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The warning signs were there: blurry photos, a long gap between reviews, and a request to wire money. But Elizabeth Long still constitute the Paris rental impossible to resist. She ended up drawing me into yet some other Vrbo problem, this fourth dimension involving a imitation rental and a request for a refund that will be difficult to fulfill.
I keep maxim information technology, but it needs repeating: Sites like Vrbo are not hotels, despite their Book With Confidence Guarantee. These are private homes and apartments, endemic past people who accept their own motives and whose values may not always align with yours. Or Vrbo's.
That'due south what Long discovered with her problematic Paris rental.
"We signed the rental agreement and paid the agreed upon money co-ordinate to the terms of the contract, thinking that we would be fully protected," she remembers. "We were non."
Long's story is a necessary reminder of the importance of enquiry when you rent a home online, whether it'south through Vrbo, Airbnb or any other platform. Information technology's likewise a painful lesson that wiring coin offers virtually no consumer protection, no matter how right you think you are.
How she found a fake rental
Before we get into Long's Vrbo problem, I should authorize what I mean by a "simulated" rental. In this context, you lot may think of a simulated equally something that doesn't exist — a abode that either doesn't belong to the "owner" or that'south a figment of that person's imagination. In Long'south case, I don't know if the rental exists. I do know she never got to stay in said rental.
It was Long's 20th anniversary and she wanted to celebrate with her husband and 3 teenagers.
"Beginning, we spent v nights in London and had great success with our Airbnb rental," she recalls. "Our problem arose with our rental in Paris."
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Long explains that she institute a place that "looked nice" in Paris through Vrbo.
"Information technology had two large bedrooms and even had air conditioning, which would accept been great since in that location ended up existence a heatwave while nosotros were at that place," she recalls. "The place had proficient reviews on Vrbo, although none of the reviews were contempo."
Long says she used Vrbo to contact the possessor, who and so called her to discuss the rental plans.
"The possessor was a French woman, who at present lives in New York. She was very friendly and made her place sound delightful. She told us that information technology was her full general policy to provide a separate, written rental understanding outside of Vrbo because she had had issues renting direct through them," she says.
Paying for this Vrbo rental with a wire transfer
Long signed the rental contract and paid the owner $1,755 — part of it past wire, office by check.
But just a few days before their inflow, she received a text, e-mail, and a call from the owner. There was bad news. The apartment had been flooded and would be uninhabitable during their rental catamenia.
"Co-ordinate to the terms of our rental agreement, the owner had the opportunity to provide u.s.a. with a comparable apartment during our stay," she says. "She did come up with some other place, just that second place was just a i-bedchamber, without ac, in a unlike area of the city, and it was not available for the entire five days."
The owner also wanted part of her party to stay in a hotel at their own expense.
"And she suggested that our 13-year-old daughter could stay with her friend in a separate hotel room," she recalls. "As you can imagine, that did not go over well with us. We asked for our money back. The possessor agreed via phone to refund u.s.."
A canceled rental and then silence from the owner
And that'southward the terminal she heard from her.
"She has refused to return my voicemails, texts, or emails over the past ten months," says
Long began monitoring the list. When she saw the apartment marked as "unavailable" during her rental flow — even though she canceled — she suspected the owner had either double-booked the property or pulled the same stunt on someone else.
"I contacted Vrbo to run into if they could help," she says. "I thought that others might at least desire to be warned before renting with her."
Vrbo said it couldn't. She wasn't allowed to post a review of the property because she hadn't stayed there. And Vrbo couldn't help her become her money back since she'd booked off the platform.
"The place is even so advertised on Vrbo, with only glowing reviews for the apartment and for the owner," she says. "Our dream trip has turned into a fiscal nightmare."
What happened with this imitation rental?
Let'south have a closer expect at the rental she booked. The listing on Vrbo raises a few reddish flags right away, starting with the images. The encompass photos aren't even the apartment; it'due south a blurry image of the Arc de Triomphe.
The pictures are problematic, not just in terms of the poor quality, but also of what's in them. Many of them don't show the flat. They're generic Paris images — the kind you lot'd find in a tourism brochure.
The interior photos of the property aren't any better.
And then there are the reviews. The owner has been on the platform since 2008. But for some reason, the thirteen reviews only become back to 2012. In that location are long gaps between some reviews and if you read this site, your "too-skillful-to-exist-true" meter is in the crimson as y'all review the nigh entirely favorable reviews.
On this Vrbo problem, something doesn't add together up.
Friendly communication with the owner — until…
I asked Long to send me her correspondence between the possessor and her.
The newspaper trail shows a friendly correspondence between the owner, based in New York, and the renter, located well-nigh Boston. Then there'southward zip, followed by a frantic, one-style barrage of emails in which Long asks for her money back. It appears the owner handled all the cancellation-related communications past phone.
The final demand letter fills in a few details, merely probably didn't help the state of affairs:
Following up on the numerous phone calls, texts, and emails that have gone without response over the last 3 to 4 weeks, this letter is intended to serve as written notice that you remain in violation of our charter agreement dated Jan 12, 2018, for the apartment at 4 rue du Chateau, Paris.
As you are well aware, on June 18, 2018, ix days before our scheduled rental date, you texted and emailed me to call immediately. When I promptly called yous back following your text and electronic mail, you told me that the flat had flooded and was not habitable.
You were not able to find the states another comparable apartment that was available for the duration of our booking period (June 27 to July 2, 2018), and equally a result, I asked both by telephone and via written discover the next 24-hour interval (June nineteen) that y'all provide a full refund of the money nosotros had paid per the cancellation policy in our lease agreement.
What does that lease agreement say?
Then Long went on the point out her estimation of the lease agreement as a "licensed attorney in Massachusetts."
In instance of cancellation past the lessor, some other apartment will be provided or rental coin volition exist refunded to the lessee.
Nosotros have since texted, called, and emailed you numerous times over the by 3-4 weeks, with no response whatsoever.
If we do not receive a bank check in the amount of $ane,755 (corresponding to our starting time payment of $877 fabricated by wire transfer on 1/17/18, and our 2d payment of $878 made by personal cheque on 5/1/eighteen) within ten days of your receipt of this letter, we will proceed with legal action against you.
Please note that this is non an empty threat as I am a licensed chaser in Massachusetts and accept colleagues in New York who volition exist profitable me with my instance against you. In addition to bringing legal activity to recoup the coin owed to us, we volition as well be pursuing the following deportment if we exercise not promptly receive the money owed to us:
- Filing formal complaints with Homeaway.com and VRBO.com;
- Submitting reviews on both Homeaway.com and VRBO.com to inform potential renters of our experience with you;
- Filing complaints with the NY Attorney General and NYC Department of Consumer Affairs; and
- Filing a complaint with the FBI Internet Criminal offense Complaint Heart (IC3).
This has been a very unacceptable experience, and we are asking that you promptly make this correct. I certainly did not expect y'all to alienation the contract, later on yous were so friendly and helpful to u.s. in our numerous phone conversations and emails dorsum in Jan. We saved up for this dream vacation, and you have managed to ruin it for us. Delight send the states a refund check to rectify the situation immediately.
On a trouble-solving mission, threats are rarely productive
It'south unclear if Long followed through on any of these threats. But as I note in my story on how to resolve a consumer complaint, threats rarely are productive.
If you've ever wanted to finish a complaint letter of the alphabet – or phone call, for that matter – with the words "I'LL NEVER FLY YOUR AIRLINE AGAIN!" or "I'LL Meet YOU IN COURT!," so allow me offering a lilliputian advice. Don't. Threats won't only guarantee your failure. You could also end up on a company'south blacklist (oh yes, they have them), or if your threat is serious enough — say, you threaten the president of the company with actual harm – you could find yourself on the wrong side of the police.
OK, enough with quoting myself. You get the idea!
What are your rights when you have a Vrbo problem?
Your rights under Vrbo's booking guarantee are clearly outlined on the site:
- Reservations must be paid for through the HomeAway checkout.
- If the property is significantly not as described, dangerous, or you are denied access, you must contact Customer Back up inside the starting time twelve (12) hours of the event.
- If your reservation has been canceled less than 30 days from your stay and yous are unable to locate a similar property available during the same period.
- Y'all must contact Customer Support within 30 days of the incident (or by phone within 12 hours of entering the property on the get-go day of the stay in the outcome that it is materially not as described or uninhabitable)
I've highlighted two of the terms because Long's Vrbo problem is, well, problematic. She wired coin and then sent a check, and it'south unclear if she involved Vrbo earlier the thirty days expired.
Pay for your rental away from the Vrbo platform, the company can't assist
Then when I asked Vrbo about her case, the post-obit response didn't surprise me:
We looked into this case and found that Ms. Long booked and paid for her stay off Vrbo's platform, so she is non covered nether the Book with Confidence Guarantee. Thus, any refund requests or disputes should be between Ms. Long and the property owner.
I recall we could all meet that one coming. But I asked Vrbo about the fake rental — would the owner be able to continue renting her flat and then request guests to pay by wire or check?
Vrbo strongly suggests that its owners create a divide rental agreement, to "define the legal human relationship betwixt y'all and your guests." Vrbo doesn't forbid its owners from requesting payment by wire, but it certainly frowns on the practice. In a post well-nigh how to spot a vacation rental scam inquiry, written for owners, it notes that an offering to pay by wire is fishy.
Vrbo'due south cherry-red flags for owners:
- Demonstrates a poor grasp of spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation
- Uses a gratuitous online eastward-mail service
- Gives you lot far more information than the typical traveler
- Is a religious figure, ocean captain, physician, or officer in the military
- Wants to conform a surprise trip for someone else
- Provides excuses near not existence able to use a credit card (i.due east., they don't feel comfortable because credit cards aren't "condom" or available where they live)
- Wants to pay by certified check, cashier'south bank check, or unsecured wire transfer
- Offers to pay more than your stated rate
- Unsolicited payment information in the initial enquiry
- No inquiry comments or traveler phone number provided
- Arrival within 24 hours for a short stay (i.due east., They stay/leave before the owner becomes aware that funds are reversed considering of the utilise of stolen credit card data.)
- Refers to your home improperly in the torso of the inquiry (i.e., asks most your lovely apartment when yous ain a cabin)
- Submits inquiry for specific dates but volition oft tell homeowner that dates are flexible
- Gives you lot an uneasy feeling that something isn't quite right.
You know, if Vrbo applied some of these criteria to its owners, would I fifty-fifty exist writing this story?
Vrbo's official response
By the way, I list Vrbo's executive contacts on this site. If you ever need to entreatment to someone higher up, you lot can.
I asked my Vrbo contact if the owner — who had cleverly lured Long off the platform in a phone conversation — would be able to continue list her charming flat on Vrbo.
"We looked into the partner'southward actions and record of renting on the platform and found that they've been in strong standing throughout," my contact said. "Our policy in this situation is to warn the partner that if their behavior persists, punitive action volition be taken, which could include stripping them of their Premier Partner status. In the bulk of cases, this alarm suffices to correct their actions."
So that'south it. The flat possessor gets to keep Long's $1,755. Presumably, if she does this once again, Vrbo will take "punitive action." But nosotros'll never know.
The takeaway? Never, never, e'er pay for a vacation rental by wire transfer or cheque. You lot could end up with a false rental and $i,755 poorer.
Source: https://www.elliott.org/blog/vrbo-problem-fake-rental-wire-transfer/
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