Renters beware.
Steven Dempsey of New York is the second person to tell The Islander about their experience getting scammed after booking an Anna Maria Island rental property listed on VRBO by Miami Beach-based Houzlet Inc.
VRBO is one of the premier online marketplaces for vacation rentals, alongside Airbnb.
Houzlet listings have appeared on VRBO since the companies began a partnership in 2022.
However, the Better Business Bureau, numerous negative online reviews and at least two island visitors would advise against booking rental properties listed by Houzlet.
Lisa Kaminski of Michigan told The Islander in February that she lost about $6,600 after booking a rental unit listed by Houzlet, which canceled her stay and has refused to provide a full refund.
Dempsey told The Islander on March 26, after seeing Kaminski’s story, that he suffered a similar fate — this time to the tune of $19,800.
Last October, Dempsey booked a Houzlet-listed island rental for February and March.
He paid 50%, or $6,600, of the rental fees upon booking.
Dempsey was double charged for the remaining $6,600 on Dec. 31, 2023, bringing his total up to $19,800.
He contacted VRBO, which provided a refund for its 10% commission on the booking, but so far that has been the only money he has gotten back.
Dempsey said Houzlet has yet to fulfill its promises of refunding him for the booking, which it ended up canceling only to offer a more expensive unit.
He had a friend scope out the newly offered rental unit, but it was advertised by a local Realtor who told them the property had already been fully booked for the winter season.
Houzlet representatives told Dempsey he would be issued a full refund within 14 days of the Jan. 4 cancellation date but had yet to receive a single dollar as of March 26.
Dempsey said his initial reaction to the matter was one of shock. He said he has been using VRBO to book rental stays for years without issue, so he was surprised to see it accept practices such as Houzlet’s.
“That’s the first thing that really upset me was that VRBO was basically able to wash their hands of this,” Dempsey said. “Houzlet is listing these fraudulent listings on all these websites and everyone is getting screwed.”
“VRBO has known about this for a while,” he added.
In the meantime, Dempsey has filed a formal dispute over the matter with his credit card company, Citibank, but even that process has been difficult.
He said the bank offered him a $19,800 conditional refund while it investigated the matter, but concluded in February that he was responsible for the charge.
Citibank has since reopened the investigation but has not reinstated the conditional refund.
Dempsey expressed frustration with the situation and was considering potential litigation, such as a class-action lawsuit, against VRBO and/or Houzlet.
“They potentially are still scamming people,” he said. “I’d like to see Houzlet held accountable.”