Vrbo, E Bookers, Expedia

Wiseguywinevendor

Buyer beware have just returned from a holiday in Thailand that I first booked in December 2023.

I remember reading in the past about some other people who were left stranded by the booking platform that they used and this has now happened to my wife and myself. 

We were to fend for ourselves  as they  cancelled  the booked accommodation at the last minute.

I booked and paid for a condominium in Phuket in early December 2023  for a month in January 2024 with a company called Vrbo. They charged my credit card and confirmed my booking by email before we flew out to Thailand and said the check in details would be advised nearer the time but certainly at least three days before the arrival date.

I contacted  them a number of times whilst I was in Bangkok  before we were due to leave for  Phuket  to find out the check in details. After numerous calls to their customer service in the USA I was finally told that the accommodation was cancelled the day before our arrival in Phuket.

They said that they would refund the charge to my Credit Card and they offered to find alternate accommodation but what they offered was not suitable and I was left to find a Hotel on my own for our imminent arrival in  Phuket.

This was at the height of the Xmas period and most hotels were full. Luckily I new a hotel that I had previously used and managed to get a room for a couple of nights but had to pay for this myself. They (Vrbo) said that they would look at reimbursing me on my return to the UK if I could provide receipts.

I then  booked  an alternate condominium with what I thought was a different company ( E Bookers) only to find that after they charged my credit card that they were in fact Vrbo and I later found out that they are all owned by Expedia. The booking was again confirmed by email and my card charged the full amount.

I again tried to get check  in details with a day to go but  was unable to contact the vendor. I was told that I had to wait by Vrbo’s customer service until 4pm on the check in day and if no one contacted me then they would cancel my booking and find alternate accommodation. This was never going to work as their customer service department had no understanding of where Phuket is nor how busy the area was and therefore how difficult it would be to find accommodation.

I took it upon myself to find another hotel which I managed for four nights and then I had to find another hotel for the remainder of our vacation.

I spent an extra £650.00 in temporary accommodation , an inordinate amount of time on the phone trying to get help from Vrbo and at one point was out of pocket on my credit cards to the amount of £4500.00 which has now been refunded. 
Luckily I could afford to lay out this money but they did not know that at the time.

They left us stranded, never called back with an offer of help and would only respond by email.

My bookings and therefore contract  which they accepted when taking full payment twice and confirmed twice by email was with them and not the vendors as they intimated when I contacted their customer services.

This has proven to be a very stressful holiday which was spoilt as we never intended to stay in hotels for the month we were away and wanted to have an apartment.

On my return to the UK I have contacted Vrbo and given their  holiday guarantee department all the documentation requested and they have now offered a £247.00 reimbursement for our trouble.

This is not acceptable as not only am I £650.00 out of pocket they never provided the accommodation that was confirmed and charged for on two separate occasions.

I think that the way this company has behaved should be highlighted and also the fact that they are all one company. 

Please can you highlight this and warn others to beware.

eskbanker

Wiseguywinevendor said:
My bookings and therefore contract  which they accepted when taking full payment twice and confirmed twice by email was with them and not the vendors as they intimated when I contacted their customer services.

Companies like Vrbo do include clauses like this within their Ts & Cs:

2.2 The Site acts only as a venue for users to interact with each other. Rental contracts are concluded only between the Guest and the Host. Vrbo is not, and does not become, a party to any contractual relationship between the Guest and the Host and in its webhosting status it is not obliged to mediate between the Guest and the Host in the event of any dispute arising between them. You acknowledge and agree that the Guest and the Host will be responsible for performing the obligations of any such agreements, between the Guest and the Host, that Vrbo is not a party to such agreements, is not acting as an agent on behalf of Hosts and disclaims all liability arising from any such agreements even if the Site facilitates a booking for a Property or the use of other tools, services or products, as Vrbo is not a party to any rental or other agreement between Guests and Hosts, and the Hosts are not considered as Vrbo’s service providers. Vrbo is not an organiser or retailer of travel packages under Directive (EU) 2015/2302. In respect of distribution of Properties on any non-Vrbo branded sites, Vrbo is not acting as a trader for the purpose of linked travel arrangements under Directive (EU) 2015/2302.

https://www.vrbo.com/en-gb/lp/b/terms-of-service

Wiseguywinevendor

Vrbo Took the money and confirmed the bookings therefore the contract is with Vrbo not the vendor. If the vendor was liable then they would be taking the payment. This is not the case as Vrbo returned the charge so they have a responsibility to their customers

eskbanker

Wiseguywinevendor said:

Vrbo Took the money and confirmed the bookings therefore the contract is with Vrbo not the vendor. If the vendor was liable then they would be taking the payment. This is not the case as Vrbo returned the charge so they have a responsibility to their customers

To a certain extent that sort of logic is understandable, but that doesn't make it accurate from a legal or contractual perspective - it doesn't really matter if you're just intending to vent about how "this is not acceptable", but if you actually want to resolve the issue then you need to recognise the actual rights and responsibilities of the relevant parties....

brianposter

The rights are quite straightforward. There is a contract with Vrbo and there is a contract with the property owner, both of which are subject to law.

The problem is finding a way to enforce the relevant law.

Does Expedia have a UK presence ?.

marie.a.londres

I have a less serious problem with VRBO but the same basic issue.

We booked a property on the VRBO website - and got in touch with VRBO again when the Host sent an e-mail saying our payment could not be processed and could we pay them directly. The original payment then magically went through. I guess that should have set some alarm bells ringing - i.e. dishonest business practices from the 'premium host'.

We had to cancel three days later, within the 100% refund window. This is what is stated in the confirmation e-mail from VRBO:

Cancellation policy

100% refund of amount payable if you cancel by 24 May 2024. 50% refund of amount payable if you cancel by 9 Jun 2024. No refund if you cancel after 9 Jun 2024. Cancel up to 11:59pm (local time at the property's location) on the date listed to qualify for the refund amount.

It has been a real fight to get any money back and the host refuses to honour the 100% refund policty - On the 'premium host's own company website there is a blanket £100 cancellation fee (in the fine print)- but that is NOT mentioned on the VRBO website. I have had multiple assurances from VRBO (includin'g in writing, i.e. in an e-mail) that we will get 100% refund, but the 'premium host' just won't comply and has explicitely said so within a VRBO e-mail to us. VRBO are not communicating with us to resolve this and just give us run-around-call-centre lines when we chat or call (no supervisors are ever around). In some chats we've been promised 'an e-mail from our specialist team' and we've been given 'case numbers' via e-mail... but the emails from the specialist team nevere materialise and if you call to find out why, there is no response. 

It's been very frustrating and time consuming. We have now turned to dealing this this through our Bank / Credit card which is going to involve more time and effort. It's not about the £100 per say - it's about not accepting what seems like theft, unacceptably bad customer service, and really underhanded dishonest practices.

So, for us, VRBO: Never again.