What customers mention most
Horrible site. They allow you to book from external sites but won’t allow you to see the booking on their website . All the communication happens on VRBo only and you can’t see the messages in vrbo as the booking is from external source.
Like thousands of others, I was a victim of VRBO's removal of messages from their own platform that would prove my case to BBB. They literally purged all of my messages with the host and support. Total fraud of a company, that should be closed down.
I do not recommend using Vrbo for any bookings/rentals because they do not stand by their own cancelation and refund policy. I had to try to cancel a booking because of a medical problem well with in the cancel window but was constantly told that the booking could not be canceled because of a technical problem. This was dragged out over 3 months till the booking was outside of the cancelation window and they informed me that the booking could not be canceled at that point. I ended up filing a fraud complaint through my financial institution and have a investigation into the matter. I am wait the investigation outcome.
Everything went wrong. DON'T EVER USE VRBO IN THIS COUNTRY. If I had not seen that the place I wanted to rent was also under cottages.com, it would have been a disaster. A VRBO call centre (in Egypt) told me my payment had gone thro. It had not. My bank had blocked it. Cottages.com told me VRBO don't have the facility to take payments, and they had been told so many times (!!) so I had to start again thro them. Unfortunately, apart from the payment help, cottages.com was not able to take over the reservation from Vrbo at this stage, so it was a constant struggle with a great deal of wasted time trying to communicate up to the day of my arrival. I asked for simple questions to be put to the owner (who was actually very helpful, close by and responsive once I was in the cottage). They refused to give me a way of contacting her and, instead of passing on my queries, sent a template reply to me each time saying "Sorry, the address used is not correct. Please use a valid email address"!! Their messages always said I had received a reply but I never got a single one. Indications that we could communicate back and forth (normal practice with ALL holiday rental companies) were totally false. I tried again to speak to Vrbo and this time was answered from the US! The person there gave me a woman's name and UK mobile no, saying she was the owner. When I called her SHE KNEW NOTHING OF VRBO, MY RENTAL PROPERTY OR ANY OTHER. She had absolutely nothing to do with Vrbo or any kind of property management. She was extremely shocked that her name and private phone number had been given out to a complete stranger (me) by another complete stranger in another country - as was I. She promised to contact the company and the authorities about this appalling breach of her personal privacy. Where on earth did Vrbo obtain her personal details and why did they use them in this presumably illegal way?? I did - thank god - receive the key box code - after which I had the correct name and number (because it was at the property ) and I could get hold of the owner instantly.
We were going to our granddaughter's birth and planning her funeral in the same trip. She was not expected to live more few days later. My wife and I were already stressed beyond stressed and all this happens. Our 1st booking was made 2 wks in advance. It was called the Peaceful studio apparment in spring creek area sleeps 5. The address is 24102 Melina Ln Tomball, TX. Vrbo Property ID 4129234. We were 6 hrs into a 9-10 hr. trip. We started trying to contact the host. He did not answer our texts or emails. We tried calling & still no contact. Come to find out, he had blocked our number. He did not even have the common courtsey to let us know himself. We called Vrbo (on hold almost an hr.) and they finally contacted the owner. He said he was not honoring the booking. The apartment was not ready and he FORGOT to check the listing. Why does Vrbo not confirm reservations with THEIR listed properties? Now, we had no where to stay. After hours on the phone with Vrbo, they booked a less an desirable motel room. When we got to the motel, we booked another property and got a confirmation #. This was The Cozy Compass at 4114 FM 2920 Spring, TX. Vrbo property ID 4680685. She also totally ghosted us. Even Vrbo could not get ahold of Bri. Again, no where to stay. We finally found a nice Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston Woodlands I45 on Booking.com. We knew they would honor our 3rd booking and got instant comfirmation. They still owe us the difference of 176.80 from orig. booking. Vrbo says they paid me the 176.80 but does not have any tracking info. We will never book anything though Vrbo again. Vrbo's customer service was/is subpar and is not located in the US. Vrbo's representives are not easy to understand. We asked for a person that spoke better english. The rep. informed us that her english was very good. We left a negative review on the Vrbo website. Vrbo would not publish it. Said it was not accurate. It was very accurate. Our experience was well documented.
TL;DR: The breach: my personal data was leaked from a Vrbo host to scammers, who contacted me by WhatsApp and phishing email quoting my booking dates by name. The denial: Vrbo / Expedia Group has formally refused any compensation, cost-differential coverage, or flight reimbursement — without citing any specific policy clause. The contradiction: four Vrbo / Expedia Group representatives confirmed the breach in writing, but Vrbo's Privacy team has now formally denied it happened. In February 2026 I booked a property in Sorrento for August 2026 through Vrbo (Vrbo reservation ID KB1771784795). The booking was for a family holiday — two adults and two children. The accommodation total was €6,444.80 with payment scheduled for 25 July 2026, and I bought £1,584.56 of non-refundable flights in reliance on it. On 5 May 2026 I was contacted via WhatsApp by an unknown party demanding payment for the stay, using my mobile number which I had not shared with anyone in connection with the booking. The host's representative confirmed in writing on Vrbo's own messaging platform that their systems had been hacked and that they were "receiving [many] messages like" mine. Vrbo's customer support team also confirmed the breach in writing the same day. On 9 May 2026 I received two further phishing emails quoting the exact dates of my reservation, addressed to me by name — confirming that name, email, mobile and dates were all leaked. Vrbo's response has been inconsistent and ultimately a flat refusal. On 5 May Vrbo's support team instructed me not to pay "without confirming directly with the host" — i.e. to engage with the very party whose systems Vrbo had just confirmed are compromised. On 9 May, after I escalated to Vrbo's General Manager and Expedia Group's CEO, a senior Vrbo / Expedia Group representative reversed that advice in writing, stating that "payments should be made by credit card only through the Vrbo platform". On 12 May the guidance shifted again, with the same representative writing that "for any questions or coordination related to the booking or payment, you may directly contact the host using the internal messaging tool on the platform". Throughout, Vrbo has refused to process my payment via the platform, has refused cost-differential coverage on any alternative property, and has refused any compensation. Their emails of 12 May 2026 stated twice that "this decision is final, and we are unable to provide further updates regarding this reimbursement request" — without citing any policy clause for any of the denials and without engaging with any of the consumer-protection or data-protection legal frameworks I had raised. Vrbo's own marketing on this booking promoted the VrboCare guarantee, including "Protected payments" (described as protecting guests "from fraud or scams") and "Backup guaranteed" (described as helping find a similar home if a host issue arises before the stay). Neither promise has been honoured. No statement of what personal data was compromised, no confirmation of regulatory notification, and no remedial offer beyond "cancel the booking yourself." The result is that I have no safe route to perform a booking I made nearly three months ago: I cannot safely pay the host directly (per Vrbo's own updated guidance), Vrbo will not process payment via the platform, and Vrbo will not facilitate a comparable alternative. I gave Vrbo a final opportunity to engage with the legal substance, with a deadline of end of business on 14 May 2026. That deadline has now passed without any substantive engagement. I have today filed a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office regarding the data-protection element, and I am pursuing the £1,584.56 in flights via formal Letter Before Action and Money Claim Online. If you have booked through Vrbo with a host operating in Sorrento (in particular "sorrentovibes" / "Family Home with terrace & view in Sorrento Center") and have received unexpected payment requests outside the platform — by WhatsApp, by phishing email, or otherwise — treat them as fraudulent, do not click any links, and check directly with Vrbo support. The breach affecting this host is, on Vrbo's own confirmation, multi-victim and ongoing.
I haven’t used VRBO in a few years, but I thought that they were a good company. After my experience with them the past few days I have changed my opinion. I made a reservation and paid for it and then realized that my email address was one that I didn’t use any more so I changed it and that was the beginning of my misery because the whole booking disappeared! I called recently to rectify the situation and was told that that never happens and did I have any evidence to back it up? No, because I could no longer see the booking in the app. Then I was told that it was my fault and that I should have contacted them sooner. Why is it my fault that your app didn’t work properly? Sat on customer service for more than 3 hours over two days only to be told that they could offer me a partial refund, but that it was coming from the owner. I replied that it wasn’t fair to punish the owner since it was the company’s app that failed, only to be told that there was nothing else that could be done. Asked to talk to a manager, but was told that there wasn’t any other person who could help me and that they were all on the same page. I declined the partial refund which seemed only right as the owner did nothing wrong. VRBO has lost me as a customer for sure. There’s nothing worse than a company that doesn’t stand behind their product.
We booked a place and drive all the way down to LA and find out the place is double booked. They refund us fine, and the woman on the phone said they would cover our hotel for the weekend because of the inconvenience. then we receive an email saying that they are only going to cover the difference in price. I called customer service and they wouldn't even try to help me. I told them to pull up the recorded call with that first woman and then refund me even just a little more and they wouldn't do it. Well they lost my support and the 4 other people with me on the trip. I'm deleting my account right now.
As a property manager, my experience with VRBO support has been extremely frustrating and disruptive to business operations. My listing was suddenly marked as inactive without clear explanation. When I first contacted customer support, I was incorrectly told the issue was related to a guest cancellation that I supposedly initiated. After review, the representative confirmed that this information was inaccurate and that the guest had actually initiated the cancellation. I was then given a completely different explanation and told the listing was inactive due to needing a business registration number. I provided the requested business registration information immediately, yet my property remained inactive with no resolution. Despite multiple follow-up calls, I continue to receive the same vague response: “we are working on it,” with no clear timeline, no proactive communication, and no transparency regarding what is actually preventing reactivation. This is not the first operational issue I have experienced on the platform. I have also dealt with misleading calendar blocking functionality that impacted availability management. For property managers and hosts, listing interruptions directly affect bookings, guest confidence, and revenue. A platform handling hospitality operations should provide accurate support information, faster verification processes, and clearer communication when listings are impacted. At this time, I am disappointed by the lack of accountability, inconsistent support responses, and business disruption caused by this experience.
Very poor experience. I’ve been using Airbnb for the past 10 years and decided to try VRBO for a booking. After I paid, the host later asked for additional money as a deposit, which I only found out while on the way to the property. The app experience was also terrible. Never using VRBO again.
See Below the standard company statement. I have spent countless hours on the phone where the representative wanted screen shots of bank statements. Wouldn't VRBO have in their system the money that they have received as per my bank statement? This am absolute badly run administration in this company. It has been April 23d when the cancellation was approved and today, May 16th, that they "are sending it to another team". Pass the buck, poorly trained call centers, who can't access the VRBO process, until you are passed onto another person. 24 yr US Army Infantry Vet Absolutely horrible customer as we had to call several times to correct a refund from an approved cancellation. We were refunded $36.98 of the actual amount of $326.98 on April 27. The representative said that "they had left out a 2" when they processed the refund and would take care of their mistake that day. Today, May 13th, I checked a new credit card statement and saw that it was never refunded, $290 short. I called again, and was connected to a noisey call center with the representative who couldn't understand English very well and he asked for me to "screen shot" my bank statement and that he wasn't able to access the VRBO reservations system. After 20 minutes he was so baffled, he had no records of previous calls or actions and we ended the call, without any resolution. My wife, found the realtor group and communicated with them. We are still waiting for our approved refund.
Beware, high cancelation fees, ineffective customer service, unwanting to work ( supervisors and regular employee) Contradictions, holding the line for hours, ineffective host/guest bilateral help from vrbo to resolve host/guest issues, beware I'm a very calm and patient guy... I highly don't recommed
1 star as cannot give 0. Shocking customer service 5 days before stay, could not get an answer from host, called a few times, host eventually answered and confirmed they no longer operate that property, his account on vrbo had been cancelled etc, I had to find this out myself, currently been on phone to vrbo 'support' for 30 mins....we will see. Appalling service. Side note, properties appear available then are not when trying to book. A complete joke. Has anyone ever had a successful booking? Will never use again.
This company is trash. The app is horrible. The website is horrible. There’s no customer service. They suspended our account after normal maintenance operations and took a $50 fee. We’re de platforming after one month there’s no traffic low volumes. One of the worst companies I’ve ever interacted with.
When choosing a vacation rental from VRBO site, there were no "real" reviews to go by, only "external" reviews which are not specific to the property. Our rental was nothing like it was described on the VRBO page. It advertised amenities that were not there, posted photos that were not representative of how the unit really is and list details about location that are completely false. I tried to post a review on their site but they rejected it on the grounds of it being "misleading". I have tried to contact them but get no response. I would stay clear of VRBO. Because of how they hide the real reviews, there is no way to know what you are getting.
Based on 16 verified customer reviews, Vrbo holds an average rating of 1.0 out of 5 — rated Bad on ReviewTerminal.
