WhimstayReviews of whimstay.com

The owner of the property had our initial email address, but we updated it on the Whimstay website soon after because we stopped using that address. The owner never got the updated email, apparently. Messages came in from both the owner of the property and the vacation property place, Whimstay. Because Whimstay was sending us emails up until we started our trip, we assumed we would get check-in info in an email, or by text. We never saw the emails from the owner because she was sending them to the old address. We arrived late at night, after dealing with canceled flights and a sick child, just to discover the front door code was not easily assessable. The owner did not answer their phone. The Whimstay office was closed with an emergency number that took hours to reply. By pure chance, my daughter dug up a voicemail from the owner, who said, hi, it’s Laurie. Then she searched for a “Laurie” in my old email account and found an email from an unidentifiable email address. This old account was only accessible, because my techie husband was able to retrieve it after it was deleted. The most important details were on an attachment sent from the owner to this old email address, with the front door code buried in the middle of the page. We were tired, freezing, and finally entered the place which had no heat until at it warmed up slowly. Mice or squirrels were heard all night in the upstairs space. To top it off, the owner, Laurie, held an attitude after it all happened. She wasn’t apologetic. Bottom line: Whimstay and their property owners need to send messages from one source, and that source needs to have the correct email address of the guest (preferably with part of their name or business name in the address). Customer service should take these cases seriously if they want repeat customers and positive reviews. I rarely write reviews, but when I have they’re usually filled with praise or helpful tips. Oh, tips - always text your guests with the front door code. Emails can be harder to find. I am a vacation property owner and the guests are thankful to get that information in a clear, concise text.

We booked a nice place right on the beach in Florida, through Whimstay. The price looked reasonable as well. However, just over a week before our stay, the host Whimstay uses contacted us saying the property was no longer available, since they had maintenance issues they couldn't fix in time. They offered us other properties and "offered to cover the difference in cost", but these other places were nowhere near the beach. "Apparently", no other beach front properties were available through the site, all the way down the gulf coast. They offered a refund, which we decided to take. In the meantime, we reserved a place through a more reputable booking site, as we had very limited time. We were then contacted by Whimstay, who was supposed to issue the refund. Then they offered us several different options, some of which were on the beach - but didn't offer to cover the cost difference compared to our original booking. This didn't matter anyway since we already booked another non-refundable condo. We took the refund which we had originally decided upon, losing over $50 due to our currency exchange rate. We also had to spend hundreds more on our new reservation compared to the original that was cancelled on us. The customer care team didn't seem to care about any of this. Between Whimstay and their host company, this whole experience was a disaster. Steer clear of dealing with this company.

The place we rented was mis advertised, did not meet safety standards, was not clean, and did not provide basic needs. If there was an avenue to place an honest review of the property we stayed at, so that others didn't need to suffer like we did for our 6-day stay, I would rate this platform higher. I honestly have no idea how the reviews I read prior to booking the property we booked were anywhere close to honest. Had it been, we wouldn't have stayed there, so I suppose that is the motivation behind it. I will not use this platform again, as I feel like it is not an honest site or consumer friendly for peer to peer reviews of the properties.

No communication from the host when needed. Inaccurate listing. The outdoor amenities were shared with other guests and there was no mention of this is in the listing. We were not able to use amenities as desired due to the shared space.

So disappointing! Was excited to see the unusual sites and looking forward to staying in one. Unfortunately, after getting a confirmation number, I was taken to a site (Irbuild) that wanted a picture of my license. My camera is not working, so I tried to back out of the site. Then tried to cancel the reservation. The company wouldn't allow me to cancel, even though I hadn't completed the info they requested, and tried to cancel immediately! Have sent them another request to accept my cancelation, but not holding my breath. aIRBUILD I'd requesting I complete precheckin, which I can't. Whimstay says rcancelation. is complete and won't allow cancelation.

"I’m utterly disappointed with Whimstay’s lack of compassion and understanding. I get it—businesses have policies, and sometimes it’s easier to hide behind them rather than do what’s right. But to watch a company like Whimstay stand on “business” rather than extend basic human decency is beyond disheartening. No one asks for breast cancer once, let alone twice. I never imagined I’d be in this position, reaching out with a heartfelt request to cancel a reservation because of an unexpected, critical surgery for my cancer recurrence. But rather than empathy, I was met with cold policy enforcement. It’s baffling that a company would choose to stick rigidly to their rules instead of recognizing a genuine, life-altering situation. To anyone considering booking with Whimstay, just know that if life hits you hard, you’ll likely face indifference rather than understanding. When you’re going through the unimaginable, the last thing you need is a company that sees you as a dollar sign rather than a person."

The host could not give us a working code to enter the property. After hours of trying to resolve the issue, we finally booked a last minute Airbnb. Whimstay refused to refund us any money despite it being impossible to even use the property. Avoid this service!

Unlike most companies that give you 72hrs before your trip to cancel--Whimstay only does 24 hours after booking. My friend died and they wouldn't let me change dates or issue a credit. $500 is still a lot of money. I was treated very inhumane and will never use them again.