HomeAway

VBRO/Home Away does not take a position nor do they assist in any way SHOULD any portion or element of your trip go wrong. They will allow your to file a complaints and send it to the owner but will not allow you to see the owners response. Clearly tainted and biased with no ethical rules for anyone to follow. Seems like the perfect business plan, making money, without the risk, taking a non-position makes them essentially a middle man, where eventually someone will get a raw deal, while they disclaim or disavow. You would be better off doing enough research to find your own situation, you use them, they will be of no assistance, they are nice, but it is easy to be nice when you have no vested interest in the outcome, no dog in the game. There complaint procedures lean toward the owner granting them complete autonomy in the resolution. Complete waste of time and money to use them as a third party source for vacation rentals. Never again!

It doesn't matter if hosts have house rules or not as guests can break them and all customer service will do is say that they are sorry that your guests broke the rules.

Any questions you ask will be evaded as they refuse to answer anything you ask them, no matter how simple.

Whatever you ask them to do, they will do the opposite.

Neither hosts or guests are verified in any way.

Stay away at all costs.

To anyone reading this review don't use this company. It has gone from a great way to travel to a big scam with their customer service overseas. The representatives read from a script and never address the customers issue. Their hope is that you eventually hang up. It's a law if you request a US Representative that they provide it but not Homeawy. Also, the Owners cancellation policies mean nothing. They can keep whatever amount they decide and will just stop communicating. I have used this company to travel to Italy, Mexico and several big cities in US it has completely become awful in every way! Please beware

Someone has to pay the $3.9 billion Expedia purchase of VRBO/Homeaway and apparently it's the customer with the 4 to 9 percent "service fee" BS. Expedia's CEO says his survey of 2100 people supports online bookings, but did he ask them if they would pay 9 percent to do it in addition to the credit card fee. The people we talk to about it are mad as h--- about it and want to be able to talk to someone about their booking and call some one if things change. The property owners want to know who is coming and how many. People book 2 guests and show up with 10. People book small pets and show up with two Great Danes and a Pit-bull. Wake-up Expedia! This will only drive people to your competitor.

Whish I read these reviews myself before I payed $500 to use Homeaway for renting out my unit. I just got off of the phone with them with several issues I'm too angry to get into. At least they answer the phone. But they are of no help at all! I have an oceanfront unit with a solid rental history. I had to cancel someone's booking because they booked a Wednesday to a Wednesday when I can only book Sat-Sat. They helped me set this up that way when i joined the site. But someone was still able to instant book it. Homeaway doesn't know how! And now this negatively affects my listing and buries my property down the list! I asked for my $500 back but they said too late even though I haven't hosted a rental yet. I have only 2 weeks booked through them going into the summer. I put my property up on Airbnb and things started booking right up. Just praying they don't take over that company too.

I just answered a question from someone asking if it was "safe" to rent a property on homeaway, since it had been advertised since 2010 and had no reviews. Did some additional research and found an interesting article in Forbes. It explains that an owner can have HA take down all of their reviews as an alternative to posting a negative review. This would explain a lot! I don't know how to add another answer to that same question, but hope that Lisa R. Sees this!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/maureenfarrell/2011/01/20/homeaway-and-vacation-rental-by-owners-confusing-review-policy/

I have several vacation rental properties and have previously enjoyed a great relationship with HomeAway. However, since HomeAway was acquired by Expedia... it has turned into an absolute nightmare. They charge a bogus "Service Fee" which has no added value what-so-ever. Let's just call it what it is... a 9% Rip Off Fee disguised as a "Service Fee". However, as a renter, when you call, they put you on hold for 20 minutes or more and there is really nothing they can do for you if something goes wrong with the property--that is the owner/manager's responsibility. We don't need a middleman in there mucking things up. What they are offering is a false sense of security and nothing more.

A very unhappy advertiser!

I have just put my property on homeaway and received a booking, I then looked at the payment situation and my customers were charged immediately for the deposit but I won't receive anything until 1-7 days after they arrive. I have now read that homeaway don't give you the security deposit, you have to fight for it and that's the dame with the non refundable deposit. What a scam, how are they allowed to do, this?

It says on the website, somewhere very hidden that I, don't have to use there payment system and I can be paid directly but I cannot, find, out how?

The property my family rented in southern France said"full refund of the deposit if cancelled by may 3. I cancelled on April 2. But the homeowner said I was under rules of a French company "Cap rentals and there policy was no refund. I phone numerous times and was told different things by there staff each time. This homeowner stole close to 5,000. Dollars. The rental is now in 2 weeks and Europe is still closed due to covid19 to North Americans.
They are a big company and should be responsible for the policies on there web site. It didn't, even mention this company in there web site and I booked through them not a third party.
Don, t book with these people

This was our retirement present. I feel robbed

This website is awful! Made a reservation in Italy, was charged the next day. Realized our travel plans were changing and cancelled the reservation literally 3 days later. Had a lot of trouble getting my full refund. Finally received my refund only to see that it wasn't completely refunded. Called Homeaway and their excuse was it is a international charge. A $45.00 international charge! Don't believe the print when they tell you you will get your entire refund back!

HomeAway has become too big for its britches. They bought up a number of successful vacation rental companies. I was in one of those, Homelidays based in France/England, which worked fine. Then HomeAway took over and it became: twice as expensive for proprietors t list, non-existing customer service, and the worst thing: intimidation tactics to force owners to accept any and all reservation requests. Takes away MY RIGHT, as an owner, to make my own decision. I have GOOD and VALID reasons to turn customers away. Well, HomeAway thinks they have a better idea. They take away your visibility if you say "no" to any customer. Now I am stuck in limbo with available, good deal rentals and no customer can see me. Sad.
I will not be using them next season, after 6 years with the company (earlier known as Homelidays.)