VRBO.com

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:I'm sorry. I am a little confused. Can I see the original complaint?  I'm new to the Revdex.com and not sure where to look for the actual complaint?  Now, if this is a review from a person that can't provide proof of stay, then yes I will be rejecting the review.  Can they provide proof of stay? Regards,[redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention.
font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">HomeAway introduced a service fee in February 2016. The service fee is currently launched on listings that were purchased through VRBO, HomeAway and VacationRentals.com. To read more about what the service fee is and why we introduced it, see this article:
https://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-service-fee-and-how-does-it-work<...⇄ /> This fee covers the cost of providing 24/7 customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiences. Additionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence Guarantee.
https://help.homeaway.com/articles/What-is-the-Book-with-Confidence-Guarantee
Regarding changes in the performance of this consumer's rental property and search results, this is due to a new and improved search result system called Best Match. This system is designed so travelers see more relevant listings when they search, and owners get more relevant booking requests that result in a successful booking. Best Match affects every owner differently, and there are many factors they have control over to positively impact their performance. For more information, see our Best Match FAQ here:
https://www.homeaway.com/info/search-results
 These changes are universal to every consumer using our services. We hope this information helps to shed light on why they were made and how they benefit both the consumer and their travelers.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I rented this rental because of VRBO . When I tried to post my negative experience They published it ,then the owner stated I never rented and was a mentally ill person. My name was on that comment for all to see. I have endlessly tried to give all correspondence to show I lived there to no avail. including rent checks cashed from owner. they still refuse to let me post and to take responsibility for listing this place where the owner clearly is in violation.Not only was the place filthy,as my pictures show. It was dangerous and she was in violation of city code that states she needed to live there..I rented because of VRBO not the owner. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Had a reservation for 3 couple for a vacation to Okoboji Iowa. No response after getting Credit Card. Waited a day per their process...which is assinine to confirm a reservation if they have a booking system. Dinosaur of business model and I will never do business with them or their Home Away service. SPent over an hour trying to discuss with someone on Cust Serv line but kept getting transferred and then hung up. All this a day before we are to leave on a snowmobile trip. Went with AirBnB and what a great service. Wish there was a zero star...one is too good for this messed up company

This company has changed hands and now is forcing fees on renters, while bullying homeowners into using fee-based payment options....they are fleecing everyone coming and going. They took my money as a homeowner and then buried my listing because I don't WANT to let them charge potential renters huge fees, while at the same time limiting my ability to know who they are renting my home to. They prevent direct communication between renters and owners,,,,,neither can now feel safe in their arrangements. All this...so VRBO can ensure they get their fee!

The notifications this consumer has been receiving are not "threatening" in nature, simply to inform this consumer that our system has noticed a low performance turn over from inquiries to bookings. Also Pay-per-booking listings are required to use our payment platform for all bookings of the...

property.The activity associated with the account (phone and email inquiries, quote requests, booking requests compared to confirmed bookings) is below the performance standards for the listing area. This indicates bookings are being made offline or that the listing is not of a quality comparable to similar listings in your area and is not attracting bookings.When the consumer signed up for the Pay-per-booking listing model they agreed to the terms of this program outlined within our Terms and Conditions:http://www.vrbo.com/info/termsandconditions"To the fullest extent legally permissible, Members who list their properties in a pay-per-booking listing, agree to rent such properties through such listing and not through any other means"According to our records we have been trying to work with this consumer in our internal case#[redacted] and actually today one of our escalation agents tried to call this consumer but was not able to get a hold of them, they did send a follow up email as well. Please simply call us back at 877-[redacted] and our staff will be happy to help you with this issue.

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention. The service fee is paid by the traveler when booking through the HomeAway websites. This went into effect February 2016. This fee covers the cost of providing 24/7 customer support, enhanced site and mobile features for both owner and...

travelers, plus expanded marketing efforts to generate more exposure to global audiences. Additionally, when a traveler books and pays through HomeAway, they are eligible for the Book with Confidence Guarantee. Paying the fee: Travelers pay the service fee by credit card when paying through the secure HomeAway checkout process. The service fee is only charged to the card once the booking has been accepted. The service fee is calculated on a sliding scale of 4% to 9% of the rental amount, excluding the deposit or taxes. The service fee only applies to the cost of the rental and will not exceed $499.Please note, if the reservation is cancelled and refunded by the owner in full, the service fee will be automatically refunded to the traveler. If the reservation is outside of the owner’s cancellation policy and they do not refund the entire amount to the traveler, the service fee will not be refunded.According to our records this consumers booking was applicable for the service fee as it was booked after February 2016, there is no applicable refund

HomeAway.com strives to provide a secure online marketplace for owners to advertise their vacation rental properties and for travelers to research an extensive catalog of rental options. HomeAway has invested in trust & security technology, people and processes to help protect consumers against...

criminal activity on our sites.This consumer/traveler unfortunately has been the victim of what is referred to as phishing. Phishers are individuals, or small groups, who execute phishing schemes in an attempt to steal identities or information for monetary gain. The advertiser/vacation rental owner or property manager’s personal email account or HomeAway account credentials had been phished.When we learn of a phish attempt of our advertiser/vacation rental owner or property manager’s email account or their HomeAway account our Trust & Security team takes immediate action by temporarily deactivating their vacation rental listing(s) locking their account down and putting them through a security process by which they must update all of their account details. We also immediately send out messaging to any travelers who may have inquired on their listings to protect any travelers from falling prey to a phisher. Phishing is one of the most common internet scams; HomeAway, Inc. being an internet based business has both programs and educational materials in place for our site users to protect themselves against phishing. We strive to inform and encourage our travelers to protect themselves in various ways. Upon inquiring each traveler receives instruction on the safest payment methods. They also are instructed to call the advertiser prior to sending any monies. We also direct each inquirer to learn more about renting safely from our Security Center at:  https://help.homeaway.com/security/In the event that a traveler has fallen victim to phishing and has not protected themselves we do have a program in place called the Basic Rental Guarantee. This program will reimburse an unprotected traveler up to $1000 of their lost funds.According to our records this consumer does qualify for the Basic Rental Guarantee.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for bringing this consumers concerns to our attention. According to our records this individual contacted us in case#[redacted] regarding this matter. Our advertising service is a online marketplace  for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never...

involved in the monetary transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property manager. We also are not a travel agent service. If this consumer entered his credit card details then he agrees to the terms and conditions of both the use of our site, as well as any rental agreement terms set forth by the home owner. In this case it sounds like the booking was made outside of the owners cancellation policy (60 days) on their rental agreement, and that this consumer was aware of this at time of booking. The consumer purchased a product called Trip Cancellation Protection which we offer and is hosted though a third party vendor CSA. This consumer will need to contact CSA in regards to any coverage offered through that product. They can be reached at [redacted]

This is our final response regarding this matter. As we have previously stated in order for this consumer to have qualified for a refund under the Terms and Conditions of the program "No Booking, No Fee Guarantee" as it was in place last year the advertiser had to have had 24 photos in place, which he did not. The photographs could have been of the property or the surrounding area attractions etc.. This consumer was explained all of this numerous times. We are sorry but we cannot offer a refund per the Terms and Conditions of this program.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this answer because it is a lie.
8 times the same review met VRBO terms for 8 months.
VRBO withdrew on owner-fraudster lobbying, VRBO in conflict of interests rather take fraudster ad money than have fraudster withdraw ad !
mediatized lawsuit to follow to mediatize VRBO dirty dealings
disgusting

We're sorry to hear the continued issue that the consumer is having in getting this information to us.  We are not experiencing any technical issues with our site at this time  We have passed the photos they attached to the relevant department to be reviewed.

This complaint is not against HomeAway Inc.We cannot comment on this consumer/traveler’s complaint, because it appears that this complaint is not with our online advertising service, but appears to be the result of a marketplace transaction between this consumer and the owner or manager of...

an individual vacation home rented by that owner or manager to the public. We are in no way a party to the agreement or contract between this consumer traveler and the owner manager, and cannot solve this consumer’s complaint. Our advertising service is an online site for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property manager. See the Terms and Conditions below that the consumer/traveler and landlord/property manager agreed to about our role here. Therefore, this complaint is incorrectly being associated with HomeAway Inc, and it should be associated with the landlord/property manager.Section 1 of our Terms and Conditions http://www.homeaway.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions:“The Site is a Venue and We are Not a Party to any Rental Transaction.We urge all users to be responsible about their use of this Site and any transaction entered into as a result of either listing a property or renting a property.  We do not own or manage, nor can we contract for, any vacation rental property listed on a Site. HomeAway.com and other Sites act as a venue to allow homeowners and property managers who advertise on the Site (each, a “member”) to offer for rent in a variety of pricing formats, a specific vacation or short term rental property to potential renters or renters (each, a “traveler” and, collectively with a member, the “users”). "Members" may also include property owners or managers who originally advertised their properties on another website and their listings have been redistributed on the Site. We also may offer online booking or other tools or services to allow users to communicate with each other and enter into rental agreements or other transactions.We are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users.  This is true even if the Site allows you to book a rental or provides other ancillary products or services, as the Site may facilitate booking a rental or other tools, services or products, but we are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users. As a result, any part of an actual or potential transaction between a traveler and a member, including the quality, condition, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any review relating to any property), the ability of members to rent a vacation property or the ability of travelers to contract for properties are solely the responsibility of each user. You acknowledge and agree that you may be required to enter into one or more separate agreements, waivers or terms and conditions prior to making a booking or purchasing a product or service and may place additional restrictions on your booking, product or service.While we do take certain measures with a goal to assist users to avoid potentially fraudulent or other illegal activity of which we become aware, we assume no liability or obligation to take any such measures or actions.  When we provide warnings or messages to users about any such activity, we do not warrant that such messages are accurate or that such messages will reach any or all users they should have reached in a timely manner or at all or that such messages or measures will prevent any harm or otherwise have any impact."We encourage this consumer to contact us directly to file a formal property complaint against this advertiser. As part of that formal complaint process we reach out to the advertiser on behalf of this consumer in order to try to get the two parties to settle their dispute. We however do NOT mediate; we simply try our best to put the two parties together to work the situation out if possible. We also closely monitor accounts that have had formal property complaints filed. Our policy is to carefully document both sides of a dispute, and keep track of all complaints submitted. When a pattern clearly develops where an advertiser is causing problems for our travelers, we do not hesitate to remove that member from our site.

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This complaint is not against HomeAway Inc. We cannot comment on this consumer/traveler’s complaint, because it appears that this complaint is not with our online advertising service, but appears to be the result of a marketplace transaction between this consumer and the owner or manager of an individual vacation home rented by that owner or manager to the public. We are in no way a party to the agreement or contract between this consumer traveler and the owner manager, and cannot solve this consumer’s complaint. Our advertising service is an online site for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property manager. See the Terms and Conditions below that the consumer/traveler and landlord/property manager agreed to about our role here. Therefore, this complaint is incorrectly being associated with HomeAway Inc, and it should be associated with the landlord/property manager. Section 1 of our Terms and Conditions http://[redacted] “The Site is a Venue and We are Not a Party to any Rental Transaction. We urge all users to be responsible about their use of this Site and any transaction entered into as a result of either listing a property or renting a property. We do not own or manage, nor can we contract for, any vacation rental property listed on the Site. Instead, the Site acts as a venue to allow homeowners and property managers who advertise on our Site (each, a “member”) to offer for rent in a variety of pricing formats, a specific vacation rental property to potential renters (each, a “traveler” and, collectively with a member, the “users”). We are not involved in any transaction between travelers and members even though we may from time to time provide tools that relate to a booking, such as a tool to enable a traveler to enter into a transaction to lease a specific property directly from a member. As a result, any part of an actual or potential transaction between a traveler and a member, including the quality, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any property or guest book review), the ability of members to rent a vacation property or the ability of travelers to pay for vacation rental properties are solely the responsibility of each user. We are also not responsible for the condition of the vacation rental properties listed on our Site or the compliance with laws, rules or regulations that may be applicable to any vacation rental property in any jurisdiction.
  Finally, while we do take certain measures with a goal to assist users to avoid potentially fraudulent or other illegal activity of which we become aware, we assume no liability or obligation to take any such measures or actions. In the event we do provide warnings or messages to users about any such activity, we do not warrant that such messages or accurate or that such messages will reach any or all users they should have reached in a timely manner or at all or that such messages or measures will prevent any harm, result or action." According to our records this consumer also filed a formal property complaint against this advertiser (case# [redacted]). As part of that formal complaint process we did reach out to the advertiser on behalf of this consumer in order to try to get the two parties to settle their dispute. We however do NOT mediate; we simply try our best to put the two parties together to work the situation out if possible. We also closely monitor accounts that have had formal property complaints filed. Our policy is to carefully document both sides of a dispute, and keep track of all complaints submitted. When a pattern clearly develops where an advertiser is causing problems for our travelers, we do not hesitate to remove that member from our site. I assure you we have taken the appropriate action in regards to this complaint.     [redacted] Trust and Security Senior Agent | HomeAway,Inc. [redacted] This electronic communication (including any attachment) is confidential.  If you are not an intended recipient of this communication, please be advised that any disclosure, dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this communication or any attachment is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and promptly destroy all electronic and printed copies of this communication and any attachment.

May 4, 2014 Consumer created and paid for listing [redacted].During the onboarding process this consumer did not activate his listing. Alisting must be activated by the advertiser when they are "ready topublish" by the consumer inputting a date when they would like to...

beginadvertising. This consumer did not do that. This consumer did not contact usuntil March 3 2015 (ref case#[redacted]) when he was having issues logging in.According to our records the issue was the consumer was trying to log in usinga different email address than what was put on this account. At this time theCustomer Service agent explained this and also explained our refund policy. Theadvertiser told our customer service agent that he will log in and activate thelisting.  3/4/2015 Consumer contacted us (ref case# [redacted]) forassistance with logging and also setting up Two Factor Authentication, which isa security measure for logging in. The agent who took that call noted that hewas able to assist, and resolve. Again this advertiser was inputting a wrongemail address.3/4/2015 Consumer was able to get logged in and update hislisting to be published. It then began to cycle through our internal workflow. Partof that workflow, during verification processes this consumer’s listing wasflagged and automatically refunded.  3/4/2015 Trust & Security agent spoke with consumer (refcase[redacted]) and advised if he would like his listing to go live he would needto provide proof of ownership, which this consumer did. His listing was clearedthrough Trust & Security. According to our records the consumer was refunded, so inorder for this listing to go live again all he simply would do is repay for theadvertisement. If there was an issue with the refund being received we areunaware, and do recommend that this consumer call us to speak with customerservice in regards to the refund and repayment.

This complaint is not against HomeAway Inc.   We cannot comment on this consumer/traveler’s complaint, because it appears that this complaint is not with our online advertising service, but appears to be the result of a marketplace transaction between this consumer and the...

owner or manager of an individual vacation home rented by that owner or manager to the public. We are in no way a party to the agreement or contract between this consumer traveler and the owner manager, and cannot solve this consumer’s complaint. Our advertising service is an online site for owners to advertise and travelers to find vacation homes to rent, but we are never involved in the transaction between the traveler/consumer and the landlord/property manager. See the Terms and Conditions below that the consumer/traveler and landlord/property manager agreed to about our role here. Therefore, this complaint is incorrectly being associated with HomeAway Inc, and it should be associated with the landlord/property manager.   Section 1 of our Terms and Conditions http://www.homeaway.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions:   “The Site is a Venue and We are Not a Party to any Rental Transaction.   We urge all users to be responsible about their use of this Site and any transaction entered into as a result of either listing a property or renting a property.  We do not own or manage, nor can we contract for, any vacation rental property listed on a Site. HomeAway.com and other Sites act as a venue to allow homeowners and property managers who advertise on the Site (each, a “member”) to offer for rent in a variety of pricing formats, a specific vacation or short term rental property to potential renters or renters (each, a “traveler” and, collectively with a member, the “users”). "Members" may also include property owners or managers who originally advertised their properties on another website and their listings have been redistributed on the Site. We also may offer online booking or other tools or services to allow users to communicate with each other and enter into rental agreements or other transactions.   We are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users.  This is true even if the Site allows you to book a rental or provides other ancillary products or services, as the Site may facilitate booking a rental or other tools, services or products, but we are not a party to any rental or other agreement between users. As a result, any part of an actual or potential transaction between a traveler and a member, including the quality, condition, safety or legality of the properties advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings (including the content thereof or any review relating to any property), the ability of members to rent a vacation property or the ability of travelers to contract for properties are solely the responsibility of each user. You acknowledge and agree that you may be required to enter into one or more separate agreements, waivers or terms and conditions prior to making a booking or purchasing a product or service and may place additional restrictions on your booking, product or service.   While we do take certain measures with a goal to assist users to avoid potentially fraudulent or other illegal activity of which we become aware, we assume no liability or obligation to take any such measures or actions.  When we provide warnings or messages to users about any such activity, we do not warrant that such messages are accurate or that such messages will reach any or all users they should have reached in a timely manner or at all or that such messages or measures will prevent any harm or otherwise have any impact."   We encourage this consumer to contact us directly to file a formal property complaint against this advertiser. As part of that formal complaint process we reach out to the advertiser on behalf of this consumer in order to try to get the two parties to settle their dispute. We however do NOT mediate; we simply try our best to put the two parties together to work the situation out if possible.   We also closely monitor accounts that have had formal property complaints filed. Our policy is to carefully document both sides of a dispute, and keep track of all complaints submitted. When a pattern clearly develops where an advertiser is causing problems for our travelers, we do not hesitate to remove that member from our site.

We're sorry to hear the trouble this consumer is having in getting information to us.  Although the email he was sent appears to come from a 'noreply' email address, all they need to do is reply to it and it will reopen his case for our attention.  It is important that it is a...

reply (not a new email or a forwarded email) and that the reference numbers in the subject line and at the bottom of the email are unaltered.If the consumer continues to have issues I recommend that they either send us a message through the help section of our website, or give our customer support team a call on [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:This company makes you believe you are getting "insurance" as in vacation insurance.  It doesn't protect the renter anymore than going to a police department and so on.  Fraud charges get renters money back as well.  So I am rejecting this complaint because they didn't even do anything with this policy, the owner refunded the money.  Homeaway didn't even locate a new property for us.  1 star on every single review.  Horrible company to work with.
Regards,
[redacted]

This consumer contacted us (case#[redacted]) This consumer is asking us to remove or delete her account with us. According to the Terms & Conditions that this consumer agreed to when enlisting with our website we will not be able to do that. Below is a link to our Terms and Conditions of...

advertising and using our site:http://www.vrbo.com/info/termsandconditions :5.    Your E-mail Address and Data; Our Privacy Policy; Data Transmittal.When you provide your e-mail address, name or other information to us in connection with your use or access to the Site, any service or tool provided on the Site or otherwise, you agree to allow the Site and its affiliated websites to add your e-mail address, name or other information provided to our database of users. You may receive one or more promotional e-mails from either the Site or a website of one of HomeAway’s affiliates. You are welcome to opt not to receive such promotional e-mails from the Site or such affiliates’ websites at any time. Please review our Privacy Policy for more information regarding our email and other data collection practices and safeguards, and how to opt not to receive such emails. Your use of the Site signifies your acknowledgment of, and agreement, with our Privacy Policy.     Each user acknowledges and agrees that, regardless of such user’s physical location, we may store and process any data transmitted to the Site from such user at locations both within and outside of the United States.In the event that you use any of our tools that we may from time to time offer that integrate in any way with a third party website to which you have provided data or information, you acknowledge and agree that such third party website shall be responsible for how the data or information you have provided to such website is handled.
[redacted]Lastly we also recommend that this consumer contact Yapstone / Vacation Rent Payment (VRP) in regards to the recent breach of its consumers personal information and if they were impacted. We have previously supplied this information to this consumer.