Vrbo, Homeaway, VacationRentals, Expedia, TRAVELER BOOKING SCAM NOTICE! TRAVELER BOOKING SCAM - BEWARE! Expedia bought Homeaway Nationwide
Travelers BEWARE! Homeaway BOOK IT NOW system is a rip off! Go to Flipkey to rent the dwelling without the padded Homeaway 6-10% service fee.
When you use VRBO, Homeaway, Vacationrentals.com, Homehildays.com, OwnersDirect.com, Toprural.com, Stayz.com, Travelmob.com, and all the other names under the Homeaway site, you are being charged a 6-10% SERVICE FEE that is not going to the owner, not for anything except helping Expedia stock.
The owners are being strong armed into allowing the new BOOK IT NOW system, with the threat of ad placement at the bottom of the list if they don't allow BOOK IT NOW. If the owner says "book thru me" Homeaway takes their ad offline.
Also, the homeowner owner is being charged higher merchant service fees by Homeaway.
The emails you receive that you think are from the owner, come form Homeaway with the owners name on them (talk about fraud?).
You are not allowed to have the owners phone number until after you privide a credit card!
Homeaway does nothing to guarantee that the home you are booking is actually owned by the person using book it now. So you can still be scammed after you pay the SERVICE FEE.
Always email owners directly.
Use Flipkey or VACATIONHOMERENTALS.COM they have no service fees.
Good luck!