A disappointment.
Review Submitted: September 14, 2009
Date of Stay: August 2009
My wife and I have used HomeAway for the first time last year, when we rented our vacation home in Newport Beach, CA. We enjoyed the convenience of renting a home, with all the amenities of our home.
This year we decided to try Huntington Beach. After booking the HB home over four months ago, We were unable to reach the individual who operates this home so we could confirm our stay, and plan a time to pick up the keys, this was already after we had place our deposit with the owner. For over three weeks my wife consistently called the owner. It was only until she called HomeAway Customer service, when they were finally able to get in contact with the owner.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the owners Mother. The owners whereabouts were unknown to the mother herself, and she had no previous notion of what exactly was going on. she stated she was instructed to provide the keys to my wife and I. After the mother left, my wife and I checked out the place to see what the house had to offer.
We came upon open electrical outlets, with wires exposed. When I went to turn on the A/C, the electrical breaker tripped, and I wasn't able to reset it, so we had no A/C. The cottage sat in the backyard part of the actual home it was located on. There was clutter in the back patio, so when we sat outside, we had to walk around clutter.
Overall, my wife & I were not impressed with this house rental. The lack of communication directly with the owner was a big focal point for my wife and I. It was a terrible way to proceed with this type of business transaction. HomeAway should be more aware of what types of rental units are available through their website, in lieu of what type of condition they are in, 'living' would be preferred.
Owner's Response: We were unaware that there was any problem with Joe09's stay. Unfortunately there was a personal family emergency out of state which required the presence of the owner. The owner's mother was there every day and no complaints were reported to her. The rental has been on the HomeAway site since July of 2007 and we have guests who return through out the year, including one guest who rents for 4 consecutive months. We have received written correspondence from past guests with positive reviews. We were sorry to learn through the site that Joe9 and his wife did not enjoy their stay.
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