VRBO was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over hidden fees that inflate the total price of a booking. According to the report, a property may be advertised at a low nightly rate — for example $75 per night — leading the customer to expect a total close to the nightly rate multiplied by the number of nights. When booking, however, added charges such as a cleaning fee, service fee and owner’s fee, among other possible fees, can push the total to well over twice what the customer had planned and was able to pay.
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VRBO: Hidden fees inflated total price
“They will advertise a property for, say $75 per night. That is what you are willing to pay so you proceed to try to book it. You may want it for three nights and think that you might pay $225 or maybe just a little bit more but the total comes up to much more with added cleaning fee, service fee owners fee, and a host of other possible fees, so your total for the three nights may be well over 2X what you were planning, and able, to pay.”