!!!BEWARE OF BOOKING!!!
In March, our family booked a FL vacation home so that twelve of us could stay together and attend a memorial in Oct. at my late aunt's favorite park nearby.
A few days before our reservation, we contacted Vacasa to confirm that the property was still available, as Hurricane Milton had recently passed through the area. Vacasa assured us everything was fine, responding:
"We hope you are having a great day. We apologize for any frustration or delay in responding. Our local team is working to ensure the property is available and any damage has been addressed. Your reservation remains active, and we will notify you if there are any changes before your arrival. If you haven't been contacted by us, your reservation is good to go. We appreciate your understanding in this situation." -- Jeric B, Vacasa.com
With their confirmation, our family--traveling from as far as Massachusetts--arrived on schedule. The property looked great, and we unpacked, enjoying the beach and pool while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. By 6:30 pm, as we prepared for our 7:00 pm dinner reservation, a car pulled into the driveway. The pair inside asked if we could confirm if this was their rental address. To our surprise, they had a reservation for the same house, on the same dates. They had booked just three weeks earlier, while we had reserved back in March.
Concerned, the couple called the property owners, who informed them they were on their way to resolve the situation. At this point, we assumed we were in the clear, given our earlier booking. Unfortunately, we were wrong.
When the owners arrived, they informed us that they had terminated their contract with Vacasa months ago and that all bookings should have been transferred to other properties. They told us we needed to vacate the home immediately, as their guests were due to check in. We had paid over $4,000 for our stay, from Thursday to Sunday, and this explanation made no sense to us.
We called Vacasa, who said they would "look into it" and call us back. Meanwhile, the owners, who were rude and unapologetic, parked in the driveway next door, preparing to flip the property for their guests.
With four small children under seven and a family memorial weekend at stake, we asked them to provide proof of ownership or a contract termination with Vacasa. They scoffed at our request, leaving us feeling like we were victims of a scam.
Four of our family members went ahead to try and hold our dinner reservation, while the rest of us stayed behind, frantically calling Vacasa for answers. Vacasa finally admitted that the owners no longer had a contract with them and promised to refund our payment within three days. They also sent us a list of alternative properties, but we chose not to book with Vacasa again.
To add insult to injury, the day after we were forced to relocate, I searched for the property on Vacasa's website--and found it listed as a "new listing."
After researching, it appears this behavior is typical of Vacasa, and we are considering legal action. They may be liable for misleading us about the property's availability and for knowingly failing to terminate their contractual relationship with the homeowner in a timely manner. read more