problem with vrbo owner!
 

We have booked a condo at the Whaler in Maui for Oct. 29, for 7 nights. Owner was quick to respond with initial inquiry and to fax back deposit receipt and confirmation. I emailed her on Sept. 15 to tell her to apply the balance to the same credit card I used for the deposit. The next day she thanked me and said she would. It is now close to 2 weeks later and not only has she not put the balance on my credit card, my emails and phone calls are being ignored. I actually had a friend inquire about open dates on her vrbo site and ...nothing! I have no idea what to do. I really dont think she is a fraud but I have no idea how long to wait before I book another condo and give up the 200$ deposit. Help!

Hi Kim. I agree, it doesn't sound like she's a fraud, or she would have stopped answering AFTER she charged the bigger charge. Something may have happened to her, God forbid. Can you call the Whaler direct? Also, do you know a lawyer who'll give free advice? If she's not getting back to you and you have to book another place, maybe she HAS to give you the deposit back, since her lack of communication is what caused you to default on the contract. What is the cancellation policy on her condo? Good luck.

First, I wouldn't worry about getting a place on Maui, the occupancy rate is very low according to friends who have rentals there.

If you have her address, send a certified letter with a drop dead date, i.e. to have until October 1, to return my call and confirm my reservation or I am assuming that based on your lack of communication and failure to process my card that you do not intend to honor my reservation. You should also email a copy of that letter to her.

Do you know if she is licensed to rent? I don't know about Maui but some islands you have to be licensed. If she is not licensed, that might be a another reason you could use to pull the plug.

Bill

Not intended as legal advice.

Perhaps she is just on vacation herself. Maybe to some exotic place without email access. I agree that you won't have trouble finding a place to stay, even if at last minute.
You could, however, make a condo reservation with a big agency like Outrigger or Castle (some other complex, probably) that doesn't require a deposit and can be cancelled with just a day or two's notice. Then wait another week or two to see if you hear from the vrbo owner.

There are no shortages of properties to rent on Maui, so rushing into another reservation isnt needed.

Things happen btw- On an European VRBO rental of ours the owner went incommunicado for awhile after we paid in full. She ended up calling us after she found someone who spoke English to tell us the internet was down for her city.

Thankyou to everyone. Good news - she just phoned and yes, she had been very busy and will take care of it today. She did give us a great deal! 145$ a night for a studio athe Whaler! I know we could have easily found another condo, but we kind of really wanted this one. Thanks again.

Glad it worked out for you.

HawaiiVirgin:

Why would one expect a lawyer to give the poster free advice about an economic transaction? Why not ask if anyone viewing this thread had a free condo to give her?

A lawyer?
For this?
Really?

Glad it worked out.

I have found it not uncommon for true owners or folks representing only a few properties to respond pretty slowly to non-urgent requests. I've also found it fairly common for these folks to cash checks and run credit cards much later than you'd think they would. Just different from what we come to expect from more professional organizations.

Why not ask HawaiiVirgin to disembowel herself as punishment. Obviously, her post is so inappropriate that ridicule hardly seems sufficient. Only seppuku will erase the stain of suggesting Kim might talk to an attorney.

Jonathan Swift

Oh c'mon people, seriously. I meant that maybe, just maybe, she had a friend who was a lawyer (believe it or not, lawyers DO have friends) JUST IN CASE she didn't hear from the owners. This was just to GET CLARIFICATION of whether or not the owner could keep the deposit. I was BY NO MEANS suggesting she hire a lawyer for something like this. The deposit is probably less than a consulting fee. That would be ridiculous. So sorry if I was unclear, but good Lord, some of you people sure can take an innocent comment & turn it inside out. Yeesh! Chill out, would you Jonathan?

HawaiiVirgin, ever read a modest proposal? It's call satire. Sorry you misunderstood my humor.

Is Maui occupancy really that low at present ?

I thought Johnathon's comments were terribly funny.. totally supporting you

pspercy,

This year the deals are definately on lodging since the airlines cut so much capacity. Kaanapali shores( solid 3 star property) has lowered their price to 119/nt and they still arent sold out. Air on the other hand has changed, supply has been cut to meet demand. I wont get that $475 ORD-OGG RT for 2010 as I did for 2009

Sorry for not getting it, Jonathan. After having been misunderstood by 2 posters before you, I guess I was feeling a little picked-on.

Kim, glad everything has worked out. I'm envious, wishing I were heading to the sunshine again! Have a wonderful trip.

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