WhimstayReviews of whimstay.com

Response from WhimstayJan 2, 2024

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration you experienced due to the booking issue for your stay in Puerto Vallarta. As a travel agent, we understand that you have high standards for travel arrangements, and it’s clear that in this instance, we did not meet those expectations. We want to acknowledge that there was a system error on the part of our hosting partner, which unfortunately led to the double booking of the property you had selected. While the host did offer an alternative nearby property that was comparable, we understand that this change may not have been suitable for your needs. Upon learning of this situation per your outreach to our support team, we aimed to offer immediate assistance by proposing a full refund, and we deeply regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused. We take full responsibility for ensuring that our partners maintain accurate and reliable booking systems and are taking steps to prevent such occurrences in the future. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention and assure you that we are dedicated to improving our services. Our goal is to provide a seamless and enjoyable booking experience, and we are committed to making necessary improvements based on our customers' feedback. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to have the opportunity to better serve you in the future.

Response from WhimstayOct 17, 2023

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We truly understand the inconvenience that can arise from unintended double bookings. At Whimstay, our policies, including the final-sale, non-cancellable nature of bookings, are clearly communicated to ensure transparency. While we strive to maintain a customer-centric approach, our operation as an online travel agency means we adhere to the policies we've set, much like other major booking platforms. There are instances where hosts choose to cancel bookings, and in those cases, we assist in the process. We apologize for any confusion or frustration this may have caused, and we appreciate your understanding.

Response from WhimstaySep 18, 2023

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or inconvenience you may have experienced. At Whimstay, the booking process requires the host's approval for a reservation to be confirmed. You're right; you did not receive a confirmation for your booking. This was because the host needed to close the property for maintenance and thus could not accept your reservation. We understand how important prompt communication is, which is why we aim to inform travelers as soon as possible about the status of their bookings. Regarding the price fluctuation you observed, our prices can change based on various factors including seasonality, demand, and specific dates chosen. It's possible that when you checked back, you saw rates for different days that may overlap with pricier periods, like weekends. All our prices are provided directly by the hosts, and we operate on a transparent model with no intent to mislead our valued travelers. We truly regret that your initial interaction with Whimstay didn't meet your expectations, and we would appreciate an opportunity to assist you further. Please feel free to reach out to us directly, so we can address any remaining concerns and help facilitate your future travel plans.

Response from WhimstayAug 14, 2023

First and foremost, we want to genuinely apologize for the unfortunate experience you had with your recent booking on Whimstay. Your feedback is crucial, and we take this seriously. It is regrettable that there was an error regarding the "minimum stay requirement". You are absolutely right; any requirements should be clearly outlined and communicated upfront. I can confirm that the cancellation was processed due to an oversight on the part of the host, and we have already issued a full refund for the inconvenience. We deeply regret the lapse in our service and the delay it caused, especially over such a busy holiday weekend. We understand and share your concerns about pricing. Whimstay's aim has always been to provide the best possible deals for last-minute bookings, and we continuously work with our hosts to ensure the accuracy and transparency of our listings. Your feedback points out areas we need to improve on, and I want to reassure you and other potential customers reading this that your experience is truly an outlier. Our team is dedicated to making sure all listings are as clear and accurate as possible and that any anomalies are addressed immediately. We are taking steps to ensure that similar issues do not arise in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we hope we can regain your trust in the future.

Response from WhimstayJul 20, 2023

Hi Heidi! Thanks for taking the time to voice your feedback. Unfortunately, since you selected the non-refundable option at checkout, no part of the booking total which has already been charged could be refunded including the cleaning fees or any incurred booking fees. We apologize for our inability to refund those fees.

Response from WhimstayJul 20, 2023

Hi Jeremy, thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience with us. We genuinely value your feedback and deeply regret the issues you faced during your stay. Your concerns are completely valid and ought to have been addressed promptly by the property manager, the individual directly responsible for the unit you rented. It's important to clarify that our platform functions as a marketplace that connects travelers like you to great deals on vacation rentals managed by property owners or managers. We strive to ensure a smooth vacation rental process by offering an easy way to search for units and book directly through our site, and then facilitate the connection between our travelers and the property managers themselves. However, the direct management and maintenance of the listings on our site lies with the property owners or their appointed managers. Unfortunately, we did not receive any communication from you during your stay. This limited our ability to intervene with your property manager on your behalf, as we usually would in such situations. We're proactive in addressing any problems guests report, reaching out to property managers, and persistently following up until a resolution is achieved. Despite these circumstances, we’ve taken the initiative to contact the property manager of your unit, shared your experience with them, and emphasized the importance of providing excellent support to our guests, in line with our commitment to our travelers. Your review is invaluable to us and is taken very seriously, helping us to continually enhance our platform and the services we provide. While we regret not having the opportunity to assist you directly during your stay, we want you to know that our team is dedicated to supporting you. As a token of our commitment to your satisfaction, our Chief Customer Officer has personally reached out to you to express our appreciation for your feedback. In addition, we've issued you a credit for a future stay, hoping you'll give us another opportunity to provide the support you deserve on your next trip. Once again, we thank you for your feedback and look forward to the opportunity to better serve you in the future.

Response from WhimstayApr 3, 2023

Hi Josh, our team has been in contact with you extensively over the past several days as we worked through this matter with you. It’s worth noting that your host has evidence of smoking in a nonsmoking unit and violations of undisclosed guests, in addition to a missing portable heater, hot plate, and USB charger. That said, you were invoiced $800.00 when your host incurred an $880.00 cleaning bill from an independent cleaning company for your unit. The invoice is dated 3/31/2023 and is specifically for your unit. This charge also did not cover the missing items or undisclosed guest fee – which would’ve totaled $1,000. We have corresponded with you with complete transparency, passing along photos of missing items, ashes from smoke, etc. As mentioned in our communications, we cannot revoke the invoice billed to you for reimbursement of damages as our host incurred those. The payment for damages due is billed by them, not us. We feel it is essential to be upfront about the nature of this incident in response to your review.

Response from WhimstayNov 22, 2022

Thank you for sharing your review Sarah. As our team communicated - this was an unprecedented occurrence where the property you booked was unexpectedly unavailable at the last minute. The property management company informed you at the same time they informed us, which was unfortunately the day before. Our team apologized on their behalf, profusely, and offered a discount code for a future stay. We strive to do everything we can to ensure that our traveler's feel well supported and that we maintain efficient communication throughout their journey with us. We are sorry that your experience was a disappointing one and we do hope we'll be able to work with you in the future to ensure you have a redemptive experience with Whimstay.