itrip.net

Buyer Beware!

If I could give a negative rating, I would. My family had scheduled a trip to Charleston and reserved a location through this company, but we had to cancel. We tried to cancel as soon as we knew we were not going to be able to travel, but it was within their '60 days from check-in policy' and stated that we need to either use the property as scheduled or make an insurance claim. BTW, the insurance claim does not cost them a cent, they still keep your money and then can reschedule someone else in the location on those dates... (double dipping). The insurance covers the rental fees, not service fees and they do not tell you that. Also, there is no validation component, such as a check box or initial space on their form to confirm the renter completely understands that this can be used to take all of the money that was rendered for services the renter will never get. Not sure that component would stand up to legal scrutiny, but I do not have the funds to fight them. This organization then does not refund any of the service fees that were paid for the reservation, such as cleaning and animal deposit. We did not cross the threshold of this reserved location and have paid for cleaning that was not needed and an animal deposit for an animal that never was there. The service fees were ~$950.00. Their website says they pride themselves on customer service, but that is not my experience. They hide behind a 60-day policy that allows them to take advantage of people, as most items that will affect a family's ability to travel happen closer to the travel dates and that is what they are banking on. We even tried to reschedule the days, but once again, they pulled out this 60-policy to use to not allow a reschedule. We have had similar situations with other VRBO rentals, and the owners were always amenable to rescheduling, but not this company. They are not concerned with good customer service, just optimizing their cash flow.Now they will respond to this review stating that we did not read or understand the agreement and that they acted according to their agreement. As stated previously, I do not have the time, funds or inclination to fight this in court, but if this review protects one family from getting screwed by this company, it is worth EVERY syllable!Steer clear of this company!Once again, they hide behind the 'policy' that allows them to take the customer's money rather than allowing a rescheduling of the dates or returning fees for services that were not rendered. The argument that a policy is nothing if it is not followed is absolutely ridiculous. We tried to reschedule as soon as we knew those dates were not going to work for us and you would not have been out a dime, as you would have had ample time to rent it to some other family. I guess you really do not care at all, as you are not out a dime, either way.You may not have been able to double dip on our reservation, but you do for any other reservation that cancels with enough lead time to allow it. I have absolutely no sympathy for you not being able to do so in this instance.Whether a client buys the insurance or not, you keep the money. Let's be VERY clear about that...I am in the process of making a claim. It DOES NOT cover all of the fees related to the stay, just the rental of the location, so you get to pocket the money paid for services that were never rendered.Grossly unfair? Really? How about it being grossly unfair for your organization to take over ~$950 from us for doing nothing! I agree that you do not bank on travelers cancelling, but you do bank on them when they have to do it, in whatever context that occurs. You claim to be the highest rated rental company in the area, but if anyone reading this does the slightest amount of research, they will find that the only site that has you so highly rated is yours, and there are absolutely no negative reviews...wonder why that is?These people care nothing for working with their customers after the money has changed hands...deal with them at your own risk.

Date of experience: Sep 28, 2023