sister2

..or renting a condo online with an owner? I'm in a situation now where I've sent my final payment in and the owner has not forwarded written confirmation. I've emailed and called and she is not returning phone calls. We arrive--supposedly--in 10 days. Last contact I had with the owner was on May 30. At that time she indicated she was received my check and is forwarding me a confirmation letter. 2 weeks later, have not received it. I'm getting nervous now.

Anyone been burned?..

beentheretwice

Nope, I've used VRBO a number of times and have always been very happy. Usually, the owner has a rental management company that has the keys; a couple of times it has been a lock box with a code at the door.

Do you have a management company contact?

Has the check been cashed? If not, freeze the funds until a confirmation has been received.

Good luck.

sister2

Check cashed. ..I'm have a TERRIBLE feeling I've been taken by the owner, as I emailed her directly. Emails are not being returned , nor or voice mails. What recourse do I have legally...I have no idea what the cancellation charges are at this property. All was going well until I asked for written confirmation and proof they received my check.Again..she did contact me saying she received it ..all was well..and would be mailing the information to me. I made copies of my check that I sent in along with a letter indicating what it was for. The fact my emails and phone calls are being ignored is telling me something different. If I cancel, I may not get my money back..or if the company sends a refund check back, it will probably bounce.

How can I protect myself at this stage?

BayouGal

All of my VBRO transactions have been pretty similar to yours. My question is, do you know where to pick up the condo key? If so, she may feel that she has given you all the necessary information. Print her email stating she received payment and take it with you. Have you tried contacting VRBO? Have you contacted the property?

agsimpkins

Have you contacted VRBO? I've had wonderful experiences with them, 10+ rentals in and outside the US. They take great pride in the ethical behavior of those who list with them, so I'd think they would take a pretty active position. You could also threaten to take the owner to small claims court...no attorney needed, or to call local law enforcement. You have the address to which you sent your check, right, not a P.O. Box?

nina

Ugh, I've never been burned and have rented houses from owners lots of times, but I've always thought how easy it would be for some scam artist to collect checks from people by advertising phantom properties.

How close are you to the rental? Is there anyone in the area who could scout it out for you to see if it even exists? Maybe call the local plice and see if they can find it for you and see who the owner is? Also, have you contacted VRBO with your concrens? Any response? Good luck and keep us posted, every time I mail a check to a stranger for a rental I hope it's on the up and up....

AustinTraveler

Instead of calling the police, call the local property appraiser or tax collector and see if the name you have matches with the owner listed for the address. At least then you'll know if you've actually been dealing with the owner of the rental property.

sister2

we leave next week. YES I have someone in Florida checking out the company.

VRBO has a disclaimer "not responsbile".." be sure to check out the owner"..I have asked them to look into this company and to stop posting their site (if this indeed a scam).

My Florida friend has indicated I could get the feds involved since I MAILED the check and it crossed state lines.

The previous letter I did receive from her ( back in March) indicated where the key would be etc. But the final letter stating "full payment received" and confirming the rental has not been sent as she indicated three weeks ago. Emails and phone calls are not being returned. if the rental was on the' up and up' then why not return an email?..like she did before I sent in FP?

I will let you know what my Florida friend finds out about the company. I can't believe this!

nina

Why a company? Isn't VRBO vacation rental by OWNER? That's the one site that is supposed to be by owners, unlike Cyberrentals that gets a lot of advertising from real estate agencies and companies.

I would be wondering why a company rather than an individual is advertising on VRBO. What kind of company is it?

emd

FYI, Marvin Floyd is the General Manager of VRBO. He posted a good comment on these forums about VRBO and the arbitration they use to settle disputes (in case your rental is headed for disaster). Go to the "Other Topics" section here at fodors talk and search for "VRBO"-- two posts come up and the first one includes the long comment by Mr. Floyd.

beentheretwice

Owners do post on VRBO, but they may or may not use a management company to maintain the property.

Perhaps the "owner" is on vacation themselves at this point? Just a half glass full perspective.

If all the information has been given to you previously,perhaps they feel they left you ready to go...

VRBO is a Buyer Beware site, so you are on your own. If it makes you feel better, perhaps you can reserve a hotel room for the first night you arrive.

Keep us posted on this.

Were there references available for previous renters of the property?

Good luck!

BayouGal

If the key is at a realtors or a business location, maybe you could contact them. Having recently lost a parent, I can't help but wonder if this person might be going through a personal tragedy and not intentionally ignoring you.

Good luck!

starrsville

I had similar thoughts. I know you are worried, but the owner may feel they have communicated effectively with you and has no idea you are in panic mode.

SusanM

Just another thought - I once left a poor review for a seller on eBay because my purchase took forever to arrive. It turned out she had been in the hospital, and was very apologetic about the delay. You never know what may be up with your owner.

mgtr

We used VRBO for a rental in Costa Rica. The owner was a little odd and and contacted us through her daughter (who took quite a while to respond) the responses were also a bit strange. I was very very worried, but it turned out to be wonderful!
(i guess they just weren't sales people)

kathrynj

Great experience with rentals in France and have one in Wellfleet coming up the end of July. I always make sure to do a lot of cross checking of the properties to see if they are listed on other sites, communicate a lot with the owner, etc. So far, so good, but......

birder

Please make sure you update us on how the situation turned out!

sister2

..well..UPDATE: I received an email from the owner yesterday along with the rental confirmation. On Wednesday I heard back from VRBO and they contacted her directly. They said she was 'spread thin' representing alot of properties and had a family that lived some distance away from the properties she represented. She also said she has been with VRBO for 3 years and has NOT had a complaint (which made me feel good!).

I don't know why my phone calls were blocked (GRRRRR)..or why she didn't return my emails. I'm just glad I got the paperwork I needed.


I don't know if I'll rent like this again..it stressed me out WAY too much.

SAnParis

Sounds like an isolated incident too me. I have used vrbo probably 30-40 times w/out an issue. In fact, I've had better luck w/them than with most other 'rental agencies'. They will help you out if need be & 'the bear' does travel around the country checking out properties & making sure that they are not misrepresented. So, even though they have that disclaimer (I am certain for legal purposes) they do everything they can to make sure the transaction runs smoothly from both ends.

luvs2pack

I too have used them many times and have always been pleased! Have Fun!!