HomeAwayReviews 1,751

I just wanted to point out that Linda D. Who asks the first question and is obviously working for HomeAway.com by authoring and then answering the question has the exact same identification photo posted as Tina S. Who asks a similar but differently worded question below directly addressing fees. As Linda D. She has never rented a home online and as Tina S. She is surprise and disappointed by news fees when booking her 2016 rental. In both cases, the responder obviously HomeAway.com has upbeat answers to both questions. This is ridiculous and so obvious to anyone familiar with this business.

Owners using HomeAway Payments had their banking, Social Security numbers and other property info hacked! Please read.
http://www.law360.com/articles/*******/homeaway-slapped-with-suit-over-yearlong-data-breach
According to the complaint, the private data of property owners and managers who used the online payment service including their names, contact information, home addresses, dates of birth, bank accounts and Social Security numbers was publicly available on YapStones site from July 15,2014, to Aug. 5,2015. HomeAway and YapStone learned of the data breach by Aug. 4 and alerted their users about six weeks later in a letter dated Sept. 11.

I can see why Home Away isn't responding! They are ripping us off and don't care at all! We have listed w/VRBO for many years, 1st a home in MN, and now a place in AZ. We loved VRBO. But since HA took over, all we've seen is higher prices, added fees and no better service or benefits.

It's time for a new company to rise up and listen to us. -They will have an instant customer base! All they need to do is appeal to the HA users and we'll switch.

Brian Sharples has his head in the clouds! Telling us that renters won't mind the fee! Well, I'm also a renter when we travel and I DO mind! I'll be looking for alternative ways to find property.
-Angry Home Away user for many years

If I had a bicycle that I wanted to sell and I PAID for an ad in the Sunday newspaper and found a buyer, I would be pleased that the business model that has worked for the last hundred years has worked again. But then imagine the newspaper stepping in and trying to charge the person buying the bicycle an outrageous fee for reading the newspaper and buying my bicycle.

Someone at the newspaper would undoubtedly be deemed an abject idiot. Such is (apparently) Brian Sharpies at HomeAway. After many years as a customer offering my property through HomeAway, I would no more accept the new program of ripping off customers than I would accept a plan where I subsidized the robbers that mugged me on the street.

I will NOT deal with HomeAway or VRBO or any of their affiliated thieves until Brian Sharpies is gone and someone sober takes the reins. I'll let my property sit empty. I'll list it with lesser known, but more reputable companies than allow these thieves to extort my customers.

As John Paul Jones said, "I have not yet begun to fight!"

We have had our Maine vacation property listed on VRBO for 12 years. This year we have had next to no inquires for the summer season. Upon investigating why this would be, I am completely dumbfounded and disheartened to learn about the new service fees HomeAway is charging consumers and how this vacation rental needs to now be my new part-time job as I am timed on my response rate to inquires and need to "touch" my calendar like - seemingly all the time - to not be on the last page of rental options. Really HomeAway? Really?

The CEO is telling us (property owners) the new fees are to benefit us while my bookings are down to nearly nothing. This guy needs to be fired. I am trying to get hold of CNBC (Jim Cramer) to let him know what this idiot has done to ruin this homeaway.com website. I am glad I don"t own stock(homeaway) and if any of you do I would get out before you lose your -ss.Homeescape.com is a free website and Vacationhomerentals.com let you list 2 months free(you can test them out) and both them do not charge fees to your guest.

Does HomeAway/vrbo even care? I am so mad about the new service fee, which is keeping our bookings down, and is honestly embarrassing to explain when people ask what the fee is for. I've now responded to inquiries with an explanation that this is a fee us homeowners can't remove, and I apologize. Then I offer them the option of sending us a check instead to avoid the fee...(of course with a 30 day advance, in case the check bounces). This way they feel like they're saving money and getting a deal (and screwing it to the company that is screwing them), and I don't have to pay the credit card fee. But in the end, HomeAway is TAKING AWAY all of the ease of bookings they once raved about.

And on another note... this advertising campaign they've got going... not happy with that either. They are appealing to the "PARTY" crowd... the very group we try desperately to weed out. The latest VRBO ad to pop up in my mailbox says exactly that... PARTY with VRBO...

Seriously guys... do you have ANY idea what we homeowners... WHO PAY YOUR BILL... want?

I agree with the other reviewer. I have been a Homeaway owner for almost 10 years. The Brian Sharples of this world should listen to it's customer base and quit copying the other corrupt companies in America. Stand up and do right by your Owners who helped build your company. Double dipping is so unethical. It's obvious that Expedia is looking to recoup its $3B as fast as possible. I for one will not give you anymore of my business. There are plenty of others that understand what subscription is all about. You business model will pay the ultimate price.

I have had a vacation rental listing on Homeaway's VRBO site for over 5 years. I have always felt I got value for my fees. However, while keeping my fees constant, they now are attacking the poor guests-- and guest with more expensive rentals pay a larger fee. I don't think this is right-- Homeaway is charging the fee to move into areas they do not belong-- such as lobbying for the vacation rental industry and services a guest may or may not be willing to pay for ( "best price guarantee"). I am looking for an alternate site to book my business.

I have had my three properties on Homeaway for about five or six years now and grew to hate them more and more each year starting with them adding payment services, hiding contact numbers so it is hard to call them, they send emails and texts to my tenants that look like they come from me ( basically impersonating me), they don't advertise my property if I have not looked at my calendar in 30 days even though I pay for annual subscriptions, they try to force me into booking my property automatically, now they want my clients to pay them fees... enough is enough. I canceled my autorenew on all three properties today. I can pay a human the same ten percent to rent my properties for me and not have to compromise my privacy or the privacy of my clients. I hope they go out of business.

I finally "caught on" that our inquiries were dramatically fewer because I didn't, "check the box" to have HA and tentacles collect our fees. Airbnb has done so for as long as we've been with them ( 2+ years), but their "terms" are much more responsible and they are really responsive. HA's terms are "we have no responsibility to you homeowner..." so I just wouldn't sign up with it. I looked again today, getting ready to re-think it if I could refer to PayPal but they insist on having all our checking account information from which they will have authority to, "debit". Oh Hell No! Thanks to SiteJabber business reviews I'm realizing that we're not alone. We've already lost so much revenue, compared to a couple years ago, that it seems clear that it's time to cut our losses.
In two years and over a hundred renters through Airbnb, only ONE guest referred to the airbnb fees to our guests, and she was clearly unhappy that guests are not anonymous to hosts, any more than hosts are anonymous to guests. Hotels are for anonymity, not renting homes and guest rooms from their owners. No communication is facilitated until rents and fees are paid to Airbnb, which transfers to us hosts the day after check-in.
Airbnb has an insurance policy for renter damages to homes or guest rooms and holds security deposit charged by us hosts for 48 hours to be returned automatically unless we report damage as soon as a guest has departed. Upfront, honorable, fees charged to both sides of the transaction, but no annual fee just to be listed.
Homeway and VRBO have been trying to squeeze higher prices out of us just for the listing for the past couple years. No More! Time to get out of their web now.

They now double dip in an effort to generate added revenue... Charging home owners who advertise and again to those who rent, charging a service fee. This has had a dramatic effect on my inquiries which are next to nothing and to date I've had one rental when I normally have rented all my prime weeks by now. I've used VRBO for years with success but if things stay like this I will terminate my subscription.

I would also like to add, VRBO/Homeaway are deleting all negative posts in Facebook, on their sites, wherever they can control communication thus masking the issue that's causing a major problem for both property owners and renters/clients.

Update: It only gets better!... If you don't use their buy it now aka bin process they basically hide your advertisement. Please, don't waste you time advertising with Homeaway, VRBO, etc. They'll take your $$ and leave you with NO inquiries. I'm shocked they haven't been investigated for fraud.

As both a traveler and vacation home owner who uses VRBO/Homeaway I am appalled with the introduction of the new service fees. This is a classic example of a company getting too greedy. Their revenue from my meager rental will increase six fold due to the new fees. Where is the six fold increase in value? I encourage travelers to continue to use the service for the sake of the home owners who have no control over the fees, but maybe ask if there is a way to avoid the fee (there is). Please make your displeasure known by calling Homeaway and complaining: *******657