My family and I stayed in a Spanish property booked on Vrbo that was blatantly different to the listing. Instead of the three bedrooms advertised, there was only one, accessible via an outdoor stone staircase. The listing also failed to mention that the bathroom was outside as well. Neither of the rooms had heating. To reach the toilet at night involved going down the flight of steps. Since it was raining during our stay, they were slippery and treacherous and we got very wet. Moreover, frequent power failures left us without running water, heating or wifi. We had paid £1,009 for the week, but it was so miserable we decamped to another house at an additional cost of £574 after three days.
Vrbo’s complaints process is impossible to navigate. You are repeatedly transferred to people in different teams and have to start from square one each time. So far, I have spent six hours on the phone to them. I feel its process is not designed to actually solve customer problems, but merely to wear people out so that they are forced to make their own arrangements, which then allows Vrbo to argue that they wouldn’t accept help.
KC, Sheffield
