Yvonne
Stay away from Vacay Away!
I booked a property, via VRBO, in early May, and Vacay Away debited my account for the listed amount. I did A LOT of research on the property prior to booking, including looking up the property on Zillow. The photos provided by Vacay Away and Zillow were the exact same photos, so I knew the exact location of the property and even the unit number. A couple of weeks before we were to check in, and that is an estimate, I received an email stating the unit was no longer available and that I would be moved to a different unit at the same property. At that point, I wasn’t happy but didn’t argue because I thought maybe there had been some unexpected issues with the unit I had reserved and for which I had paid in full. The day before we were to leave for vacation, I looked at the instructions for checking in and realized it was NOT the same property. Vacay Away had moved us 1.3 miles away from the original property. When I contacted Vacay Away, they attempted to convince me it was the same property and further told me Vacay Away didn’t own any properties at the S Poplar Street address. After explicitly telling them I wanted a full refund, they attempted to tell me the location provided on VRBO was a “general vicinity.” Yet another lie. After checking Zillow again, I discovered the original property I had rented was put on the market to sell at almost the exact same time my reservation was changed. Had Vacay Away simply told me that property was no longer available because it was in the process of being sold, no harm no foul, and I would have simply made other arrangements. Vacay Away broke their contracted agreement with VRBO by attempting to move me to a different property. Then Vacay Away attempted to lie to me and convince me it was simply a different unit at the same property. Thankfully I had done my research and knew I was being told a straight up lie. Actually more than one lie. I ended up having to contact VRBO and spent quite a bit of time on the phone trying to resolve the issue. At one point, the host, Vacay Away, told the VRBO representative they were concerned about “penalties” they might incur from VRBO. Apparently they weren’t worried about the fact that we were leaving for vacation the next day and no longer had accommodations because we refused the location to where they deceitfully attempted to move us because it was in a less than desirable neighborhood. However, Vacay Away WAS worried about penalties from VRBO for their deceitful business practices. I’d just like to point out, it’s not called “penalties.” It’s called CONSEQUENCES! Sixteen days later, and I am on the phone AGAIN with a very nice, helpful young lady with VRBO who is yet again attempting to get Vacay Away to process my refund. I received a message on June 1st that the full amount would be refunded to the original payment method within 15 days. This is June 17th, and no refund as of today. I am very hopeful VRBO will remove all Vacay Away listings from their website. Had I not done the research and knew full good and well Vacay Away was trying a form of bait and switch, I might have been stuck staying at the less than desirable location without realizing they had moved me 1.3 miles down the road. We were going to my husband’s hometown, so he is very familiar with areas that are safe vs those that aren’t as safe. If I could give Vacay Away a negative number for this review, I absolutely would give this experience, that just keeps on giving, a negative 100. Oh, and on a 9 hour drive I was looking forward to because most of the scenery is gorgeous, I got to spend a good part of that time finding different accommodations. VRBO has been very helpful in trying to help resolve an issue that would never had been an issue if Vacay Away had honored the legal and binding contract they entered into with VRBO. Renter beware! Do NOTdo business with Vacay Away!