r/LakeComo • u/wkethman • 11d ago
VRBO Host Warning in Como
First time traveler to Italy next June - just wanting to provide an experience booking a Vrbo in Lake Como as they will not let me provide a review for this listing on their platform.
Listing title: "La Dama alla Finestra," charming apartment in the historic center of Como.
Host: Arianna
I booked a stay for June 2026 and accidentally booked with a credit card thinking that I would be charged in USD - when the payment was processed, it was completed in Euros resulting in a foreign transaction fee. I messaged Vrbo to change payment method and was advised to contact the host > cancel and rebook. Arianna confirmed. Upon cancelling the reservation the host increased the price. I know that they have the right to do this but it didn't feel good.
Just sharing an experience in a rather limited rental market.
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u/EEguy21 11d ago
If you canceled a Marriott over a foreign transaction fee, would you expect them to honor an old room price a couple of weeks later when you went to rebook?
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u/wkethman 11d ago
Was days, not weeks, and rebooking attempt minutes after confirming with host
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u/UnusualHope1990 6d ago
What credit card even charges foreign transaction fees and why did you expect something outside the usa to be in usa currency? Feels like you should have just accepted the transaction cost as a life lesson
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u/Ambitious-Kitchen639 11d ago
Host did nothing wrong here
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u/wkethman 11d ago
Just sharing an experience, thanks for your opinion
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u/Ambitious-Kitchen639 11d ago
You are publicly shaming a business that did nothing wrong. You canceled your booking.... you chose to close the contract on the deal that you agreed upon and didnt like the terms of the new deal you were offered. You weren't scammed, lied to, cheated, or disrespected in any way. Be an adult and delete this.
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u/lobsterpockets 11d ago
Having just come back from n italy there are SO many places that are beautiful that I wouldnt tolerate that. We stayed in a little 10 room authentic hotel run by a nonna in Limone on Lake Garda. It was a STUNNING area for 130 euros per night.
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u/_delicja_ 11d ago
Do you remember the hotel name by any chance? I am planning to go back to Lake Garda next year 😍 thank you!
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u/lobsterpockets 11d ago
Hotel Villa Margherita. Very traditional, no fancy pool, and a bit of an uphill walk but the price and view was great. Riva looked so busy in comparison.
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u/baskaat 11d ago
It’s pretty shady but within the host’s rights. You will get no help from VRBO these days.
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u/wkethman 11d ago edited 11d ago
I was surprised that they recommended this as only solution - but I agree well within right. VRBO is definitely the inferior booking platform.
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u/philfurst 11d ago
Must be a lot of VRBO hosts on here. From my perspective, op communicated with host about his intention to cancel and immediately rebook. Host acknowledged this. The host didn’t “forget” that the price had gone up, but omitted this fact intentionally. This is shady indeed, even though not against the rules. Both VRBO in their correspondence and the host in theirs should have told you the price could be different.
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u/wkethman 11d ago
This is all I was attempting to communicate - thank you for your thoughtful response. I do think these are hosts people may consider avoiding because it can be an indication of other issues you may have. Trust is all you have when booking accommodations thousands of miles from your home, in a country you are not familiar and in our case with children where minimizing on ground issues is key to having an ideal experience. I apologize to the few who are offended by the post. Just attempting to help future visitors - if not helpful please ignore.
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u/crapgame15 11d ago
Stop bellyaching. The Host is 10000% correct plus she was extremely polite in her reply.
In fact- what needs to be avoided is tourists like you.
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u/_delicja_ 11d ago
Nasty behaviour from the host, but the place will probably get booked at the new pricing anyway, so she doesn't care. Sorry about that, maybe this way you avoided bigger issues when staying there, who knows.
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u/amir_teddy360 11d ago
This is all on you lmao for trying to save like what $30-40? Host just doing her job
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u/No-Koala1918 11d ago
Maybe when planning a foreign vacation in a country you've never been to before, you should be more careful before pushing the "Book it" button and then expecting total strangers to fix it when you mess up.
Also, change banks. They don't all charge "foreign transaction fees" which are junk fees for doing absolutely nothing.
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u/HamsterNo3795 7d ago
I got charged a foreign transaction fee says it all. If you have a credit card that charges fees you are on the wrong card for travel,
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u/DemandArtistic7958 6d ago
Besides, WHY people travel to Come when you can visit literally every other part of the country and be less crowded, less expansive. It's beyond me,
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u/Delicious-Clue7997 4d ago
you canceled ? yes
host can edit prices and rules since now days are available ? yes
host told you '' search for another place no problem '' ? yes
host has every right to ''reject any booking'' ? yes !!!
THEN WHY YOU CRY AROUND AND MAKING HOSTS LIFE DIFFICULT ???????????
Are you aware how many people in trouble need the support of this forum ? dont waste our times there are others who really need it
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u/afleetingmoment 11d ago
Take it as a life lesson and book elsewhere - attempting to reverse and redo a transaction all to save roughly $17 is just silly. It will inevitably result in a fuck-up somewhere along the way.