TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin rental-- SAINTMARTIN RENTAL /Christine

question.. I recently went onto VRBO looking for a place to stay in Orient for 3 nights before we move into a villa for the week. The response I received back was not from the owner or vrbo it was from SAINTMARTIN RENTAL /Christine (no last name) and they provided me a quote via email . When I was ready to book it does not allow you to book via their website on line you have to call so I called many many times and would get a recording that they were helping other customers and to leave name and number and they will return my call so after 8 or so times of not getting them live I left my number and I emailed them letting them know ready to book cannot book on line tried to call and left message . I received a email back stating that they tried to call me ( I have caller id and there was no call) but that I could fill out the attached form with credit card information to reserve. At the top of the email there was a highlighted section that caught my eye that read "this sender failed our fraud detection and may not be who they appear to be".. So I decided to not book with them . So my question does anybody on here know why a vrbo rental would go to another agency (have used vrbo many times in US and it normally goes to the owner (at least in my cases) and should this be trusted?

Hi. I edited the title of your post to make it more clear what your question was about.

This situation would make me go on to another rental. Sounds flaky to me..

I usually book thru VRBO and yes I have seen units that have managers but have always been able to contact them on line. We usually book in the Cupecoy area and notice that the units are managed by the same person. I would rather deal with the owner as I've found that I can get a better rate, when I've dealt with a manager I ask them to check with the owner, if they refuse we don't deal with them. As far as filling in any credit card info, I would not do it(doesn't sound legit to me)

thanks that was my opinion also..I did not respond to last email I received .

To clarify, using a managed service provides huge benefits.

The costs will be the same (at least with our inventory)
All stays are fully guaranteed (zero chance of fraud)
You receive expert advice to make sure you have the perfect place- believe it or not, about 70% of the time we place clients at a different villa/vacation rental than they initially inquired about for better value, experience and standard.
Plus you have a free concierge service that handles anything you need and provides important advice and tips.
Lastly, should anything go wrong with a villa/vacation rental you have a the leverage of a company handling any issues on your behalf.
To say VRBO provides a better value is a bit misleading since you have zero services, iffy support, a service charge now that makes it more expensive than our options and frankly a gamble that it goes well.

I am not saying that you should avoid VRBO, but to fall into the thinking that you are getting better value or a deal is off the mark.

Rob

VRBO used to be Villa Rental By Owner - exactly what the name implied. Now, it is often Villa Rental By Agency - villa rentals being listed on VRBO by agencies rather than by owners. I think that's deceptive, and I won't rent that way.

I think it stands for Vacation not Villa (rental buy owner). We continue to use it. Yes there are some agencies, but there are also owners. The last 3 units we have rented have been from owners.

Yup...most of our VRBO (or HomeAway) rentals have been through owners but one was an agency. No biggie BUT if you rent through VRBO or HA, as mentioned, you will now pay a fee in addition to the rental cost. SO if you rent on VRBO from an agency you will most likely be paying the agency markup AND the VRBO fee.

If I saw it was an agency I would just contact them direct and eliminate one fee anyway (assuming they would answer the phone).

For repeat rentals I always try to do an owner direct rental and get away from the sometime cryptic and redacted HA/VRBO message system.

Respectfully, that is grossly inaccurate. There is no agency markup. For us, all our villas are priced exactly the same. There is no markup. In fact, if you book through VRBO, it is now more expensive than booking through an agency. For comparison, here is what happens when you book a villa through VRBO and through a company like ours.

VRBO:
Pay the Villa XYZ rate plus booking fee
Receive electronic confirmation
Receive contact information of the owner
*Some owners are great throughout the process but once booked, communication typically slows down.
Cross your fingers and make sure it works out since you are taking a gamble.

Book through an agency:
Guidance to ensure the best fit villa for you and to ensure expectations are being met
Pay the Villa XYZ rate without booking Fee
Electronic confirmations plus villa folder with helpful maps, tips, things to do and fact sheets
Personally assigned concierge to assist with logistics, arrival, restaurants, island information, activities, chef, charters, transportation and spa services at the villa
Free airport pickup
In person villa orientation
Event planning services
Welcome provisioning that includes a starter kit
Free rental car delivery to the villa
24/7 assistance and hotline should a problem arise
A second on island concierge when you arrive to take care of any spur of the moment needs
Problem resolution center- if there is an issue at the villa, make a call and it will be taken care of so you can continue your vacation seemlessly
100% Fraud Protection without additional charge
Full advocacy for guests. You have the backing of a large company behind you to protect your interests.

So there is a significant value difference, but it is not as expected.
The one you thought that was "cheaper" is in fact, not cheaper and certainly does not come close to the value of what an agency can do.

Rob

We have used this service and they go way beyond to provide great rentals and service , in fact I just booked our trip in November with them this is our 7 time with them and there will be many more .

I have rented through VRBO a few times and the contact has been through the owner. I find if you go back to the same place/ owner year after year you end up by passing vrbo and you can get a better deal which I have received. In fact I am booking New Hampshire for August and have rented the same place for a few years and the owner already told me book directly through her vs vrbo to save the charges and she is also giving me a discount for being a repeat customer. So I guess depends how you use it. I have booked the 3 additional days through GoBeach and the villa as I have used Annemarieke for around 16 years now. I trust her opinion on places to rent and the process to rent. I think I just had a lack of judgement when I looked at VRBO for a 3 day rental.. she was more than happy to find a few places I could pick from and the price was $200.00 lower through her than vrbo for basically the same type of rental.