The VIR Group Reviews (%countItem)
The VIR Group Rating
Address: 2345 Pinehurst Ct, Davenport, Florida, United States, 33837-1735
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+1 (352) 354-9143 +1 (352) 633-3025 |
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The VIR Group have fraudulently collected from me $3,754.77 for rental of a property at The Villages at ***., for Feb 9 - 28, 2019.
We booked this rental through Home Away web site, and then referred over by them to the VIR Group, supposedly managing this property, and we signed an on line contract sent by the VIR Group. We sent five separate payments paying in full June 11, 2018 to VIR Group. We received an email in September from VIR stating that their name was changing to yourflvacationrental.com. When we went on line yesterday to check up, we found none of the websites or phone numbers worked. We traced down the home owners to find out that they knew nothing about our rental. We contacted the Attourney General's office in Tallahassee only to learn that we had been scammed by VIR and there were 30 complaints on file similar to our situation involving several properties. The contact at VIR Group was Alistair Barrett-Powell, chief executive.
We are seeking a total refund
Rented a home in The Villages from 3-28-2020 through 4-5-2020 and need to cancel and want refund of deposit returned.
Rented a home at*** from 3-28-2020 through 4-5-2020 through VIR Rentals. We need to cancel the reservation and have our deposit of $401.36 returned. The confirmation number is ***. I've tried calling and the phone just rings. I've sent several e-mails with no response. The website no longer works. The next deposit of $401.36 is due 3-28-2019 and I want to make sure they don't charge my credit card. I was working with Ashley H and Alistar. The rental agreement that we signed has a cancellation section that says we need to provide 60 days notice if we need to cancel. That's what I'm trying to do but can't get a response. Please provide assistance in getting my deposit refunded.
Thank You
Seeking a refund per the details provided.
We rented and paid for a villa for Dec 2018. Upon arrival the owners had no idea it was rented. We had no rental and no response from The VIR Group.
We had a contract with The VIR Group for a December 2018 rental in The Villages. This was fully paid for. Upon arrival the owners had no idea we had rented the place and had received none of the funds from VIR. The were using a different rental management company because of their own problems with VIR. We were here with no place to stay and VIR and it's owner Alister B-P*** was nowhere to be found.
We paid $3,221.85 to The VIR Group and would like a full refund.
iwas defrauded my rental property fee of 2198.81 dolllars when I rented a property at *** I had a signed rental agreemen
On Tuesday October 23rd we went to the *** house to gain entry to the residence we had rented until November 15th. We noticed different rental agency sign in the window and a new lock box near the garage door. We were unable to obtain entry and went to the my in-laws house for the night. At the house I began making phone calls, texting and instant messaging the VIR Rental agency.
7:30am On Wednesday October 24th my wife *** and my sister-in-law, *** went over to the*** house we rented to take a picture of the real estate sign in the window. We wanted to contact the company and get into the house.
As*** approached the house she noticed lights on in the house and knocked on the door. After a second knock a man came to the door and opened the door, a woman joined him.
*** introduced myself and said we had rented the house until November 15th. They introduced themselves as the owners and affirmed that the house had been rented to us by the VIR Rental agency. However they had removed the house from the rental company because they found out "the rental company is a scam". *** told me that they have been scammed and now we have been scammed. "We both have been scammed."
The owner said that they had asked VIR for our name to contact and VIR would not give them our information. They said I needed to contact the *** rental group from the sign they have posted in the window. They referred to the sign when *** said when*** asked them about the information regarding our rental of the house at this time.
She told *** now we have been scammed as well by VIR company. They told *** that they have retained an attorney. *** asked for the attorney's name. They did not give it to her, nor would they tell her in what state the attorney was retained. She told them that we would like the name of their attorney so our attorneys could share information that would mutually benefit our cases. They only referred me to the ReMax rental agency sign.
Please contact the business to: let them know there has been a complaint filed. We want a refund.
As owners, they owe us over $8,000 in payments.
April 2017, we entered an agreement with The VIR Group to manage the rental of our home in The Villages. We had to invest additional monies into setting up the house, including the purchase of Golf Cart. Because of the start-up costs, we received no payments for several months, which is understandable.
Then in August and September, due to the hurricane, no statement or payments were issued.
After several emails in October, I was finally able to get a statement and two payments in November (one for $3,659.20 and $1,192.87).
I did get an Annual statement in January 2018 and an eventual 1099 in March.
In January, the first golf cart blew up. I had to purchase a new one for $4,000 to keep The VIR Group's clientele happy. I asked The VIR Group for a payment of the balance they owed me at the time ($2,374.59) to help offset the cost. I received nothing.
I did not get a January or February statement until end of March.
I did not get a March or April statement.
At the end of March and into April 2018, I started a campaign of requests for statements and payments. I also drafted a notice of intention. In this "Notice" email, I summarized key statements related to monthly statements and payments in our signed agreement. I summarized where I was coming from in regards to my frustration (i.e., the costs I'm incurring to support their operations). Plus, the fact I had to buy a new golf cart.
Then, I spelled out my plan to terminate the agreement on the April 2019 anniversary. I blocked out the booking calendar from April 2019 onward (as far as I could). This will prevent any potential clientele to book the rental. The reason being, in the agreement, I'd be liable to pay The VIR Group potential proceeds from these future bookings if I terminate the agreement.
I asked The VIR Group to rectify this situation. I heard nothing back.
In April, I turned up the heat on my campaign. It came to a boiling point mid-April when a client contacted me directly complaining that The VIR Group cancelled their future reservation even though he paid in full. I, immediately, let The VIR Group know of this.
Fortunately, they quickly responded to both the client and myself and rectified the issue.
Since I had an open dialog going, I took advantage of it and really pushed for owner statements and payments. Quite a few emails went back and forth. No satisfactory outcome came about.
Most of the emails revolved around The VIR Group changing their ACH company (which they never told me about) and verification of account "connectivity" through a series of deposits/withdrawals. We went back and forth on that. Again, no satisfactory outcome.
I finally suggested that they send me a paper check for payment. They said they would look into it. A few days later, The VIR Group managed to push verification of the ACH with my account. A couple of more days, a payment of $2,374.59 was made (on 4/23/2018). Success.
In April 2018, I initiated an agreement with a law firm in Jacksonville (***) to assist me with legal pressure. They sent The VIR Group a letter notifying them of the situation and our terms, particularly, to send us statements and payments. This seemed to help a little but we've not gotten full payment.
The legal pressure did get us some statements and one payment. We received a statement on 6/21/2018 showing they owe us $7,632.63.
The last statement we've received was on 7/3/2018. This latest statement shows The VIR Group owes us $8,335.78. The only payment they've made to us for the year 2018 was for $1,500 paid on 5/31/2018.
With heavy and continuous complaining to The VIR Group, we finally entered an agreement with Rented.com through The VIR Group starting 7/1/2018 through 4/30/2019. It seems they're pushing us owners in that direction. Since entering this agreement with Rented.com, we're now getting routine and guaranteed payments of $1,500 per month.
However, The VIR Group still owes us $8,335.17.
Full payment of $8,335.17 that they owe us. I'd like them to also pay $2,289.00 I had to pay my lawyer to put some pressure on them to send me statements (and, unfortunately, a single $1,500 payment). As a long shot, I'd like them to help pay for the $4,000 replacement Golf Cart I had to buy (in an emergency situation) to keep their clientele happy.
Please see below
- Mr ***
VIR - The VIR Group
Responses:
*: As owners, they owe us over $8,000 in payments.
VIR: False.
*: April 2017, we entered an agreement with The VIR Group to manage the rental of our home in The Villages.
VIR: False - It was March 21st, 2017
*: We had to invest additional monies into setting up the house, including the purchase of Golf Cart.
VIR: Correct - It is a furnished rental home that Mr *** had to furnish.
*: Because of the start-up costs, we received no payments for several months, which is understandable.
VIR: Correct - VIR very generously fronted Mr *** funds to complete work on the house and provide the necessary items Mr *** had not completed before he left. This was as a courtesy and VIR was out of pocket for many months while the rental revenue came in to replenish VIR's costs.
*: Then in August and September, due to the hurricane, no statement or payments were issued.
VIR: That is correct. Guests were forced to cancel due to the natural disaster. Mr *** should not have received any funds if the guests cancelled.
*: After several emails in October, I was finally able to get a statement and two payments in November (one for $3,659.20 and $1,192.87).
VIR: Mr *** was sent a statement on 10/5/2017 and a copy on 10/11/2017 and the finalized one on 10/13/2017 (see attached. Correct on payments
*: I did get an Annual statement in January 2018 and an eventual 1099 in March.
VIR: Correct on annual statement - sent January 16th, 2018. Incorrect on 1099. 1099 was sent January 27th, 2018.
*: In January, the first golf cart blew up.
VIR: Correct. A golf cart Mr *** purchased. Not VIR.
*: I had to purchase a new one for $4,000 to keep The VIR Group's clientele happy.
VIR: False. Mr *** had rented his home out INCLUDING a golf cart which substantially increases his rental income. Not to keep VIR's clients happy. Mr *** contractually rented the property with a golf cart included.
*: I asked The VIR Group for a payment of the balance they owed me at the time ($2,374.59) to help offset the cost.
VIR: False. Mr *** asked for an advance.
*: I received nothing.
VIR: Correct. VIR refused to, once again, advance Mr *** funds for home repairs / updates.
*: I did not get a January or February statement until end of March.
VIR: Correct. Those statements are due the month following activity. They were sent on March 27th, 2018
*: I did not get a March or April statement.
VIR: False - A complete statement of everything from 3/2017 through to 5/31/2018 was sent by Mr ***'s request on 6/21/2018.
*: At the end of March and into April 2018, I started a campaign of requests for statements and payments. I also drafted a notice of intention. In this "Notice" email, I summarized key statements related to monthly statements and payments in our signed agreement. I summarized where I was coming from in regards to my frustration (i.e., the costs I'm incurring to support their operations). Plus, the fact I had to buy a new golf cart.
VIR: Correct - VIR did not agree with some of Mr ***'s comments as the timescales that Mr *** demanded contractually don't exist. We felt sorry for Mr *** having to purchase a new golf cart because the first one blew up - but that is not a VIR issue - we suggested that Mr *** charged back the original purchase of the cart on his credit card as it was damaged goods and services - Mr *** advised he had done this.
*: Then, I spelled out my plan to terminate the agreement on the April 2019 anniversary. I blocked out the booking calendar from April 2019 onward (as far as I could).
VIR: That is correct as is Mr ***'s right. He said that the house was costing him more than he was making and wanted to sell it.
*: This will prevent any potential clientele to book the rental.
VIR: Correct
*: The reason being, in the agreement, I'd be liable to pay The VIR Group potential proceeds from these future bookings if I terminate the agreement.
VIR: That is correct. Any bookings made PAST the termination date, Mr *** would incur a cancellation fee. He was smart to do what he did and we all agreed his actions were sensible.
*: I asked The VIR Group to rectify this situation. I heard nothing back.
VIR: We are unaware of the situation Mr *** asked us to rectify - the dates were blocked.
*: In April, I turned up the heat on my campaign. It came to a boiling point mid-April when a client contacted me directly complaining that The VIR Group cancelled their future reservation even though he paid in full.
VIR: That is correct. The unit was double booked by a 3rd party travel agency that we had to inform they needed to cancel the trip.
*: I, immediately, let The VIR Group know of this.
Fortunately, they quickly responded to both the client and myself and rectified the issue.
VIR: The issue with the guest was already under control and we appreciate Mr ***'s involvement. We are sorry that the guest took it upon themselves to contact Mr ***. That was unacceptable.
*: Since I had an open dialog going, I took advantage of it and really pushed for owner statements and payments. Quite a few emails went back and forth.
VIR: That is partially correct - we have always had an open dialogue with Mr ***.
*: No satisfactory outcome came about.
VIR: We disagree.
*: Most of the emails revolved around The VIR Group changing their ACH company (which they never told me about) and verification of account "connectivity" through a series of deposits/withdrawals.
VIR: We disagree. We had to notify Mr *** of our change of ACH depositing company because it required Mr *** to re-verify his account - which he did. Therefore Mr *** was notified.
*: We went back and forth on that. Again, no satisfactory outcome.
VIR: Disagree. The outcome was that Mr ***'s account was verified.
*: I finally suggested that they send me a paper check for payment. They said they would look into it.
VIR: We don't write paper checks, never have, never will. It is too risky getting lost in the mail or defrauded.
*: A few days later, The VIR Group managed to push verification of the ACH with my account. A couple of more days, a payment of $2,374.59 was made (on 4/23/2018). Success.
VIR: Correct. We advised Mr *** it would take 2-3 days for the bank to verify the account with the small deposits and withdrawals. Once it was verified a few days later, Mr *** received his payment.
J: In April 2018, I initiated an agreement with a law firm in Jacksonville (***) to assist me with legal pressure. They sent The VIR Group a letter notifying them of the situation and our terms, particularly, to send us statements and payments. This seemed to help a little but we've not gotten full payment.
VIR: False. The letter was mailed to VIR on May 31st, 2018. As we moved offices on June 1st, 2018 the letter rode around in USPS mail forwarding until we received it eventually on July 28th, 2018.
*: The legal pressure did get us some statements and one payment.
VIR: False - We had not even received the legal letter when we sent statements and payment to Mr ***.
J: The only payment they've made to us for the year 2018 was for $1,500 paid on 5/31/2018.
VIR: False. VIR has paid $2,374.59 on 4/21/2018 and $1,500.00 on 5/31/2018
J: With heavy and continuous complaining to The VIR Group, we finally entered an agreement with Rented.com through The VIR Group starting 7/1/2018 through 4/30/2019.
VIR: False. VIR is the one who suggested Rented.com to Mr ***. It provides consistent monthly income to Mr *** to help with his cashflow.
*: It seems they're pushing us owners in that direction. Since entering this agreement with Rented.com, we're now getting routine and guaranteed payments of $1,500 per month.
VIR: We are moving our entire business over to the guaranteed model as unfortunately the majority of our clients are not seasoned investors and therefore have issues with balancing cashflow. This new model splits the annual estimate up into 12 equal payments to assist owners with budgeting. It is beneficial to all owners.
*: However, The VIR Group still owes us $8,335.17.
VIR: We disagree. We shall we auditing Mr ***'s entire file and updating the Revdex.com with the outcome.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I'm so tired of fighting with these guys. It's been a long road, indeed.
After taking another look at the last statement that The VIR Group had sent me on June 21, it does state they owe me $7,632.63. I agree that I mistakenly stated they owe me $8,335.17. I stand corrected. In any case, an immediate payment of $7,632.63 is due to me that covers January 1 through June 30, 2018. Now that I'm working with Rented.com, I'm getting regular monthly payments and am satisfied in that regard. My agreement with them started July 1, 2018 and ends April 30, 2019.
This wouldn't have become an issue if The VIR Group would've just followed the agreement we both signed back in March 2017. That is, the agreement states the following:
"(M.) Provide Owner with a monthly statement along with an end of year recap of all financial activity."
and
"(N.) Remit monthly statement total income to Owner on the following month after they are collected."
I received the following statements for 2018:
March 27, 2018 (for 1/1/2018 - 2/27/2018), stating they owe me $6,715.01
June 21, 2018 (for 12/1/2017 - 5/31/2018), stating they owe me $7,632.63
As you can plainly see, these are not monthly statements.
I've stated in the past, I'm good for the year 2017. No issues there (with the exception of late statements and payments). I did get paid in full for 2017 (as they had to because of IRS rules). It's 2018 that's in dispute here.
The only payment I received for 2018 was made on 5/31/2018 for $1,500. That's it. According to the agreement, I should've received six statements and six payments.
For six months, I've been paying all of the bills (electricity, internet, water, lawn maintenance, HOA fees, taxes and insurance; a pro-rated amount of approximately $800 per month). They've been able to enjoy renting my home, taking in income, and profiting at my expense. I've been upholding my end of the agreement.
To clear this issue up, all they have to do is immediately pay me $7,632.63 (in full) as per the latest statement. It's as simple as that.
My plan is to sell the home next April after my agreement with Rented.com expires. Most unfortunate as I do like the business concept of boutique renting. That's the positive aspect of what The VIR Group is doing. I'm hopeful their marriage with Rented.com will help them improve their relationships with the home owners in the future.
I'm not sure what the Revdex.com can do here. But, I'm hopeful this gets resolved.
Document Attached***
Document 6
The home was exactly what we needed...bright, fresh, and beautiful, it met our needs perfectly. The lanai was amazing- huge, comfortable, private-just right for inducing relaxation. The pool was a refreshing and welcome respite from the heat and humidity. While it was a bit of a drive to the rest of The Villages, we know plans are underway to build and connect to the "mainland" very soon. We would definitely stay here again!
Linda, it was such a pleasure to have you stay with us and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
We loved this villa. Our vacation started off a little rocky. The owner of the villa we originally rented withdrew his listing, and we had no place to go. Then Mr. Alistair B saved the day. He arranged for us to have the use of a smaller villa on the first night, then moving to a larger one for the remaining 7 nights. He was so gracious and helpful, he truly saved our vacation. The villa was perfect. We loved the lanai, and the use of the golf car. The location was convenient to several country clubs and executive golf courses. We had a wonderful time enjoying the lifestyle of The Villages, and we are planning to visit again in the near future.
Larry and Linda, it was such a pleasure to have you stay with us and thank you so much for the great review! We are really sorry that *** of Evergreen Court decided to lock you out of the house 3 hours before you arrived! That was really despicable - but we are really glad that we were able to help you :)
Just returned from a week at the villages. The VIR group was outstanding from the time I booked till the minute I left the home I rented. The house was extremely clean and well furnished which made for a perfect vacation!
Loretta, it was such a pleasure to have you stay with us and we look forward to seeing you again soon :)
This is not a reputable company and I would never do business with them again. After time consuming searching for the 'right' home to rent to experience The Villages for the first time I found what seemed like the perfect home. Even though the home was rented through VRBO the property owner was The VIR Group. I was sent confirmation that my home was available and my credit card was charged the initial down payment. I questioned one thing, the lifestyle pass, which I thought was included in the rental by the description of what was offered. I was wrong it was not, which was fine I've been wrong before. But because I questioned it they canceled my reservation without notice and said I was black listed from VIR. I have never experienced such disturbing customer service in my life. What an extreme response with absolutely not attempt to work with the customer. My emails all cam from Alistair B-P*** CEO, which was even more disturbing that a CEO would respond in such a way. Not only that, he then contacted my employer and tried to get me in trouble. I can't even comprehend what he was thinking, did he really think that he was going to threaten my career?? Consumers beware something isn't right with this business.
This woman filed a complaint which was rejected.
So, here's the truth regarding this lady Deborah L. She booked a vacation with VIR and then contacted us a few days after booking saying: I'm confused it says this is included in the right up of what is included with this rental now your saying we have to pay a fee? Deb L, Sr Supervisor, L.L.Bean Facilities, 207-751-5796,***. We asked her where it said that the pass required by The Villages (not by VIR, by The Villages themselves) was paid for by VIR / included in her rental. She was unable to find it and said "It certainly implies that the temporary resident ID is included with this rental". VIR's response was: "Deb, there is no implication that the temporary IDs are included. No other guest has ever thought they were included. Those IDs are nothing to do with the property or ourselves and they are from The Villages directly. As the contract hasn't been signed yet (despite being overdue for at least a week and there is some confusion on your side regarding the IDs, I have gone ahead and cancelled your reservation and refunded all amounts paid - with $0 cancellation charge. You are free to rebook with us now understanding the ID situation, or you can choose another rental company for your stay. Many thanks". She clearly thought that this was "unacceptable" to her. She responded with "Cancelation was pretty extreme without even asking first. I can't rebook because the site shows those dates aren't available. I would like to have my rental agreement back I did not agree on a cancellation." ALL the time representing LL Bean as a company with her email signature. We responded with "Good afternoon Deb, We take these issues very seriously when it comes to people "assuming" or "implying" and I have placed my Guest Services team in charge of reviewing all property descriptions online to ensure that there can be no assumptions in the future or implications of items included. The booking has been cancelled and the online calendar will be updated within the next 24 hours automatically online when those dates will be re-available. Many thanks" and then she responded with: "Wow what kind of customer service is this?? I will be contacting someone immediately about your actions. Unacceptable!" to which she then followed up with "Thank you for all the great emails fortunately I know a few great lawyers.". Bearing in mind Deb L's email string was threatening in nature, we reached out to LL Bean with the following email: "Good afternoon Mr G and Mr S, Please see below a string of emails we have received from an employee of yours (identifying with corporate signature) - Deb L - which we believe are threatening in nature and attempting to blackmail The VIR Group. It was important for me to let you know about the content of these as we have always held LL Bean as a retailer in high regard. The communications below with a "Senior Supervisor" of LL Bean have certainly left a question in our minds about the company and I certainly wouldn't let an employee of The VIR Group represent us in such a manner. I appreciate your attention to this." - Clearly Deborah L did NOT like this and decided to LASH OUT! People need to realize that what they said in email, online or in person to people sticks and it is NOT acceptable to treat others in the way she treated my staff and myself.
VIR Group owes us over $8,000 in rental income for the 2018 rental season.
We purchased a home in The Villages, Florida (***) in September of 2015 and we chose VIR Rentals as a property manager for our house. Their job was to obtain renters for our home while we were not occupying it, collect the rental fees and then send us our portion of the money obtained - minus management fees.
This arrangement worked well until the Fall of 2017. At that time, VIR started to pay us later and later in the month. As of this date in 2018, we have not received any of the rent owed to us for this year, (approximately $8,000+). We had occupancy in January, February, March and April of 2018.
We called, texted and emailed the company and owners multiple times in 2018, asking for the money that was due to us. Multiple times, we were told they were "processing" the payment to our account. Most times they would not return our calls and we have never received payment.
VIR/Alistair B-P*** responded by calling my husband's work's "investigation unit" to claim my husband had threatened him. He also called the President of my husband's company, indicating the same thing. He also wrote an email to my husband, indicating he was going to ruin his life, cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars and get him fired. He also took to social media, indicating to readers not to rent from us as we had let our home fall into disrepair and we were broke. (We have saved multiple emails, texts and have made copies of owner's statements before we were locked out of the portal by VIR).
His tactic is always to threaten lawsuits and spread lies. He also told us he was "auditing" our owner's account from day one and that when he was done, we would have 24 hours to pay him. He made a false claim that VIR had charged their 19% management fees on our "net" rental income, not "gross."
We have also gone over our owner statements and have found this to be untrue; they did charge us on the gross rental income. This was over 2 weeks ago and we still have not received the money that is due to us. (Again, this was a tactic to throw attention off VIR and make us nervous that we would end up owing VIR thousands of dollars).
He sent a cease and desist order (written by himself) to my husband and me at work and has removed our access to the "owner's portal" which has our records. He has programmed his Email to reject our Emails and instructed his staff not to allow us to speak with them.
We are asking that we be paid the money that is due to us for all 2018 rentals
EX-consumer is attempting to file complaints with anyone who will listen. Consumer sold the property in the middle of an agreement with business and is required to honor the early termination clause for fees due to the business. Consumer caused the business to lose in excess of $10,000 of revenue for selling the home early. Consumer didn't even notify business that the home had been sold - we had to find out from the new owner.
As part of the contract, consumer owes the business 6% of the selling price of the home if the home was sold "to a tenant who has leased the property in the preceding 365 days, the owner agrees to pay 6% of the final sales price". Consumer has not offered these funds and is refusing to abide by contractual obligations.
We were waiting for the property appraiser's website to update with the home selling price before we responded to this complaint.
As per Clause 11 of the attached management agreement, consumer owes The VIR Group (business) 6% of the selling price of $220,000 = $13,200. The purchaser of the home is *** who were the tenants in the property and were procured by The VIR Group (business).
Unfortunately this is an attempt for *** to try and trash the business with the Revdex.com so that we'll forget about Clause 11.
We have passed this file over to debt collectors and our attorney.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Response to VIR statements regarding ***
May 25, 2018
We do not agree with VIR Rental's response to our complaint for the following reasons:
VIR has not paid us rent due to us for 2018, which is over $6,000. VIR also owes us the return of our $400 working capital, as well as over $2,000 for travel agency booking fees which VIR charged to us after indicating we would not have to pay. (See email below). I have also attached the owner's statements where you can clearly see VIR did deduct the booking fees from the rental income.
VIR Vacation Rentals
www.virrentals.com
***
***, Florida 34731
+1 (3***
+1 (***
OWNER STATEMENT
For the period: 1/1/2016 - 1/31/2016
Statement Generated Date:
Thursday, February 11, 2016
***
Springfield, MA 01118
***
Thank you for the privilege of allowing The VIR Group to manage your vacation rental property.
IMPORTANT REMINDER REGARDING TRAVEL AGENCY BOOKING FEES - Travel agency booking fees are paid to 3rd party companies around the world who provide us with bookings for your unit. We are proud to be able to offer you these privileged relationships that are exclusive to us in The Villages. Travel Agencies are not the old mom and pop agencies but international websites such as *** and many other websites from around the world. Your net rent is not affected by these fees. When we quote a fee to a travel agency company, we increase the standard rental rate by 10% to cover the 10% travel agency charge. The travel agency charge is reflected in your statement so you know where the booking has come from and effectively the tenant is paying this upcharge. The benefit of using travel agencies is that we have found occupancy rates for units are on average 40% higher per annum because of our partnership with these entities which increases your annual rental income by approximately 40%.
We would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of our new property owner referral program. If you refer a family, friend or neighbor to us, and we list their property for rent, we will credit your owner account with a $50 referral fee upon the first rental of that home. There are no limits on number of referrals and we once again appreciate both your business and your word of mouth advertising.
We remain at your service and thank you again for your business.
VIR/Alistair had stopped paying us our rents that were due to us well before we sold our house. By not paying us, they voided the contract and since the contract was void, Clause 11 does not apply.
Paragraph 6 (N) of the contract reads, "Remit rental proceeds collected, less any deductions... by the 15th of the following month." Payments were remitted to us well past the 15th of the following month many times. In addition, we have not received any payments for February, March and April of this year. This caused us hardship in paying our mortgage and monthly bills on time and forced us to take loans to pay them.
VIR/Alistair says that we are attempting to file complaints with anyone who will listen. This is the only part of his reply that is correct! We have filed complaints with both the State and Local Police Departments, Crimes against Seniors in The Villages, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida State Senator Dennis Baxley, the Florida Attorney General's Office and the Revdex.com.
My husband and I are senior citizens and our rental house was in The Villages located in Florida. The Villages is one of the largest retirement communities in the United States. Due to the actions of VIR/Alistair, we were forced to sell our home.
VIR/Alistair is currently under investigation by the Florida State Attorney General's office for doing the same thing he did to us to dozens of other senior citizens in The Villages. You can contact ***) at the state attorney general's office in Florida for more information on this.
VIR/Alistair B-P*** has threatened to "ruin our lives" (attached text from Alistair B-P*** to ***t). This was sent once we insisted on being paid the outstading rent that is due us. VIR/Alistair also posted on social media, listing our full name and full house address, saying that we had let our house fall into disrepair and that potential renters should not rent our home. (See attached). You can see he also listed other landlords that he was trying to bully.
VIR/Alistair will not return our calls to their office. The receptionist/answering service says they are in meetings and will call back...but they never do. They have also removed our access to our owner's portal so we can no longer access our records.
Alistair B-P*** also resorted to harassing/bullying tactics by calling my husband's work including calling the president/CEO of the company, trying to get him fired. (see attached)
VIR/Alistair neglected the upkeep of our home on numerous occasions. Paragraph 6 (I and J) Make Repairs...and maintain the property. Most recently, by not cleaning/preparing our home before the March tenant arrived. The tenant had to wait until 9:00 p.m. on the day they arrived for the house to be cleaned. They had arrived at 4 p.m. The tenant called VIR to complain about rotting garbage in the kitchen's trash can, dirty linens on the beds, a decorated Christmas tree that was left in the hallway, etc. In addition, the tenant had to clean up multiple piles of dog feces that were left in the yard from the previous tenant.
VIR offered our home on multiple occasions as a short-term rental, offering our home for only few days at a time. When we signed up with them, we understood that we would have long-term rentals. By renting our home for only a few days at a time, VIR subjected our neighbors to a constant barrage of transient people coming through the house.
When we signed up with VIR, they had a realtor license which allowed them to do long term rentals. For some unknown reason, they had to give up their realtor license and they could no longer rent our property for more than 30 days at a time. This was clearly not what we signed up for and cost us lost income.
VIR/Alistair also neglected our home by not making necessary repairs. Paragraph 6 (I and J) Make Repairs...and maintain the property. The March tenant called VIR several times, requesting that VIR fix a broken closet door. This was never done. In fact, VIR told the tenant that we refused to allow the repair. The truth is that VIR never called us to tell us the door was broken! We had never refused any prior repairs that were requested of us, including purchasing a newer golf cart because we had a complaint from a tenant that the cart we had was old and noisy.
Since VIR had broken multiple provisions of our contract, the contract and Clause 11 are not valid.
In an email sent to Alistair B-P*** dated February 14, 2018, my husband told Alistair that he and Mike P, Chief Operating Officer and Alistair's father, had been having conversations about us selling our home. Alistair indicated he was pleased for us and that he would not book any additional renters past April 2018. At that time, there were no rentals past April 2018. Therefore, his claim that we did not tell him and that we owe VIR $10,000 in lost rentals is clearly not true.
We continue to request payment for our 2018 February, March and April rents that VIR collected from our tenants (over $6,000), return of our $400 working capital and over $2,000 in Travel Agency Booking Fees that were charged to us contrary to their Email.
VIR is managing my property rental. They have not paid me since January and owe me over $5,000. Repeated attempts to contact them have failed.
VIR has been managing my property in the Villages Florida since December 2015. At first they were very good. Then they started coming up with all types of excuses as to why the payments were delayed. Now I have not been paid for rentals of my property since January 2018.
Please see the attached file which shows how much they owe me. This is taken directly from the owner web site. They continue to advertise and rent my property and are not paying me the rents they collect as per our agreement. (see file 2 attached).
I have called and emailed the owner repeatedly since February to no avail. At first they came up with all types of excuses why the payments were delayed. The owner was in the hospital, the bank was causing problems. Now they refuse to return my calls or emails and continue to advertise my property and collect rents without paying me for the use of my property.
I need your assistance in resolving this issue and getting control of my property back.
I want VIR to pay me the money owed me and to turn over the keys to my property and to stop advertising and renting my property. They have been in violation of the contract/agreement since February 15th when the January payment was due. In addition, they have not sent my monthly statements about my property rental and have not been taking care of the property as required by the agreement. Since they have been in violation of the agreement since February 15th, 2018, I want the agreement terminated, my property returned to me and all money owed paid to me.
We are unsure of how the consumer needs to "get control back of his property" - he has a door code to get in and we have spoken to him NUMEROUS times over the past few weeks - including accepting his official contract termination.
The consumer is just angry because we asked him to do repairs to the house in Florida and he "needs to divert the money allocated from his rental in Florida because it was a very harsh winter up north and needs to make repairs to his home".
We advised the client that he needed to spend the money on his house if we were to continue renting it and he declined because he's broke and needs the money for up north.
That is not our issue and it is sad to see the Revdex.com being used as a "freebie" resolution service.
We consider this matter closed.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The business does not address any of the issues we raised in our complaint, specifically the thousands of dollars he owes us going back to January 2018.
The only concession he has made is letting us out of the agreement. He makes no mention of the money. He has refused to take our calls and he refuses to sign for certified mail that we have sent to the business address.
He only brought up the condition of our property in the last few weeks and I told him we would make repairs as soon as he pays us the money he owes us.
He is confusing the issue to avoid paying us and I would like to know how we pursue collecting the money he owes us since January 2018 which is now over $7,000.
Please continue to pursue the real issue on our behalf. We do not consider the matter closed until he pays us. Then we will consider it closed.
Thank you.
Alistair B P (VIR GROUP) owes us thousands of dollars from renting our property. If will not return our calls.
Alistair, VIR GROUP owes us thousands of dollars. Won't return our phone calls. He's no longer in his office in Fruitland Park, FLA. I've sent proof of monies we're owed to his lawyer, *** (Naples Florida) and his response, Sue Alistair/VIR GROUP. He breached our contract. I've been getting threatening messages from him.Alistair B P once tried to withdraw over $8,000. from our checking accoung. I've contacted the Florida Attorney Generals Office.
We want money that is owed to us by a bank check.
Document Attached***
Response to Case# ***
We are in receipt of the complaint by ***
In order that we may assist in answering the complaint, we have the following questions:
1. "Alistair B-P*** owes us thousands of dollars from renting our property". - We would be grateful if Ms *** could send a copy of the contract she has with Alistair B-P*** to rent her property.
2. ""VIR GROUP" owes us thousands of dollars" - We would be grateful if Ms *** could be more specific rather than "thousands of dollars". We would also be grateful if Ms*** could produce documents and statements detailing where The VIR Group owes Ms *** the sum of money she is referring to. Our records do not reflect that The VIR Group owes Ms *** any money. Our records reflect that Ms *** owes The VIR Group $3,041.62 - see attached.
3. "Won't return our phone calls" - That is correct. We have repeatedly asked Ms *** to only email or write letters to our office due to the threatening nature of her communication. Our office has responded to each and every email that has been sent by Ms *** - copy of the latest email attached where Ms *** says "Mr Alistair, We're not interested in establishing communication with you".
4. "May 6th, 2018 - He's no longer in his office in Fruitland Park" - That is false.
5. "I've sent proof of monies we're owed to his lawyer, *** (Naples Florida)" - That is false. Mr *** has not received any documentation from Ms ***. If Ms *** says that she has sent proof of monies she believes she is owed, we request that Ms *** uploads copies of the proof of monies owed, together with the mailing confirmation/email that she sent to Mr***, together with any attachments to the Revdex.com site here. If Ms *** has indeed sent this documentation, she should have no problem sending it again to the Revdex.com. It's concerning that the supposed communication with our attorney was so accurate with proof of specific amounts owed, yet the Revdex.com complaint is vague with "thousands of dollars". It is essential that we have the specific amounts Ms *** is referring to so that we can assist her in resolving her complaint.
6. "He breached our contract" - The only people qualified to make that determination are attorneys and judges. Neither Ms *** nor anyone at The VIR Group are either of those. The VIR Group never breaches contracts. Our company name is Value INTEGRITY Results (VIR). The VIR Group upholds the highest integrity in never breaching a contract. We request that Ms *** provides evidence of where she believes The VIR Group has breached her contract.
7. "I've been getting threatening messages from him" - That is false. Alistair B-P*** has not communicated with Ms ***.
8. "Alistair B-P*** once tried to withdraw over $8,000 from our checking account" - that is false. It is company policy, as is our contract, that if a guest charges back their stay with their credit card company, and the funds have ALREADY been paid to the owner, then the owner is required to pay back those funds to the bank until the chargeback has been resolved. The VIR Group, not Alistair B-P***, debited the owner's account, as it is entitled to do, the amount of the chargeback pending chargeback outcome. It is important to note that Ms *** closed the bank account that she had authorized us to deposit and withdraw funds from causing the debit of $8.765.52 to be reversed. $8,765.52 came out of The VIR Group's funds because Ms *** refused to credit The VIR Group for the chargeback despite receiving the original funds in her bank. The only party to suffer from this was The VIR Group as the guest got their money back due to the chargeback and Ms *** got the keep the rental monies as she closed the account the funds had been deposited into. See attached confirmation of payment reversal from Ms *** with Account Closed "Previously open account has been closed"
9. "I've contacted the Florida Attorney Generals Office" - Ms *** has contacted them I'm sure. She has probably said the same generic information with no facts and the AG's office has said to her "it is a civil case, we cannot represent or assist you". As per the AG's website "The Attorney General is prohibited from representing private individuals in any cases." YET Ms *** has taken it upon herself to post all over social media that The VIR Group is "under investigation by the AG's office".
Side notes:
We have included for the Revdex.com's information some of the postings *** has been spreading about The VIR Group and it's owners. We believe the Revdex.com will find this interesting.
We look forward to receiving the documents and information from Ms DiPietro to substantiate her complaint.
VIR cancelled my rental property due to an illness of a property owner. I have waited one month and have not received the $2347 refund.
I have had 3 stays with VIR with zero problems. The homes were clean and well maintained. I had a paid reservation for April 2 -17 that was cancelled due to a family illness of the property owner. Understandable. I was informed by VIR owner Mr Alistair on March 3rd that my $2347 refund was processed to my card on that day. After one week, I became concerned that the refund was not showing up. I have made multiple contacts to VIR through phone calls, text, and email requesting either a refund or documentation of their refund and cannot get anyone to give me a response. I have been professional and kind in every contact. I am anxious to see a if VIR can actually respond and correct this problem.
refund
Contact Name and Title: Alistair B-P***
Contact Phone:***
Contact Email: ***
Consumer has confirmed they accept the resolution and are a happy client again.
Please update the file.
Thanks
We contracted with The VIRGroup to rent a vacation home, and they used bait and switch to give us a terrible home. They will not refund our money,
We stayed in the villages in April of last year and upon our return to Ohio, in May, 2017 we found a rental for 2018 with a private pool, (a must have for my wife). We used a national website named VRBO,*** We booked the house for April, 2018 with a private pool, and golf cart included.
The property management company was The VIR Group. A couple of days later VIRGroup offered us a discount if we paid in full. We paid them $2949,48 and they sent us an app that we could view our rental on our phone and do other sorts of things related to our stay.
Fast forward to January 2018. Around or about on the 28Th, I used our app named "Hospitality" to view our rental. HOWEVER, the rental address now read*** and the pictures showed a different house than the one that we rented in May, 2017.
I could not understand this because, out of the blue, the reserved house had changed without our knowledge. The house did NOT have a private pool.
So, after discussing this with my wife, she was adamant that we stay in a rental with a private pool and we decided that we did not want to rent this "new" house.
I called the next day at 10:32 AM and asked to speak to someone and was told that no one was available and that I would get a call back. I waited until 2:45 and called back and was again told I would get a call back. At 2:59 I did get a call back from Kasey? ( Her name was not understandable). She explained that the owner had removed the property from rental. I noted that the new property had no pool
and we specifically wanted a pool, so this was unacceptable to us. I was told that we "would be at the head of the list to get the next pool house." And that it should not be that long. I said that we did not want to stay in a house without a pool.
Because the house had been removed from rental use, we had the option of accepting a new property with similar or better value or receiving a full refund of all monies paid.
At this point I became very concerned and decided to do some investigation on the internet into VIR Group.
Searching for "VIRGROUP Scam" revealed this: *** The person mentioned in this link turned out to be the OWNER of a property managed by VIR Group. Very unsettling.
Next, I found *** investigates VIR for cheating owners -***the***m***-***
So, then, checked with the Revdex.com. ***-***/reviews-and-complaints Not good.
Continuing with my investigation, (and looking for another rental with a pool), I came upon an available rental with a pool, which turned out to be the VERY SAME HOUSE WE ORIGINALLY RENTED IN MAY 2017! We found out indirectly from the owner that VIR would not pay the owners so they dropped them, which is why we were switched to the no pool house.
So to me, it looks like VIR Group is doing a bait and switch with the renters and also cheating the owners.
We were never offered the option of selecting new property or receiving a full refund. Indeed, had we not had the app we would be going to Florida expecting to get the original house only to find out differently on arrival. This is not right and we respectfully asked that our refund be given to us. From this point on each time I called they gave us the runaround and we cannot get a refund.
We firmly believe that VIR had no intention of notifying us until after the 60 days which is the cut off where they kept all our money. That way they could then say "no refund." However, the fact is that the house was materially inferior and unacceptable. This is 100% a theft. AND we are not the only ones who have been cheated by The VIRGroup. This is a criminal offense.
We want a refund of 2,949.48 and an email acknowledgement that it is forthcoming.
Contact Name and Title: Alistair Barrett-P***
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***
Email send to Mr Powell in final response to multiple communications with him.
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***
I've been speaking with multiple members of my team, and pulling together the response to your Revdex.com complaint.
Here are the facts:
1. VIR doesn't owe the homeowner of Statesburg Street a single penny. In fact it's the opposite - the owner owes us a significant amount.
2. Kramer Court is a better house than Statesburg. Better maintained and much higher ratings. That's why we moved you there. It doesn't have a pool but there's a community pool around the corner which is heated. Statesburg owner refused to heat the pool and it would have been freezing.
3. We offered to give you a partial refund for the pool not being present at Kramer.
4. In your sole opinion (without stepping foot in either property) you decided that Kramer was an inferior property. We know both of those properties and would stay in Kramer in a heartbeat over Statesburg.
5. Both of the properties are the same layout and size (in fact Kramer has more beds as Statesburg has only a Murphy bed in the 3rd bedroom).
6. Statesburg has a garage not large enough for a car due to the building of an owner room at the back of the garage.
7. I could go on explaining why Statesburg, in our opinion, is an inferior house to Kramer (knowing all the information and stepping into the property ourselves) but you had already made your mind up and canceled your vacation expecting a full refund.
8. Your rental agreement states that we can transfer you to an equivalent property (based on our expert opinion of the homes) and furnishings, location and guest individual taste form no part of that transfer.
9. You decided to cancel your vacation. Not us. You would have been perfectly happy in Kramer.
10. We would have credited you back a portion of your stay for the lack of a private pool ($20/day is the rental rate increase for a private pool) but you didn't even give us the opportunity to. You just cancelled and got very aggressive.
So in short, no we're not going to issue you a refund for your stay because you threw your toys out of the stroller and demanded a cancellation in contradiction to the rental agreement. We had suitable alternative accommodation for you under the rental agreement and you rejected it.
I can send you a copy of the agreement highlighting these clauses if you need it.
Obviously we are not in the business of screwing guests, so therefore we would be delighted to place the total amount you paid as a credit on your file for a future stay with us.
You paid $2,949.48 (we then refunded you $185.04 on 1/19/2018). That leaves a balance that we have placed on your file of $2,764.44. (NOT the $2949.48 you are requesting in the Revdex.com complaint)
When you want to use this credit, please call our office to book and we will apply it to the booking. Any unused credit will be kept on file until it has all been used up.
Bearing in mind the contractual obligations, this is a very generous one time offer of a credit.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I have copied each of VIR's points with my answers below each point. We cannot trust that VIR will still be in business next year, so a credit is useless to us, therefore a refund is requested.
1. VIR doesn't owe the homeowner of Statesburg Street a single penny. In fact it's the opposite - the owner owes us a significant amount.
That is not what I learned from my research from talking to home owner & current pm.
2. Kramer Court is a better house than Statesburg. Better maintained and much higher ratings. That's why we moved you there. It doesn't have a pool but there's a community pool around the corner which is heated. Statesburg owner refused to heat the pool and it would have been freezing.
It is not why you moved us to Kramer. Directly from VIR in an earlier conversation, VIR said the house was switched because the owner dropped the contract. It is your opinion and certainly not ours. Also no mention was ever made of the unheated pool until now.
3. We offered to give you a partial refund for the pool not being present at Kramer.
On the contrary, all that happened is that a refund of 185 showed up with absolutely no communication. No email or phone call. I did not see the refund until Ciera told me about it months later. I should have been notified when the refund was processed.
4. In your sole opinion (without stepping foot in either property) you decided that Kramer was an inferior property. We know both of those properties and would stay in Kramer in a heartbeat over Statesburg.
Based on pictures I have seen, I would not do the same.
5. Both of the properties are the same layout and size (in fact Kramer has more beds as Statesburg has only a Murphy bed in the 3rd bedroom).
This is not relevant.
6. Statesburg has a garage not large enough for a car due to the building of an owner room at the back of the garage.
So when we rented Statesburg from VIR why did you not tell us this then?
7. I could go on explaining why Statesburg, in our opinion, is an inferior house to Kramer (knowing all the information and stepping into the property ourselves) but you had already made your mind up and canceled your vacation expecting a full refund.
We asked for a refund because we found out from a previous renter (D*** W) what it was like when VIR did the same bait and switch with them. (They also had rented Statesburg, see below under number 10)
8. Your rental agreement states that we can transfer you to an equivalent property (based on our expert opinion of the homes) and furnishings, location and guest individual taste form no part of that transfer.
Your opinion is certainly not expert, at least to me and the others who have complained.
9. You decided to cancel your vacation. Not us. You would have been perfectly happy in Kramer.
Actually, we did not cancel our vacation. We found another house with a pool and I went to Kramer to view the house. It was totally unacceptable for us.
10. We would have credited you back a portion of your stay for the lack of a private pool ($20/day is the rental rate increase for a private pool) but you didn't even give us the opportunity to. You just cancelled and got very aggressive.
Above you said that you gave us a $185 refund because the new house did not have a pool. Here you say it is $20 a day. Based on our 28 day stay would not the refund have been $540?? Yes I am aggressive because I want you to do the right thing.
So in short, no we're not going to issue you a refund for your stay because you threw your toys out of the stroller and demanded a cancellation in contradiction to the rental agreement. We had suitable alternative accommodation for you under the rental agreement and you rejected it.
One of requirements from the very start was that we must have a house with a private pool and golf cart. To us it is absolutely not suitable that Kramer has neither, and adding to the unsuitability is that the garage door openers did not work, Wifi did not work, the grill was not functional and the rug has a filthy path down the middle. This is based on my talking to the renter (D*** W) who came all the way from Ohio in December only to find out the night before he left that he had been switched to the Kramer house. When he got there he was told Kramer was not clean yet and VIR switched him to another house. A couple of days later he was made to leave and go to Kramer. They stayed a few days and left because of how filthy it was. By the way he sent me pictures and no way on God's earth was it better than Statesburg.
I can send you a copy of the agreement highlighting these clauses if you need it.
Obviously we are not in the business of screwing guests, so therefore we would be delighted to place the total amount you paid as a credit on your file for a future stay with us.
Based on my experience and the experience of previous renters who I talked to, VIR is in the business of screwing guests. I think you should go back and review Revdex.com complaints and reviews again.
You paid $2,949.48 (we then refunded you $185.04 on 1/19/2018). That leaves a balance that we have placed on your file of $2,764.44.
And what will happen next year if we come back to the villages? Based on our experience and other renters what makes you think that I want to be in the same situation again where VIR suddenly switches houses?
When you want to use this credit, please call our office to book and we will apply it to the booking. Any unused credit will be kept on file until it has all been used up.
Your office at Fruitland is closed, are you closing the business? If so, what is the use of a credit?
Bearing in mind the contractual obligations, this is a very generous one time offer of a credit.
I would much rather have a refund because we may not come back to the villages and we are fearful that your business is closing.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Contact your office? Each time I call the person answering the phone she merely says they will have someone call me back. She cannot or will not help.
We would like a refund of 2,949.48 minus 185.00 for a total of 3,764.44.
It is patently obvious to us that we did not get what we paid for and cannot expect that we will not get any satisfaction in the future.
Finally, because we booked through VRBO, VIR should be subject to VRBO's cancellation policy which gives the renter the option of a full refund if the property is not comparable and does not have similiar amenities. See attachments for this and a couple of other pics.
Thank you for your response.
Thank you also for explaining that YOUR opinion, the opinion of the owner of Statesburg and the new property manager of Statesburg is MORE VALID than VIR's regarding the comparison between Statesburg Street and Kramer Court.
The definition of "expert" is "Professional who has acquired knowledge and skills through study and practice over the years, in a particular field or subject, to the extent that his or her opinion may be helpful in fact finding, problem solving, or understanding of a situation."
We have over 35 years of combined experience (study and practice) in the day to day field of real estate / rentals and daily practice of real estate / rentals.
The owner of the house does not. You do not. The new property manager does not.
Add to that the fact that none of you (you, owner of Statesburg and new property manager) have stepped foot in Kramer Court (the comparison property).
Therefore, we, the defined experts, abided by our contract with you and moved you to an equivalent property (that only of course someone who had entered both properties in person could make a decision on) which you decided you were not happy with, threw your toys out of the stroller and decided to then issue demands of a refund.
We do not operate on emotions but operate on what the 4 corners of the contract require both parties to adhere to. A copy of that contract is attached for your information and Clause 5 and Clause 10 spell out the accommodation transfer requirements and the cancellation fees.
For records, you WERE refunded $185.04 on January 19th 2018 to *** with ***. We confirm that this transaction credited your account.
If you hadn't been such a horrible horrible client to deal with, we MAY have chosen to offer you a credit on file towards a future stay (which is completely at the discretion of senior management). Because of your threats, demands and disgusting behavior, we consider this matter closed.
---
I have attached for you the current Statesburg owner's balance due to VIR to prove you are wrong and should not listen to gossip.
VIR Group is our property manager and they have not paid us our share of rentals since Nov. 2017 or issued us statements per contract.
VIR Group was hired as our property manager in June 2016. They rented our house at*** The Villages, FL. Per our contract, they are paid 20% in management fees. We gave them 90 days notice by certified letter on December 20, 2017, that we were terminating our agreement. Alistair B-P*** confirmed by email that the agreement was terminated March 31, 2018.
According to the contract, we are to receive monthly statements and be paid our share of the rentals each month for the proceeding month. We received the Nov. 2017 statement and payment of $513.03 for Oct. rentals on 11/21/17. See attached statement. We did not receive the $471.15 owed for Nov. rentals. We received no further monthly statements even after numerous requests and promises. We did receive a year end statement (attached) that shows we are owed $1274.43 for Dec. rentals. The Nov. & Dec. rentals was included on our 1099-Misc. even though it has still not been paid to us.
January-March is prime rental season. There were tenants in our house most of this time. We have not received statements or any additional monies since Nov. 2017 even though VIR has collected the rents from the tenants. I have attached an estimated amount due as $9445.58. I had to estimate Jan.- March as no statements were issued. The current rental rate for these months is $3200-$3500 per month. I used old figures of $3000 from 2016. The last tenant did say he was charged $3900 for the month of March.
We have tried to contact the VIR Group. They give us excuses or snarly comments. We would like our share of these rentals as we are the ones paying all the expenses. This company should not be allowed to do property rentals if they refuse to pay the homeowners.
Payment of amount owed. and statements for Dec. - March
The VIR Group did not notify me the property I rented was unavailable. Nor offer to move me to other accommodations as stated in my contract.
Complaint
On Jan 20, 2017, I signed a contract with The VIR Group to rent a home at *** for Jan 2018, for $5,148.14. I have since learned the home owners in Jun 2017, notified The VIR Group of their intent to terminate their contract with VIR, due to late payments and/or no payments of rental fees to the homeowner by VIR. On Jul 31, 2017, the homeowners changed the locks on the home after the renters left and notified VIR and VIR's attorney of their action. I was not notified then nor have I ever been notified that the home I had contracted to rent was no longer available.
On Oct 19, 2017, I called The VIR Group telling Ciera M I wanted to cancel my Jan 2018, contract. Before calling her, I checked their website that clearly stated a 60 day notice of cancellation prior to check-in required for a refund. Ms. M told me my contract required 120 days notice prior to check-in for a refund, but persuaded her boss to offer a refund of $1,126.44.
On Oct 25, 2017, I sent a letter confirming cancellation of my contract and requested the 60 day cancellation policy listed on their website be applied to my contract, and requested VIR re-list the home for rent since January was a prime rental month, and there was ample time to re-rent the property. A few days later Ms. M told me the property had been sold.
On Nov 3, 2017, Ms. M's e-mail notified me the cancellation fee was 100%, with an apology for giving me incorrect information regarding the refund.
On Nov 9, 2017, I sent a letter to The VIR Group withdrawing my request to cancel my contract. Ms. M had said the home I rented had been sold and this appeared the reason why VIR was unable to re-list the home for rent, and declined my request to apply the 60 day cancellation policy from their website to my contract. Both requests were conditions of my cancellation.
On Nov 12, 2017, Alistair B e-mailed me stating the home I contracted to rent ***) was not removed from the rental market and VIR was still in management contract with the owner through Jan 8, 2019. He was unaware of any sale of this home. That I was the one who cancelled the contract and not VIR and I cancelled well after the cancellation period allowed in the contract. My reply was, since the 60 day cancellation policy listed on their website was not applied to my contract, I would not walk away from the $5,148.14, paid to VIR.
On Nov 21, 2017, I e-mailed Alistair B to restate that I am withdrawing my request to cancel my paid in full contract for Jan 2018. He replied, they had re-allocated units and guests as a result of my cancellation and as soon as another unit became available, they would un-cancel my reservation and move me to that unit.
Early in Dec 2017, VIR Group's Guest Portal began sending me e-mails that indicated the home at 1042 Otter La was available Jan 2018. On Jan 2, 2018, I e-mailed Alistair B stating my arrival was delayed by several days and messages from the VIR Guest Portal indicated *** was now available. Alistair B e-mailed me that *** was no longer available because I had cancelled it, and at this time they were full. There has been no communication between me and The VIR Group or any staff since Jan 2, 2018.
In summary, the home I rented for Jan 2018, was removed from The VIR Group's vacation rentals by the homeowners on Jul 31, 2017. The VIR Group did not notify me the home I rented for Jan 2018, was not available, they were aware of this when I initially contacted them. The "Accommodations" section of my contract is clear, if the specific unit reserved is unavailable for any reason, guests will be moved to a similar or upgraded accommodation. No such accommodation was offered. Mr. B's e-mail on Jan 2, 2018, stating "At this time we are full" is justification for a full refund of $5,148.41.
Refund of full amount of accommodation fee paid of $5,148.41.
No matter how complicated the consumer tries to make this the facts are simple:
1. Client booked home with VIR to stay in
2. Client bought a home in The Villages between booking with us and her booked arrival date
3. Client wanted to cancel the vacation and receive a full refund because she had bought a home and didn't need the rental.
4. The reason for the cancellation doesn't affect the cancellation clause.
5. The contract is between The VIR Group and the consumer - the owner is not part of the agreement
6. Whatever the owner decided to do MONTHS AFTER the consumer cancelled does not affect the agreement between Business and Consumer in any way.
7. The owner is not an excuse as to why the Consumer should receive her money back.
8. Emotions and actions of others form no part of a contract. Only the 4 corners of the contract matter.
9. The VIR Group (business) levied cancellation charges based on the contractual obligations.
Contract attached.
We consider this matter closed.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Below are my replies to the statements made by The VIR Group.
1. Client booked home with VIR to stay in
Yes I did.
2. Client bought a home in The Villages between booking with us and her booked arrival date
Yes I did, but this is not relevant to my complaint.
3. Client wanted to cancel the vacation and receive a full refund because she had bought a home and didn't need the rental.
Yes I did want to cancel the vacation rental, and again my reason to cancel is not relevant. On October 19, 2017, I was traveling home from The Villages, did not have my vacation rental contract with me, I accessed the VIR Group website which stated a 60 day notice of cancellation is required prior to check-in to receive a refund, less 25% of the booking total. When I called The VIR Group to cancel my reservation there were 74 days prior to check-in. I was aware of the 25% cancellation charges. The booking total was $5,148.14, and I assumed my refund would be $3,861.10. Several days later I was informed my contract required 120 days notice for refund.
4. The reason of the cancellation doesn't affect the cancellation clause.
This is not relevant to my complaint.
5. The contract is between The VIR Group and the consumer - the owner is not part of the agreement
This is not relevant to my complaint.
6. Whatever the owner decided to do MONTHS AFTER the consumer cancelled does not affect the agreement between Business and Consumer in any way.
This point is unclear. The owner decided to remove their property from The VIR Group vacation rentals July 31, 2017, MONTHS BEFORE this consumer called to cancel my vacation rental.
7. The owner is not an excuse as to why the Consumer should receive her money back.
I did not say the owner was an excuse to receive my money back.
8. Emotions and actions of others form no part of a contract. Only the 4 corners of the contract matter.
Emotions and actions of who? On the Revdex.com website a similar statement was used in a response to a complaint dated 05/21/2018.
9. The VIR Group (Business) levied cancellation charges based on the contractual obligations.
The VIR Group did not meet the two conditions of my cancellation, therefore I felt I had the right to withdrawal my request to cancel my reservation.
My letter to The VIR Group of November 9, 2017.
The VIR Group
2468 US HWY 441 #104
Fruitland Park, FL. 34731
Property Manager,
On October 25, 2017, I submitted a request cancelling our reservation at 1042 Otter Lane, The Villages, for January 1, 2018 through January 31, 2018, and requested that your organization apply the current Cancellation Policy posted on your website. That posting states that "Your reservation may be cancelled by notifying the Manager in writing at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to your Check-in date (Cancellation Period). I accept the fact that I signed a contract that contained a Cancellation Period of 120 calendar days. I also requested that the property on 1042 Otter Lane be re-listed for rent for the month of January 2018. I felt my request was reasonable since we were within the current cancellation policy period posted on your website, and the property was very desirable and in prime rental season. I also expected to forfeit 25% of my booking total to cover the cost of administrative cancellation/change that is also stated in the policy currently posted on your website.
Since the property was sold and removed from the rental market prior to my letter requesting cancellation, it appears The VIR Group had no intention of re-listing the property for rent for January 2018 which was a condition of my cancellation. Had I been made aware of these circumstances, I would not have cancelled our vacation reservation and would have accepted being moved to a similar or upgraded accommodation of the same unit style and type as is stated in clause 5 of the contract I signed. Having had such positive experiences with your organization in previous rentals, I am surprised that no effort was made to notify me of the circumstances. Therefore, I am withdrawing my request to cancel our reservation at 1042 Otter Lane, The Villages, for January 1 2018, through January 31, 2018. If that property is no longer available, I look forward to the assignment of a similar accommodation.
End of letter.
I do not accept the response from The VIR Group.
No matter how complicated The VIR Group tried to make this the facts are simple:
-They deliberately did not notify me the home I had rented for January 2018, was no longer available beginning August 2017, they were aware of this when I initially contacted them in October 2017. In an e-mail on November 12, 2017, Alistair Barrett-Powell claimed that the property was not removed from the rental market and that it remained under the management of VIR through January 8, 2019. I suspect they avoided acknowledging my cancellation withdrawal, and made false statements claiming that the home was not removed from the rental market or sold, simply because then they did not want to be faced with moving me to another home. Or be faced with refunding my money in the event rental inventory was not available. They wanted to keep my money and do nothing for me.
In conclusion. The right thing for THE VIR Group to have done was to honor my request that the current cancellation policy posted on their website be applied to my reservation cancellation. When my request was denied, I withdrew my reservation cancellation, and acknowledged assignment to another accommodation. No such accommodation was offered. A full refund of $5,148.41, is due.
We're going around in circles here. We do not accept the consumer's request. They are asking to violate the rental agreement.
RATHER than using the Revdex.com's free service to file complaints with no resolution, if the consumer GENUINELY believes that they have a right to a refund, then we suggest taking civil action to recover the funds.
The consumer has a signed contract, the consumer is NOT entitled to a refund UNDER THE CONTRACT. Emotions do not form part of the 4 corners of a legally binding agreement.
Facts - Consumer is not entitled to a refund under their legally binding contract. If consumer believes differently, we suggest they take civil action.
INCREDIBLY GENEROUS OFFER - despite the consumer having no right to any refund or credits, the owner's of VIR have EXCEPTIONALLY GENEROUSLY offered to place a credit on the consumer's file that they can use in any of our properties at any time in the future.
The purpose of the Revdex.com is to try and resolve a consumer's complaint and find common ground.
In this situation the consumer is not moving an inch and demanding something they have no legal right to while the business is being exceptionally generous and offering free vacations to the consumer to try and resolve the complaint.
The business will not be blackmailed into breaching a legal agreement by the Revdex.com or the consumer.
We consider our offer in this matter to be over and above what is required of the business and an exceptionally generous offer to a consumer who is unrightfully demanding money through extortion of the business's reputation by filing a Revdex.com complaint.
As an ADDITIONAL gesture, we have already gone and placed the credit on the consumer's file without them even asking for it.
We request the Revdex.com steps in and makes a final judgement at this point and closes the matter in which ever category they see fit bearing in mind the businesses generosity and the consumer's legal obligation.
We are more than happy to provide the entire file and contract to the Revdex.com together with payment information and highlight the consumer's contractual requirements should the Revdex.com wish.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The VIR Group continues to attempt moving the focus of their obligation to offer me alternate accommodations since the home I rented was no longer available, to cancelling a vacation reservation outside of allowable days for refund. I repeatedly made it clear that I withdrew the cancellation. Nowhere in my contract indicates a cancellation withdraw is not allowed. The VIR Group failed to meet their contractual obligation under the accommodations section of my contract. I suspect they did not have another property to offer and the only way to keep my money is to continue to claim that I cancelled my vacation reservation. I am not asking The VIR Group to violate my rental agreement, but honor it, and recognize their failure to ensure that I had suitable accommodations as I had paid for. If no other property was available, a refund of all fees paid needs to be returned to me.
As stated before, I do not anticipate booking a vacation in the future with The VIR Group, therefore placing a credit on my account is not warranted or requested.
Vir group breached our contract!
The Vir group has not paid us rent owed for January February and March of 2018. After admitting to the breach they finally agreed to terminate the contract on March 30, 2018. When I arrived in Florida and contacted Vir, stating to have a representative meet at the property to exchange possessions and my property back, I was contacted by Mike P stating that since Alastair is on *** and*** that his brains a little foggy, and they have my place rented until May and that they were not willing to turn over my villa to me, which was unacceptable!! After repeatedly calling them and sending numerous emails they finally had your lawyer contact me saying that I was threatening and that they refused to meet me at my villa and take their equipment that is hardwired into my walls and a keypad affixed to my front door and it was my responsibility to remove it. And they would not return my house keys my garage door opener's or my golf cart key or my gate passes. By chance I was able to retrieve the garage door opener by their current renters, who informed me that the damage to my villa was prior to them renting my villa. When I gained access to my villa my carpets are stained with oil the moldings on my door were torn up by a dog and the vinyl siding on my house was melted with a hole in it. I had to hire an electrician a locksmith and a vinyl sign he when I gained access to my villa my carpets are stained with oil the moldings on my door were torn up by a dog and the vinyl siding on my house was melted with a hole in it. I had to hire an electrician a locksmith and a vinyl sider, and a professional cleaning crew to fix everything in my home which cost me hundreds of dollars. So I am owed over $9000 in rent and over $800 in damages to my property .
I want my rent due, $800 in damages paid, and then I will be able to return their equipment which consists of a keypad for the front door an atanae that goes with it, and their thermostat. I do not wish to be contacted by phone or email by this company, and I am not calling them or emailing them because they have the habit of not returning calls when they owe their landlords money which is plenty !
Document Attached***
Document 1
Response to Case#***
We are in receipt of the complaint by ***
In order that we may assist in answering the complaint, we have the following questions:
1. "VIR Group breached our contract" - We believe this to be false - we request that Ms Krepil provides evidence that the contract was breached - In fact, Ms *** herself breached the contract with The VIR Group. See attached her termination letter of the agreement stating it would be terminated on May 1st, 2018. On March 31st, Ms *** walked into her rental property, *** and kicked out the guests that were staying in her home - see attached.
2. "VIR Group has not paid us rent owed for Jan Feb and March 2018" - False - Please see attached rental statement showing a detailed breakdown of amounts collected and amounts paid - We request that Ms*** sends us a detailed breakdown of where VIR has not paid them according to the statement. Rent minus deductions = payment - If the deductions are more than the rent, there is no payment due from The VIR Group to Ms***, there are just monies due from Ms *** to The VIR Group.
3. "they agreed to terminate the contract on March 30th, 2018" - False - see attached termination letter from Mr and Ms ***. We request that Ms *** sends a copy of proof of WRITTEN AND EXECUTED communication sent by USPS CERTIFIED MAIL as is the requirement per the management agreement.
4. "Alistair was on pain killers and prednisone" - False - Relevance? Please send proof of this as it is deemed Ms*** is simply trying to character assassinate Alistair BP***
5. "have my place rented out until May and we not willing to turn over my villa to me" - See attached termination letter from Mr *** and Ms *** dated October 4th, 2017 - Of course The VIR Group had it rented until May - the termination letter clearly stated "we will be terminating our contract as of May 1, 2018"
6. "refused to take their equipment....." - Clause 3 (E) in the management agreement (attached) states - "Duties on Termination - "Owner shall return electronic access equipment, gateway, lock and thermostat" - NOT "VIR shall pick up."
7. "they would not return my house keys my garage door openers or my golf cart key or gate passes" - There was a guest in residence at the property. The guest had all of these items at the house. Why would VIR have those items? How would the guest get into the property / use the golf cart? All of the items were at Ms *** home.
8. "Hire an electrician, locksmith" - We would request proof of Ms *** having to hire an electrician and locksmith - We are sure that she has receipts of this. We are guessing that Ms*** had to hire an electrician to remove the thermostat and hire a locksmith to remove the lock? - Clause 3 (E) of the management agreement - Owner shall return all equipment" - NOT VIR shall pay to send tradesmen over to the property and remove the equipment and then pick it up and take it back to the office. We also request proof of why Ms Krepil having to hire a locksmith and electrician has anything to do with The VIR Group.
9. "Professional cleaning crew" - We request to see copies of the receipts for Ms *** paying for professional cleaning crews. The home was in IMMACULATE condition. Our guest reviews show how much the guests loved the house and thought it was in amazing condition.
10. "Vinyl sign" - we are not sure what Ms *** is referring to. We seek clarification
11. "I am owed over $9000 in rent" - we request to see where Ms *** arrived at this number from as this number keeps changing. Depending on where she is seeking attention from the court of public opinion, this number changes daily from $5,000 up to $15,000. Please forward detailed copies and statements of where the rent minus home expenses equals $9,000 due. We are still finalizing the audit on Ms *** property, but as it currently stands, Ms *** owes The VIR Group just over $200 to finalize her account.
12. "Owed $800 in damages" - we request to see where this calculation has come from. If the home had $800 of damages, The VIR Group was COMPLETELY unaware of these damages until Ms *** reached out to the social media court of public opinion advising everyone that we owed her "over $1,000 damages to the side of my home". This number keeps changing and therefore we would like to see copies of all receipts from licensed contractors for the respective repairs together with copies of their licenses and copies of the completed work order detailing what was the problem and what was done. Ms *** knows that The VIR Group carries a $1,500 damage protection plan for each and every guest that stays in the home. If the guest damaged something, the protection plan would cover it. We are confused why Ms*** chose to NOT mention anything to VIR about the supposed damages and instead just turn to social media (multiple social media posts attached).
13. Consumer mentions in her desired response is - to not be contacted by phone or email by The VIR Group - well..... erm..... I'm not entirely sure how on earth the consumer is wanting a resolution when she doesn't even want to communicate with The VIR Group??
14. Consumer confirms that she has in fact breached the agreement and also is in possession of stolen goods - "I will be able to return THEIR equipment which consists of a keypad with an atanae (assume she meant antenna) and their thermostat" - The VIR Group is not in the business of being blackmailed. Ms *** has items that belong to us and now that we have reviewed the Revdex.com complaint in more detail, it is clear that we need to report these stolen items to the Sumter County Sheriff - which will be done first thing tomorrow. - REFERENCING Clause 3 (E) of the management agreement where upon termination the owner shall return the items she is currently 'holding ransom'.
Summary:
Please provide VIR with proof of funds due to Ms ***
Please provide VIR with proof, receipts and completed work orders for the "damages"
Please provide VIR with a reason why Ms *** barged into the property kicking out paying guests on March 31st when her termination letter said May 1st.
Ms *** says that "they have a habit of not returning calls" but says "I do not wish to be contacted by phone or email" - which is it?
At present, Ms *** owes The VIR Group money, NOT the other way around. She owes money under paragraphs 4, 22, 23, 24 and 26 (to be determined over next 365 days). By kicking the guest out of her property and terminating the agreement EARLY - before her May 1st date, there are substantial penalties.
Ms *** has stolen The VIR Group's corporate property and is blackmailing VIR to return it - indeed she went on local television tonight and told the media that VIR owes her "well in excess of $10,000" and that VIR "burned a hole in the side of her house". She conveniently forgot to mention that she has stolen VIR goods in her possession, she kicked a paying tourist out of her house a month before they were due to leave and she owes VIR money due to early termination fees.
Side notes:
We have included for the Revdex.com's information some of the postings Ms *** has been spreading about The VIR Group and it's owners. We believe the Revdex.com will find this interesting.
We've also attached for the Revdex.com proof that Ms *** is the one who has been *** on numerous occasions for *** and also PROPERTY DAMAGE. It is entirely possible and plausible, in our opinion, that Ms *** damaged her own property just to seek attention as many don't like her. And the theft has been proved AGAIN by her holding VIR's property hostage and blackmailing VIR.
We look forward to receiving the documents and information from Ms *** to substantiate her complaint.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Alistair B-P*** and The VIR Group, have never had Mr and MS *** as a client!! It is Mr. they owe us all of Jan. Feb. And March collected rent! And damages done to the property! All of the evidence has been turned over to Florida Attorney Generals office! I understand Alistair is embarrassed of being a failed businessman, but I will not be bullied by this company any longer! I have put this matter into the Attorney Generals hands, and as of the equipment, he charged my husband for that and never had a contract with me. I stand by these claims and have 100% proof of everything, and yes the figure does keep changing due to the deceit we keep uncovering from The VIR "business" practice. They charged the renters more than what they claimed and paid me, and YES the Attorney General has that evidence also. They can take this matter up with the Attorney Generals office, as we all know from the Action 9 news, has an OPEN investigation. All of us homeowners can't be making up the same story and providing individual proof!
I am directly responding to Ms *** response:
"Alistair B-P*** and The VIR Group, have never had Mr and MS *** as a client!! It is Mr. they owe us all of Jan. Feb. And March collected rent! And damages done to the property! All of the evidence has been turned over to Florida Attorney Generals office! I understand Alistair is embarrassed of being a failed businessman, but I will not be bullied by this company any longer! I have put this matter into the Attorney Generals hands, and as of the equipment, he charged my husband for that and never had a contract with me. I stand by these claims and have 100% proof of everything, and yes the figure does keep changing due to the deceit we keep uncovering from The VIR "business" practice. They charged the renters more than what they claimed and paid me, and YES the Attorney General has that evidence also. They can take this matter up with the Attorney Generals office, as we all know from the Action 9 news, has an OPEN investigation. All of us homeowners can't be making up the same story and providing individual proof!"
IF Ms *** has provided these documents to the Attorney General's office - which is in fact false for the reasons outlined below, Ms *** should have NO problem at all handing those documents over to The VIR Group.
Regarding bullying - Ms *** is the bully -
DEFINITION OF CYBER BULLING - "the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature."
The VIR Group / Alistair B-P*** has sent NO electronic communication of any kind to bully Ms Krepil/LoGrippo. In fact, the complete opposite is true. See Document 1 attached.
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE:
Excerpt 1 from the AG's office website*** - I have a complaint against a private business. Where can I go for assistance?
There are a variety of options available to you. First, have you provided the business with an opportunity to respond before proceeding with a complaint to a higher authority? The Division of Consumer Services (within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) regulates a number of businesses and accepts complaints against those business under their jurisdiction. To learn of the businesses regulated by the Division of Consumer Services, as well as accessing online complaint forms, go to their web site at*** The telephone number is ***
Excerpt 2 from the AG's office website *** - "The Attorney General is prohibited from representing private individuals in any cases."
Ms *** has NOT been in contact with the Attorney General and has most definitely NOT provided these documents to the AG's office as the AG is NOT interested in PRIVATE CIVIL MATTERS.
Ms *** has expressed her extreme frustration at the fact that the AG's office is unwilling and unable to assist her - See Document 2 attached - and has tried and been told that "it's a civil issue" and the AG's office cannot help.
SO - It is the Revdex.com's objective to find out the truth and request documentary evidence showing that Ms *** is owed money from VIR. It is also ONLY fair that the business be provided with copies of documentary evidence of Ms *** expenses that she is claiming.
The Revdex.com is restricting our ability to accurately resolve this complaint in the consumer's favor. We politely request that Ms *** provides the documents and evidence so that we can pay her any money that is contractually due to her.
We await the documents.
Many thanks
VIR Group violated their own accommodation agreement for March 2018 contract. VIR Group failed to return total amount of refund due.
*** and *** entered into accommodation agreement contract with VIR Group on 3/9/2017 for***, Florida for month of March 2018. On March 9, 2017, VIR Group collected $5,458.98 from *** and *** for said rental unit for March 1- 31,2018. VIR kept the said money for approximately one year. On February 26,2018,*** and *** received an email stating rental unit was not available for contracted time. Contract clearly states (section 5) "if the specific unit reserved is unavailable for any reason, guests would be moved to a similar or upgraded accommodation of the same unit style or type." No such accommodation was offered. No phone calls were returned by VIR. As of 4/16/18, we have not been refunded in full after making contact by email, phone and certified mail.
I would like a total refund of my payment. Total booking charges collected by VIR was $5458.98. The total amount refunded was $5315.63.
Contact Name and Title: Mike P
Contact Phone: ***
Contact Email: ***
That's factually incorrect. The amounts charged were refunded in full. Our system does full refunds. The guest probably forgot that she got a discount and therefore the amount paid is less than the original contract price.
In any case, the guest has been refunded in full in our system. If the guest would like to provide us with credit card statements showing to the contrary, we will be delighted to work with them to show them the facts.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
These are facts regarding contract given to*** and *** regarding booking charges made by VIR Group on 3/9/2017.
Rent Charge Total: $4301.18
Guest Preparation & Cleaning Fee: $100.00
Pet Rent-$15 night: $450.00
Taxes: $307.80
Security Deposit: $300.00
Total: $5458.98
Payment Schedule: Collected in full on 3/9/2017
VIR Group kept our money for a whole year and then cancelled our agreement by an email less than 3 days before our scheduled arrival. VIR made no effort to find us another rental as specified in the contract. VIR contract also states that any cancellation must be made 60 days in advance less a 25% of booking total administrative cancellation/change fee. That should apply to both. VIR Group violated their own contract and took no ownership.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Once again, we did not do business with owner of ***. We did business with VIR Group and entered into contract with them on 3/9/2017 for $5458.98. VIR Group kept that money for ONE YEAR! VIR Group violated their contract 3 days by email before we were to arrive. We had airplane reservations, tee times, plans with friends etc. VIR Group refused to return phone calls stating CEO was recovering from surgery. VIR proclaims that the V stands for Value, the I for Integrity and R for Results. I am asking for results. We have received none of the 3. VIR philosophy says, "our philosophy is simple, we understand there is no second chance to make a great impression. All VIR Rentals are Rental certified, we guarantee all photos, amenities, CALENDAR and rates are 100% accurate. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Your company's word is not true.
Payment transactions:
3/9/2017 - Charge on *** - $1289.75
3/9/2017 - Charge on *** - $1289.75
3/9/2017 - Charge on *** - $300
3/9/2017 - Charge on*** - $2579.48
Total: $5,458.98
Refund transactions:
3/10/2017 - Refund to *** - $143.35
2/26/2018 - Refund to *** - $5,315.63
Total refund: $5,458.98 (same amount paid)
Security Deposit Transactions:
5/31/2017 - Transfer in $300 from 2017 booking
5/31/2017 - Refund to *** - $300
(see attached)
---------
Copy of guest's contract attached
- Page 2 - Clause 5
- Page 9 - Whole Clause
Subject to availability for maintenance or other issues that may render the accommodation at *** unsuitable for rental, and / or subject to *** remaining under the management of Manager at the time of the stay, guests will be placed in the specific unit set forth in their Agreement.
Notwithstanding Manager's efforts, if the specific unit reserved is unavailable for any reason, guests will be moved to a similar or upgraded accommodation of the same unit style and type. IN NO EVENT WILL MANAGER BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT COSTS, EXPENSES, FEES OR OTHER CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES/COMPENSATION RESULTING FROM THE UNAVAILABILITY OF A SPECIFIC ACCOMMODATION, changes to the design of the accommodation between booking and arrival, or unavailability of any services or advertised items at your accommodation. GUEST UNDERSTANDS THAT A MOVE OF ACCOMMODATION IS ONLY AS A LAST RESORT DUE TO ISSUES OUT OF MANAGER'S CONTROL. Guests are not entitled to a refund if the replacement unit type, style or location is not to their individual satisfaction.
----
We completely sympathize with the guest's position, her cancellation was NOT due to The VIR Group. The owner of the property decided 3 days before they were due to arrive that they were going to breach the agreement. In high season it is almost impossible to find other accommodation and therefore we gave the guest a full refund.
We can provide the guest again with the contact information of the owner of the property should she wish to pursue damages against them.
We have a contract with VIR for a rental March 1-16. They say the house is unavailable. I want a refund and no one will return my calls.
March 9, 2017 I signed a rental agreement with VIR Group for a home I have viewed on their website in ***, Fla. for March 1-16, 2018. I have a signed contract with them for this rental. I also have paid in full for this rental with the total rental cost being $2,978. On Jan. 24, 2018 I received an email from VIR that the homeowner broke their contract with VIR and the home was no longer available. Cierra their customer service representative said they had no other properties available for the March 1-16 dates. She offered to refund my money or she said I could wait and the company was possibly going to be representing 2 new properties in March. She said these houses were nicer than our original rental and told me if I gave her two weeks she would know more about those properties and we would talk again.
It has been 2 weeks and I have unsuccessfully been trying to reach them for an update. I have called and had to leave messages because no one inneither customer service or booking will return my calls. I have also sent 2 emails to VIR group asking to have my money refunded and to please contact me so we can get this unfortunate situation resolved. We will be arriving in Florida in 3 weeks. I need to know I have a place to stay.
I have found alternative accommodations on my own but need to know that VIR is refunding my money back to my credit card before I can proceed with another rental. I am concerned they are being unethical when dealing with seniors who rent from them. I need my money refunded.
I would either like accommodations in *** for our upcoming March 1-16 dates in a 2 bedroom 2 bath home that is equal or nicer than ther original home we rented on ***. If no rental are available I would like to know as soon as possible so I can finalize other accommodations for our trip. I would like someone from VIR to take my calls or call me back in a timely manner and update me if there is or is not a suitable rental available. If no rental is available I would like a swift and complete refund of the #2,978 we have paid in good faith to the VIR Group. Our original rental included a golf cart and Cierra the VIR representative said any rental we were given would include a golf cart.
Owner was solicited by Steven S of
* and breached contract with VIR with no notice at the advice of the above. Guest was told we were moving her to a new unit or offered a full refund. Guest wanted us to find her a new unit instead of a refund. Further to communication with the guest this morning (before Revdex.com complaint was filed), we have issued guest a full refund so she is welcome to book elsewhere. Guest requested that we refund the amount to a new and different card while we declined. All refunds go back to the original method of payment as is standard operating procedure in any business.
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I received an email from the VIR Group on Feb. 9th after they were contacted by the Revdex.com. In the correspondence they indicated they would return the full rental payment to my credit card. We did check with our bank and that was done. We are satisfied with the outcome, accept the VIR's response to our complaint, and appreciated the work the Revdex.com did to facilitate and insure this action.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!!! They are very polite and courteous while renting the property to you but if you encounter any problems they ignore you( this includes A CEO one of the owners). We reserved a home for a week in May of last year for travel the end of January 2018. When I signed the lengthy contract I was hesitant to do so due to the language stating they could move you to other rentals if needed. I called VIR group questioning this and I was reassured that this would only happen on a rare occasion such as damage to the property. About 6 weeks prior to our trip we received an updated email from VIR Group with a different rental address than what we had rented. When I contacted them they told me that the owner of the home had taken the property off of the market. After signing a contract with us we did not understand. After canceling our weekly rental the property we had rented for the entire month of February. The property that they attempted to move us to was not comparable. The CEO described the property as having the same amount of bedrooms and bathrooms. The CEO sent me an email stating " I can't help it if don't like the couch cushion". The furnishings were not comparable. The property was very cheaply decorated. There were no stainless steel appliances or stone countertops, bedroom furniture and bathrooms were poorly decorated. When we discussed our dissatisfaction we were initially told we would be able to get a full refund. Then they started ignoring our calls and emails. Next we were told they were going to retain 25% of our rental. We asked for another suitable home that had comparable furnishings of which they were unable to provide. Finally, after weeks of discussion they agreed to our full refund. Once again, both A, the accounting department and C, who we had made our initial reservation, were ignoring my calls and our account had not been credited. When calling I was told C was not in but when I selected option #2 to make a new reservation C answered the phone. They finally credited the portion we put on our credit card and a couple of weeks later sent us a refund check for the remainder. We were fortunate to find another beautiful rental in the Cape Coral area, We have close friends that are owners in The Villages. We will ask them to help us spread the word to others so they do not subject themselves to the lengthy ordeal we went through, The owner sent an enail to one of his associates stating "Deal with her, C". Very unprofessional and disrespectful behavior. I now see why their Revdex.com rating is so low, B-. If I were to rate this company I would rate them a D-. I should have paid more attention to the rating when renting through them. NEVER AGAIN!!!