There are reasons vacationers might want to book a vacation to Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and the Manatee County area through a chamber of commerce member, as a Canadian couple learned.
Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce president Mary Ann Brockman said John and Holly Gazy of Toronto showed up at the chamber office one morning in early February and asked to know where the owner of their rental property could be found.
Sorry, Brockman had to tell the couple. The owner was not a chamber member.
Brockman then learned the full story.
The couple, who thought they could save some money by renting online, found a picturesque three-bedroom home on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach advertised and forwarded $6,000 — one month’s rent plus $3,850 deposit and $150 cleaning fee — to the Missouri owner, Dawn Hauser.
Upon arrival, however, Holly Gazy said she found the house not the same house pictured in the online advertisement. It “was a dump,” with insects and bugs everywhere, she said.
“The ad said it was newly painted and carpeted, but it wasn’t. It smelled dirty and musty and I was afraid to walk on the carpet. It was so dirty,” Gazy said.
“The ad also said it was a three-bedroom with king, queen and full-size beds. The third bedroom had an old futon, not a bed. I called the owner and all she would refund was the $150 cleaning fee. She said if she rented it, she would return some of the profit to us,’” Gazy said.
Gazy said she and her husband got a room at a mainland hotel, then drove to the chamber’s office the next morning.
But Brockman did not have good news for the couple.
“I told them I would try to find them a place to stay for the month, but everything was booked,” Brockman said. “I had to tell them they would have to deal with the owner by themselves.
“This is what happens when you book online and not through a chamber member or licensed rental agent. All the major vacation rental agents on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key are members of a chamber,” Brockman added.
Thankfully, the story has a happy end, except for the Gazy’s money, which is still being held by the Missouri owner.
After much searching, Brockman was able to book the couple into a Longboat Key resort for 30 days.
“We were delighted. (Brockman) really went out of her way to help us,” Holly Gazy said. “Everything’s fine now, except for our money. Next year, we will definitely book through a chamber agent.”
The moral of the story, Brockman said, is “Beware of booking online with a property owner who has a good deal on a great house.” If a rental deal seems too good to be true, it probably is, Brockman said.
“Our advice is to rent from a licensed real estate agent who is a chamber member,” Brockman said. “You will get what you pay for and you’ll have someone here on the Island to help if you have problems.”
Hauser was contacted for comment, but said she would have to call back at another time, which had not occurred by presstime for The Islander.
I have been in the house you are referring to many times and it is most certainly not A Bait and Switch Scam. I know the owners personally and know the care they take to this house. If these people would have given the owners an opportunity to work something out things would have turned out differently.
Second of all, I own a rental on the island and conduct all of my business through online web sites. So stating that renters should always seek their rentals through a licensed real estate agent or through the chamber of commerce is strictly your opinion. I do just fine having online web sites and do not know of any unhappy customers.
The bottom line of this complaint is, I’m concerning the source of it.
The recommendation to rent from chamber members and/or licensed agents is the recommendation of the chamber of commerce, not the newspaper.