Vrbo Reviews 118,723

I cancelled a booking 13 days ago. I am still waiting for the credit to reach the bank. Their website bot is totally useless - no help at all, just told me to contact my bank. I have now done this twice and still no news of the credit arriving. I managed to telephone Vrbo and got through to a human being, who was no better. He told me to send him proof from a bank statement that the credit had not arrived, before Vrbo could chase this up and give me news. In other words he accused me of being a liar. Why should I send him confidential bank information? This is totally unacceptable and means I will not be using Vrbo again. The review should be zero stars!

I was looking at a vacation rental and the price listed was $4465, including all fees. My credit card was charged instantly $5092. Upon further review, when I received the email breakdown of charges, and I did all the addition there it came to $4683. I contacted both the host and VRBO. The original customer service rep tried to give me word salad on the charges. When I asked to speak to a supervisor and she did the math, she told me she would call me back. She could at least read what I was telling her and it didn't add up. She called me back and told me her supervisor authorized a "good will gesture" of $300. When I demanded an explanation she became flustered and said she would talk to her supervisor again. They then came back with $500. In order to get that though I needed to contact something called "hyperwallet". I had also contacted the Host of the VRBO. The host informed me that VRBO should not be charging the entire fee at this time either. When I pressed the VRBO rep for an explanation to that she only said "policy". I don't see that on their policy. I see half now, remainder later. I canceled the entire transaction and made a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Buyer beware and I beg you to do the math when they send you your receipt.

Seems hosts can just cancel for any reason and any time. You go through a lot of time and effort to book the right place, prepay, and then just have it cancelled. I won't use VRBO again.

Utterly useless. Difficult site to navigate, endless popups for unwanted features like "OneKeyCash" or their app (I'm on a desktop computer, why would I want the app?!). Eventually managed to place a booking for the place we wanted. Payment details entered but no payment taken. Fortunately host contacted us and we made payment direct with them. Vrbo's "help" an endless loop of useless chatbots. Eventually when a "human" is engaged they don't help and then the chat disappears. A few days before the stay recieved a late-night email from Vrbo saying we had requested to cancel and would only get a 5% refund. We hadn't. Now there is no trip showing and the chatbot won't help or won't connect an agent. Criminally bad, as tens of thousands of others have experienced. A score of 1/5 seems too high.

By far the worst customer service representatives I have ever come across. Booked a villa today with an €800 deposit. The receipt at booking shows service fee at €250 and was included in the total cost of the property. VRBO have taken this out seperately and when disputing this the agents do not understand a single word you say and cannot compute simple information re the total.

We decided to try VRBO because I was frustrated and tired of always having to clean an air bnb listed as “5 star very clean”and having to call the support line, because it was not clean and getting stuck cleaning it my self upon arrival.Our first rental with VRBO we carefully chose based on the customer reviews as “clean” we paid a couple thousand for a few weeks which included A $125 cleaning fee thinking this would be very clean. Well the floors were filthy and shag carpet was gross and stained on stairs with a dead roach and host left no vacuum available.All the teflon cookware were very scratched and/or burned. A towel hook was precariously hanging upon arrival and would not hold a towel so my kind handy husband fixed it! I contacted host about filthy floors and sent pictures of pots pans. No refund was offered.The host said “the fire inspectors must have refused to take off their boots”. The host replaced the cookware, no carpet shampoo offered. We tried to be agreeable and swept all floors used six swiffer pads that were black when done, Because we like a clean place for ourselves to stay in. During our stay I woke up to a silverfish crawling on my pillow,a piece of drywall over the stove suddenly fell on the floor and host came in to tape it back in,apologized and gave us a $30 gift certificate “for our troubles” to near by cafe and pulled out the vacuum for us to use which we did.Of course we cleaned the place ourselves(scrubbed shower,toilets,sinks,etc took out trash washed all linens)during our stay and also left the place much cleaner then we found it! After all we did to help that place when we left the host had the nerve to give us 4 out of 5 stars overall rating when we had 5 stars for all other categories so we contacted VRBO support. The first rep Ahmed said 4 stars was highest rating (which turned out not to be true). The 2nd VRBO rep “EL”was very difficult to understand because of a thick accent and promised to speak to the host and contact us(but never did a thing) The 3rd VRBO rep Danny had a hard to understand accent but said he contacted a cohost who refused to change rating to 5stars & something about lying about the number of towels and something about this host has many properties. There was never any issues with towels. We wonder if the cohost who we never communicated with has us confused with some other guest. We felt very insulted especially after how patient and helpful and very gracious (giving the host 8out of 10 rating)we were and took excellent care of their place. We definitely did not have a problem with any towels nor do we remove anything from any property but left the place immaculately clean. Now with a ruined, untrue 4 star rating we fear we will not be accepted by 5 star places that match our clean standards.After we were treated so poorly it is obvious that VRBO only has the host’s back. We paid a lot of money and trusted VRBO to vet a clean property located across the country from our clean home. VRBO allowed such unfair, unclean conditions like this to happen to us as clients and we explained we have pictures and video to prove it that they had no interest in .VRBO chose to allow a lying or confused host to smear our reputation. What a kick in the pants! We will Patronize a hotel next time that has reasonable standards and doesn’t make unwarranted accusations! Shame on you VRBO

I experienced a very difficult day yesterday. I had to cancel an entire trip because the VRBO hosts, Paul and Diane, told me they had double booked my stay at their place at the Sundance Vista Resort in Palm Springs. The name of the listing is:
“Luxe Villa. Private pool. Mountain views.”
For two days I had been contacting the host as I had a couple of questions prior to booking. I’ve had good experiences with VRBO before, so I just went ahead and booked it, even though I hadn’t initially heard back from the host. I felt that VRBO would keep everything in order. Well, I was wrong. Two days after I had initially made contact with the host and paid for the stay, for which they immediately deducted our account, this is the reply I received:

This is Craig, Paul and Diane's cohost and local contact for guests. I am sorry to have to share some bad news regarding your upcoming stay. Unfortunately, the dates for your reservation next week were already booked on another platform, so we are unable to host you for your stay in Palm Springs. Due to a technical issue between VRBO and our property management system, the VRBO calendar did not update automatically to avoid this conflict. I apologize for this oversight and any inconvenience it may cause. I have already spoken with VRBO, and they recommended that you cancel the reservation on your end to receive a full refund. They also mentioned they would be happy to assist you in finding alternative accommodations if needed. Once again, I sincerely apologize for this unexpected situation and hope you still have a wonderful trip to Palm Springs. Thanks, CRAIG Property Manager, Sundance Vista

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPLY CAME TWO DAYS AFTER I HAD ALREADY BOOKED. THE hosts, Paul and Diane, did not check THEIR VERBO ACCOUNT TO SEE IF ANYONE HAD BOOKED a recent reservation. They just assumed that they were getting the most up-to-date information for their two reservation platforms. Shame on them. Now, VRBO does NOT ALLOW YOU TO LEAVE A REVIEW FOR A RESERVATION that has been cancelled, which is why I was unfortunately unable to leave a review on the actual VRBO website. And yes, VRBO is in the process of refunding our stay. They are also offering a REIMBURSEMENT for UP TO THE AMOUNT OF THE STAY FOR THE INITIAL RESERVATION, but it definitely comes with terms which sound to me very time-consuming, but you be the judge:

“To qualify for reimbursement, please book your new reservation on Vrbo.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, or directly at the hotel. We will not reimburse bookings made on any other sites. The property should be located near the original location, and the number of guests and pets must match the original booking. Differences in reservation type won’t be covered.

Please note, reimbursement claims must be submitted within six months from the first day of your reservation. Below are the next steps for reimbursement:
If you booked on an Expedia Group platform:
Provide the itinerary number of your new booking.
If you booked outside the Expedia Group:
Provide one of the following:
A copy of the itemized receipt, printed on hotel letterhead, including hotel address and contact information. If the hotel is outside the US, ensure the receipt includes business registration details and tax information.
Make sure the itemized receipt includes the nightly rate, number of nights stayed, check-in and check-out dates, itinerary number, and the name of the person who checked in.
A copy of your payment information (bank statement and proof of payment) showing the card issuer, name of the account holder, and transactions for the original and new property.“

Yikes…I inquired if they would consider extending me a voucher to pay for a stay, similar to the way Alaska Airlines does it, but they flatly refused. Instead, you’re sort of made to feel like a criminal as if it was your fault for why they were not more careful about protecting you. And, I’m sure the experience for applying for the reimbursement would take me many hours. Not to mention all the back-and-forth that will most probably ensue if something isn’t exactly right.
So, that’s the story- I’m done. Hope this illuminates and helps you reconsider using VRBO, and the hosts they allow to advertise, for your future trips.

I tried to book accommodation for our holiday, but after entering my payment details, the booking got stuck as pending due to a technical issue between Vrbo and FeWoDirekt (both part of the same company). I tried to contact Vrbo but the bot wouldn’t help as I didn’t have a confirmed booking - completely useless. Eventually found a phone number to speak to customer service, but the call quality (clearly a poor quality VoIP call) was awful and after spending 15 minutes keep repeating myself and phonetically spelling things the call just went silent. I will now have to contact my bank to try and get the payment reversed.

Unhelpful in Italy Rental

We booked a property in Italy through VRBO for $6,000, but the rental was completely misrepresented. We were forced to find a hotel because the property was not as advertised. When we raised the issue, VRBO refused any refund and said we should have called them to be relocated — despite being exhausted from travel. Afterward, the property description was changed, apparently to cover themselves.

VRBO clearly prioritizes protecting hosts over helping paying guests. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend using VRBO.
(Also read the fine lines when paying for travel insurance-we had a blizzerd and couldn’t get to a propert and apparently “exclusions for refund” include bad weather!

Requested a reservation. Host has 24 hrs to respond or they cancel the request. Cancelled, requested again, cancelled, requested again, etc. If the host never responds and they keep cancelling the request, you could be in that loop forever, and how responsive will the host be if you actually get the place and there's a problem?

Avoid VRBO!!
I wrote an earlier review: I accidentally clicked a link to reserve Yaro Stellar Mosaic 2 bdrm/2 bath in Austin, TX for $2176.15. I immediately called VRBO and within 6 minutes of my reservation click, I canceled. HOWEVER, VRBO or Yaro Stellar (hard to know which) kept $1328.64.
Here's an update: After my review here on Trustpilot, I received a note from VRBO saying they would refund my money. Guess what? They did not. No surprises there. They are liars and this is fraud.
VRBO responded with the following:
This email is in regard to the recent concern that you faced. We truly apologize for the inconveniences caused. As we can check in that the host has issued a refund for you and you would receive the amount within the given the mentioned timeline. If you do not receive the refund within the mentioned timeline, please feel free to reach out to us....Regards,
Anusmita
Vrbo.com Support Team
No refund. So it's back to the Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau, and as many SM sits as possible to report them and caution others.

If I could give a minus figure for Abritel/Vrbo/expedia or whatever name they currently choose to use that would still not be low enough. From a host's point of view they are a waste of time.....webpages being re-directed to USA in USD. Their hotel pricings no longer appear in Google search results. They told me to delete acoount and start again using abritel.fr for France....this then redirects me to VRBO USA and back to square one. Going around in circles. Never had a single enquiry but then again with a trustpilot rating of 1.2 I shouldnt expect any different. Customer service is a waste of time and do not understand their own website and use jorgon only understandable to an Indian call centre speaking in Yank

Booked a house for my husband’s 60th birthday for all the family. The host messaged and said the price was wrong and demanded another £1,000! I contacted customer service who said there was nothing they could do as the host could cancel if I don’t pay!
They should have honoured the price as it was on their website.
I will never book with VRBO ever again.

My first—and absolutely last—experience with VRBO.

Due to severe winter weather (ice and snow), I was unable to safely travel and had to cancel my reservation two days before arrival. I fully understood the cancellation policy and messaged the host explaining the weather situation.

At first, I was told no refund. Then I was told that if the cabin was re-rented, I would receive my money back. I officially canceled on 1/20/26, and within hours received an email confirming that the host approved the cancellation along with a refund amount of $487.98.

Fast forward to today: 2-5-26
• VRBO says they need to contact the host.
• The host now claims I don’t qualify for a refund due to a “late cancellation.”

This is despite the written email confirmation showing the approved cancellation and refund amount from the host themselves.

To make matters worse, the cabin was re-rented for the same dates after I canceled, meaning they collected my money and another guest’s money for the exact same stay.

Completely unacceptable and incredibly frustrating.
What a joke.

Don’t waste your time or money—rent from somewhere else.

My host cancelled on me AFTER I arrived for my vacation. VRBO said that they "had my back" and would "not leave me stranded". I traded a three bedroom, 2 bath home with a yard, a washer and dryer and full kitchen, for a hotel room because that's all that was available at the last minute in Tampa. VRBO PROMISED they would refund my $850 and give me another $850 to cover the replacement property. After I got home and submitted my receipt, they DENIED my claim. I could have stayed for free with family, but I didn't want to be a burden, so I believed VRBO and they LIED.

They are not transparent with their fees which went up after we had reserved. No reply or help from customer service, even after me sending them proof in the form of screen shots. Have canceled the booking and will not use them again

If I could give a zero, I would!! This company could care less about owners. They will not resolve problems. They will tell you they are going to send your problem to a resolution team…just to get you off the phone. You will never hear back!!They can not resolve problems because the people who answer the phone are from other countries. They have no idea!! Best to find other platforms to promote your property. They are out there…. And they charge a lot less!!!

We arrived to our rental around 11pm. Walked into a mess... Rotting/moldy food in the cabinets, trash literally filled the drawers in the kitchen, broken mirrors in the bathroom. We were told it was animal and smoke free. Dog hair everywhere and definitely smoked in recently. We turned around and booked a hotel. Called VRBO said there was nothing they could do so we never got a refund of any type. Will NEVER do business with VRBO or Expedia again! Literally a waste of money.

Absolutely disgusted in vrbo and their customer service!!! I have spent well over 10 phone calls, emails and follow ups to had my case closed and nothing has happened like the staff advised we were told we would and then for me to be a sucker and book replacement accommodation through them which was more expensive as was advised we would be remunerated for the new accommodation costs due to issues
I will never use them again and will ensure to tell all friends who travel the same thing! SAVE YOUR TIME AND HOLIDAY AND DO NOT USE THEM!!!!!

We, a family of 8 booked a 4 bedroom log cabin in the Smokey Mountains in May 2025 for 3 nights. Unfortunately we found we had to spend the first evening cleaning the rooms and furniture on the lower floor, washing bedding and requesting clean bedding because of mouse droppings everywhere. We then had to persuade our 2 granddaughters that it was clean enough to sleep there. Initially the owner responded well in sending clean bedding and promising to refund the cost of the first night. Satisfied with this we continued to enjoy the rest of our stay.
However a very small percentage of the cost was refunded. I had various communications with the owner and requested he honour his promise and I refrained from posting my review on Vrbo for some weeks to give him the opportunity to complete the refund for the first night. When I heard nothing more I cut my losses and posted a review not mentioning the mice droppings but that there had been an issue and that the owner had not refunded the amount promised.
It was left at that until a few weeks ago 8 months after our stay I had an email from Vrbo stating that my review had been removed because it contravened their rules about mentioning costs. I had stated that we had paid over $1300 for 3 nights but had only had $250 refunded. When I replied that I wanted to write a new review without the costs but mentioning the mouse droppings and the failure of the owner to honour his promise of a refund for the first night I received an automatic message to say that these emails were not being monitored, so now I have no redress whatsoever.