business logo of VRBO

VRBOReviews 1,999

1.4
How would you rate VRBO?
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star

VRBO Reviews Summary

The overall reputation of the company reflects significant dissatisfaction among customers, particularly regarding its customer service and reliability. Many users report frustrating experiences with delayed refunds, poor communication, and unhelpful support staff. Complaints about properties not matching descriptions or being in unacceptable conditions are prevalent, leading to a loss of trust. While a few customers express occasional satisfaction with specific transactions, the overwhelming sentiment leans towards a lack of accountability and professionalism. This has resulted in a growing number of users opting for alternative platforms, indicating a critical need for improvement in service quality and responsiveness.

This summary is generated by AI, based on text from customer reviews

service
464
value
417
shipping
117
returns
216
quality
359
Sheri P.
Michigan
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Sheri P.
Unfollow Sheri P.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

COVID 19 RESPONSE
March 29, 2020

VBRO did not help enforce any refunds due to a worldwide pandemic. I had a home booked in Kissimmee, FL and even with Michigan on lockdown and everything in Florida closed including the parks, I was told we only encourage the owners to issie full refunds. I'm still out over half my refund. The owner kept more and will not respond to me. VRBO only can call him when I'm on the phone or email him. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. WILL NEVER USE AGAIN. I WILL ONLY USE AIRBNB. VBRO you many thousands of unhappy customers.

Date of experience: March 29, 2020
New Jersey
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Cindy S.
Unfollow Cindy S.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Other sites are letting people cancel their vacations due to Covid-19 virus, but not VRBO. I guess the Better Business Bureae will have to be called in. You should be ashamed of yourself. My family and friend will never use VRBO again.

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
California
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Luke J.
Unfollow Luke J.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Buyer beware!
March 28, 2020

I would give less than one star if I could. I have been booking with VRBO/HomeAway for years. We use it for everywhere we travel. Covid-19 hit the US and the world and VRBO didn't have our backs. We had a $4700 reservation that had to be canceled due to travel restrictions and canceled events. VRBO was no help other than refunding their transaction fee. We are out $2700 dollars because the owner wouldn't even refund 50%. VRBO needs to step up and stop allowing shady owners to post their properties for rent on their site.

I reached out to customer service and they assured me I would receive a full refund within 48 hours. Never happened. Reached out to them a second time and was told I should have copied the conversation with the customer service rep on my own so I had proof of the conversation. They refused to provide me with the conversation text.

Very sad for a business making a ton of money running a website! Use this service at your own risk.

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
New Hampshire
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Marc M.
Unfollow Marc M.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Was going to look for a retirement house in South Carolina and one of the houses we rented through VRBO the owner wouldn't even change the dates for us, never mind a refund... use AirBnB... no problem with them... full refund... now don't say no one warned you

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
Michigan
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Mike C.
Unfollow Mike C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

She is terrible for VRBO
Tori Kasprzyk
*******283
No email given
I tried vrbo customer service line no luck!
Warning! Terrible business! Will NOT! Refund any $ better off flushing your $ down the toilet.

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
Georgia
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Brad D.
Unfollow Brad D.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Do not use VRBO
March 28, 2020

Long story short VRBO customer service is terrible. They do not back you up helping get refunds. Looking for another booking site as I have used VRBO for over 20 years and will not use them again.

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
California
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow gary H.
Unfollow gary H.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Booked at a ski resort prior to Covid 19 then ski resort closed. VRBO makes public announcement promising 100% refund. Owner of property states he will not honor 100% refund. Waited on phone for 1 1/2 hours. When finally spoke to rep VRBO states "sorry, there is nothing we can do". DON'T BELIEVE VRBO'S REFUND POLICIES.

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
Spain
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Corinne M.
Unfollow Corinne M.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Anti-commercial
March 28, 2020

I have been a HomeAway-Vrbo customer for 4 years.
I have 27 houses for rent with them.
And without warning me they deactivated a house...
Fortunately, a month after paying the advertisement for the year, I noticed it.
I asked them the reason and they asked me for a paper to verify that the tourist license number was correct.
There is no problem providing them. But. We are in containment because of the Coronavirus. I am teleworking and the document is with the agency at more than 60kms...
I asked them to leave the announcement active and that I will provide the document as soon as the situation allows.
They don't want to know anything. And don't want to activate the ad.
While this house has been advertised for 4 years. That I make the declarations every year and that without this number it would not be possible... and that I am announcing 27 houses to them...
I find it anti-commercial. Especially in these circumstances...

Date of experience: March 28, 2020
Arizona
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Michelle C.
Unfollow Michelle C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

First time I have ever booked a stay with VRBO... I have always used Airbnb. I will not book again with VRBO. There is a global pandemic, Shelter in place and my host will not refund nor allow us to reschedule our booking. We are flexible and totally open to rescheduling our stay later this year. In fact the host has indicated they will not work with us and their policy is ZERO cancelation. Absolutely, unreal when Nashville is shut down... I have tried for over a week to contact VRBO for resolution with no response.

Date of experience: March 27, 2020
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Chris B.
Unfollow Chris B.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

I booked a dream vacation through Donald Archer from Travelscowt as the pricing looked so amazing i couldn't resist, and we had been looking for a family destination. I found Donald on the VRBO website. Donald suggested we circumvent VRBO to eliminate the fees and to save money. This should have been a redflag but he assured me people do it all the time. This was a HUGE mistake. He also only accepted a personal check and did not offer credit card payments. Now I know why. I signed a contract that advised there was a NO cancellation policy for normal issues like illness or unexpected personal reasons that would prevent me from attending. Due to the Coronavirus we were unable (as well as the rest of the country) to board a plane and were also in lockdown in our county. We were in a national crisis. Furthermore the hotel I booked closed all the amenities including restaurants, bars, pool, gym and of course the ski mountain. They even banned guests a few days into my reservation from coming into the facility. When I contacted Donald Archer to cancel and get a refund he told me: "I am very sorry but we have a strict NO cancellation policy. I don't care about the coronavirus or how many people die, you are not getting your money back." Although the airlines, ski mountain and all other vendors offered refunds or concessions Donald told me tough luck and good luck trying to get money from me. Even VRBO is offering full refunds. BUYER BEWARE. Donald and Travelscowt do NOT care about customers nor the safety of anyone but themselves. I would highly recommend NOT using there service or renting any property from this company. Almost every vendor in the USA offered assistance with customers and victims of the coronavirus. It is very sad what has happened and it is a difficult time. It is sad that Donald Archer with Travelscowt is looking to profit from the sale of a property rental when the property was shutdown. I am in the process of suing his company and wish for ALL Buyers to Be aware of his ethics and business practices.

Date of experience: March 27, 2020
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Pandora G.
Unfollow Pandora G.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

I contacted vrboc regarding an issue with one of the property managers. The property manager failed to return my deposit. Three weeks after my rental the property owner attempted to justify it without any proof. VRbo reps told me they would investigate but failed to follow up.

Date of experience: March 27, 2020
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Carmen W.
Unfollow Carmen W.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Renters Beware!
March 26, 2020

We rented a house with two other families over the week of March 21st. My son, who is in treatment for cancer, has a compromised immune system. We were informed not to travel. HomeAway/VRBO which is owned by Expedia, made "suggestions " to their owners to refund at least partial payments but left the decision ultimately up to the owners. While Air BnB refunded all payments to renters. We were on the phone three times with HomeAway and has to wait on average for 40 minutes to talk to a customer representative who we could barely understand due to their accents. HomeAway is keeping their policy to support the home owners and not the renters. Let's see how well they survive financially when no one uses HomeAway/VRBO/Expedia again. #out$2075novacation4us

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
Minnesota
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Tammy H.
Unfollow Tammy H.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Don't book with VRBO
March 26, 2020

Our daughter and her friends were heading to Fort Lauderdale for their college senior spring break, booked a house (with Ana-and David)and had to cancel because of Covid 19. They all saved and paid for their trip, but when it came time to ask for a refund they were denied. I want to know why when the president and all others are saying that you should not travel and the college says you will have to self Quarantine if you go, that that is not a good enough reason to get your money back! They don't want to Reschedule because they will all be in different places in another month. Very sad on your part VRBO for allowing your homeowners to Get away with this! I HOPE YOU WILL MAKE THIS RIGHT!

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Philip M.
Unfollow Philip M.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

VRBO has been tremendous in getting our refund back in the number
Of days they told us, first class organization we will use them again going forward i did not call them I used the connect button & the operator was the best we were typing back & forth to each other & she made it very easy, I'm reading some of the negative comments just wondering how much patience they showed during these tough times one gave 5 stars then a negative comment what's that all about, good job VRBO & thank you, I would like to give my confirmation number so the operator gets credit but that might not be safe to do signed Philip M.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
Illinois
1 review
11 helpful votes
Follow Danielle D.
Unfollow Danielle D.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Beware of VRBO. They will not refund your money or even help you get a refund if you have to cancel. We booked a stay at a home in Del Ray Beach, owned by Ann Kenny, the week of 3/31/20. Sadly we had to cancel because we cannot leave Illinois due to " Shelter In Place" plus beaches and restaurants are closed so no food and no where to go would be terrible. I cannot even begin to express my total disappointment with VRBO. The owner of the rental Ann was very rude, sending many texts (before I blocked her) stating that this is not her problem, no refund, too bad! I contacted VRBO and while they claim they opened a case, I spoke with a woman yesterday who said their hands are tied and basically "so sorry!" $1,428 bucks gone, with no recourse. I'll spend more money having my attorney draw up a complaint but it's worth it given this company and this homeowner are so terrible and during such a stressful time for our country. Do not use vrbo. We will never ever use them again and we will tell everyone we know, whenever we have a chance to bad mouth this company and the homeowner who refuses to refund our money.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
Nebraska
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Joy S.
Unfollow Joy S.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

VRBO is making it so hard to cancel a reservation during the coronavirus. While AirBnB is offering easy cancellations for full refunds, VRBO is requiring the property owner to be contacted. I've emailed, called and texted the property management company for my rental many times, with absolutely no response so I'm unable to cancel for a refund. I will never use VRBO again.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Darin C.
Unfollow Darin C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

VRBO has provided horrific customer service during this difficult Covid-19 experience. We had reservations for a house in Boulder for my daughter's graduation from college. Graduation was cancelled and there is a travel ban, so needless to say, we don't need the vrbo. The owner refused to issue a refund and VRBO refused to refund any of their service fees. I wasted over 5 hours on hold, only to be told - "it's between you and the rental owner and we can't help you". I find this to be completely unacceptable, as there is a reason I went through a company like VRBO - so that there is someone who is able to help in times like this. This is in complete opposition to the excellent service I received from Airbnb when I had to cancel a vacation due to the covid 19 virus. They were extremely helpful and did all they could to make it as painless as possible. I will never rent through VRBO again.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
New Jersey
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Ruth K.
Unfollow Ruth K.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

I made plans to travel to Mystic CT in February 2020 for an overnight stay on 4/10 (property # *******ha). Unfortunately, we had to cancel (3/15) because of COVID-19. My sister has an auto immune condition and her doctor forbid her to travel. We have contacted the property owner twice thru email and VRBO has asked him to respond. No response AT ALL. Finally, had to contact my cc company to dispute the charge.

Very disappointed about the total disregard from the property manager in a time where everyone needs to come together. I own a small business that has been hit hard so I understand having to refund money but if he had responded we would have rescheduled but I would not stay in one of his properties ever. Bad image for VRBO as well.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Stephanie C.
Unfollow Stephanie C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Sadly, unlike Air BNB, VRBO are leaving their customers hanging in this challenging time of fighting the corona virus. I was forced to cancel my trip due to travel restrictions and the host is refusing to refund. I had the same thing happen with Air BNB, and they completely refunded me. However, VRBO is not stepping in to protect their travelers, leaving us to fight greedy property owners on our own, in which most have been unsuccessful in collecting any kind of refund. Unfortunately, I have lost over $4,000 on a trip I had no choice but to cancel, while also losing my job in the last week due to the pandemic. It's absolutely unacceptable to treat your customers this way in the most challenging of times.

Date of experience: March 26, 2020
California
1 review
18 helpful votes
Follow Joni N.
Unfollow Joni N.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

COVID 19 response
March 25, 2020

I booked a trip in November 2019 to travel to Boston, NYC and Niagara Falls in April of 2020 (curse my luck lol). Neither VRBO schedule will reschedule, respond, or refund. VRBO gave me a case number, because since they are not cancelling, VRBO will not credit the service fees back either. The case number has proven pointless. I will be filing formal complaints. I will never ever book through VRBO again.

Date of experience: March 25, 2020

About the business

VRBO provides vacation rental listings by owner in the US and around the world.


vrbo.com
Founded in 1995
Austin, Texas, United States
+645