The Duct Cleaning Pros

Thank you for bringing this consumer's concerns to our attentionHomeAway introduced a service fee in February The service fee is currently launched on listings that were purchased through VRBO, HomeAway and VacationRentals.comWhen booking and paying for a property on a HomeAway website, the Service Fee is clearly included in the breakdown of the total cost of the rentalTo read more about what the service fee is and why we introduced it, see this article: https://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-service-fee-and-how-does-it-work This fee covers the cost of providing 24/customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiencesAdditionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence Guaranteehttps://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-Book-with-Confidence-Gua...⇄ We do hope this information helps explain the recent addition of the traveler service fee on HomeAway

We thank this consumer for their comments The goal of our website is to increase the number of bookings for our advertisers Part of that effort is researching what travelers look for and how they use the site Most travelers search for vacation rentals based on a specific location and they want listings that have accurate calendars indicating when they are available to bookWe recommend you update your calendar any time there are any changes to itTo get maximum credit for your listing quality, you should update your calendar at least every daysIf you don't update your calendar every days, your listing may be hidden from searches when travelers enter specific datesIf you don't have any recent bookings after days, we recommend you click the "Last Updated" button on the calendar page of your dashboardAdditionally, listings without a verified location do not appear in location-based search results, so you’re missing out on bookingsWhile we recommend showing an exact property location, you can still verify your location and show an approximate location to travelers by deselecting “Display my property’s location” under “Traveler Map & Insider Guide.” Verifying a listing's location only needs to happen once and takes only a brief moment to complete.These requirements are outlined in the Terms and Conditions that the consumer agreed to when they purchased their subscription Additionally, subscription listings are sold to run the full term that is chosen by the member Refunds are not generally available I urge this consumer to contact our customer support team so that we can help them ensure they are doing all they can to maximize the listing's visibility on the site

Dear [redacted] We are sorry to hear about your negative experience with our Customer Service DepartmentThe advertisers of properties listed with HomeAway have an option to set up online payments through Vacation Rent Payment (VRP), a third party credit card processing companyHomeAway does not receive any credit card funds processed for bookings made through the websiteIf an advertiser elects to accept online payments, these payments are processed through VRP as a merchant of recordThe funds go directly into the owner’s bank account, which they have set up with VRP beforehandIf a traveler has any issue with their payment as it relates to a complaint or dispute, they should work with the advertiser of the property, as it is the advertiser, not HomeAway, who has their moneyTravelers only see HomeAway or VRBO on their billing statement so they will recognize the source of the charge, as they may not recognize a charge from VRP as a booking fee from their vacation rentalWe would recommend following up with the advertiser to see if the funds can be refunded through a personal check or any other suitable methods of payment

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:i purchased cancellation insurance through HomeAway that refused to pay out for Hurricane Irma1)if your insurance will not cover the traveler, it should not be made available for purchase through your site and mobile app2)Just because you have the policy, it doesn’t mean that it is a good policyYour “Booking with Confidence” is a scam, because I cannot be confidant in your services or customer service Regards, [redacted] ***

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:the business suggests that I submit an email for help on this issue, however, I have already done so and never received a response to thatTherefore I see no reason to repeat my actionsI submitted the email to the address specified and and in the manner directed by the customer services agent that I spoke to over the telephoneI request that the business get in touch with me, the consumerMy email address is [redacted] .This is what was promised by the customer services employee to me and that would be 'better business' Regards, [redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention.According to our record we emailed this consumer several times making them aware that we had temporarily suspended their listing until their listing was in compliance.The service fee is paid by the traveler when booking through the HomeAway websitesThis fee covers the cost of providing 24/customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiencesAdditionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence GuaranteeTravelers pay the service fee by credit card when paying through the secure HomeAway checkout processThe service fee is only charged to the card once the booking has been acceptedThe service fee is calculated on a sliding scale of 4% to 9% of the rental amount, excluding the deposit or taxesThe service fee only applies to the cost of the rental and will not exceed $499.The service fee does not affect the ability of the owner to control their own rental rates and fees (e.gpets, cleaning, or maintenance)We do recommend providing a distinct name for fees that differ from service fee to avoid confusion.**The owner does not have the ability to discount or waive the service fee amountThe only time the service fee can be refunded is when an owner uses the Cancellation Refund feature from their dashboardHowever, if the reservation is not canceled and all payments fully refunded to the traveler, the service fee will not be refunded.Owners do not pay taxes on the service feeSales and Use Taxes and Transient Occupancy Taxes are only due on the amount paid to the property owner related to the rental of the accommodations.Lastly, according to the consumer internal case# [redacted] the consumer did remove all verbiage that is in violation of our policy regarding the service fee and the listing was reinstated on 4/21/

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: They should credit me back the $regardless of what they have done Regards, [redacted] ***

We thank this consumer for their patience with us as we worked through their issue and apologize for any frustration caused Our records show that a refund of the remaining funds was initiated on 3/10/ We hope that the consumer now has receipt of these funds and urge them to reach out to us if that is not the case Customer support can be contacted on ###-###-####

We apologize that the customer has had this experienceIt appears that there was an error causing the refund request not to go throughI spoke with vacation rent payment today and they were able to initiate the refund requestIf the customer has any additional issues with this matter, please have them contact our third party processor Vacation Rent Payment at [redacted] The reference number for the refund request is [redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention.According to our records we have been working closely with this consumer (case# [redacted] ) with assistance filing a Book with Confidence claimWe understand based on this consumers case with us and their responses that their party may have incurred additional costs after checking into the hotel our HomeAway traveler care team arranged If the fees in question were charged by the hotel directly, we may be able to investigate those charges to determine whether those fees can be reimbursed under Book with Confidence.That said, if the additional costs were not related to the accommodations, the charges will not fall under the provisions of the Book with Confidence program:Illustrative Examples of Losses Not Protected.The following are illustrative examples of Losses of funds that the Program DOES NOT protect against, as determined in Our reasonable and sole judgment:• ANY DAMAGES OTHER THAN AMOUNTS ACTUALLY PAID TO OR DEPOSITED WITH THE ADVERTISER, INCLUDING ANY INDIRECT LOSSES, LOSS OF OPPORTUNITY, LOSS OF CUSTOM FEES, OTHER CONTRACTUAL PENALTIES, AIRFARE, TRANSPORTATION COSTS AND/OR ANY OTHER COST OR EXPENSE.Please feel free to forward to documentation to our team in the ongoing case if you believe the costs fall under the program We will be happy to review the information to see what options are available

Thank you for bringing this consumer experience to our attentions Our records indicate a refund for $was refunded to the travelerIf this traveler has further concerns, please don’t hesitate to call us at [redacted]

Thank You for bringing this consumers additional concerns to our attentionAccording to our records this traveler is working actively with our claims department in case# [redacted] regarding her request for reimbursement and we see that our last communication to this consumer was on 5/4/and that it was forwarded to our Trust &Security Management team for final review and decision

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Regards, [redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumer's concerns to our attention HomeAway introduced a service fee in February The service fee is currently launched on listings that were purchased through VRBO, HomeAway and VacationRentals.comWhen booking and paying for a property on a HomeAway website, the Service Fee is clearly included in the breakdown of the total cost of the rental To read more about what the service fee is and why we introduced it, see this article: https://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-service-fee-and-how-does-it-work This fee covers the cost of providing 24/customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiencesAdditionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence Guarantee https://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-Book-with-Confidence-Guarantee We do hope this information helps explain the recent addition of the traveler service fee on HomeAway

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attentionI have reviewed and researched this consumers issue.We would like to offer our apologies for the experience this consumer had with booking a property through one of our advertisersThis is certainly not the experience we would want a consumer to have.According to our records, this consumer has an internal case with us Case# [redacted] Our advertising service is a online market place for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property managerAccording to our records this consumer submitted a booking request for this property, however a booking request is not officially a reservation until the home owner has accepted the booking requestThis consumers booking request was never accepted by the home ownerThey declined the bookingThe reason why this consumer never received that notification is they had entered their email address in incorrectly.Using the 'Request to Book' button on a listing requires the consumer to enter a credit card so that if the booking is accepted, the card can be charged On the page where a traveler enters their credit card information, there is a message that states: "The owner has hours to confirm your reservation or declineA temporary hold will be placed on your card to ensure sufficient fundsYour bank's policy determines when this hold is released."When a booking request is declined or expires, no charge is made for the requested amount and the hold request is withdrawn The amount of time it takes for a bank or credit card company to remove the hold request varies based on individual bank policiesHold requests are usually resolved within - business daysI do show that we did reach out to our partner, VacationRentPayment (VRP) which is a third party credit card processing company and request a code to get the hold lifted from this consumers credit cardThis was successful.We always encourage travelers not to 'assume' they have a booking without having a solid reservation confirmation, and also it is always a good idea to speak with the owner prior to traveling to make sure the booking is confirmed as well

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attentionHomeAway introduced a service fee in February The service fee is currently launched on listings that were purchased through VRBO, HomeAway and VacationRentals.comTo read more about what the service fee is and why we introduced it, see this article: https:// [redacted] This fee covers the cost of providing 24/customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiencesAdditionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence Guaranteehttps:// [redacted] Regarding changes in the performance of this consumer's rental property and search results, this is due to a new and improved search result system called Best MatchThis system is designed so travelers see more relevant listings when they search, and owners get more relevant booking requests that result in a successful bookingBest Match affects every owner differently, and there are many factors they have control over to positively impact their performanceWe are still honoring subscription levels like the one this consumer purchased, and he will continue to be placed above other users who have subscription levels lower than hisFor more information, see our Best Match FAQ here: https:// [redacted] These changes are universal to every consumer using our servicesWe hope this information helps to shed light on why they were made and how they benefit both the consumer and their travelers

Thank You for bringing this consumer's concerns to our attention As of 10/13/2017, the listing in question has been removed from our siteWe addressed this with the consumer in case ( [redacted] )We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any further questions

We are sorry this consumer feels this way Our #goal at HomeAway is to drive more bookings to our owners and property managersYour success is our success, as it has always been in this business The service fee was introduced to enable us to continue to provide what we think is the best option for property owners and managers to advertise their properties We hope this consumer will continue advertising on the site

Thank you for your additional concernsWe again apologize for the inconvenience of receiving emails in errorThe matter has been corrected and this consumer can simply delete these emailsWe do not yet have a system in place to confirm an email address

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me I appreciate you getting back to meI hope in the future, the customer service department is able to help out others who are having difficulty connecting with the property ***I still have not come to a resolution because they will not return my messagesI have spent hours and hours of my time on the phone with customer service (minutes holding, and minutes on the phone being transferred repeatedly), trying to find an email to email to, but it gets rejectedI hope in the future, you look at those processes because currently they are broken, and unfortunately the consumer suffers Regards, [redacted] ***