Scam Type
Travel/Vacation/Timeshare Scam
Business Name Used
Cancelled rental would not provide refund
Date Reported
February 26, 2024
Postal Code
02190
Total Dollars Lost
$ 6453
Scam Description
I rented a property in Florida for the month of March 2024 through/VRBO and Houzlet being the leasing company. Gave a deposit of 3,227 in June of 2023 and the balance of 3,227 on January 29, 2024. On January 30, 2024, received an email from Houzlet saying that the owner decided not to rent the unit and we will offer you several other units. After drilling down about the original unit that we rented, we found out the unit was rented for four months January to April 2024 by a local real estate agent. The unit was never available for rent. Houzlet told me that the owner sold the unit. They claimed that they couldn’t refund our money, due to them changing merchant accounts and they could offer a credit. When I told them that I will not accept the credit they told me to dispute the two charges with my credit card company. Meanwhile, they have had my money since June 2023. It appears that they list units that are already rented by another agent and then hold your money until the credit card files a dispute. We still don’t have our money.
