HomeAwayReviews 1,751

There are no words to describe how evil this company is. I'm a homeowner, and I had my home on VRBO with great success... until Brian Sharples and HomeAway got their paws on it. I get NO inquiries, no bookings, very few views, etc., now. The reason is because I refused to obey (or as they refer to it, "submit to" - I'm not kidding) HomeAway and give it control of MY business. HomeAway (Also VRBO, btw) buries listings which do not submit to their arm twisting to get us to hand administrative control of our properties over to them. Basically, we owners now are there to do the cleaning and pay the property taxes for HomeAway. HomeAway has done nothing more than perpetrate a huge land grab from private homeowners, and if you don't submit to them, they bury your listing, which is why I get almost no business from what was once a great Web site which brought a lot of traffic. Did I mention that, for the pleasure of giving HomeAway control of MY business, it costs me and the traveler MORE?

Put this company and AirBnb out of business. They have destroyed the private home vacation rental industry. My subscription is up tomorrow; I am not renewing. You can't imagine how awful it is working with this company. It is dictatorial, authoritative, Fascist, and cruel.

As an owner, I discourage all owners to stay away from Homeaway. This year, they have deceived us about the position we would have on four separate apartments in order to get us to go to a global platinum level, costing $1400 per apartment. Within a month after signing up, they moved us down from position 13 to position 364. When we complained we were told that they were sorry that we "feel that way" but were quick to point out that their terms and conditions stated that they could change the terms at any time. Essentially, they just scam recent advertisers by keeping on selling positions ahead of them until they are dropped to nowhereland and their inquiries go down to 10% of what they were immediately folllowing signup.

I was never a fan of HomeAway, but now I intend to be a former customer. I own one property and manage another one through a listing on their website. I am a paying customer of theirs. I buy ads from them. That's how they make money.

In their infinite glory they have decided to penalize me for not using all of their services and for what not meeting what they've decided doesn't meet their customer service standards. However, the one thing they forgot is those customers are MY paying customers, not theirs.

HomeAway should focus on keeping me satisfied. All of their new listing scorecard features don't consider that I am able to service my renters much more effectively without their lousy software. HomeAway is not Amazon, who does a reasonable job of managing customer service. The difference is that Amazon services their customers directly and they expect us merchants to do so with equal fervor. HomeAway doesn't service my customers nor do they service me yet they expect me to meet a quality guideline that helps put money in their pockets.

What a $#*! show.

THIS COMPANY IS HORRIBLE I HAD TO WAITE ALMOST A MONTH AFTER MY TRIP TO RECIEVE MY SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK, BEFORE SENDING IN MY SECURITY DEPOSIT THEY TOLD ME I WOULD GET MY REFUND BACK IN 2 WEEKS. I NEVER RECIEVED MY 450$ DEPOSIT. I HAD TO CALL THEM TO REMIND THEM AND THEY TOOK ANOTHER 2 WEEKS TO SEND MY DAMN MONEY. EVERYTIME YOU SPEAK TO SOMEONE THEY HAVE A DIFFERNT STORY AS TO WHY I DIDNT GET MY REFUND BACK. ONN TOP OF THAT THE COMPANY ITS SELF DOESNT ACCEPT CHECKS BUT THEY INSISTED ON SENDING ME A CHECK INSTEAD OF PUTTING MY GODDAMN MONEY BACK INTO THE ACCOUNT THEY TOOK IT OUT OF! SMH THIS IS THE WORST PLACE EVER. I HAD TO THREATEN THESE PEOPLE JUST TO GET MY REFUND! STAY AWAY FRM THIS $#*!TY $#*! PLACE!

I have just been subject to an owners email being hacked, which has resulted in me paying by transfer to the hacker-the owners name was used, I received a booking form which I returned and I also contacted the owner by phone on the number provided-imagine my horror, when I received notification from home away that the owners account had been hacked-they then gave me the proper number and the owner knew nothing of my booking-I have paid €3000-home away are telling me that I am only entitled to receive a refund of €800 -can anyone give me some advice on what I should do next-I'm considering legal proceedings against home away and possibly the owner, who has washed her hands of the problem

Home Away? Stay away! My miserable experience with this business started the day following my booking. I was assessed a mysterious 'Pay per Booking' fee of about $40. When I phoned and asked about it upon my return a customer service agent agreed I should not have been assessed this fee. However, they did not refund it. Subsequent calls to the HomeAway customer service department were equally frustrating. They told me they were sorry I didn't find the experience satisfactory, but they were not prepared to do anything about it. The kicker came after I posted a poor review of the property we rented. The owners fired back in a hate filled, vitriolic diatribe filled with xenophobic comments, exaggeration, disclosure of personal information and untruths. Again I called and inquired about allowing this type of response to be posted. Had the response been vetted? A very polite, very articulate senior agent listened to my complaint and said there was nothing they were prepared to do about it. He did say he hoped to retain me as a customer. I said that was unlikely. I also said I would post a review like this one and recommend competitors like Airbnb and House Trip to friends and family.

I have to agree with others about Homeaway does not allow renters post bad reviews. After contacted their customer service and tried to post several times, it finally got accept but only for few weeks because the owner of the rental asked Homeaway took out my negative review. I think Homeaway deserves zero star if there is one.

My stay: 8/30/14-9/3/14
Location of this rental: Sealttle, WA (Mini House, listed by Michelle)
Homeaway rental number: *******

Following is my review which is not acceptable by Homeaway:

"I booked 4 nights stay from 8/30-9/3 on 5/12/14 for this property.

After we checked in, we realized we may have made a mistake. This rental house has very little privacy (actually, no privacy) because there is no window cover in the main area so we have to use the bed sheet as a temporary solution, that's when we noticed the stains, looked liked dried blood, on the white bed sheet. Before we checked in, Michelle asked us on the phone to clean almost everything before we leave (take out trash & recycling, wash dishes, wipe out all counter space to make sure no water stains, pile up dirty sheets in the middle, etc.) I assumed she never actually check the house condition after each guest. After all of those, I didn't make a fuss because the rental is cheap enough - you get what you pay.

Several weeks after we left, we received an insurance claim notice from CSA saying that the owner claims we have damaged the sewer sump pump (resulting from tampons and a tampon applicator being flushed). We've disputed the claim because I was not on my period at that time and I never use tampons. Luckily, all my statements can be proofed easily based on my period calendar and annual drugstore purchase receipt, and sadly, we did notice a minor sewage smell when we arrived but put it down to the place being a bit old.

This experience will definitely give me pause on booking via Homeaway or using any vacation rental service instead of hotels but what happens if you are on a budget and have to stay there? Take video/pictures on everything before you leave, this is the best way to protect yourself (like we did)."

For an upcoming tripI used VRBO.com, which is now a HomeAway site to book a house in Long Beach, CA With flights booked and deposit made, what a surprise that the homeowner cancelled on us because they received a longer booking that overlapped our dates. I then proceeded to book a second place. Surprise, same thing happened. I had used VRBO countless times with great success before it was bought out by Home Away. Do not rent through any of their sites. They do not take responsibility for the homeowners. They sell you cancellation insurance but it does not cover owners cancellation. And they do not issue refund on this if they cancel on you.

To make matters worse. The dates of the trip are approaching and I am now getting emails saying my payment is due on this cancelled booking. I called and spoke to both their customer service and the homeowner to make sure there was no book. And there is not.

3 retired women rented a flat in Knightsbridge/London & arrived before check-in time while the cleaner was there. We left the bags until check-in time. The next day 1 of us discovered that her Rolex watch given to her by her recently deceased husband was missing along with some euros & an Oyster card from her carry-on bag. We notified the owner who acted disbelieving & mentioned that SHE always wore her jewelry when traveling. The bag was not out of her sight through the whole trip. We assured the woman we only wanted to warn her so future guests wouldn't be stolen from.
We also asked her to return the deposit after she had checked the flat after we left as my credit card was loaded.
She did & after saying how pleased she was that we left the flat in such good shape she deducted 90 GBP for agents' fees which in her contract clearly states the the rental price INCLUDES the agents fees.
Twice Homeaway rejected the review & finally did but left the owner tons of time to reply. I then said if she returned the 90 GBP to me, I'd just drop the whole thing. Homeaway then called me & said I was BLACKMAILING her & they won't publish the review. How is asking for money that's rightfully mine considered blackmailing. I've rented flats 17 times in London before & this is the first bad thing that has happened to me. DON'T RENT A PROPERTY ON RUTLAND MEWS! The flat is nice, the owner is not.

I'm very disappointed with homeaway. I have rented a place in Natal/ Brazil. I based my decision on the 100% positive review from people who stayed there. The place was located on a very dodgy area, just behind a crack house. I was so scarred of staying there.
Fortunately I paid only a small deposit and was able to leave. After a big argument with the property owner.

I don't recommend it.

Villa rental - property ******* - Houlgate, Normandy
We rented this villa in June 2014, and the pictures are very deceptive.
The whole building looks like a DIY project underway, with peeling wallpaper, dodgy electrics etc. When we made an honest review, and we have the pictures to back it up, the owner posted an extremely long rant about us being vandals and thieves.
The original reponse was removed by Homeaway, but was then replaced by one stating that we stole her towels, and only posted the 2 star review because she made us pay for them. Absolute lies, but homeway refuse to act.
Whenever a genuine review is posted (usually 1or 2 stars) there is a immediate gushing 5 star review to counter it, all written in the same tone and obviously by the same person.
Stay away from the Normandy Villa in Houlgate. Unless you want the owner to slander you.

Hazelwood Cottage, Warburton East is a truly beautiful get away. Nestled in the foothills of the Yarra Valley it is surrounded by stunning forrest and views. U can feed the donkeys, variety of bird life and u can walk up to the top of the property. The Viaduct and down the Esplanade to the dam. Through beautiful forest. Walk down the road to the bridge to the Yarra River. Lots of things to do in Warburton. Eat, drink, walk. Its a real insight into the beauty of Warburton and surrounds.
The cottage has plenty of room. 11 of us stayed and we still had lots of room to move. There is a lovely heater to keep u warm, air con for summer months, piano, pianola, DVD, s. We enjoyed the fact that as a family we were able to sit together, talk, sing (or have fun trying)playing games, table tennis, go for walks at night and weather permitting sit under the stars. A truly beautiful getaway. Recommend Hazelwood Cottage for a perfect getaway.

Stay away fom this site. I'll be visiting NYC in October with my family. We're from Italy. I have been making enquiries through Homeaway for several weeks. I have being scammed twice already but I'm glad I have not fallen prey and my money is safe. I've googled one of these agiencies' names to find out it's on fraud lists already. Beware homeaway or VRBO, their sites are hacked all the time. If you get replies with offers which seem too good to be true, then you know they're scammers. These scammers reply to your enquiries out of the Homeaway messaging system, they'll email to you directly. Homeaway accounts are easily hacked so scammers have access to our personal information, eg email address, how terrible. Never had any problem with Airbnb.

I totally agree with all the comments made about HomeAway not accepting negative comments. We had a terrible experience with HomeAway Spain regarding property *******. When we arrived at the property the owner told us they had double booked the place but to take our things up anyway. When we did so we were surprised that there were 4 other houses surrounding the property, we were never told this by the owners and the photo is misleading. We then asked if there were children staying there to which the owner replied yes, and if you don't like children you can take your things and leave seeing as we have this already booked. We were extremely upset and the husband came and moved us to another house. When I made a comment about the difficulty of arriving to the property because it is a country trail more suited to four wheel drives than small cars like mine. The owner replied saying that we had left the place because we didn't like children rather than saying they had double booked the property. I have had to block the owner on Facebook because she is stalking me with unwarranted comments. When I sent a letter to HomeAway regarding this situation they said there was nothing they could do as they do not check the veracity of the comments made so an owner or traveller can write anything and they will accept it, unfortunately they changed my comment but not the owners. I will never use HomeAway again after this experience and I warn others to be careful as well. Another point that must be made is that the property is listed on different HomeAway pages at different prices.

Renter Beware - Home Away #******* in New Port Richey, Florida, on Evesborough Drive-The owners have NO integrity. Arrived at the house 40 minutes beyond check-in and the owner (lives three houses away) was still fixing a leaky toilet and cleaning up. The house looked ok so gave them benefit of doubtwhat a mistake. Ended up spending week listening to multiple fire alarm going off at all hours of day & night and the owners solution was to take fire alarm and NOT replace it. Hello can you say safety concern! The back entrance door to the garage had a missing window which totally compromised all security and could allow anyone to just walk in and take your belongings. The kids bath had a large window right in the shower so the neighbors could see right in (hello!). The kids bathroom toilet ran non-stop. You could not adjust air conditioning, you were not permitted to open blinds, grill not included, etc. etc. To top it off our family spend two hours prior to departure cleaning unit, like we always do when renting a home and the owner refused to return our security deposit, claiming there was a scuff on their 20 year old white sink. Refuses to return emails or calls... NO Integrity! Renters BEWARE OF THIS ONE!