Originally Posted by
strickerj
Thanks for that detailed explanation! I checked, and only the fee was charged by VRBO; the rest was the property owner's LLC. (It appears to be a lodge with about a half dozen or so cabins.) So if the property owner doesn't process the cancellation even though the booking was cancelable/refundable, what would VRBO do?
Yep, so a software-connected host, then.
Interesting question. It really shouldn't ever come up with a professionally-run business, but if the owner refused to approve the cancellation even though you have it in writing that you're outside the refundable window, you should be reasonably well-protected. A complaint with Vrbo would probably be the first step, and while they can't force the refund through (since they aren't in control of the funds), they can threaten various actions against the host (revoking Premier Host status, suspending the listing, and perhaps even billing the host for the stay and then issuing you a manual refund check), and if all else fails, a credit card dispute should be easy to win given the published cancellation policy.