Lay My Hat

Is it possible that Homeaway/vrbo etc will be severely financially compromised by the fallout from coronavirus?

I saw that vacasa has serious problems (maybe collapsed?). The problem with the big ones is their level of debt. Plus they have zero assets apart from the name and goodwill.

leon wrote:Is it possible that Homeaway/vrbo etc will be severely financially compromised by the fallout from coronavirus?

One can only hope so.

As an advertiser with OD/HA group of money grabbing zealots and having a property that is not on a commission based account (ie We pay an annual charge to advertise) what do you think the chances are of OD/HA offering a refund for this year as a mark of solidarity to their valued clients ?
Should I put this in the "joke" section ?

Anyone seen the latest email sent to HomeAway guests on April 3rd? I can’t copy and paste it but take a look at their “discovery hub” (google “Coronavirus HomeAway” to find out. Basically they’re now saying if you don’t give at least a 50% refund they will give you a 1-star review and your listing will say you were unhelpful in the Coronavirus period....

Can't find any reference to "1 star reviews" on HomeAway. Can you be more specific about where you read this?

Renaud2 wrote:Can't find any reference to "1 star reviews" on HomeAway. Can you be more specific about where you read this?

Here’s the link.....

https://www.homeaway.co.uk/discoveryhub ... 19-updates

Isn't that blackmail???

roxytoo wrote:Isn't that blackmail???

That’s what I thought. Would love a UK lawyer to give his/her point if on here.....

Oh dear, they just committed suicide☠️

"If you refund 100%, give a credit, or reschedule, your property will receive a ranking increase equivalent to a 5-star review. Your reviews section will also state that you were supportive in a difficult time. Owners who fail to refund at least 50%, give a credit, or reschedule will receive a ranking penalty equivalent to a 1-star review. Their eligibility for programs like Premier Partner may be affected, and their reviews section will state that they weren't flexible during the crisis. While your property's search ranking will be affected, its overall star rating will stay the same."

The Premier Partner status is worth 'sod-all' in my experience, so no real loss there.
This action just confirms to me that continuing subscription ads with HA is now totally worthless.
I am already working on a revised strategy for marketing that will minimise the fees that HA will earn from me.

Thanks for that link, b_javea. This is what I read from there:-

Owners who fail to refund at least 50%, give a credit, or reschedule will receive a ranking penalty equivalent to a 1-star review. Their eligibility for programs like Premier Partner may be affected, and their reviews section will state that they weren't flexible during the crisis. While your property's search ranking will be affected, its overall star rating will stay the same. Thank you for being a part of our community and supporting holidaymakers during this time.

It looks like HomeAway will fiddle the ranking in the same way as for an owner who receives a 1* review. Not blackmail, I would say, but nasty. As for stating that their owner-customer was not "flexible", then they may be heading into hot water should a court's decision take a more lenient view of what "flexible" means in these particular circumstances. Bring it on!

How would they know what we're doing? For example I've had guests accept a 50% refund where we've let the stay 'play out' as if they stayed and I've refunded them 50% and moved their dates. Some are happy to just move dates without a refund.

Would they only know if guests contact them and say they can't get a refund from an owner? Would be interested to know how they're 'judging' it...

louiseddie wrote:How would they know what we're doing? For example I've had guests accept a 50% refund where we've let the stay 'play out' as if they stayed and I've refunded them 50% and moved their dates. Some are happy to just move dates without a refund.

Would they only know if guests contact them and say they can't get a refund from an owner? Would be interested to know how they're 'judging' it...

Yes presume it’s if a guest contacts them. Likewise if you’ve had guests accept a 50% refund you should contact HA and get your Merit badge!

Don't know whether this is relevant to HA, but interesting.

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/airbnb- ... rus-losses