Currently been in a villa direct home for 4 of a 10 day stay. The pool is filthy and not skimming. I’ve called several times and have been directed to leave a msg. None of these have been returned. Wh... See more
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Memories of family holiday Xmas 2009 ruined by appalling service from Villa Direct. Booked three villas on Emerald Island Resort for ten days at huge expense, over twelve thousand dollars, but got n... See more
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We added an extra night for arrival, this was paid and confirmed but we could not get into the house as Villa Direct forgot to make the changes to our reservation. Our 4 arriving guests had to find... See more
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We just returned from our our fourth vacation using VillaDirect home rentals. We've stayed in a 3 bed condo, a 4 bedroom pool home (Windsor Palms) and two 7 bedroom pool homes (Emerald Isle, Champion'... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Vacation Home Rentals by VillaDirect in Orlando. We're a family-run service, specializing in spacious, well furnished and value-for-money vacation rental pool homes, condos and townhomes that are all family-friendly and close to Walt Disney World and the Orlando attractions. Unlike the big portal website, we manage, clean and maintain each and every property that we offer to guests - so we know exactly what each home provides and can give you accurate, helpful advice as to which home will be best for your family. By booking with VillaDirect - you'll typically save hundreds for the same rental - when you book directly with us and not through some faceless corporate site like Airbnb or VRBO. Even the best run homes sometimes have issues - and we have the experience, our own on-site staff and team to help resolve any little problems you let us know about quickly.
Contact info
1420 Celebration Blvd, Suite 109, 34747, Celebration, United States
- 407-397-1210
- team@villadirect.com
- www.villadirect.com
2.2
Poor
41 reviews
No recent history of asking for reviews
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Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 24 hours
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Outrageous charges!!!
First, they charge $75 for each booking whether they did or owner's for damage waiver. It is not saved in a escow or fund for repair. It goes into their pocket. It really raises the cost of each booking, and explains why they provide little booking for the owners.
Second, they charge 4% for owner booking. They do nothing, but collect 4%, in addition to flat charge of $35 for each owner booking.
Third, if you bring your own booking when switching to them, they charge the above charges to the bookings you already have.
Fourth, weblock setup fee is expensive, and each year you have to pay for it.
Overall, owners work hard to get booking, VillaDirect does very little for you except extract tons of cash from you. It is the worst property management company by FAR!
Watch out!
February 10, 2009
Unprompted review
Reply from VillaDirect Vacation Homes
We are really sorry that you appear to be so upset that you would write this review. Please allow us to respond. We are particularly concerned that you joined VillaDirect, when each of the items that you complain of are clearly detailed in the contract that you must sign to join the Company's program. In answer to your points:
First, VillaDirect does NOT charge the ADW fee to owners for VillaDirect bookings. Guests pay the ADW fee. The company charges $65 ADW for Owner bookings. The damage waiver is in place of a security deposit. In 2009, the company paid owners over $73,000 in refunds for damages caused by guests.
Second, for the 4% that you complain VillaDirect charges for owners bookings, the Company built a $1M Welcome Center that is staffed by a guest services team of 5 personnel - 7 days per week, for 12 hours per day - so that guests can visit on arrival or during their stay. The company provides a color, 8-page, personalized Arrival Guide for every guest and personally greets every guest arriving. The company also provides 24 hour telephone cover with 3 on-call personnel for owners guests to call if they have a problem. The average that this 4% represents as a charge to owners per booking for this investment by the company and the level of service that it provides is $23. We are sorry that you feel that this is not value-for-money.
Third - VillaDirect does not charge anything to owners who transfer to us for the first 4 bookings that they transfer. On any other bookings transferred, we charge the ADW and the sales tax due to the Florida sales tax authority. The contract very clearly states to new owners who join that the company prefers to generate bookings for owners. The company generates over 85% of the reservations that it wins (10,000 bookings shared between 420 homes in 2009).
Fourth - Weblock. We are sorry, but we have no such service. If you are referring to the SecurePASS lock system, there is a $250 initial deposit fee that is paid by owners (on joining) to protect our investment in the lock. That deposit is paid back to the owner on termination of the contract - providing the owner allows us to decommission the lock (which costs the company $389).
Overall, it looks like you are very frustrated with the service provided by VillaDirect in one of the worst years (economically) for all owners of vacation homes in Orlando. We are sorry for that frustration and wish that we could have helped you to benefit from your business partnership with our company. We are also very concerned that we have no record of you or any Owner client with the name of "John Yates". If "John" would like to contact our CEO, Steve Hardman, he would be delighted to discuss the misunderstandings with this owner.
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