Vrbo - May 2024
We contacted Vrbo and it said that it takes fraud prevention very seriously across the company, and keeping its site secure for both guests and hosts is a priority. It said while it cannot disclose details, it deploys a variety of sophisticated risk strategies and tools to monitor for suspicious behaviour on a 24/7 basis and continually invests in its capabilities. In it’s investigation, none of the bookings appear to be fraudulent.
It added that while it is the host’s responsibility to ensure accurate listing information such as availability and rates, it does provide regular email host reminders to ensure listings are current. It said it provides several tools for both it’s guests and hosts such as the option to “Contact the Host” through the Vrbo website prior to booking for guests to double-check for availability or any other questions they might have.
Vrbo said it has been safeguarding travellers against last-minute cancellations for years with the Book with Confidence guarantee, that protects travellers who book and pay for a property through the Vrbo website – including payment protection against fraudulent listings, lodging assistance if travellers are unable to check-in, and rebooking assistance if the homeowner cancels at the last minute.
If the issue falls under the Book with Confidence guarantee, it said it does work with the guest to provide lodging assistance however it is specific per case, including availability of a similar property, etc.
Additionally, it said it expect hosts to honour their bookings and understand how frustrating it can be to have a host cancel a booking, which is why it has the Host Cancellation Policy. When hosts cancel a booking for avoidable reasons, such as selling their home, they are penalized and will incur a fee based on the total cost of the booking and when the cancellation was made. Higher fees are imposed when hosts cancel last-minute - within 30 days of the traveller’s stay - and the highest fees will be charged for cancellations made less than a week from the stay. In addition to financial penalties, repeat offenders may see limited search visibility on the Vrbo app and site, temporary suspension, or revocation of their Premier Host status.
It said For Mr. Hammond’s case, that it agreed that there were agent errors and that it will be reaching out to rectify this with him to ensure he receives the appropriate refunds, and that additionally the property has been disabled from its offerings.
In the case of Gurmeet Dhaliwa it said the host handled the gas leak issue appropriately since it was beyond their control. The guest acted responsibly by contacting customer support, and it offered them 3 nights of lodging. However, for the remaining nights, it said it provided options to rebook, but the guest didn't follow through and ended up without lodging due to booking without verifying availability. Despite this, we attempted to help them again with lodging and rebooking, but they declined our assistance. It said it made a one-time exception by providing a courtesy payment to cover the deposit paid on the second booking outside our platform, even though it's not usually covered by its guarantee.
We contacted Vrbo and it said that it takes fraud prevention very seriously across the company, and keeping its site secure for both guests and hosts is a priority. It said while it cannot disclose details, it deploys a variety of sophisticated risk strategies and tools to monitor for suspicious behaviour on a 24/7 basis and continually invests in its capabilities. In it’s investigation, none of the bookings appear to be fraudulent.
It added that while it is the host’s responsibility to ensure accurate listing information such as availability and rates, it does provide regular email host reminders to ensure listings are current. It said it provides several tools for both it’s guests and hosts such as the option to “Contact the Host” through the Vrbo website prior to booking for guests to double-check for availability or any other questions they might have.
Vrbo said it has been safeguarding travellers against last-minute cancellations for years with the , that protects travellers who book and pay for a property through the Vrbo website – including payment protection against fraudulent listings, lodging assistance if travellers are unable to check-in, and rebooking assistance if the homeowner cancels at the last minute.
If the issue falls under the Book with Confidence guarantee, it said it does work with the guest to provide lodging assistance however it is specific per case, including availability of a similar property, etc.
Additionally, it said it expect hosts to honour their bookings and understand how frustrating it can be to have a host cancel a booking, which is why it has the . When hosts cancel a booking for avoidable reasons, such as selling their home, they are penalized and will incur a fee based on the total cost of the booking and when the cancellation was made. Higher fees are imposed when hosts cancel last-minute - within 30 days of the traveller’s stay - and the highest fees will be charged for cancellations made less than a week from the stay. In addition to financial penalties, repeat offenders may see limited search visibility on the Vrbo app and site, temporary suspension, or revocation of their Premier Host status.
It said For Mr. Hammond’s case, that it agreed that there were agent errors and that it will be reaching out to rectify this with him to ensure he receives the appropriate refunds, and that additionally the property has been disabled from its offerings.
In the case of Gurmeet Dhaliwa it said the host handled the gas leak issue appropriately since it was beyond their control. The guest acted responsibly by contacting customer support, and it offered them 3 nights of lodging. However, for the remaining nights, it said it provided options to rebook, but the guest didn't follow through and ended up without lodging due to booking without verifying availability. Despite this, we attempted to help them again with lodging and rebooking, but they declined our assistance. It said it made a one-time exception by providing a courtesy payment to cover the deposit paid on the second booking outside our platform, even though it's not usually covered by its guarantee.
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