HomeAway

I have used HomeAway several times with success. However my current experience is completely unsatisfactory. I inquired about a property in Barcelona and received no response initially. Finally received a response that it was unavailable, although the calendar (which was updated that day, according to the listing) as well as HomeAway itself, said the apt was available. Then pending charges were placed on my credit card twice and have not been removed four days later. I tried another apartment and the exact same thing happened. I now have four substantial holds on my credit card and no confirmed booking. Called HomeAway and was told I needed to contact the host. Host did not give a phone number and did not answer emails.

I booked a villa and paid a deposit, which was immediately cancelled by the property owner. They issued a refund two weeks later only after I chased them. One month later and I still don't have my refund.

Customer service is a joke. Only online chat (very time consuming) or by phone, both of which hang up / disconnect on you. Noone tries to resolve the problem. They just tell you to call back / email them.

I have no confidence I am going to get my money back. If it wasn't owned by Expedia I would think it was a fraud.

Home Away/Vrbo has now started charging renters a 4 to 10 % "Service Fee" for using their website to book a vacation. This fee is listed along with the fees the owners charge - thus hiding so it doesn't show as a HomeAway add-on fee. Homeowners already pay HomeAway an annual fee, plus credit card fees to accept the funds. Now HomeAway is also charging the renters - a greedy grab to get money from both sides. Vrbo.com used to be a great vacation rental website. Too bad that HomeAway has ruined it and now is ruining this valuable search site for both homeowners and vacationers.

We booked our dream vacation for my husbands 50th birthday at a beautiful mansion in New Orleans. Two days before our arrival the homeowner called us and told us the property was no longer available but that he was moving us to a property just as wonderful. We had friends flying from all over the country to meet us in NOLA for the celebration so I had no choice but to take Frank the owner/CEO of Heirloom and an owner that also uses Homeaway at his word. When we arrived the home was dirty, dated smelled and smelled like mildew. There was one functioning toilet and shower for 10 people. I thought Homeaway would help us out since Frank put us in a home not even listed through Homeaway but all they told us is that they hope both sides come to an agreement. I have now been in contact with American Express and an attorney. Im beyond disappointed and angry. I dont think we will be using Homeaway ever again.

I just lost a $5000 weekly rental because the customer received a quote prior to 2/15 with out service fee then went to book after 2/15 and there was a $286 service fee added on! Result is, they decided against renting it out of principal and now I am out $5000. BTW what service does one renter who pays $286 get over another renter who pays say $59? Correct no difference. Trip Advisor calls me once a month I will check them out!

My experience pales in comparison to others, but still I wouldn't use them again. They have zero existing customer service, and dubious business ethics. I spent dozens of emails trying to get them to receipt my accommodation. They fobbed the inquiry to the accommodation owner, whom could not respond with a receipt as the payment is processed by HomeAway. I still haven't received a tax invoice for the full amount, which in effect means they have taken $38 from my bank account without my consent.

To be fair, we are several weeks out for staying at our rental but my experience with the website and marketing onslaught has left me VERY frustrated. Be prepared to be spammed to the upper limits. I opted out of marketing emails to begin with, which they entirely ignored. Even after opting out of email marketing MULTIPLE times in my preferences on their site... I am still getting hit right and left with spam materials. If you give them your email address... be prepared to have you inbox full of an onslaught of junk materials. For this reason alone... I consider this a real lack of respect for their customers... I will never use them again.

I have booked twice with homeaway in April and in Dec and both times owners have confirmed that they have released the deposit due to no damage and explained that the return is made through homeaway. This is also the guidance to owners on their website. In fact in both cases homeaway have not given me the money. As the April one was a smaller sum i didn't notice it straight away, but December was for 500 and they are claiming I never paid a deposit, even though it shows on the statement they have given me! This does sound very much like fraud to me?

- I hope they get back to me soon as so far no luck despite numerous attempts to call and email them to resolve..

I was a homeaway owner for about 4-5 years. It was great. The site was extremely user friendly and i had absolutely not a single problem. The last year have been a DISASTER. Their new system charges absurd fees. The site itself is not user friendly at all. I cant tell who has paid, and who hasnt. My income and vacancy are down almost 25%. Multiple calls to customer service people who pass you to someone else and nobody can help you. MOving to air b and b soon.

We have listed multiple properties with Homeaway.com and have finally pulled the plug. We most recently hosted a couple who stayed at our condo for two nights. They've been gone for two days and we still haven't received payment. We called and were told that since it's a new listing (even though we've been using them for years on other properties) we won't receive payment for 30-40 days until AFTER they've vacated. Well, they've been gone for two days. This is nothing more than a cash flow issue for them. They are so cash-strapped that they're floating their books. Total scam. Take your money to Airbnb. We have NEVER had that issue with them.

I was traveling to Europe for three weeks with my daughter and good friend. My trip dates to start July 1 needed some changing as on June 12, my good friends father suffered a stroke. We had rented this property beginning July 10th with the remaining balance due in a few weeks from the day of the incident. I immediately contacted the property owner and she responded days later saying she will not be able to refund me the money. Home away did nothing but transfer me day after day after day to different departments that basically did nothing to help my situation. The homeowner refused the refund, or even half the refund, or even allowing me to stay at the property for the days the amount paid covered. She basically took my $3800 and there was nothing I could do about it. I am furious. I am hiring an attorney to sue home away. This is not legal.

I had a terrible experience with HOMEAWAY.COM and would advise against using their service. They are quick to collect their payment but took 3 months to actively post my photos on the listing. $400+ later, I received only 7 inquires in the entire 12 months and numerous times tried to speak w a supervisor. Each time I was told that I would be called back that day. On only two of those times a supervisor called me back but it was several days later and I was never given a direct phone number having to initialize the original call spending multiple hours of my time hanging on the phone. I absolutely hate this company. I don't even hate a fly, but I do Hate Hate Hate homeaway.com. I would recommend saving your money and listing it yourself as we did way better. Or call a local property management firm and let them deal w the hassles. Avoid at all costs homeaway.com.

We tried to book a vacation home through home away. When we didn't hear from the renter within 24 hours of booking we contacted HomeAway; that was 5 days ago and we have not heard from them. They seem to be very unprofessional and unresponsive. As a family that frequently rents vacation homes I have some experience with various services and this is by far my worst experience. There is nothing about this site that I can recommend.

Had a bad experience with the condition of the house and the owners unjustifiably keeping our deposit. But, when I read the guidelines for writing a review at HomeAway, I became too scared of a law suit to post a review. The guidelines do not allow for an honest review and give the owners the last word.

Horrible experience with one of the listings and no real support for customers or protection. You are better off just renting through Craigslist. FYI, NEVER rent from Castle-like & central from Antigua, Guatemala or any listings by Phillipa Myers because she's a horrible person with no scruples. House was as listed, but there were workers coming in and out of it all day using power tools and they even installed an iron railing while we were there! There was not a moment of peace! And to finish our horrible stay, she "kept" the deposit saying we had used too much electricity during our stay despite the fact that her workers were the ones using the electricity all day long! When I told her I would submit a report to consumer protection in Guatemala, she laughed. HomeAway just said they "we're sorry".

I requested several times different prices of condos in Playa Del Carmen and I have never received such disrespect in all my life. One Manager, Daniel Forte was unreal. He accused me of using my country as leverage and that the only country in the world that is the greatest is United States. I just stated where I lived and that I was interested in renting this year and the following year. His replies were that I was wasting his time and other fellow employees as by sending emails on several locations. He said it is "right" to be disrespectful! I have dealt with a lot of Managers but this one I will never rent or recommend him to anyone especially if you are from Canada! He hates Canadians! Hopefully he doesn't hate all people that don't live in the United States. I would never rent from Home Away!