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Fiascos and Fixes
These are the real-life stories of travelers who have encountered dramatic and expensive vacation rental problems or scams and asked our consumer advocacy team for help. From bad hosts to outright scammers and everything in between, we tell the real-life experiences of vacation rental guests and Consumer Rescue’s efforts to fix their problems.
Paul Trosclair says he just spent nearly two grand on a vacation rental that does not exist. To make matters worse, Vrbo sided with the person he believes is a thief disguised as a host.
Now Paul hopes our advocacy team can prove this vacation rental is nonexistent and get his money back.
But can we do it?
Karen Barney used Vrbo to book a vacation rental to celebrate Christmas in Puerto Vallarta with extended family. But after she pressed the confirm button, this first-time Vrbo user got a surprise from the vacation rental owner. It turns out the property wasn’t actually in Puerto Vallarta. Even more surprising? The rejection Karen received when she asked Vrbo to fix the problem by canceling and giving her a refund.
Now Karen is hoping our team can convince Vrbo to refund the money she spent on this mislabeled vacation rental.
Scrolling through Airbnb one evening, Jeremy Little thought he’d found the perfect vacation rental for his family’s trip to London. With scenic views and a spacious layout, it had everything he, his wife, and children could need…and more. Unfortunately, the “and more” turned out to be a real deal-breaker: total strangers sharing the common area. That’s something the host failed to mention until after Jeremy booked and paid for the Airbnb.
As a shared space rental was never part of his family’s vacation plans, Jeremy immediately asked Airbnb to cancel. Much to his surprise, the listing giant allowed the cancellation but refused to refund the payment.
After many unsuccessful attempts to retrieve his money, Jeremy hopes our advocacy team can help. But with Airbnb firmly on the side of the property’s Superhost, is there anything we can do?
Falling for a vacation rental scam surely is not at the top of your list of things to do this summer. It certainly wasn’t in Don Boyk’s plans. But that’s exactly what happened when a thief disguised as a Vrbo host persuaded him to send a $500 deposit via Zelle.
His cash was soon in the hands of the scammer and Vrbo informed him the listing was fraudulent.
Now Don hopes we can find a way to save him from this vacation rental scam and retrieve his money.
But if a consumer uses Zelle to send cash to a stranger, is there any way to get it back?
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© 2025 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman
