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Top > United States > Washington 
| Vacation Rental Complaints |
| 2. |
False Advertisting: The Beach Paradise That Wasn't
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This is a nice enough place but the home owners don't warn you in their VBRO profile that they have a house about 20 feet away from which they monitor you for the entire stay. After they receive your check, you get a an extensive list of rules for staying in their house.
The profile advertised 4 levels of house with a basement with bunk beds. When we arrived, that room was padlocked shut. There was also a padlock on the washing machine. That's only for weekly guests. As if my idea of fun were to spend my weekend doing all my laundry at a beach house rental? You're not allowed to use the firepit and there are admonishments around the house not to track in sand, no shoes, etc. We were very careful to take off our shoes before we came in the house, but when we came back after a walk, we found the porch had been swept.
Sunday check out was 11 a.m. At exactly 10 a.m., the owner stopped by to tell as that the housekeeper would be arriving promptly at 11 a.m. In other words, get out!
They also charge an extra $35/person per night for anything over 2 people. That includes babies who don't sleep in a bed. That adds up really quickly but they like to advertise that they don't charge a cleaning fee.
It's a nice location, and the house is OK...not great but OK. The owners are nice to your face but they clearly don't want strangers in their house. They're only doing this to help them pay the mortgage and you feel like it. If you're a responsible adult who wants a relaxed weekend away, you should go somewhere else. My group started joking that they had nanny cams in the house-that's how closely you feel you're being watched!
My biggest issue is that they don't tell you that on their profile at VBRO. There are many properties on which the owners live and they tell you that up front. These two don't and I think it's misleading.
I posted my feedback to VBRO and found that the owners can choose to post your comment or not. That upset me because I'm sure that others have had the same issue with this house. If I'd been able to see a review like that, I wouldn't have rented this house when there are so many other choices.
I complained to VBRO and they weren't very helpful. This posting had 1 positive comment from 2008 and now my 1 negative comment that can't be viewed. The owners can wipe the comments any time they choose. This is a system designed for the home owner NOT the renter so beware.
I'll probably rent from VBRO again but only after I've asked more questions of the owner: can I have a list of rules before I send you the check? And I'll only rent from listings that have multiple positive comments over a span of time.
Date Added: Nov 17, 2009
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| 4. |
False Advertising & Filthy Conditions in Ocean City, WA
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n August 5, 2010 we rented two homes in Ocean City, Washington for our family gathering to put our fathers remains to rest in nearby Aberdeen. One of the houses was called Ocean City Champagne which the website falsely claims as "Three Stories of Elegance". This is the website for the home:
www.oceanbeachfronthomes.com
This business falsely advertises this as a contemporary and elegant home. Photos on the company's website were clearly outdated and showed the home in far better condition than it was on 8/5/10.
Amenities promised on the website such as deck furnishings, did not exist. Further claims of "Non-shoe, slippers only" give the impression of clean carpeting and floors, instead, we were horrified by the stains from dirt and food, plus peeling and rotting vinyl flooring in the kitchen and spa areas.
Here is the link to the photos I took of the home when we arrived. I think you will be as shocked as we were with the condition of the home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53082855@N02/sets/72157624742142522/
Instead of the elegance promised on the website, we were greeted with filthy carpet, sagging beds and dirty bathrooms. The home smelled strongly of mildew and chlorine from the spa. Smoke detectors hanging off the ceiling, exterior doors with damaged locks, and a sagging, stained ceiling beneath an indoor spa made the home not only unattractive, but likely unsafe. Broken furniture in the hall closet and garbage in the parking area made the home even more horrific. Given the filth and condition of the property, we could not stay there and scrambled to find a replacement home for our family.
Since the rental contract stated that all charges were due in full as soon as you entered the property, we were charged $1,100+ for the planned 3 night stay. Currently our family is challenging the charges to the credit card and have issued complaints to the BBB and attorney general.
Date Added: Aug 24, 2010
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| 5. |
Beware! - Ocean City Champagne
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On August 5, 2010 we rented two homes in Ocean City, Washington for our family gathering to put our father’s remains to rest in nearby Aberdeen. One of the houses was called Ocean City Champagne which the website falsely claims as "Three Stories of Elegance". This is the website for the home:
www.oceanbeachfronthomes.com
This business falsely advertises this as a contemporary and elegant home. Photos on the company's website were clearly outdated and showed the home in far better condition than it was on 8/5/10.
Amenities promised on the website such as deck furnishings, did not exist. Further claims of "Non-shoe, slippers only" give the impression of clean carpeting and floors, instead, we were horrified by the stains from dirt and food, plus peeling and rotting vinyl flooring in the kitchen and spa areas.
Here is the link to the photos I took of the home when we arrived. I think you will be as shocked as we were with the condition of the home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53082855@N02/sets/72157624742142522/
Instead of the elegance promised on the website, we were greeted with filthy carpet, sagging beds and dirty bathrooms. The home smelled strongly of mildew and chlorine from the spa. Smoke detectors hanging off the ceiling, exterior doors with damaged locks, and a sagging, stained ceiling beneath an indoor spa made the home not only unattractive, but likely unsafe. Broken furniture in the hall closet and garbage in the parking area made the home even more horrific. Given the filth and condition of the property, we could not stay there and scrambled to find a replacement home for our family.
Since the rental contract stated that all charges were due in full as soon as you entered the property, we were charged $1,300+ for the planned 3 night stay. Currently our family is challenging the charges to the credit card.
In my last discussions with Larry Dianovich owner/manager of the rental company he told me he has had challenges to charges in the past and always wins. His comment was "what are you going to do? You signed a contract."
Date Added: Aug 24, 2010
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