I am looking for advice fellow TTOL friends.

We put a deposit on a 3 bedroom unit using VRBO for November at Royal Palm and now are trying to get the deposit refunded from either VRBO or from the owner of the unit Tom Eboli with no success. We purchased insurance on the VRBO website finding out this only covered contents or damages while renting the unit.
Has anyone else had luck getting their deposits back because of the Hurricane damages? We obviously cannot use the unit (Diamond Resort notice) and have cancelled our flights sadly.
Tom unfortunately will not refund our deposit which I am finding very frustrating and feel he is not be very compassionate. I am sure his costs would be re-cooperated through Insurance for the unit itself.

My first advice would be PATIENCE. This is less than a week into the situation and many things still need to be sorted out. The owner of the unit has to deal with certain situations, insurance, VRBO and their personal loss.

This is also a good reason to READ and UNDERSTAND any insurance you buy when it comes to travel and vacations.

I am sure there are going to be a lot of people having the same issues and in some cases, you may be on the hook for a deposit or the entire amount. It will all depend on the fine print (hopefully people actually do read this) of the rental agreement you agreed to.

Good luck and let us know how it eventually plays out.

I am with Rural carrier. I have a hefty deposit down on a unit in Orient, and am also impatient, but I know I have to chill a bit. We just have to give them some time to deal with this. The managers of the properties may still be dealing with getting housing for their own families.

I think even people whose homes survived are just starting to come out of a state of bewilderment, and may start being able to think about getting down to business. What are the priorities? Food, water, lodgings, communications. The needs of the tourists really have to come second to the above.

How long would it take to get stuff in order if a huge bomb when off in your town? This is the equivalent.

I would also suggest keeping very detailed notes and create a paper trail of any correspondence you have in dealing with these situations. Print emails, get names of who you talk to, what the discussion entailed, etc. Make the initial contact to start the process, get a timeframe if possible and continue to follow up with REASONABLE inquiries.

patience is needed - I agree.
Please keep the advice coming and let us know if anyone has success in getting there refunded deposits.

Thanks to all

I would give it at least 2 weeks before I turned up the pressure. You are also more likely to get the results you desire with a tempered approach.

If you have any additional travel insurance, it will cover your tickets , accommodations etc... The VRBO insurance has too many limitations to even bother with.

I guess it will depend if the unit is able to be occupied. If it is then it might be tough to get a refund just because you changed your mind.

It all depends on the way the rental contract was written re: cancellations. Usually they are accepted within a certain time frame.

Same thing goes with the flight. In two months the flight might not be cancelled so, again, it becomes your choice not to go. Way too early to know that.

Flights were refunded with no issue. Love WestJet!

Resort has sustained severe damage and resort is closed until Nov 20th as per Diamond Resorts website. We were to occupy the until from Nov 5-12th. Not sure what the legality is of someone not being able to give us the rental unit but yet keep our deposit??

I will take all your advice and keep the pressure down and patience in tact as suggested.

Don't want to involve a lawyer if not needed, as I am sure we would rent again from this owner if they came through with our refund. We have been travelling to St Maarten for over 12 years and never had an issue with private owners or resorts we have stayed at. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

What does you rental contract state? Is weather/Acts of God mentioned or excluded? Remember, you are in Canada, you are renting in St. Maarten and dealing with someone and a company likely elsewhere. Diamond Resorts can say what they want but you did NOT deal with them, you dealt with VRBO and an individual.

I am sure in 12 years of going to SXM you have never dealt with damage like this and neither has the owner of the weeks/unit. This is an entirely different situation.

You are already mentioning a lawyer. I think that is a little premature and a whole different issue due to the logistics.

You are not the only one in this situation. I do hope it works out but it will likely not happen overnight or as soon as you want it to happen.

Did you read the contract/rental agreement? It may not be worth the paper it is written on or the email it is contained in but that would be something I would have researched by now.

Even though the Rental Agreement for our villa contains a "no refund" policy and goes as for as highly recommending travelers obtain travel cancellation insurance, we have offered/already processed full refunds for the six booking we had received through VRBO for the upcoming seven months, essentially wiping out our high season rental revenue. It's very easy for the property owner to initiate the cancellation/refund process and takes less than a minute to accomplish.
Maybe it's just me, but I can't envision keeping someone's money for a product on which I can't deliver, even if the circumstances are completely out of my control. However, he probably doesn't legally have to issue you a refund. Good luck!!

Thank you for doing that. Perhaps that will be the case with the situation here but I am also starting to wonder how it was approached initially at this point and if that has any bearing.

I do hope it works out but I also think the impatience with it being less than a week from the hurricane is uncalled for.

I just had at look at the confirmation letter from the rental managers for our unit. It clearly states that they "cannot be held responsible for force majeur events such as weather conditions...".

It would be terrible practice to NOT refund all deposits; withholding such would ruin the reputation of such a business.

While I will agree with you, it is clearly stated and a reason to read such contracts/agreements ahead of time. This is where your paper/communication trail would start. Ask about the weather situation, especially if you knowingly book during hurricane season. Get the renter on record as to how a weather issue may be handled.

I do hope everyone is treated fairly in these matters but when the mention of a lawyer (sorry Carol!) has already been made, it may not have a good outcome or have had a good start when asking for the refund.

I had a week paid for at Royal Palm in Dec. but did NOT go through VRBO. My owner is sending me a refund check.

TG,

You have a contract. Rome was't built in a day and SXM won't be rebuilt that fast either. Patience is a virtue and at this time I would suggest you practice it. This is a prime example of why it pays to do your homework before you sign on the dotted line. As has already been suggested, give it some time and remember, you really do catch more flies with honey.

We are in the same boat - wired the deposit 2 weeks before the disaster... I emailed the owner saying that we will not be able to come due to the situation and asked for refund... Haven't heard back yet but I don't expect to hear back from him right away anyway due to the problems with power and wifi on the island.. I still hope I would be able to get the money back, or at least part of it...

I had a VRBO rental slated for September 9 through September 16 in Pelican Key. The owner showed a no refund policy. On my confirmation it showed a request refund box which I clicked on. I also sent the owner a message through VRBO. The next day I received a message from the owner of the unit advising that he was refunding me my funds and that Hurricane Jose was nearby. When he was able to get internet service he notified VRBO that a refund was to be made. I purchased VRBO trip cancellation insurance (CSA Insurance in San Diego) and contacted them initially before hearing from the VRBO owner. They were very helpful and sent me the claim form via e-mail. However since the owner of the rental unit refunded me, I no longer need to follow through on the claim. If you have your confirmation from VRBO click on the cancel button. When I did that I received a notice that VRBO contacts the owner to advise of the request. If you get no response from the owner and still nosatisfaction, I would start with contacting VRBO/Homeaway directly. All I can say is when the island is back to somewhat normal and Carisma on the beach is rebuilt I will definitely re-rent from Paul and Carmen Rosen.

Thank you. I believe my sister tried that and yes we did buy insurance but was told it did not cover this type of cancellation.
I will share all theses suggestions with my sister who booked our room.

Travel insurance has worked for me in the past but I think a lawyer is a waste of time in this case. I agree, if the room is available refund might be hard or it might be that some properties want to refund but not able do after such a big loss. I would be happy for a credit for a better time if they would so that. Hopefully they will sort it out, I think it will take a long long time IMO.

If the refund is from SXM it might be difficult to do because of the banking infrastructure is down. And for some time.

Wendell

Let me try one more time...has anyone in your group bothered to read the rental agreement or contract yet?

Yes they have read it thanks! The contract states no refunds on deposits. The insurance is coverage for the Unit while occupying it. We are hoping that the Owner Tom refunds us as others have stated that their owners have done for them. Hard not to see the point when you have nothing to offer for the unit. If the Unit was available and the airport accepting flights we would be there in a heart beat. I love the people of St Maarten and the Island. The owner lives in the states so no reason he could not refund us due to banking. Tom just feels it is not required. We are praying he changes his mind after the shock of what has happened and steps up to the plate for us! I would definitely be looking to rent again from him in the future if so, when we have another large group visiting with us. Sorry for putting in the lawyer point. I was just so upset about the hard call.

Thanks for the clarification and I hope he comes through.

Me too JD! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Tom has come through! You were correct patience is all that was needed along with the understanding and knowledge of how bad the resort was destroyed. Refund is on its way! Thank you again TTOL friends. Looking forward to a return trip one day soon.

Glad it worked out in the end and thanks for sharing the rest of the story.

There you go and thanks for letting us know the outcome.

Patience is a good thing in many cases.

Nice <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />