SAnParis2

I have used vrbo over 50+ times & had only problem (a place that was not as advertised) & I rec'v'd a full refund w/vrbo's help. If you don't have confidence in the owner, use somebody else. Your trip is, however several months off, so I am guessing you are probably not at the top of the priority list right now. Any comments about the property/owner (on the website) ?

sf7307

It takes two seconds to respond via email. I would NOT pursue this rental with a totally non-responsive owner. (I think the key to a successful rental using VRBO or similar services IS contact with the owner).

elsiemoo

bella666, I would NOT pursue a rental with an owner who is not immediately (24- 48 hours) responsive. There are too many good deals, and good owners renting right now, to get involved with someone who causes you anxiety from the start.

sf7307

As an example of a "good" owner, we were looking at rentals in Park City a few years ago. We emailed various owners. One afternoon we were walking around Costco and my phone rang -- it was an owner calling to talk, and to basically to tell us that she couldn't rent for less than a week. She was so nice about it -- she could have just not responded, or emailed us that she only rents weekly, but instead she made contact, and therefore, in the future, I'd rent from her in a minute.

yk

bella666- Just to chime in with the others, DO NOT rent from an owner who does NOT respond to emails promptly! What if you rented from him/her and when staying at the property you run into issues with the place, and you can't get hold of the owner?

oscarpowell

We rented w/ VRBO and it was a nightmare. We arrived and the place was a mess and there was no electricity. We contacted the management emergency number at the condo and they said since we didn't rent through them it wasn't their problem. But they were able to find out the owner was behind on his condo fees and his electric was shut off because she didn't pay his bill. He got a hold of us later that evening and said he was sorry and would give us our money back in cash and the extra we had to pay for list minute reservations. Sadly, I always wanted to meet Elvis but some things will never happen.

bardo1

oscar,

The fact that you used VRBO and had a very bad experience is unrelated. You should have started with "We rented with John Smith in Fairbanks, Alaska and it was a nightmare."

To tie your experience to VRBO makes as much sense as saying "I bought a defective bike through Craigslist - will never buy through them again". Craigslist didn't sell you the bike - an INDIVIDUAL did.

MyNameIsBrandon

I'm so sorry to hear about your recent experience. You can seek assistance from VRBO regarding this issue at: http://help.vrbo.com/help/RequestForAssistance.aspx

dusty56438

"The fact that you used VRBO and had a very bad experience is unrelated. You should have started with "We rented with John Smith in Fairbanks, Alaska and it was a nightmare."

To tie your experience to VRBO makes as much sense as saying "I bought a defective bike through Craigslist - will never buy through them again". Craigslist didn't sell you the bike - an INDIVIDUAL did."

In a way I agree with you, except:

The percentage of those that have a horror story or some other problems with vrbo is much higher than with someone getting a hotel room or using a condotel.

Many of the vrbo listings are illegal rentals.

If there is a problem, it is often difficult to reach the owner.

If the unit is dirty or some other problem, you are likely stuck with that unit. They can't get a different room unless it is a management group that has several units.

The advantages of getting a unit through vrbo are the price and often the location.

If one can overlook the chance that there may be some problems with vrbo compared to the advantages, then vrbo is for you.

If you want more of a problem free vacation, stick with hotels or condotels. But you'll pay for them.

NeoPatrick

"Many of the vrbo listings are illegal rentals."

What is your definitiion of "many". I have only ever heard of one or two such problems out of the thousands of listings there.

dusty56438

"What is your definitiion of "many". I have only ever heard of one or two such problems out of the thousands of listings there."

For example, other than hotels & condotels, Oahu has less than 200 legal rental units. Yet there are over 1000 different units listed on vrbo, craig's list, etc.

Almost all the units in or near Kailua are illegal.

Most B&B's on Oahu are illegal.

There are communities on Kauai, Oahu & I believe Maui that want the city/county to crack down on these illegal rental units. Included would be fines of hundreds of $$ a day.

dusty56438

By the way, the issue with the illegal rentals is that you need a certain license to be able to rent out your unit for less than 30 days.

What is illegal in Hawaii may very well be legal in different states as all states have their own laws.

If you want more info including a list of legal rentals:

On this link, use the search: illegal rentals

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...hu_Hawaii.html

Tina604604

NeoPatrick on Sep 20, 08 at 1:30pm I'm not sure that the free insurance has been there on VRBO for very long. But on the top tool bar it says "Rent with Confidence". Click that and do the free "Home Away" insurance. You have to register it BEFORE you actually send deposit payment to the owner, though.



I couldn't find this link for free Home Away insurance. Can someone please attach a link for it and provide instructions on how to find it? Thanks!

DebitNM

Tina, this thread is over 3 years old but This is what you are looking for:

http://www.homeaway.com/guarantee/home.html

DebitNM

It isn't free any more either, but is pretty reasonable. The only short coming is if you show up and the unit doesn't exist etc, you are pretty much SOL and will need to find someplace else to stay on short order. That will likely cost $$ that you will be out of pocket. Stick with rentals that have lots of solid recommendations and been around for awhile.