‘They have hoops and hoops': Their vacation rental was canceled but they couldn't get a refund

Thomas and Theresa Topolski looked forward to their annual retreat in Florida, trading the zero-degree weather in Michigan for a warm getaway.

“I'm a retired teacher. My wife is a secretary. We saved for this,” Thomas Topolski said. 

They booked a nearly three-month stay in the city of Bradenton through Vrbo with an initial payment of $3,588.

“The amenities were fantastic. It was a great condo,” he added.

But their excitement was cut short about a month before check-in when Houzlet, the company listing the property, canceled their reservation.

“They told us that the owner sold their place. They had some financial problems and I guess I understand that. But with one month to go, there are some very few choices we had,” Thomas said. 

The couple says Houzlet, which lists an office on Miami Beach on its website, offered other property options, but he says none were comparable to what they originally booked, and some were even more expensive. “They gave us a property that was pulled out from under us,” Thomas said.

When they asked for their money back, the couple was told by a Houzlet representative in an email the merchant they used “to process the payment no longer allows us to do so since they set the rules about refunds for transactions made for over 180 days.” She added the best option the company could do was to offer a refund as a gift certificate for booking any available properties on their website or they could try to get a chargeback through their credit card company.

The Topolskis were not happy with those options.

“They should have given our refund back immediately and they didn't,” Thomas said. “We’re asking for it.”

They are not alone. 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently flagged Houzlet for "a pattern of complaints concerning service issues," with consumers saying their “bookings were canceled by Houzlet and in some cases, they were offered to re-book at higher priced properties."

The Florida Attorney General's Office told NBC6 Responds it has received 30 complaints about Houzlet since last year, with some similar to the Topolski’s. One person wrote, “Houzlet stated they can’t refund our deposit for rental property that they cancel on us…because it’s beyond the 6 month timeframe.”

Another person cites the 180-day policy. “…They cannot refund our deposit because it was made more than 180 days before cancellation.”

The Topolskis also filed a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's Office and Vrbo, but weeks went by with no refund. 

“We're not rich. I'm a retired teacher and a secretary saving to do these things and there are other people that just like me,” Thomas said. 

NBC6 Responds asked Houzlet why the couple’s money was not refunded if they cancelation was not their fault. The company again blamed it on their merchant’s refund policy and wouldn’t tell us if or how customers are informed about this policy during the booking process.

Houzlet added that “The AG(’s) office has not contacted us regarding any complaints,” and “It's challenging for us to verify the authenticity of the comments on the BBB,” calling it an “unreliable” source.

We also contacted Vrbo, who told us in part, “…The traveler service fee is the only portion of the payment processed by Vrbo,” and “that was already refunded,” adding Vrbo has been monitoring the reviews specific to Houzlet and recognize that this partner is not meeting their marketplace standards and are addressing it with Houzlet directly.

Vrbo didn’t answer if it will continue doing business with Houzlet.

“They have hoops and hoops and hoops… and it’s like it’s your fault,” Thomas said.  

After weeks of waiting and several emails from NBC6 Responds, Houzlet changed its tune, offering a full refund to the couple, who found another rental and are now enjoying their Florida stay.

“I was really lucky to find you,” Thomas said. “If this can stop it happening for another person or another couple, I think we did, we did a great job. Thank you so much.”

The Topolskis had already submitted a request to get their money back through their credit card company. Houzlet recently offered to send them the money through a wire transfer or check and they’re now waiting for it.

The Florida Attorney General's Office says the complaints are “under active review.”

In response to Houzlet’s criticism, the BBB said, in part, “BBBs policies do not permit anonymous consumer filings and businesses are asked to review and share information prior to any data/information being publicly posted. If a business challenges whether customer content is valid, BBB asks for additional information to confirm a marketplace interaction exists between the business and consumer.”