We booked a property directly through HomeAway.com for a 4 night stay from March 29 - April 2, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We booked well over a month in advance, and got multiple confirmations from both HomeAway as well as Mike from Tropical Vacations Group. In addition, we paid extra to get the CareFree Rental Guarantee, which helps protect against wrongdoing by the property owner, such as double bookings.
On Monday, March 23, with only 6 days notice, Mike called me and said he is cancelling my reservation. He said the property is double booked and that he is not honoring our reservation, even though we were paid in full. He did offer me a refund as well as other properties to choose from, but they did not have the features we wanted, and they were not available to book online through HomeAway. When I suggested we call HomeAway to mediate the situation, Mike became upset and misconstrued this as a threat. He then proceeded to hang up the phone on me. After I called HomeAway, they confirmed the property is reserved for me and that they do not have any record of a double booking. However, Mike said that he did not update his calendars with both reservations.
Needless to say, Mike was rude, unprofessional, and extremely difficult to work with. This abrupt cancellation only days before our trip caused us to scramble to find alternate accommodations at the last minute. This was a stressful situation since we were traveling with 2 families, both with small children.
When a customer books directly through the website, pays in full, purchases the CareFree guarantee, and receives multiple confirmations that the property is reserved for them, it is simply unacceptable and irresponsible that the owner cancels a few days prior to arrival.
When I asked Mike further about the cancellation, he said he and his partner had made a "business decision" that they were not going to honor our reservation because the other party was staying longer than us. In essence, it appears Mike chose to disregard HomeAway and its protections in the interest of getting more money from the other party. In my humble opinion, these unscrupulous and unethical business practices should not be tolerated by any consumer.
In summary, stay away from Mike Geraud and Tropical Vacations Group. He will confirm your reservation, cancel it days before your arrival, and if you ask him any questions, he will hang up the phone on you!
We rented this property from March 10th to 15th, 2015, to accommodate our family of 11, 6 adults and 5 children under the age of 9. Fortunately, we arrived the day before our family arrived from Canada. We arrived early, at 1:30 PM., check in was at 3:00 PM. Upon our arrival, we could not access the lock box because we had been provided an incorrect number. The gate to the back yard was open and we were appalled at the state of the pool and yard. The pool was dirty and the yard unkempt. The built in BBQ was screwed shut and not as it appeared in the photos. There was a newer BBQ, not built in as advertised. We contacted the rental agent and expressed our concerns and disappointment. Thankfully, it was during office hours and we were given the correct number for the lock box.
The inside of the house was worse. The house is tired and worn and in need of an update. The kitchen faucet was in a state of disrepair. The pots and pans were very old and we only used a couple of them. Quite frankly, I wouldn't put my feet in the majority of the pots and the frying pans were old and scratched too. The kettle was simply gross. The glasses were old and mismatched. The fridge was clean but the beverage fridge did not work properly.
In general, the house and the tile floors were dirty and there was substantial mould in the shower stall and the tubs in the bathrooms. There were no plugs in any of the tubs except for the jacuzzi tub. The master closet had two old televisions stored and a variety of old carpets, etc. One bedroom had a curtain rod hanging out of the wall. The bathmats in the master ensuite had been put down when they were still damp/wet.
There were two wet and mouldy carpets on the balcony. There were three full bins of garbage at the front of the house and an old base for a basketball net off to one side of the driveway.
There were feces in the toilet in the powder room. The agent sent the cleaning staff back to clean the toilet and fold the towels that were in the dryer. We had to dry the towels again as they were folded and still damp. We cleaned the mould in the shower stall and tubs and cleaned the kitchen cupboards. We worked until 12:30 AM and again the next morning!
All of this for $3958.00 for five days! We told the agent that he needs to update the photos and information on this house because it is false advertising. Prior to our arrival, we were given no instructions except for the lock box code. After contacting the agent with questions about the thermostat, we were told the instructions were in a binder on the kitchen counter. The binder contained only positive reviews and none of them matched what we were seeing. The agent was unprofessional and told me that, other than telling him that the house was tired looking, I wasn't giving him anything to work with!
By day 5, my husband had gastroenteritis, four of the children were vomiting. Two other adults had diarrhea. We suspected that the dirty pool was the cause, although we did not think to test the water so we have no proof. There was no change of sheets for any of the beds but there were lots of towels and pillows. Some of the bedding (quilts, comforters) were also worn and in need of replacement.
This house was very disappointing and not good value for the exorbitant amount that this owner and his agent are charging. People who conduct business like this should not be in business at all.
Tropical Vacations Group Reviews
We booked a property directly through HomeAway.com for a 4 night stay from March 29 - April 2, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We booked well over a month in advance, and got multiple confirmations from both HomeAway as well as Mike from Tropical Vacations Group. In addition, we paid extra to get the CareFree Rental Guarantee, which helps protect against wrongdoing by the property owner, such as double bookings.
On Monday, March 23, with only 6 days notice, Mike called me and said he is cancelling my reservation. He said the property is double booked and that he is not honoring our reservation, even though we were paid in full. He did offer me a refund as well as other properties to choose from, but they did not have the features we wanted, and they were not available to book online through HomeAway. When I suggested we call HomeAway to mediate the situation, Mike became upset and misconstrued this as a threat. He then proceeded to hang up the phone on me. After I called HomeAway, they confirmed the property is reserved for me and that they do not have any record of a double booking. However, Mike said that he did not update his calendars with both reservations.
Needless to say, Mike was rude, unprofessional, and extremely difficult to work with. This abrupt cancellation only days before our trip caused us to scramble to find alternate accommodations at the last minute. This was a stressful situation since we were traveling with 2 families, both with small children.
When a customer books directly through the website, pays in full, purchases the CareFree guarantee, and receives multiple confirmations that the property is reserved for them, it is simply unacceptable and irresponsible that the owner cancels a few days prior to arrival.
When I asked Mike further about the cancellation, he said he and his partner had made a "business decision" that they were not going to honor our reservation because the other party was staying longer than us. In essence, it appears Mike chose to disregard HomeAway and its protections in the interest of getting more money from the other party. In my humble opinion, these unscrupulous and unethical business practices should not be tolerated by any consumer.
In summary, stay away from Mike Geraud and Tropical Vacations Group. He will confirm your reservation, cancel it days before your arrival, and if you ask him any questions, he will hang up the phone on you!
We rented this property from March 10th to 15th, 2015, to accommodate our family of 11, 6 adults and 5 children under the age of 9. Fortunately, we arrived the day before our family arrived from Canada. We arrived early, at 1:30 PM., check in was at 3:00 PM. Upon our arrival, we could not access the lock box because we had been provided an incorrect number. The gate to the back yard was open and we were appalled at the state of the pool and yard. The pool was dirty and the yard unkempt. The built in BBQ was screwed shut and not as it appeared in the photos. There was a newer BBQ, not built in as advertised. We contacted the rental agent and expressed our concerns and disappointment. Thankfully, it was during office hours and we were given the correct number for the lock box.
The inside of the house was worse. The house is tired and worn and in need of an update. The kitchen faucet was in a state of disrepair. The pots and pans were very old and we only used a couple of them. Quite frankly, I wouldn't put my feet in the majority of the pots and the frying pans were old and scratched too. The kettle was simply gross. The glasses were old and mismatched. The fridge was clean but the beverage fridge did not work properly.
In general, the house and the tile floors were dirty and there was substantial mould in the shower stall and the tubs in the bathrooms. There were no plugs in any of the tubs except for the jacuzzi tub. The master closet had two old televisions stored and a variety of old carpets, etc. One bedroom had a curtain rod hanging out of the wall. The bathmats in the master ensuite had been put down when they were still damp/wet.
There were two wet and mouldy carpets on the balcony. There were three full bins of garbage at the front of the house and an old base for a basketball net off to one side of the driveway.
There were feces in the toilet in the powder room. The agent sent the cleaning staff back to clean the toilet and fold the towels that were in the dryer. We had to dry the towels again as they were folded and still damp. We cleaned the mould in the shower stall and tubs and cleaned the kitchen cupboards. We worked until 12:30 AM and again the next morning!
All of this for $3958.00 for five days! We told the agent that he needs to update the photos and information on this house because it is false advertising. Prior to our arrival, we were given no instructions except for the lock box code. After contacting the agent with questions about the thermostat, we were told the instructions were in a binder on the kitchen counter. The binder contained only positive reviews and none of them matched what we were seeing. The agent was unprofessional and told me that, other than telling him that the house was tired looking, I wasn't giving him anything to work with!
By day 5, my husband had gastroenteritis, four of the children were vomiting. Two other adults had diarrhea. We suspected that the dirty pool was the cause, although we did not think to test the water so we have no proof. There was no change of sheets for any of the beds but there were lots of towels and pillows. Some of the bedding (quilts, comforters) were also worn and in need of replacement.
This house was very disappointing and not good value for the exorbitant amount that this owner and his agent are charging. People who conduct business like this should not be in business at all.