Awaze Reviews 188

I’m a renter not an owner and I’d been recommending cottages dot com for a few years to friends. Awaze owns cottages dot com. I’ve had terrible experiences with rubbish holiday lets where they are listed as 5 star and in my opinion borderline 3 star. There’s no email address to complain and the feedback form doesn’t give you an option to complain. I won’t be booking with cottages dot com again as there’s absolutely no support or come back for renters. I gave a review for the property which was constructive but also had some positive points - needless to say my review was rejected - probably because it was honest. Don’t waste your money folks using this booking platform!

Please don't get conned by this lot. Descriptions are totally misleading. Surprised they get idiots to make bookings through their website.

An appalling company to do business with. Sales person promises one thing then the company do what they want. Comms terrible and they sell prime weeks at massively discounted prices to maintain their own revenues, when you leave they try to take £500 exit fee. I fought this for a solid three months before the idiots in their owner retention team worked out my contract and realised they had no right to invoice me.

I would not recommend Awaze/Cottages for your holiday let. I used to use AirBnb but the Awaze saleswoman convinced me to try Awaze because their commission was broadly similar (18% plus VAT) and they advertised on AirBnb anyway so I’d have exposure to both AirBnb and all the platforms that Awaze use. Those were both false promises.

Awaze charge the guests a sizeable booking fee so the gross amount guests pay is far more, meaning their commission is closer to 30%. There is some small print in the T&Cs that says Awaze may charge customers a booking fee but not once did the saleswoman mention this. This, however, is contradicted by another clause which states that all fees are set out in the separate Agency Agreement. The Agency Agreement is what hosts sign and it does not mention the guests’ booking fee. Awaze’s argument is that the fees to hosts are different to fees to guests. It’s not worth a legal challenge but it is bad faith from Awaze.

As for advertising on AirBnb, I never saw my property advertised. When I challenged them they said they never said they always advertised it, just sometimes at their discretion.

Worst company to let your holiday cottage with. Promise the world when you first sign up then forget your existence once you are in a contract that takes six months to get out of. No help or compensation when guests destroy your property. The only thing they are good at is taking your money for nothing much in return. Thankfully I am finally free of them.

The most shambolic company out there. Managed by the most incompetent people I have ever encountered.

Awaze have no interest in owners at all. From AWAZE taking over the local company my revenue has suffered due to this.

The local office is pathetic, such a high turnover of staff that cant meet the demands of owners and customers alike.

You receive phone calls from Sussex for a property in the north. No direct lines to local office - dreadful business model.

They do not follow any of your instructions and have put in writing number of times to close out bookings and bottom prices they have chosen to ignore.

The number of call outs that your property endorses is concerning and you are always charged at premium rates for such small tasks.

I would avoid this company as an owner at all costs, cottages.com, hoseseasons were so much better prior to AWAZE

Owners beware. They will market your property at bargain basement prices & lock you into a contract. We have a luxury 3 bedroom property which they are charging less than £100 a night for. By the time we pay utilities & cleaning we are making very little profit.

Terrible company that promises much to holiday let owners, but delivers very little. Ceaseless pressure for owners to reduce their rates, but Awaze never reduce their commission or customer booking fees. They also pledge to list properties on other booking popular platforms, like Booking.com and Airb&b, for them to then take listings off these platforms, no warning, no explanation, reducing bookings for owners. Avoid Awaze - maximizing their own profit is what matters most to this company.

Useless CS from their Cottages.com

Had to cancel a holiday at short notice after we had paid in full. They re-let the property so have gained financially whereas we have lost. So far they have refused to refund us stating "see terms and conditions". We asked them to tell us where in their T&C's this is mentioned but they have not- they cannot as it does not. They are immoral. Unless we get a refund we will raise an action in the Sheriff Court, I'll keep this updated.

A very weak and predictable reply posted by Cottages.com, interpreted as 'we won't do anything' not helpful at all.

Several emails later still no sensible reply. Just waffle.
Now contacting Matthew Price CEO of amaze.com

This morning I received a court letter for £200-odd. We booked a van but due to emergency personal circumstances we had to cancel and I explained why. These scum bags have still pushed for the measly £200. Avoid like the plague

!!!!AVOID!!!!
I am an owner and this is very very bad company! Today it was my fourth time calling and demanding my price change as they pricing my property as they please! Way too low so it hardly cover up the running cost!!!! Nobody seems to listen and all you get is “someone will call you back”!!! They never do!!!! Biggest mistake to sign up with this SCAM!!!!

Had a fab holiday - the cottage was spotless. We had a wonderful trip and will be booking the next one soon!

This once great to work for company is experiencing a serious staffing crisis, employees overwhelmed by increasing workloads and persistent burnout. Leadership continues to introduce new initiatives, such as the use of AI, without clear direction or adequate support, all while ongoing layoffs leave teams stretched thin and uncertain about the future. Recent leadership changes have only added to the instability.

Cost-cutting has taken priority over long-term success, with decisions that weaken competitive advantages in an attempt to meet short-term financial goals. Recent office policies have been particularly disruptive, creating confusion and frustration rather than driving meaningful engagement.

Communication from management is often unclear, with conflicting directives that make it difficult to execute work effectively. There is a growing disconnect between leadership and the day-to-day realities employees face, leading to choices that undermine morale and operational success. At the same time, outdated and clearly inefficient practices continue to waste resources, even as the company struggles to maintain the quality it was once known for.

This decline is increasingly reflected in customer reviews, where recurring complaints highlight the same operational and service issues employees have been raising internally constantly to no avail. Until leadership acknowledges these challenges and takes meaningful action, both employee experience and business performance will continue to suffer. And they won't.

I booked a trip to the Outer Hebrides for the beginning of March. I booked a property and had all confirmations. A couple of days later I was told the owner had decided to have work done that week so my booking was cancelled. I found another property which was over £200 more expensive. I have two autistic children so as I always do, paid extra for travel insurance, which was taken via Cottages.com at the time of booking.
Once we booked the property, next up was a rental car and ferries. However, the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries were undergoing some servicing, so there were disruptions to the ferries. We originally planned to travel on the 1st of March and return on the 8th. However, due to the delay of us having to find another property, by the time I went to book the ferry, the sailing on the 1st was no longer available. We had to book on the 2nd instead. Leading up to our holiday, the ferries were cancelled altogether due to the weather. I kept a close eye on the ferries over the week leading up to our trip. The disruptions to the service were increasing. For our sailing to the islands we were advised we'd be on a vessel which was usually used on another route. For the return journey, they couldn't even say which vessel they'd be using. They then also changed the time of the return sailing from 7.55am to 7am. I was very worried that if this sailing was ultimately cancelled, we would be stranded on the islands, so I looked at other alternatives, including using a different route from the opposite side of the islands. There were NO other sailings in either the days leading up to the trip, or the week following.
The thought that we could be stranded was just not a consideration for us. Our party had two autistic children, an 80 year old gentleman and people with work commitments. If there was another ferry sailing scheduled a day or two after we'd have been more comfortable, because we'd maybe have managed an extra day or two assuming the property we were staying at had availability for those days.
However, it seemed impractical at best, and downright irresponsible to travel under the circumstances. If I'd been on my own, I'd have been able to sleep in my car for a few days if necessary, but I clearly couldn't do that with two children and an elderly man.
I submitted my claim to the insurance company. I've just been told that I am not covered! The criteria they have is so restrictive, that truthfully I suspect it would be nigh on impossible to qualify.
Their response to me was that they couldn't cover all eventualities, and I do understand that. However, the means of transport being cancelled, disrupted and unstable is surely not an unheard of circumstance.
It appears that this company would prefer I undertook a journey which risked my entire family being stranded, and having two autistic children having to cope with sleeping in a car indefinitely. I genuinely don't think I was being unreasonable in deciding to wait until the ferry services were back to operating their full scheduled timetable, and ensuring my children and elderly dad were not stranded for an indefinite period of time.
There was literally ONE sailing which would bring us back to the mainland in the space of a two week period. That sailing had already been changed. In addition, when I checked the Cal Mac website, even the ferry we were booked on to return was no longer listed as an available sailing. The situation was tenuous and risky, and I am disgusted that this company feel this doesn't merit a claim.

If you book a holiday with Cottages.com or any of their sister sites, please do NOT take their insurance products because they are not fit for purpose. The property I booked cost over £700 and of that, £680 was their "cancellation fee". Almost £700 wasted on a trip that we literally could not have undertaken safely. Please do not waste your money on this dreadful company. They are absolutely disgraceful. In addition, when I submitted my claim by following their own exact procedures, I received no response. I had to chase it up, at which point I received an email telling me the email address I'd sent to them had gone to their "busiest address so had been missed". Just a ridiculous experience all round.

Communication is superficial, goals are hypocritical, and no one has the slightest clue about what their workplace or ownership will look like in the future, especially after a company acquisition.

The friendliness you’re met with is completely fake. While they smile at you, they’re already planning the shutdown of your department, your supervisor, or even the CEO behind closed doors.

"Making guests and owners happy" is an illusion. Hardly anyone ever reaches a real human when clicking the “Help” button on a brand website. Instead, they get stuck in an endless chatbot loop with employees based in another country. They keep talking about customer service and orientation, but reality tells a different story.

During the integration phase of the brands, employees and owners are completely abandoned. It was almost unbearable to watch so many property owners leave due to broken promises while staff faced sheer hopelessness.

Small businesses and individual needs are mercilessly crushed. Innovation is celebrated, but try fixing an obvious system error, and you’ll be waiting a year. "Customer First"? "Owner First"? Property owners are handled with the bare minimum and zero personalization.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone to associate with Awaze or its brands. It’s a soulless system that has sold itself—and its people along with it.

I have never had a problem with the bookings I get through Awaze, my booking calendar for 2024 was completely full, I’m surprised so many owners have a problem with them judging by other reviews,
it’s my view that the amount of bookings are dictated by guest reviews who found their stay to be good or bad?

I got a letter today saying I own £200 from court I never booked anything with them I don't have a clue who they are I tried ringing them no one picks up so I will see you in court

Do not use this platform as an owner I cannot escape the contract and have already lost almost 2k as I get no bookings. Makes me feel ill to think about.

£10 low deposit scam. Decided after reading bad reviews on trip advisor to cancel the booking. I was told have to pay £400 the real deposit fee ? Only booked few days ago and holiday is 7 months away. Agent on customer service said well lucky because if you cancelled a week before they would have charged £1200. SO ITS ONLY £400 today. How do they get away with this £10 low deposit scam. Reporting to the ASA, Which, Watchdog and the CMA. Looking on line Which magazine have said this is the worst company for refund scams. Total scam company preying on the poor and vulnerable. They do not own any property either just take 25% booking fee. They have no concern if you go on the holiday or not as once they scam your £10 you will pay min 25% 0r up too 100 percent even if you do not go. The pictures on Cottages.com and hoseasons are mis leading . Was told by the sales agent the photos are not taking by them or how old they are. Property photos could be 10 years old very mis leading. How this company has not been shut down or banned for false Advertising. Reading the reviews here is shocking and many people scam with this deposit scam. Which magazine had 4500 complaints sent to the CMA The Competition and Markets Authority due to none refunding scam. challenge the un fair refund scam and report to CMA.

As a property owner do not use this company. All they do is provide a booking portal but are not at all interested in helping with any issues. If Damage is done to the property absolutely nothing to do with them, dynamic pricing is a joke and should be reported as mis selling. Christmas week discounted 20% over 11 months before the event! Try to put in notice to leave and they do not accept, speaking about pricing and delaying the matter for weeks due to terrible response and service. They do not listen and I’d never recommend them. Only want their take, don’t care about who pays them