Denise J.

I own a small cottage on a lake in CT. I was interested in renting it out on a weekly basis for the months of May - October so I joined VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) in 2005 and it was a lovely experience. I paid "X" amount of dollars per year to advertise on this website. When someone was interested in renting they would submit an inquiry to my email. Based on their needs I would submit a response. This personal communication was necessary to let the consumer know what they were getting for their money and sometimes resulted in negotiating different a different price based on their individual requirements. Lately VRBO has been taken over by HomeAway. HomeAway then began to push On-Line booking down my throat. I have no interest in on-line booking and never will but because I have made this decision HomeAway has made it increasingly difficult for me to access my site. They have a pop-up for on-line booking that blocks out your site until you agree to book on-line. They have taken away all the personal communication between me and my customer and have now begun charging my customers a service fee if they book my cottage. When they notify me that my renewal is due they do not supply anything (and I mean NOTHING) indicating changes in the website. I have never signed an agreement with them and when I ask them to supply me a copy of my signed agreement they won't answer me. You only find out about their changes when you access your site and discover that they have taken over your bookings and your money. Customer service is of absolutely NO HELP. The website says they are available 24/7 but that is not true. When you call they tell you they are available Mon - Fri between normal working hours.At times when I have finally gotten through not only have they not helped with my question or problem, they have actually tricked me into agreeing to things I had no intention of agreeing to. BEWARE OWNERS, THESE PEOPLE ARE CROOKS! Google them and read their reviews. I'm not sure who hates them more, the property Owners or the renters!