Customer Reviews (100)

Tom Turner • 2025-03-24T05:15:16.469Z

love this site

Jessica Sedain • 2025-03-24T02:42:37.895Z

They made it so easy to book and find what we were looking for!!

Michele G • 2025-03-24T02:21:02.420Z

I've never had a bad experience booking with Vabro

Summary of Key Insights

The Vrbo Vacation Rentals app receives mixed reviews. While a significant portion of users (66%) rate it with 5 stars, indicating satisfaction with ease of booking, property selection, and overall experience, a considerable number of users (24%) give it only 1 star, highlighting issues such as booking problems, lack of customer support, app malfunctions, and payment/refund issues. The app is praised for its user-friendliness when it works as intended and the wide selection of properties. However, technical glitches, poor customer service experiences, and issues with refunds significantly detract from the user experience for some. A key concern is the lack of trust in VRBO's ability to resolve issues when they arise. The new One Key rewards program isn't explicitly mentioned often in the reviews, suggesting it's not a primary driver of user sentiment, positive or negative.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 100 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not specified (assumed to be recent)
  • Analysis Methods: Sentiment analysis based on star ratings and review text, keyword extraction to identify common themes and issues.

Key User Pain Points

  • Booking Issues: Confirmed bookings not showing up, bookings not being sent to the property, issues with currency defaults, inability to complete reservations.
  • Customer Service Problems: Unhelpful or unresponsive customer support, inability to reach a live agent, lack of assistance with refunds.
  • App Malfunctions: Links not opening, messages not refreshing, inability to access booking details, features not working (e.g., sharing links), password issues, incompatibility with devices, "something went wrong" errors.
  • Payment and Refund Issues: Deposits not being refunded, issues with property protection refunds, unexpected extra charges, incorrect charges.
  • Property Discrepancies: Properties not matching pictures, cleanliness issues.
  • Owner Issues: Shady hosts, being kicked off property.
  • Lack of Trust: Concerns about properties not being legitimate, VRBO not helping with host issues.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Availability Calendar: Users want the availability calendar back to easily see open dates.
  • Payment Splitting: Ability to split payments between multiple parties.
  • Improved Messaging: Hyperlinked URLs in messages, refreshed messaging screen.
  • Link Opening: Ability to open links from other apps (e.g., Facebook Messenger).
  • Property Sharing: Ability to easily share properties with others.
  • Cut/Paste Functionality: Ability to copy and paste text from property descriptions.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Ease of Use: Many users find the app easy to use and navigate (when it works).
  • Wide Selection of Properties: Users appreciate the large number of options available.
  • Good Property Information: Users like the detailed information and pictures provided for properties.
  • Alternative to Hotels/Airbnb: Users see Vrbo as a good alternative to hotels and Airbnb.
  • Reliability (in some cases): Some users have consistently positive experiences.
  • Great Prices: Some users find great prices.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Address Booking Issues: Investigate and resolve issues with confirmed bookings not appearing, currency defaults, and reservation completion. Implement thorough testing for booking functionality.
  • Improve Customer Service: Provide better training for customer service representatives, reduce wait times, and empower agents to resolve refund and booking issues effectively. Implement a system to track and resolve customer service complaints.
  • Fix App Malfunctions: Prioritize fixing broken links, message refreshing problems, and access to booking details. Conduct rigorous testing across different devices and operating systems.
  • Resolve Refund Issues: Streamline the refund process, ensure clear communication about refund timelines, and take responsibility for ensuring property protection refunds are processed correctly.

Medium Priority:

  • Restore Availability Calendar: Reintroduce the availability calendar feature to improve the user experience.
  • Implement Payment Splitting: Add the ability to split payments between multiple parties.
  • Enhance Messaging Functionality: Enable hyperlinked URLs in messages and ensure the messaging screen refreshes properly.
  • Improve Link Opening: Ensure links from other apps open correctly within the Vrbo app.
  • Address Property Discrepancies: Implement stricter quality control measures to ensure properties match pictures and are clean.

Low Priority:

  • Add Property Sharing: Allow users to easily share properties with others.
  • Enable Cut/Paste Functionality: Implement cut/paste functionality for property descriptions.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Vrbo Concierge Service: A premium service that offers proactive assistance with booking issues, property disputes, and refund requests. This could be a paid subscription that provides users with dedicated support and guarantees a satisfactory resolution to any problems.
  • Verified Property Program: Implement a certification program for properties that meet certain quality and cleanliness standards. This could involve on-site inspections and user feedback monitoring to ensure properties are accurately represented and well-maintained.
  • Dynamic Currency Conversion Tool: An in-app tool that automatically detects the user's location and displays prices in their local currency, with the option to manually change the currency if desired.

Trends and Observations

  • Polarized Reviews: The high percentage of both 5-star and 1-star reviews suggests a bimodal distribution of user experiences. Some users have consistently positive experiences, while others encounter significant problems.
  • Trust is Key: A recurring theme is the lack of trust in Vrbo to resolve issues when they arise.
  • Technical Issues Impact User Experience: Technical glitches and app malfunctions are major drivers of negative reviews.

Conclusion

The Vrbo Vacation Rentals app has the potential to be a top-tier vacation rental platform. However, it is currently plagued by technical issues, customer service problems, and inconsistencies in the quality of properties and host experiences. Addressing the prioritized action recommendations, particularly those related to booking issues, customer service, and app malfunctions, is crucial for improving the user experience and building trust. By focusing on these areas, Vrbo can capitalize on its strengths and become a more reliable and enjoyable platform for travelers. A strong recommendation is to invest heavily in improving the app's technical stability and customer support infrastructure.

Original App Link

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrbo.android