Joeseph J.

Stay - AWAY from VRBO. We had a horrible experience over the Christmas holiday with a rental in Mission Bay (San Diego). Owner misrepresented the property on the VRBO website (elevator) which we were told to avoid just days before we arrived, filthy kitchen sink and utensils (why pay the $200 cleaning fee...?) bedding STUNK -- and yellow stained, comforter torn; grill advertised as in great shape (corroded, rusty, broken parts, put out a match-sized flame). Oh, and the 4TV's! One got cable reception. Others either didn't work at all or had no remote.
So we went back to VRBO and HomeAway (yes, we were fooled/tricked into buying their insurance), who said our complaints were not material to the condition of the property? And we had to work it out with the owner. We asked for a partial refund. He refused, so we left negative feedback on the VRBO website - which was pulled because the owner said we threatened negative feedback. What a slimy operator. In our process to "work it out with the owner' (per VRBO's recommendation) we demanded a refund in exchange for NO FEEDBACK. When he declined, we told him we would post appropriate and factual feedback... which we did. If you want the details (owner name and VRBO property number, please email me at ttrestorations at a o l dot com and I will gladly share the experience.

We rented a listed property over the holidays (12-23-14) for 4 nights. Paid extra for the "Carefree" insurance which is advertised as "Carefree Rental Guarantee (Provided by HomeAway) - Guarantees your payment if the vacation rental is not as advertised..." We had numerous issues with the property (see list below). Complained to the property agent, and to Homeaway. They do not cover "temporary defects" of which non of our issues qualify?!?

My advice is stay away from these guys and definitely do your homework before renting (from the website that begins with V?)and especially paying for insurance that does not cover the real issues.

Issues: In the listing elevator (owner advised us not to use it.
In the listing - 4 TV's ( only 1 worked)
In the listing - outdoor grille ( rusted + corroded = no food cooked here!)
In the owner's email "everything is in great working condition:
What we found:
Horrible pet odor, hair, dog poop on upper deck (they advertised no pets allowed...?
Window in shower jammed open.
Numerous slats missing from vertical blinds in master bedroom (privacy issue)
Screen door jammed and torn screen
Smoke detector unit removed from base in master bedroom
Linens - pillows, comfortor = horrible stink
Utensils dirty - not a big deal in itself, but when you pay a $200 cleaning fee, what you get should be clean...
We have not yet posted feedback on the property website... stay tuned