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[URL="http://elliott.org/should-i-take-the-case/another-homeaway-phishing-case-prompts-questions-new-fees/"]Another HomeAway phishing case prompts more questions about new fees - Elliott[/url]
I only took the time to read the one link, Home Away, VRBO CLEARLY state on web site to NOT wire money. IMO they owe her nothing.
I read some of the others, wired, wired, wired............As you said, not saying they deserved to be scammed but in every case it seemed like the person was bottom trolling for price and ignored the warning not to wire money. As in anything, you have to use a little common sense.
That's just from one consumer advocacy site and just the first 2 pages of search.
Chris Elliott is a straight shooter when it comes to travel issues. If he is concerned about things with VRBO, I would be reading about his concerns.
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A semi-related note.
I saw an article last week in Accounting Today that noted that state tax authorities are starting to loos at VRBO and AirBNB operators to ensure that they are collecting and remitting the proper lodging taxes on their rentals. Given that some of the lodging taxes are as much as 20% in some municipalities, that could be a sizable number for some operators.
Chris Elliott is a straight shooter when it comes to travel issues. If he is concerned about things with VRBO, I would be reading about his concerns.
Did you EVEN read the links!! In all cases they wired the money or something else that HA/VRBO tells a guest NOT to do! Again, generally it's the bottom trollers who end up getting scammed as they are looking for a deal that ends all deals.
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[QUOTE}A semi-related note.
I saw an article last week in Accounting Today that noted that state tax authorities are starting to loos at VRBO and AirBNB operators to ensure that they are collecting and remitting the proper lodging taxes on their rentals. Given that some of the lodging taxes are as much as 20% in some municipalities, that could be a sizable number for some operators.[/quote]
They need to crack down on those cheaters! Problem is the tax authorities talk a good game but then they don't assign anyone to track those cheaters down.
Did you EVEN read the links!! In all cases they wired the money or something else that HA/VRBO tells a guest NOT to do! Again, generally it's the bottom trollers who end up getting scammed as they are looking for a deal that ends all deals.
Yes, I read all the articles BEFORE the links were created as I real all of Chris Elliott's writing and have done so for the past FIFTEEN YEARS. Yes, the folks should not have not wired the money.
Having said that, VRBO is ripe for fraudsters and I have run into a couple when I have attempted to make a booking. In one case, we sent in the deposit for one of our business travelers just to have the money returned two days PRIOR to the trip as the lister decided he could get a lot more than he originally requested. In the other, an owner advertised a monthly rate on one property. When we went to book it, we were informed that the ACTUAL rate was twice the advertised rate.
In both cases, we contacted VRBO with no response to our complaints.
I read some of the others, wired, wired, wired............As you said, not saying they deserved to be scammed but in every case it seemed like the person was bottom trolling for price and ignored the warning not to wire money. As in anything, you have to use a little common sense.
No one deserves to be scammed, that said, they were stupid and ignored the warning.
I've always booked the ones that take a credit card payment as you have more protection there.
Thankfully I've never had a problem.
For several years now I've rented from vrbo several times a year. However with this new service fee I will only rent from owners who do their own booking without the service fee, or rent somewhere else. It's disgusting what Expedia/HomeAway has done...it's no longer vacation rental by OWNER.
Why do you care if there is a service fee? Isn't the total price the only thing that matters? If the total price is competitive and good for you, then it doesn't matter how it was calculated.
Why do you care if there is a service fee? Isn't the total price the only thing that matters? If the total price is competitive and good for you, then it doesn't matter how it was calculated.
Because with the new service fee, the total price has gone up from what I've always paid to the owners of of the place I rent a few times a year.
ANd the new service fee is not going to the owner - who is the person I contact for everything -, but to an inept company that provides nothing but the website for me to find a property, for which the owners already pay VRBO handsomely.
That's why.
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