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Booking through VRBO
Posted on 5/31/16 at 3:54 pm
Posted on 5/31/16 at 3:54 pm
I'm looking to book a house in a specific area in Gulf Shores for Hangout Fest next year. VRBO is the only platform that has houses/condos that sleep 12+ within a half mile of Hangout. My question is- what happens if the owner of the house decides to cancel the reservation? That would completely screw the group if we purchase tickets for this event.
I booked through Meyer Realty a couple years ago for this, but they don't have any houses/condo's big enough for us.
I booked through Meyer Realty a couple years ago for this, but they don't have any houses/condo's big enough for us.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 3:56 pm to TigerTatorTots
They won't cancel. You're over thinking it. We book throu vrbo a few times a year. They value their reputation (online reviews).
Posted on 5/31/16 at 4:02 pm to TigerTatorTots
Ya, I wouldn't worry about that too much.
I will say we rented a place down from Flora-Bama last summer and the owner or owner's caretaker tried to hit us with some damages we didn't do.
I don't know if this was part of a scam to have ordinary wear and tear charged to customers or entirely inadvertent, but the owner eventually backed down.
We had a lot of people there and maybe they thought we were college kids getting hammered, but we actually were mostly lawyers getting hammered He then tried to make amends to hope we'd come back in the future.
I will say we rented a place down from Flora-Bama last summer and the owner or owner's caretaker tried to hit us with some damages we didn't do.
I don't know if this was part of a scam to have ordinary wear and tear charged to customers or entirely inadvertent, but the owner eventually backed down.
We had a lot of people there and maybe they thought we were college kids getting hammered, but we actually were mostly lawyers getting hammered He then tried to make amends to hope we'd come back in the future.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 4:47 pm to Teddy Ruxpin
The homes that are rented through the Rental Companies are not owned by the rental companies, they are privately owned also. The only difference between VRBO and Meyer is that the owners directly book the reservations with VRBO. If a rental house is sold that is rented, the rentals are generally agreed upon to be withheld. Most the people that buy a rental property want to keep renting it and are usually plenty happy to keep someone already reserved whether that is through VRBO or a rental company.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 5:40 pm to baldona
I have a condo in Orange Beach that is managed by Brett Robinson. Their rentals are listed on their own website and also on VRBO.
As with any case, be careful when you rent anything on line. A buddy of mine rented a place in Destin on VRBO for two families. He was emailed and told the owner would meet him at the place to give him the keys. The two families showed up only to find someone else there. Turned out VRBO had been hacked and the actual owner never received the reservation or payment. Here is the worst part, I asked him if he was able to cancel the credit card payment. He said, "I didn't use a credit card, the email requested that I wire the money using Western Union." Turns out the payment went to somewhere in England. He tried to get his money back from VRBO since he booked through their site. They pushed back a lot and I'm not sure if he was able to get a full refund. To top it off, there were no available places in the area big enough for two families. They ended up having to drive to Gulf Shores to get a place.
As with any case, be careful when you rent anything on line. A buddy of mine rented a place in Destin on VRBO for two families. He was emailed and told the owner would meet him at the place to give him the keys. The two families showed up only to find someone else there. Turned out VRBO had been hacked and the actual owner never received the reservation or payment. Here is the worst part, I asked him if he was able to cancel the credit card payment. He said, "I didn't use a credit card, the email requested that I wire the money using Western Union." Turns out the payment went to somewhere in England. He tried to get his money back from VRBO since he booked through their site. They pushed back a lot and I'm not sure if he was able to get a full refund. To top it off, there were no available places in the area big enough for two families. They ended up having to drive to Gulf Shores to get a place.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 5:41 pm to TigerTatorTots
quote:
Hangout Fest
I so want to go to this.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 9:05 pm to DoUrden
Would highly suggest no matter what the lineup is. Live music on the beach is wonderful
As are the "sights" walking around
As are the "sights" walking around
This post was edited on 5/31/16 at 9:09 pm
Posted on 5/31/16 at 9:08 pm to Ramblin Wreck
quote:I hate to say it, but your friend is not the brightest if he still continued with the booking/payment after being sent that.
I asked him if he was able to cancel the credit card payment. He said, "I didn't use a credit card, the email requested that I wire the money using Western Union."
Posted on 5/31/16 at 9:57 pm to TigerTatorTots
quote:
I hate to say it, but your friend is not the brightest if he still continued with the booking/payment after being sent that.
He is actually a pretty successful manager. I had to shake my head though when he told me that. He definitely had a momentary lapse of ability to see the obvious.
Posted on 5/31/16 at 10:09 pm to TigerTatorTots
Google around before booking. Sometimes you can reserve the same house directly from the realty company and bypass the VRBO fees.
Posted on 6/1/16 at 2:31 am to TigerTatorTots
Use it 2 times a year never had a problem but always pay with credit card
Posted on 6/1/16 at 6:24 am to TigerTatorTots
You will be fine booking through VRBO and it's the best single site to find listings (although HomeAway, the parent company has a much better site design)
VRBO should change their name though, because in tourist areas most of the listing are from agents so you are still paying agency fees on top of VRBO fees. It's no longer the "cut out the middle man" value it once was. The actual owners using VRBO to rent their properties have responded by increasing their pricing to match the agencies.
VRBO should change their name though, because in tourist areas most of the listing are from agents so you are still paying agency fees on top of VRBO fees. It's no longer the "cut out the middle man" value it once was. The actual owners using VRBO to rent their properties have responded by increasing their pricing to match the agencies.
Posted on 6/1/16 at 7:56 am to CajunAlum Tiger Fan
quote:
VRBO should change their name though, because in tourist areas most of the listing are from agents so you are still paying agency fees on top of VRBO fees. It's no longer the "cut out the middle man" value it once was. The actual owners using VRBO to rent their properties have responded by increasing their pricing to match the agencies.
That's true. However in the filter section they have the managed by tab. If you select owner a lot of the listing have the owners phone number and you can call them direct, often times you can get a night free. I just booked a condo in PCB for less than the advertised price on VRBO by contacting the owner directly.
Posted on 6/1/16 at 10:37 am to TigerTatorTots
I recently booked through vrbo for the first time and had bad luck. I was dealing with a bullshite low end propert mgmt company and not the owner. Ended up getting a call two months before our trip telling us that the owner had sold the unit a few months before and forgot to tell them. LOL
Posted on 6/1/16 at 11:18 am to notiger1997
That is what I'm worried about. Everything in Gulf Shores gets booked up for Hangout so if that happened, we would be royally screwed given no other properties would likely be available.
Posted on 6/1/16 at 4:01 pm to TigerTatorTots
I've probably totaled about 8 weeks of vacations through VRBO and have had nothing but good experiences. Read the reviews to see feedback, many people will comment on the owner.
You can also look into trip insurance.
You can also look into trip insurance.
Posted on 6/1/16 at 5:42 pm to Redfish2010
Would trip insurance cover the $230 tickets for 14 people that would go to waste? I thought trip insurance just covered any payment refund of the hotel/condo/house you are renting.
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