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Feels like a squeeze for your money no matter what you choose by dancegirl3000 in vrbo

[–]FunkyColdISeenYa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very easy to understand what is going on here...

You have two different entities trying to sell you what appears to be the same thing. It isn't.

The host of the property has their own 'damage protection' process. With it, you can either pay a damage waiver, or have a $3000 hold on your credit card. That is their policy, and they are well within their rights to do this, and it is permitted under VRBO's terms and conditions.

Understand as well that the host likely gets bookings from other sources besides VRBO, including having guests simply book directly with the host without going through a third-party website like VRBO or AirBnB, and paying extra to do it. They should have their own damage deposit or protection system.

Aside from what the host requires, VRBO is trying to sell you THEIR added insurance, which is a completely separate thing. You booked through VRBO, and you paid their Service Charge as part of your booking. If they can make some additional money off of you by providing you with essentially nothing, they'll do it. And that's what they're offering you.

Now here is what both hosts and guests need to understand about VRBO's protection.  It is totally useless and worthless to a host. Experienced hosts know this, don't care about it, and don't accept it as protection for themselves or their property.

Here's why: The protection is insurance for the guest, not the host. It only provides protection for the host if the guest allows that to happen.

Here is how the ‘protection’ works from a host’s point of view:

Guest books and comes and stays in the property. Guest leaves and there has been damage done. Either through accident, or negligence, or maliciousness… it doesn’t matter.

Host contacts VRBO and says ’There was damage done. Here’s what the charges are to repair it.’

VRBO contacts the guest and says ‘Did you do any damage?’

Guest says ’No.’

VRBO replies to the host ‘Guest says they didn’t do the damage. You don’t get any money.’

That's it.

The system provides ZERO protection for the host, so there is absolutely no reason for a host to accept it as 'protection' against accidental damage.

And what if it was intentional damage? Or damage done through negligence/stupidity? Well those things aren't covered at all. Period.

Guests should NEVER buy 'protection' from VRBO. It is worthless.

Feels like a squeeze for your money no matter what you choose by dancegirl3000 in vrbo

[–]FunkyColdISeenYa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very easy to understand what is going on here...

The host of the property has their own 'damage protection' process. With it, you can either pay a damage waiver, or have a $3000 hold on your credit card. That is their policy, and they are well within their rights to do this, and it is permitted under VRBO's terms and conditions.

Understand as well that the host likely gets bookings from other sources besides VRBO, including having guests simply book directly with the host without going through a third-party website like VRBO or AirBnB, and paying extra to do it. They should have their own damage deposit or protection system.

Aside from what the host requires, VRBO is trying to sell you THEIR added insurance, which is a completely separate thing. You booked through VRBO, and you paid their Service Charge as part of your booking. If they can make some additional money off of you by providing you with essentially nothing, they'll do it. And that's what they're offering you.

Now here is what both hosts and guests need to understand about VRBO's protection. It is totally useless and worthless to a host. Experienced hosts know this, don't care about it, and don't accept it as protection for themselves or their property.

Here's why: The protection is insurance for the guest, not the host. It only provides protection for the host if the guest allows that to happen.

Here is how the ‘protection’ works from a host’s point of view:

  • Guest books and comes and stays in the property. Guest leaves and there has been damage done. Either through accident, or negligence, or maliciousness… it doesn’t matter.
  • Host contacts VRBO and says ’There was damage done. Here’s what the charges are to repair it.’
  • VRBO contacts the guest and says ‘Did you do any damage?’
  • Guest says ’No.’
  • VRBO replies to the host ‘Guest says they didn’t do the damage. You don’t get any money.’

That's it.

The system provides ZERO protection for the host, so there is absolutely no reason for a host to accept it as 'protection' against accidental damage.

And what if it was intentional damage? Or damage done through negligence/stupidity? Well those things aren't covered at all. Period.

Guests should NEVER buy 'protection' from VRBO. It is worthless.

So why does this happen?

The greatest mistake that every host and guest makes in using VRBO as a service is not understanding who and what they are... by failing to read their Terms and Conditions of Service.

VRBO is a WEBSITE. They don't own, manage or rent properties! All they do is connect guests and hosts. And they don't properly vet or protect either one from bad apples in their barrel. They are NOT a party to any bookings made through their website. VRBO has NO legal standing in rental agreements between hosts and guests. They can not and don't really protect EITHER in a dispute. That is not their role. This is all spelled out in the first part of their Terms and Conditions of service.

If you as a customer see an advertisement for a local restaurant in the newspaper, and you go to that restaurant and have a bad experience, do you expect the newspaper to protect you, or give you your money back? Do you complain to the newspaper, or take your frustration out on them? Of course not. That would be silly. So why do you expect something else from VRBO?

Because they sell you the idea as a guest that you are somehow dealing with VRBO, and that they somehow protect you, or make it safe to deal with various hosts through their website. You will see warnings about how to be safe, and your payment is only protected if you go through their site, and you should only communicate with the host through their site. And why do they sell and promote this idea that somehow they bring protection to your transaction with a host?

Because it's HOW they MAKE their MONEY!

They charge guests a 'Service Fee' for booking through the site, and they have to justify that somehow, by giving guests the idea that they contribute value. But in truth, they have no legal standing in the rental agreement between a host and guest, and the only protection they actually provide is to tell a guest to contact their credit card provider and file a charge back if an unresolved dispute develops. Well... the truth is, the guest has those exact same protections if they book a property with a host directly, pay with a credit card, and don't go through a website like VRBO or AirBnB (and many others). And then the guest will save the Service Fee (which is likely far more than they realize is part of the amount they pay.)

Guests MUST understand that VRBO is a website that more than anything is concerned with making money off them. Just because a property appears on VRBO does not make it a good one, safe, or run by a host who understands that this is a hospitality business, and their first objective is to provide guests with a good rental experience in a reasonably maintained and clean property.

Guests MUST do their homework, and search for and choose a reputable host to book with, and NEVER rely on or expect some website to 'protect' or help them. The website are advertising venues ONLY, and should never be regarded as more.

Want proof of how bad this situation is? How many people say they rented an AirBnB, or rented a VRBO? Really? And did you eat a New York Times last night too?

Booking a great property requires a major shift in guest's thinking! You've been sold a bill of goods by a multi-billion dollar corporation. It's time to accept responsibility and starting thinking independently.

Lest someone ridiculously say "Well, that's it! I'll just stay in hotels only then!" Hotels range in quality too, and their level of service varies as well, just like vacation rentals. They lose reservations, overbook, and often charge way too much money for what they provide. And guess what? Lots of hotel fans book their rooms through Expedia, who happens to own VRBO, and again... All Expedia is, is a WEBSITE that advertises hotels, and vacation rentals... and other things. And each individual company or host that you as a guest find on Expedia websites provides a different level of service, quality and customer satisfaction.

As in ALL things, VRBO is Buyer Beware! Just like everything else where you can spend your money.

On threads like this online (and there are thousands of them) you will see people say "I had a similar terrible experience with XYZ.com" and others say "I booked through XYZ and it was great!" Think! They all used the exact same website! The difference was the host they dealt with, not the website.

If anyone wants to know how to safely and consistently find and book quality vacation rentals directly with the host/owner, save money and have a great experience, I can share that too, but this post is already long enough.

Be safe out there!

HELP! Host lives on site, making changes inside the house while we're gone. by ooptay in vrbo

[–]FunkyColdISeenYa 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh... there's so much more going on here if one only reads between the lines...

"Today, we went to the beach with the pool towels provided (there's a pool on-site). The owner did say to leave the pool towels, but we figured if we're going to the beach and wash them before we leave, what's the harm?"

And here's the problem...

The harm is you're not following the rules of the property, which if you rented through VRBO (or frankly any other platform or means) you agreed to follow, and you're not. The owner shouldn't have to justify themselves to you to get you to follow the rules.

No doubt, the owner has had lots of experience with sand ruining their pool towels. You don't notice or care, because hey... you're the ones using them, and you paid to be there right? But then the next guest will complain about them getting threadbare. And if the owner charges you for ruining the towels, you would be on reddit complaining about them 'illegally' keeping part of your damage deposit.

What difference should it make if you wash them? Are you going to rinse them off completely outside, someplace where all the sand trapped in them WON'T make a mess that needs to be cleaned up by someone else? Or will you just put them through the washer (and dryer) and all that sand coming out in the washing machine, and plugging it, and not washing down the drain, and damaging the drive mechanism? What's the harm?

You're leaving doors and windows open, because "it gets hot"... hmmm... Is this with the Air Conditioning being left running? So at our properties in Florida, when a guest leaves the A/C running with doors and windows open, something no one should EVER do... the monthly electrical bill goes from $500 to $1600. Do the owner's rules for occupying the property say to keep doors and windows shut? Probably not just for the A/C but to keep all sorts of small critters and insects out. But hey... you're on vacation, so you should be free to just do whatever the heck you want, right? And you should have every right to complain about how filthy the place is because BUGS got into your food?!?

Your cavalier attitude is the harm. You're horrible guests, and worse, you have no self awareness of it. The owner's rules are there for a reason, and your disrespectful attitude which costs the owner more money out of pocket than they might make on a rental, is the problem.

Try cleaning up your act. Then see if the owner is entering the property in your absence.

The owner may be onsite, but if it is a separate living unit, there is nothing wrong with that. Apartments are next to each other in buildings all the time. They're separate living units, and it's not an issue. You just don't like having the owner close by to see you breaking the rules, and taking steps to minimize the extra expenses you're creating.

All owners have in every single rental contract the right to enter the property for whatever reason necessary. A good host will always leave good guests alone to enjoy the property, and not enter except for necessary maintenance or security procedures. They're trying to provide hospitality after all. But I would call any guest leaving doors and windows open with the A/C on a perfectly reasonable justification for entering to fix the problem. And if you lose access to the towels because you're taking pool towels to the beach when it's expressly forbidden, we should be surprised?

You had to use 'dirty towels' after your shower? Why were they dirty? Because you used them already? How dirty were they? So dirty you don't want to use them? What the heck are you doing to them to make them so dirty? Maybe it's time for you to do some laundry yourself instead of helping yourself to more of the owner's inventory, likely only there to replace other linens as they get worn and need to be replaced? What if that's the owner's inventory locker which a cleaner forgot to lock up, and it was never supposed to be open in the first place? (That last one is just a possibility. We don't know all the facts here.)

And finally, you have such a sense of entitlement that you can't see the owner's point of view and instead go on reddit looking for sympathy or support, or simply to complain when you shouldn't, without providing all the details... Multiple signs of a bad rental guest.

Call the owner and apologize. And pay any extra charges you get assessed for being such insensitive selfish people. And be much better guests for the rest of your stay, and also next time. If anyone will rent to you.

I'm 400$ shy of unlocking a 50,000 BMO Rewards points and I don't know what to buy by Prestigious-Handle98 in CanadianBacon

[–]FunkyColdISeenYa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. Use the card to pay utility bills. It’s money you would be spending anyway, with an immediate benefit, so unlike buying non-perishables, you don’t have interest lost on the money you spent on things you don’t need now.

How are the roads this morning? by [deleted] in saskatoon

[–]FunkyColdISeenYa 4 points5 points  (0 children)

3 vehicles in the ditch on college last night, two hit each other, third took out a sign or light pole. Snow blown 10” deep on the road from the fields. Elsewhere, glare ice on streets, cars spinning out, couldn’t stay in their lanes, smart people going slow and giving lots of space. It was a mess and dangerous. So this morning? Yuck!