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Re: VRBO and hurricane season
[Re: Carol_Hill]
#253016
04/16/2021 11:24 AM
04/16/2021 11:24 AM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 23
Ilinois - USA
ChivalrousJr
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 23
Ilinois - USA
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Good morning all!
TGIF and have a great weekend (once it gets here later in the day - at least for me.)
We have been booking through VRBO (and it's sister site: HomeAway) for ages. @Bdeeley's post with terms is very accurate. To protect ourselves outside of the cancellation window, we always purchase Trip Insurance. Most Trip Insurance will cover hurricanes as long as you do not purchase it once the storm has been named. We tend to bounce between either Generalli or CF Travel Insured (this is not a recommendation, and you should do your own research.) Usually, we select on price - as most offer very similar coverage.
We had to cancel once due to illness, and were very pleased with the process and timeliness of the payment for the non-refundable part of that trip.
As a complete aside, we wish there was some insurance to cover the last minute cancellation of a booking by the owner. We have had that happen twice now, and uniquely enough, both times when renting through VRBO for a stay in St. Martin (Orient Beach area.) One time the unit was sold, and the new owners no longer wished to rent to leisure travelers (completely understandable.) As this happened with more than 6 months to go, it was not a major issue to find a replacement property (no help from VRBO.) The second (and most recent time - just this February) the owner the week before our arrival claimed to completely forget about the booking (well documented through VRBO.) That was a wee bit stressful, but it all worked out in the end. Unfortunately, VRBO was of negative assistance, and I had to work much harder than I would have thought to get my full payment back from the owner. She, I believe, lives on the island; and I hope to never run into her.
We have still had more positive experiences than negative ones with VRBO, though (about 8:2.)
Money saving tip with VRBO or similar service. It is possible with a bit of sleuthing to find the property owner or managing company. If you contact them directly (outside of services like VRBO,) you will save yourself a fair bit of money.
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