Booked "Entire Place" on Vrbo; arrived to undisclosed on-site host, off-leash resident dog, and overlooked amenities. Support refused to help—best strategy for post-stay refund?
First time booking through Vrbo. Booked a 2-night weekend stay for an "Entire Place / Private Retreat" with outdoor amenities (fire pit, deck/patio) and paid a pet fee to bring our two dogs. One of our dogs is a rescue foster and strictly cannot have interactions with unfamiliar animals due to rescue protocols.
Upon arrival, we discovered several major material omissions:
Undisclosed On-Site Host: The listing never mentions the rental is an apartment over a detached garage sitting roughly 30 feet below the owner’s primary home on the hillside.
Undisclosed Resident Dog: The host was outside with an off-leash dog that immediately approached our vehicle to greet our dogs upon arrival. The host didn't disclose a resident animal on-site in a listing marketed as pet-friendly.
Overlooked Amenities / Zero Privacy: The advertised fire pit sits at the base of the slope with a direct, unobstructed line of sight onto the host's raised personal deck, making the outdoor grounds unusable without being in full view of their living quarters.
We contacted Vrbo support immediately. The frontline agent and supervisor both brushed us off, claiming that as long as the host doesn't share an interior bathroom or bedroom, it doesn't violate their shared-space policy—ignoring Vrbo's written rule that shared outdoor grounds, on-site owner presence, and resident pets must be disclosed in the description.
Because it was already Friday evening and finding last-minute dog-friendly lodging wasn't feasible without risking the entire cost, we've decided to treat the rental strictly as an indoor basecamp for the weekend and deal with the dispute after checkout.
For those who have navigated Vrbo misrepresentation disputes:
What is the most effective escalation path once checked out (e.g., specific executive contacts, social escalation, or filing directly with credit card for services not as described)?
How have you successfully framed "loss of advertised amenities" and listing omissions to get partial refunds or pet fee waivers after frontline support stonewalled?
Any advice on navigating the post-stay claim or timing the public review so it doesn't get removed is appreciated.