VRBO and deposits
Discussion
I've got a property booked in France from next week.
First thing they said is they wanted cash for cleaning and towels/bedding which I was OK with.
I didn't realise they wanted a cash deposit (800 euros), stay on total is just under a grand.
I've asked for this to be done on CC as I'm certainly not comfy carrying and handing that amount over and also being stung for exchange rates.
Ive only used air bnb the last few years and I thought all rental deposits were done by the agent on CC hold or has this changed with them now?
First thing they said is they wanted cash for cleaning and towels/bedding which I was OK with.
I didn't realise they wanted a cash deposit (800 euros), stay on total is just under a grand.
I've asked for this to be done on CC as I'm certainly not comfy carrying and handing that amount over and also being stung for exchange rates.
Ive only used air bnb the last few years and I thought all rental deposits were done by the agent on CC hold or has this changed with them now?
I’ve had this happen with Airbnb in the past year.
We had booked a place in Austria via Airbnb. It was run by a company - once we’d booked the accommodation and about one week before we were due to stay, they asked for €1000 in cash as a deposit. I went back to Airbnb and said this wasn’t mentioned at time of booking or in the terms of the booking agreement. I had no issue paying it via CC but as we wanted to leave early in the morning to catch a ferry how would we get the cash back.
Eventually Airbnb cancelled the stay and we received a full refund with 10% voucher.
We had booked a place in Austria via Airbnb. It was run by a company - once we’d booked the accommodation and about one week before we were due to stay, they asked for €1000 in cash as a deposit. I went back to Airbnb and said this wasn’t mentioned at time of booking or in the terms of the booking agreement. I had no issue paying it via CC but as we wanted to leave early in the morning to catch a ferry how would we get the cash back.
Eventually Airbnb cancelled the stay and we received a full refund with 10% voucher.
It's quite common in my experience, at least with Vrbo - and a result of agents like Vrbo, AirB&B, etc always wanting a cut of any money but without taking any of the risk. If you do the deposit via the agent they not only take a cut but never want to be the bad guy so when there's a dispute someone gets the money - but they have no interest in who was in the right just in their reputation. So guest stays, does damage but denies it when the deposit isn't returned and to keep them happy Vrbo refund them. Net result accomodation had damage to repair but no deposit to cover it
And cash is preferable to the other classic option - a Euro cheque! Great if you live in the Euro zone as no need to carry large amounts of cash and the cheque can just be torn at the end if a full refund. If you don't have a Euro bank account though...
And cash is preferable to the other classic option - a Euro cheque! Great if you live in the Euro zone as no need to carry large amounts of cash and the cheque can just be torn at the end if a full refund. If you don't have a Euro bank account though...
I've told VRBO to sort it out and the owner is insistent on only taking deposit outside the platform.
I've got poxy Sterling fees on anything I do and then I'm running a risk of no intermediary.
I'm not sure what to do here as weve found a cheque book but it's a UK bank one of course.
The owner says they have no bank card yet wants to handle my money quite happily !
Property is non refundable and not something I want the aggro of looking for even if I could get refunded.
I've got poxy Sterling fees on anything I do and then I'm running a risk of no intermediary.
I'm not sure what to do here as weve found a cheque book but it's a UK bank one of course.
The owner says they have no bank card yet wants to handle my money quite happily !
Property is non refundable and not something I want the aggro of looking for even if I could get refunded.
So after Web chats with vrbo and then picking up the actual phone its still unresolved.
Owner is stating they provided a contract agreement that stated cash deposit only.
I've paid VRBO 112 quid "service fee"....
I'm thinking one reason they only take cash is they are subletting the rental out for someone and then taking a skim from what I've paid so far....and finding a way to take the deposit being the cynic I am now days!
Vrbo have said that he owner should had sent security deposits through VRBO as part of the booking and have contacted the owner to discuss, if he don't lay ball then it can be refunded.
Trouble is we go in 48 hours !!!
Owner is stating they provided a contract agreement that stated cash deposit only.
I've paid VRBO 112 quid "service fee"....
I'm thinking one reason they only take cash is they are subletting the rental out for someone and then taking a skim from what I've paid so far....and finding a way to take the deposit being the cynic I am now days!
Vrbo have said that he owner should had sent security deposits through VRBO as part of the booking and have contacted the owner to discuss, if he don't lay ball then it can be refunded.
Trouble is we go in 48 hours !!!
Chucklehead said:
Based on what?
This is not VRBO at fault (at the moment), tbh based on some of the shambles I've dealt with over the years they aren't bad in terms of getting through to an agent. English is not great, also currently telling me though that they can't communicate with the owner here as he can't speak English so escalating.
Yesterday the agent I dealt with said they would be giving the owner an ultimatum to either request a CC deposit or I'd be refunded, this morning that's now changed.
This agent is now saying "just don't pay the deposit on the other end"....yeh ok.
Sht show at the moment as I arrive in 26 hours.
I've had similar with Gîtes de France, request for deposit to the owner by Euro cheque or cash, refundable on day of departure
What I've agreed with the owner is a Euro transfer from my Wise Euro account (worth having for things like this, with low-cost exchange and instant payments) and then refund to that account on day of departure. I don't want or need large amounts of cash in Euros
What I've agreed with the owner is a Euro transfer from my Wise Euro account (worth having for things like this, with low-cost exchange and instant payments) and then refund to that account on day of departure. I don't want or need large amounts of cash in Euros
When you do the review, give them 1 star and highlight the cash deposit. It won't help you but it may modify their approach.
I avoid cash deposits as it takes a chunk out of your holiday cash which is no good at the end of the holiday.
A lot of these cash charges for cleaning etc is a tax dodge. We stayed in a grubby apartment and the sister of the owner arrived at the end to claim her tax-free cleaning charge. We didn't pay it as we had to clean the apartment ourselves. Included in the review.
I avoid cash deposits as it takes a chunk out of your holiday cash which is no good at the end of the holiday.
A lot of these cash charges for cleaning etc is a tax dodge. We stayed in a grubby apartment and the sister of the owner arrived at the end to claim her tax-free cleaning charge. We didn't pay it as we had to clean the apartment ourselves. Included in the review.
After being on hold this morning for 1.5 hours and getting to the point where VRBO were trying to just again tell me to just ignore paying for the deposit and to just go and me pushing back I left it that they would contact the host again and convince them to sort this out.
I got a message from the host that they are happy to not do a deposit with cash.
The cleaning/linen will be in cash and I'm fine with that and the tax dodge, some of these places just aren't big enough and if I was renting out a place I' would probably also do it.
Me drawing out 800 euro in sterling and losing 20/30 quid in exchange rates...no ta.
Finding something wasn't easy looking last night and where we are staying we was pretty settled on so cancelling was a last resort.
One things for sure though, this whole last two days sorting this has completely frazzled me out, arguing and trying to tell a call centre handler who speak robot English has not been easy to get my point across.
All of these rental firms need to be disrupted again like they disrupted the industry, everything must be high % of markup for rental owners using the services.
I got a message from the host that they are happy to not do a deposit with cash.
The cleaning/linen will be in cash and I'm fine with that and the tax dodge, some of these places just aren't big enough and if I was renting out a place I' would probably also do it.
Me drawing out 800 euro in sterling and losing 20/30 quid in exchange rates...no ta.
Finding something wasn't easy looking last night and where we are staying we was pretty settled on so cancelling was a last resort.
One things for sure though, this whole last two days sorting this has completely frazzled me out, arguing and trying to tell a call centre handler who speak robot English has not been easy to get my point across.
All of these rental firms need to be disrupted again like they disrupted the industry, everything must be high % of markup for rental owners using the services.
Griffith4ever said:
Chucklehead said:
Griffith4ever said:
Well, based on this, I'll never use VRBO
Based on what? mikef said:
I'm guessing that each owner can specify the amount of deposit required. It might be hard to break EUR800 of tableware, but a place I stayed this summer had an elaborate automated swimming pool cover that would likely cost a bit to repair if we got too boisterous around the pool
Never underestimate how ferrel some of your fellow human beings can be. It's not unknown (uncommon but not unknown) for a normal looking group to book a place for a week...and leave it with broken toilets (bowles, not just seats), doors ripped off the wall, holes punched in walls, etc.At a guess the property owner's picked €800 as that's the excess on their rental insurance so there to cover in case anything serious happens. Maybe I've been luckey but I think I've always had the full deposit returned, even where there have been the odd broken glass. I think most owners treat these that sort of thing as a cost of going business - even a small, technically correct thing like keeping €15 from the deposit for 3 broken wine glasses will put a slightly sour note in the renters mind at the end of the holiday. At the end of the holiday, right before they return home and you ask them to leave a review... Another 5* review is much more likely to get you another customer than a 4* one, which is almost certainly worth more than €15.
I very much doubt based on the time it's taken to sort this out they are that bothered about poor reviews.
The issue isn't the amount of deposit either, its about the way it's been requested, surely it was one tick box on VRBO to arrange to put a security deposit on card.
Anyway, taxi arriving in 30 mins and I'm off for some French culinary indulgence and to drop red wine all over the carpet in the property, leave skid marks and then leave a 2 star review.
The issue isn't the amount of deposit either, its about the way it's been requested, surely it was one tick box on VRBO to arrange to put a security deposit on card.
Anyway, taxi arriving in 30 mins and I'm off for some French culinary indulgence and to drop red wine all over the carpet in the property, leave skid marks and then leave a 2 star review.
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