her housekeeper who was called in after we arrived. We told the owner prior to our arrival of my severe pet allergy and she blatantly lied to us saying no pets had been in. (We have emails to prove she lied and will take issue with this and ALL complaints to include 28 photos.) We reserved this cottage for 15 nights 9 months in advance.
We traveled from the United Kingdom and had to find another place to stay – this after purchasing groceries on the way to the cottage! What a disaster!
A word to the owner, Anna Garrett: either move in or sell this place. Do not rent it out in this horrible, filthy dirty condition and under a web of lies. SHAME ON YOU ANNA GARRETT!
UPDATE:
As of today, six weeks after the BBB contacted the owners, Anna and Dan Garrett, they have NOT responded to the complaint. The BBB sent them a second letter, three weeks ago; still no response. This reveals the type of people they truly are.
The BBB has informed us that they intend to keep this complaint on their records for three years.
UNCMickey - aka "Reasonable Person" : We have only one TripAdvisor account. We did not harass UNCMickey. She is harassing US on this site.
We stand by our complaint, UNCMickey. WE were there, YOU were not. By all means, please stay at the above cottage. We are quite sure you will fit in nicely.
The comments about us being 'mentally health challenged' are extremely offensive and will be sent to TripAdvisor for their advice. Your behavior is disturbing.
AGAIN: The cottage above had not been properly cleaned in years. It would have taken a week to clean this cottage. The photo's show that our complaint is valid.
UNCMickey, you are on a hate campaign and TripAdvisor will be notified.
Thank you, Stung too!
We're sorry you had a bad experience. The most important thing to remember is that no matter how many good experiences you have had with VRBO, check every owner and their listing number for any complaints. Check with the BBB, as well. It may seem like a lot of work, but it could save you so much grief. Someone told me that if an owner has no reviews/comments on their site and they've been renting for a while, it's probably not a good property as every owner proudly displays their positive comments. The above property had NO ccomments. It's at the owners discretion whether they put the comments on their site - so NO they are not going to put the negative ones on - but will put the postive comments on. (If they get any!)
To round out this complaint, we would like to address the " old, used food" issue. The above commenter "Reasonable Person" AKA UNCMickey on the TripAdvisor froums noted that renters appreciate items like salt, pepper, etc. at the property's they rent. We would like to say that items such as salt, pepper, spices and cooking spray are fine and well appreciated. HOWEVER, items like the ones we found in the above cottage were NOT appreciated. They included out of date salad dressing bottles stuck to the refrigerator shelf, old, used containers of other perishable food, also in the refrigerator contributing to bad odors. Also, in the pantry were dozens of open boxes of items ranging from cereals, pasta, pancake mix, etc. Anyone knows that these items attract bugs and worms. They should be thrown out.
Let's all agree that opened, used food is unsanitary and can cause illness. Anything that can be touched and therefore infected with something by someone else cannot be healthy. PERIOD.
With all that being said, travelers beware and vet property owners very, very carefully! Best of Luck!
We wanted to confirm that the housekeeper's son was in a minor accident - the day before we arrived. Upon her arrival at 4pm, the housekeeper told us that the day before he was in an accident. We inquired about his wellbeing to which the housekeeper replied, "Oh, he's okay, he wasn't hurt... ah...they told me you were coming tomorrow." This was Tuesday. The owners stayed at the cottage Fri-Sat-Sun. (We even photographed the note that the owner left for the housekeeper.) We felt a bit sorry for the housekeeper, as it appeared the owners do not value her much, seeing how they left the cottage in the condition it was in. Most owners would have cleaned up after themselves.
We just wanted to set the record straight regarding the housekeeper.
My husband and I do not own nor have we ever used photo shop. Our photos of the cottage in question are still on our camera's media card. We would be only too happy to allow an independent photography expert to examine the photos which will verify they are untouched.
We hope future travelers will learn from our experience and vet each property owner to the fullest before renting any vacation property. We travelled over 4500 miles only to have our vacation turned upside down. What has upset the the most is the fact that the owner changed their VRBO listing from pet free to pet friendly just weeks before our arrival - not considering us at all, especially since we had the cottage reserved for nine months and we were coming in for 15 nights. At the very least, the owner should have been good enough to consider us and make us aware of their intentions. When we contacted the owner, she promptly removed the pet friendly option and assured us that no pets had been in the cottage. I have an allergy to dogs and she was fully aware of this. But even if she wasn't, the fact that someone rents a pet free property indicates they want a PET FREE property. Right? We even asked if there was a vacuum cleaner in the cottage as we are tidy people and being there 15 nights, would want to keep the cottage clean. All clear indications of what type of condition we hoped the cottage would be in.
The disgruntled reviewer (aka "reasonable person") is not property owner. Not that I am in any way defending the owner of the above property, but looking at it from merely an owner's perspective, they cannot possibly know what we went through and how it effected us. This disgruntled reviewer, to our knowledge, has no vested interest in the above property, but seems to have taken on some weird mission and I am sure the owner of the property wishes she never got involved in what is clearly non of her concern. She has never seen the cottage or met the owners, me or my husband. For her to make the comments that she has is bizzare and quite frankly, disturbing.
Yes, the owner (husband) did give us our money, but it was after we threatened to call the Sheriff. He gave us $100 towards the $162 worth of groceries we purchased, but all of the meat, fish, dairy and frozen products had to be thrown away. We broke even. On top of that, we spent $500 over and above on last minute hotel accommodations.
The owner (husband) offered put us up in a hotel for the night until the cottage was cleaned, but honestly, this cottage was in dire need of a deep cleaning and one night would not have been enough (see photo). Our overall impression of this cottage was forever ruined and we would not have been happy with it even after a week's worth of cleaning. He was clearly embarrassed by the condition of the cottage. We had never dealt with him, only Anna Garrett and it's worth noting that she did not come to the cottage nor did she apologize, even by email. She simply relisted the property as a "Last minute cancellation!"
Our frustration was tripled as we had to make three trips up and down the narrow, one lane unpaved road to the nearest town to call the owner again and again. They do not have a phone in their cottage - nothing in case of an emergency. The cottage is in a very remote area, too. No instructions were given to indicate just how remote it is.
All in all, we are glad to be back home and are a lot wiser now!
Best wishes to everyone and happy landings!
We received our money back the same day we arrived at the property above. Since then, another vacation property owner from Glasgow, Scotland has begun to harass, stalk and slander us - using the factual complaint we made in 2009 as ammunition. The property owner from Scotland is bullying us because we dared to complain about the dirty and smelly state of her apt which we paid two months upfront for. She forced us out and refused to refund us, despite the fact that she turned around and booked the dates we had paid for - before we left! We stayed 24 of the 61 days we prepaid for. We are bereaved parents and the property owner from Scotland has shown no empathy. She has lied about us and the stress is unbearable. Would you please remove our 2009 complaint from this site? Thank you.
I just rental a Newport Beach VRBO CA cottage and came across this site looking for a place to complain. I agree with the renters CHECK the place out throughly...ours was Nasty beyond nasty and I also took pictures and the owner came by three times in five days to snoop around at his disgusting property>>>>I wouldnt even let my dog walk around that place...the owners are just frustrated they are exposed...but im sure there are plenty of dirty people who would be just happy there...for those of us who choose to live clean and enjoy our vacation "crud" free we need to stick together...Sheila
I am an online friend of UNCMickeys but I am not UNCMickey. Mickey is a longtime respected contributor and destination expert on the Trip Advisor website. Destination Expert is something the owners of the website presented to Mickey because they recognized Mickey's knowledge and service to the website. I am also a DE it is a fun hobby. We are not self proclaimed know it alls, nor are we bullys. We love to travel and enjoy helping others. Visit TripAdvisor and see the truth.
Mickey tried to make some sense of this crazy persons attack on Trip Adv. gave some good advice on wrbo houses and wrote about looking at both sides of a story before judging. She agreed that the house should be clean, as I do. The owners of the house admitted it had not had the proper cleaning before the new guests arrived. Mrs. Fry should not be making judgements on the owners and housekeepers arrangement or the story she was given. They Frys should have allowed the owners to have the house properly cleaned and then complained if it wasn't clean enough. I would have taken the owners up on there offer to pay for any place and my butt would have been at the Biltmore Estates Inn or the Grove Park Inn in a $500+ a night room. Sweet!
A little time spent on research would have helped. She should have come on Trip Advisor when planning her trip and asked for help in picking locations and houses. People who are regulars on Trip Advisor and the DEs know a lot about these things and probably could have helped the Frys make a better choice for themselves. For location just get the address and Google Earth it anyone can see for themselves where the house is. I guess the written clues, a retreat on 5 acres, 3 miles from the small town Chimney Rock 20 miles from Asheville was not a good enough description? Some of Mrs. Frys others complaintes are things typical in some vrbo houses. Many houses do have some owners pictures and some houses do not have phones. I looked on the houses website and it does not advertise having a phone. It has broadband internet which most people want and can use SKYPE to make phone calls online if their cellphone would not work.
Trip Advisor does not allow harassment on it's website and it found that Mrs. Fry was using 2 accounts to harass the owner of the house and UNCMickey. The comments were very hateful, as they are here. They removed the topic and all posts Mrs. Fry wrote under different names to harass UNCMickey throughout the forums. Mickey was never rude in her replys to Mrs. Fry no matter what screen name Mrs. Fry was using at the time. Mickey was just her normal thoughtfull and helpful self. After finding out that both people attacking her on Trip Advisor was the same person using multiple accounts she told me she wants nothing to do with this nut and will not come on this website. She told me I'd be sorry if I responded to this mental health challenged person. Maybe I am. I see that Mrs. Fry has brought along her made up friends here too.
Mrs .Fry I'm a photography buff and want to suggest if you are going to be taking a lot of extremely zoomed in photos you might want to consider buying a tripod for your camera so the photos aren't so blurry. Also want to mention here many cameras have editing software on them so actual photoshop is not needed to alter photos. The original shot taken would not be on the card only the edited version.
I feel I must comment on the person calling herself “reasonable person”. She is actually UNCMickey on the TripAdvisor forum site. She has a reputation on there as being a bully and a self-proclaimed “know-it-all”. If someone dares to question her or has a different opinion, she trashes them. She does nothing but contribute to forums all day…
The reason UNCMickey has chosen to attack is because she herself is a property owner who rents her home through VRBO. What the Fry’s have said about the property above must have hit close to home with UNCMickey. It may be that someone who rented her own vacation home complained of the condition, too! You know what they say, “Birds of a feather, flock together!”. About getting the money back – the Fry's said they had to threaten to call the law! Also, finding another place to stay in October in that area would have been almost impossible. It’s the busiest time of the year because of the fall colors. UNCMikey said on the TripAdvisor forums that because of the Fry’s she isn’t going to rent to foreigners in the future. Mrs. Fry is an American! I have read her TripAdvisor reviews. Besides, expecting that a vacation rental property be clean has nothing to do with the country you live in. All of these homes should be CLEAN!
I am not going to get into my experience renting a home through VRBO. But I will say that I was burned the last time so bad that I will never rent another VRBO property ever again. That was out 5th time renting though VRBO and the first 4 were very nice and clean. All it takes is one time to turn you off completely. VRBO was no help to me. I had to go after the property owner myself and trust me, I did. I got him shut down.
If the Mountain Cove property has family photos and personal belongings all around the cottage, that isn’t good at all. It would make anyone feel uncomfortable and feel like they were intruders. These vacation properties are supposed to make the PAYING guests feel at home – like their own home – not someone else’s! Some of these properties are very, very expensive to rent. UNCMickey said one of the people she rents her home to asked for updated pictures of her children! YIKES! That is SCARY! In today’s world, having photos of your family displayed in a vacation rental home for strangers to see boarders on exhibitionism.
If these owners have to rent their home to offset the costs, then they should put their own personal belongings, like clothing, shoes, family photos, etc away in a locked closet when they are not there. Then bring them out during the times they themselves are visiting. And the food issue? NO food should be left in the fridge, at all. As for half eaten boxes of cereal and things, what? Toss all that out for the birds to eat.
Finally, in seeing these photos, the condition of the above cottage is AWFUL! Yes, the owners should be ashamed; especially since it’s obvious they live like that since they stay there regularly. The photos they have on the VRBO site were no doubt taken when they bought the cottage years ago. I bet it hasn’t been cleaned since they bought it either! The dirt seen in these photos has been there a very long time. YUCK! I’m glad the Fry’s added more photos as it adds validation to this complaint. I also hope people see this website prior to renting that dump. More people should complain about bad experiences. It would sure save a lot of heartache.
Please disregard this vicious complaint, Mrs. Fry has put this complaint on other websites including TripAdvisor, and has had it removed because it is not credible. There are different versions of this photoshopped photo on the web, the dirt seems to move from place to place, but it's the same exact shot.
The home was not clean when the Frys arrived due to the housekeepers' son being in an accident that morning. As soon as the Frys contacted the homeowners that day and told them that the home wasn't clean, the homeowner immediately made a call to have the home cleaned, and offered to pay for the Frys to stay in any area hotel of their choice for the evening while the home was being cleaned. Mrs. Fry refused to be reasonable and work with the homeowners in this situation. The homeowners tried to reason with her, but could not so they refunded all the Frys money right there on the spot, and also gave them extra money for the groceries they had purchased. What more can people do?
FYI, VRBO is renting vacation homes directly from the homeowner; the decor of these homes are personal and left up to the homeowner. VRBO also encourages homeowners to leave cooking staples such as cooking oil, salt, pepper, flour, butter, seasonings, and much more in the home as a convenience to the renter. Most renters are happy to find these things in the home, and will help out the homeowner by discarding any out of date supplies.
http://www.vrbo.com/153137
Don't stay here! Condo has extremely LOUD bedrooms because it is located five feet from busy road / highway - Gulf Blvd. Our family had to sleep on roll out beds in the living room it got so bad. Neighbor downstairs (owner's sister) told us to make sure we were quiet the moment we arrived because she had to 'work'. Owners brushed our concerns off and didn't care that our experience was so bad. Would not respond to emails. Also claimed sights of intercoastal water way from bedroom balcony. There is a tiny patch of water about a mile or so up the road. Very misleading description in VRBO. Had to walk up 32 stairs and owner actually asked us to leave to show the condo that is apparently for sale! DON't STAY HERE!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
misrepresentation, deception, terrible customer service
Our week in the village of Stonington, Maine was ruined by the appalling treatment we received from Cathy Pierce McGuire and her company Pierce Property Management (aka Seaside Rentals www.seasiderentalsmaine.com), PO Box 38, Sunset, Maine 04683. We paid more than $2000 upfront for a one-week rental of Bay View House at 35 Bayview Street in Stonington, Maine via VRBO.com/85379. We could have tolerated the fact that much of the house smelled strongly of mold; that the unrenovated first floor was home to numerous bugs and spiders; that the puddle-filled basement was like a scene from a horror movie; and that this rental was adjacent to a loud and unsightly lobster business. By themselves, these issues would not have been nearly enough to ruin our vacation or compel us to call the agent, let alone write a negative review. As frequent vacation-home renters, we can adapt to a variety of circumstances and "surprises" not mentioned in the listing advertisement. But we do expect the things listed to be present, and that we will be treated honestly and professionally by the people we do business with. The VRBO ad for this property listed a "Dishwasher" among its amenities. The fact that the house didn't have one was a misrepresentation that annoyed us a lot. This was an amenity which we had paid for and which mattered to us. Much worse, however, was the fact that after we complained by voicemail to Cathy Pierce McGuire, instead of calling us back and apologizing, she altered the listing and lied about doing so. Rather than communicating with us about our concerns, Cathy Pierce McGuire and her company resorted to deception. As soon as we left her a first voicemail message mentioning the Dishwasher problem, she deleted the item "Dishwasher" from the list of amenities on her VRBO page and from that point on, everyone associated with the company attempted to conceal and/or lie that this change had been made or that the word "Dishwasher" had ever appeared on the VRBO page. On the two occasions when anyone associated with Pierce Property Management actually answered the phone (these people were not even office staff but a housekeeper and a lobsterman; and we don't think there actually is an office staff) we were promised swift return phone calls from Cathy Pierce. These never came. Our request for an apology or explanation about this situation resulted in us being treated in an insulting and offensive manner, by the housekeeper mentioned above (who's also Cathy Pierce's mother, we later found out) who goaded us with, "Well, I hope you have a printout because it doesn't say dishwasher now!" To add insult to injury, when we finally heard from Cathy Pierce McGuire -- 10-days after our initial complaint on a 7-day rental -- it was not to apologize or explain but to insult us and continue the lies. Pierce Property Management (aka Seaside Rentals) of Sunset, Maine is not a company you should do business with. Cathy Pierce McGuire also has other listings on VRBO, including VRBO.com/54893 and VRBO.com/85783. She also uses the names Cathy P. McGuire and Cathy McGuire, uses the phone numbers [protected] and [protected] and the e-mail address [protected]@midmaine.com. We are experienced travelers who have had many good experiences with VRBO and other vacation rentals and have never before written a complaint. We just do not like being lied to and treated badly. It's a shame we had this experience because the renovated half of the house was acceptable, the view was nice from the upstairs balcony and the town of Stonington has many charming shops and restaurants. We only wish we could have enjoyed them more. We wrote this comment as a public service, hoping it will help other travelers make a better choice than we did in Stonington.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I totally disagree. Some people are very nice and respectful to properties. Some ruin things and leave property totally dirty.
I had some guests ruined brand new Foosball table. Some of my guests took down a new fence in the back yard to turn it into a skateboard ramp.
I see that some people are just complainers. They should stay at five star hotels instead of vacation homes since they expect five star service at Motel 6 rate.
It is amazing that a dishwasher can ruin somebody's vacation.
Sorry, I thought I was posting this on the overall VRBO comments. I will try to repost.
Beware VRBO# 173765 "MT EVANS CABIN" in Idaho Springs Colorado/Julia Seniw. This is also listed on VIRTUALLY EVERY VACATION BY OWNER SITE and appears regularly in several Craigs List cities.
This is NOT a cabin, and it's well over 30 miles from Mt. Evans, unless you count a sign for Mt. Evans more than 6 blocks away! This "Mountain Getaway" is really a tiny hovel in town, surrounded by trailer homes.
The pictures and posting are purposefully deceptive to the point of fraud. If your read through the guest comments, look carefully at the dates and names of the posters. One guest reviewer apparently stayed 2 different times within two weeks and also posted THE SAME glowing review for those same dates on one of her other vacation rentals. Then there is another review copied verbatum with two separate dates and two separate poster names. Funny how that happens :) One guest even saw "12 'longhorn' sheep"! That's really interesting since I am a native Coloradoan and I know Bighorn Sheep are generally found above timberline, and are definitely not flocking to someone's back yard in Idaho Springs!
Just to get an idea of how deceptive this listing is, check out the picture of the "Spacious Deck for Wildlife Viewing". Well, there actually might be some wildlife out there after all...& the deck IS spacious (in comparison to the tiny house).
OK, so if that isn't bad enough, there are only 3 complaints for all of Colorado on Vacation Rental Watchdog. Guess who has two of them? When you arrive at this little house of horrors and decide you would be better off staying in a nearby flea bag motel, she will try to justify keeping your deposit. Does she think you are just going to show up and hopefully not realize this "cabin" is nothing like it's represented to be?
The owner is Julia Seniw and she has at least 2 other substandard "vacation rentals" listed in Colorado under literally all of the "vacation by owner" sites. You can spot her listings by all the CAPITAL LETTERS she uses in an attempt to chocolate coat a turd, using phrases that were obviously cut and pasted from legitimate vacation properties in the area. Beware of her and any of her substandard "vacation home" rentals. She is a liar and a fraud! She and her husband Anthony Seniw buy ultra cheap forelcosed properties in towns near high tourism and market them as "vacation rentals" using key search words so they come up high on internet searches in order to defraud you of your vacation dollars.
Next time call Vacation Cottages in Blue Hill ( toll free [protected]) for your Maine Vacationing needs! Ask for Katie she is honest and upfront. If there is a "problem" that she thinks would make your stay unpleasant she will tell you and guide you to the right house! We've used their company for years and have never been disappointed. www.vacationcottages.com is their web site. They cover the same areas as Cathy McGuire (without the lies and deceitfulness)
I agree with the Renter. They paid for, and did not get, what was advertised, there was a distinct pattern of coverup and intimidation by the owner, the lack of customer care and concern is very real, and the ongoing lies and deceptions are definitely worth noting.
Expecting people to deliver less then what was promised and advertised, then putting up with being ignored, lied to and just completely dissed it totally unacceptable. Makes no difference that it was "just a dishwasher". I note that there were other issues that were also quite marginal. The point is -- owners must deliver, or the customer complains, and this case, it was entirely legitimate complaint.
I'm checking VRBO for rentals myself -- and will also check for complaints on the owners. If more people posted their good / bad experience, it would help weed out the scumlords that don't keep their word or deliver what they promise.
What? You never heard of paper plates?!
So all the other issues were not enough to ruin a vacation, but no dishwasher was?
I agree with Manset, you are whining far too much over the lack of a dishwasher when, if the other things listed were true, should have been your main complaint.
Good lord, sounds as though your on a mission to destroy the reputaion of one small buisness because she didn't call back immidiately over a dishwasher.
Mansets, right...and if I were her, I would sue you for Libel in a heart beat. Especially since your adding other properties that she lists that aren't even a consideration of your complaint.
Very fishy indeed.
Your complaint sounds sort of fishy...I'm not sure why you would have stayed in the 'horror movie' rental once you got there and discovered all the things wrong with it.
And to have a dishwasher be the focus of your complaint is rather trivial if all the other stuff is true, don't you think?
It sounds like a personal vendeta to me and you may want to be careful what you write as you are committing Libel per se and could easily be prosecuted if your just trashing someone and thier company.
stole the deposit money
We rented a flat in Israel from Yoav Antman-#12 Emek Refaim St in Jerusalem, Israel 93105 for a week. The owner requested a $700 deposit in advance. We sent the check and it cleared with his signature on it. He claims he never received the check yet he won't send an affidavit confirming his story. Now he wants another $700. This is a total scam and from talking to others it appears this is a regular scam used quite often in Israel. Be careful dealing with Israelis and stay away from VBRO. There is no way to get our money back but VBRO should remove him from their web site.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Contact the Israeli Police asap. Do not send any more checks!
Let the Police know all of the details of what happened and give them the guys number and address. LET THE GUY KNOW YOU HAVE CONTACTED THE POLICE. That may prompt him to respond and give your money back.
The number for their Tel Aviv office is [protected] (you have to add 972 which is the country code) in Jerusalem the number is [protected].
I've used VBRO many times and have always had good experience, but I am sure there are some bad characters out their. In the future, I'd recommend only using PayPal so you have some recourse in getting funds back.
terrible rental vacation
Rental #222405 - vacation home was filthy outside, wasps everywhere that prevented us from enjoying the back porch, a/c didn't work (my husband became physically ill), fridge didn't cool, we had to change our dining plans since the BBQ pit was completely filthy. Neighbors were using the property when we arrived. We had to make our own beds - only 4 towels for a house that sleeps 10-15. House smelled like mildew. Contract requested we pay a $75 cleaning fee but also told us we had to vacuum - I DON'T THINK SO! The light on the multi-level porch operated via a motion detector but didn't come on until you reached the bottom step. After I missed a step & fell, the light came on! The trash can outside was so full we had to take trash home with us. I would ask VRBO to check out this property - I won't use VRBO again because the ad is misleading for this property.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Property # 1089244 Cabin with Spectacular View of Whiteside Mountain on VRBO is a DUMP! DO NOT RENT! we rented thru VRBO and when we opened the door, the disgusting smell of mold hit us in the face. We locked the door and contacted the owners who only gave us back the cleaning fee. This place is nasty. You have been warned. I contacted VRBO and there has been no response from them or the owners and the property is still being listed for rent. It is a health hazard.
It is located between Highlands and Cashiers NC.
fraudulent charges / dishonest owner
Beware of TLC Mt Hood Cabin / VRBO # 151752
This cabin is listed as exquisite, reality is fair AT BEST...beware of dishonest owner as he will hold your deposit hostage upon departure. I have rented from VRBO over 12 times in the last year and never had a problem until I made the mistake of renting from this owner.
Do yourself a favor and rent another property in Mt Hood / Goverment Camp, this owner is dishonest!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Well, I did not read this post before booking and ended up being a victim of the same problem. Apart from being ripped off 50% (250 USD) of the security deposit, we had to stay in rental where:
The kitchen is suitable for 2 people though it is supposed to the needs of 8-10 people
There is a miniature Dishwasher that takes more than 1 hr to clean 10 dishes/ utensils and while it is running no one can work in the kitchen as it blocks out all available cooking places
Most of the kitchen appliances are of ancient origin and the stoves/ burners mostly work on the high setting. This means you always have the cooking spill over and give the owner a nice excuse to charge for extra cleaning.
Ground Floor is always cold like a morgue even with the AC at a 70 degree. This means you have 2 less areas to use for sleeping.
Finally the owner gives 100 excuses to charge you 3 times the quoted cleaning charge.
false advertisement
Bowstring Lake cabin rental in Deer River, Minnesota listed on http://www.greatrentals.com/MN/14085.html and http://www.vrbo.com/68238
The owners of this cabin didn't mention anything about the huge, almost football field sized bog that floated into the shoreline two years ago and is directly in front of the cabin. The dock is unusable because the water and shoreline are so disgusting with smelly, black, muddy, quicksand like dirt everywhere. There was no way we could keep our boat in the water. It would have been black with the black muddy water. The shoreline also reaked with thousands of dead snails everywhere. We had to keep our dog from going in to the water which was extremely difficult.
If we wanted to go fishing, we had to pull the boat out and drive either to a different boat launch on the same lake or to a different lake. Even if you did find a place to swim on this lake, which is called Bowstring, the locals tell you it's not a swimming lake. They warn that if you do happen to get into the water, to make sure you take a shower as it is not good for your skin.
We were charged a $65 cleaning fee. When we arrived to the cabin we found it to be filthy. My daughter and I had to vacuum, clean the dishes, bathtub, sinks, everything. The people who were supposed to clean it came by an hour after we arrived at the cabin. They said they washed the linens but didn't have time to do anything else.
The description of the cabin said 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There are (legally) 2 bedrooms. The third bedroom is in the basement, which is mildew, filthy and smelly. The main bathroom upstairs was a nice, spacey bathroom. It had a tub/shower. However, the 2nd bathroom (in the basement) which was claimed to have a tub/shower, was only a shower and a very disgusting dirty one at that with mildew on the shower curtain and up the walls.
We felt our vacation was ruined because of the way we were misled. If we had been told that we'd have to lug our boat everywhere, clean our own cabin, and pack up and leave the property every time we wanted to go to a beach or fishing, we would never have stayed there. Anyone interested in this place because of the pictures online, be aware. The pictures on the site were taken when the place was kept up nice. The flowers are overgrown with weeds now, the deck is rotting, wobbly and falling apart. The bog is a big smelly mess. The area around the campfire pit has broken glass and rusty nails strewn everywhere.
I took pictures of the so called beach/dock area if anyone is interested in seeing them. My email: Reen.ahmann AT integra.net
I spoke to Mr. Engebredtsen, the owner of the cabin. He said he wasn't responsible for the low water level. As if the low water level was the reason for the disgusting lakeshore and cabin. I asked that we be compensated for at least some of the money but to no avail. He said he spoke to his buddies up north that live in the area of the cabin and they assured him the fishing was great. Somehow Mr. Engebredtsen doesn't get the point that the fishing is irrelevant to what my family and I had to put up with for a whole week.
The local people know all about this place and were very sympathetic to what we were going through. It was a general consensus that there was a scam going on with this place and more and more people are getting dragged into it because of the false way it is advertised on greatrentals.com and vrbo.com.
To whom it may concern,
TERRIBLE! A waste of MONEY!$$$$$$$$$
It appears that VRBO looks out for the HOSTS instead of the GUESTS LIKE ME!
Several unapproved fees have been added to our rental agreement without our approval. Property ID# 9699605ha
My login is blockeď abelramirez@protonmail.com everyday and VRBO says call but all the numbers provided do not work. When I try to call the customer service numbers from Mexico, all the numbers are bad or disconected.
After booking a trip for 5 min your company wouldn't let me cancel my trip because the owner has a no refund policy. Really 500 dollars for 5 minutes. This is the last time my friends, family and I use this company to book anything. Even the airlines don't screw you over like that.
I first booking with them and my last. stay away from these crooks!
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About VRBO
One of the key features of VRBO is that it allows travelers to book directly with property owners, which can often result in lower prices and more personalized experiences. The platform also offers a wide range of search filters and sorting options, making it easy for travelers to find the perfect vacation rental for their needs and budget.
In addition to its user-friendly interface and extensive selection of properties, VRBO also offers a range of tools and resources to help both travelers and property owners make the most of their experience. For example, the platform provides detailed property descriptions, high-quality photos and videos, and reviews from previous guests to help travelers make informed decisions about where to stay.
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Overall, VRBO is a trusted and reliable platform that offers a convenient and affordable way for travelers to find and book vacation rentals around the world. With its extensive selection of properties, user-friendly interface, and helpful resources for both travelers and property owners, it's no wonder that VRBO has become such a popular choice for vacation rentals.
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VRBO phone numbers+49 693 4872 3536+49 693 4872 3536Click up if you have successfully reached VRBO by calling +49 693 4872 3536 phone number 13 13 users reported that they have successfully reached VRBO by calling +49 693 4872 3536 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached VRBO by calling +49 693 4872 3536 phone number 19 19 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached VRBO by calling +49 693 4872 3536 phone number+1 (877) 202-4291+1 (877) 202-4291Click up if you have successfully reached VRBO by calling +1 (877) 202-4291 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached VRBO by calling +1 (877) 202-4291 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached VRBO by calling +1 (877) 202-4291 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached VRBO by calling +1 (877) 202-4291 phone numberCustomer Service
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VRBO emailssocial@homeaway.com100%Confidence score: 100%Supportlegal@vrbo.com97%Confidence score: 97%Legalspoof@vrbo.com97%Confidence score: 97%media@vrbo.com97%Confidence score: 97%Communicationmediasg@vrbo.com96%Confidence score: 96%
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VRBO addressSuite 300, 1011 W. Fifth Street, Austin, Texas, 78703, United States
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Checked and verified by Olivia This contact information is personally checked and verified by the ComplaintsBoard representative. Learn moreSep 16, 2024
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