u/writtenicon

in August of 2025, we booked a lovely place in the mountains of Spain for the Total Eclipse coming up August 12. We booked it for 4 nights beginning August 10. It is in the path of totality, as close to the center as we could get!

It is a big place which is perfect because getting family and friends together for an eclipse is something we have done before. But all the way in Spain!? whew!

I did not realize that this booking was actually through VRBO, which isn’t great… but that VRBO is with Expedia!! What? I refuse to use Expedia because of their terrible customer service.

So, I unwittingly booked through Expedia via DELTA… well, I can trust Delta. So I let it be.

Fast Forward to January 2026 and I am wanting more information about the rental, so VRBO gives me the phone number of the owner, Eduardo, who has a US phone number that is on What’sApp. They also make it so that I can email the owner though the VBRO platform, which I do when he doesn’t return my calls.

He didn’t return any messages through VRBO either.

So I call VRBO and I call Delta Stays to express my concern. Delta Stays agent reassures me. VRBO can never find my reservation without hunting for it, but they do find it and reassure me.

Fast Foward to last month, or maybe June 2026. The Eclipse is in August and I need to make sure the owner knows about this rental! I prepaid $4880– $1000/nt +$400 in taxes, and $480 in fees way back when I booked it in August 2025. So It’s time to just CHECK IN, you know?

I had 13 people in total staying, all with tickets to Spain from the USA. It wasn’t that I needed reassured. I needed to KNOW, wthout a doubt, that we have somewhere to stay because if you have ever tried to book a room during an Eclipse, it’s insanity. Prices are Quadrupled IF there is any availability.

VRBO says that I will get an email 3 days before check in with access information.

So here we are— August 7.

Today I get an email. VRBO saying everything is in line and that I should hear from the owner as the owner/manager has not yet given them the access info. They say if you need to, call the owner/manager now.

Our ESIM on our phone isn’t working. but we put the number for Eduardo in WhatsApp and he’s on it, so we call him and this time, he actually answers! and he says “It is not possible. I sold that house in 2024. You might be getting scammed. I’m sorry.” and he hangs up.

He sounded genuinely sorry.

So, I can’t call VRBO or Delta Stays, and neither of them has an email anymore. They aren’t on WhatsApp, go figure.

The Hotel doesn’t have a phone with an outside line.

It’s after 8 PM and the phone places are closed.

Our guests are already here in Spain…

What do I do?

Delta, you some explaining to do!

Thanks for any help.

in August of 2025, we booked a lovely place in the mountains of Spain for the Total Eclipse coming up August 12. We booked it for 4 nights beginning August 10. It is in the path of totality, as close to the center as we could get!

It is a big place which is perfect because getting family and friends together for an eclipse is something we have done before. But all the way in Spain!? whew!

I did not realize that this booking was actually through VRBO, which isn’t great… but that VRBO is with Expedia!! What? I refuse to use Expedia because of their terrible customer service.

So, I unwittingly booked through Expedia via DELTA… well, I can trust Delta. So I let it be.

Fast Forward to January 2026 and I am wanting more information about the rental, so VRBO gives me the phone number of the owner, Eduardo, who has a US phone number that is on What’sApp. They also make it so that I can email the owner though the VBRO platform, which I do when he doesn’t return my calls.

He didn’t return any messages through VRBO either.

So I call VRBO and I call Delta Stays to express my concern. Delta Stays agent reassures me. VRBO can never find my reservation without hunting for it, but they do find it and reassure me.

Fast Foward to last month, or maybe June 2026. The Eclipse is in August and I need to make sure the owner knows about this rental! I prepaid $4880– $1000/nt +$400 in taxes, and $480 in fees way back when I booked it in August 2025. So It’s time to just CHECK IN, you know?

I had 13 people in total staying, all with tickets to Spain from the USA. It wasn’t that I needed reassured. I needed to KNOW, wthout a doubt, that we have somewhere to stay because if you have ever tried to book a room during an Eclipse, it’s insanity. Prices are Quadrupled IF there is any availability.

VRBO says that I will get an email 3 days before check in with access information.

So here we are— August 7.

Today I get an email. VRBO saying everything is in line and that I should hear from the owner as the owner/manager has not yet given them the access info. They say if you need to, call the owner/manager now.

Our ESIM on our phone isn’t working. but we put the number for Eduardo in WhatsApp and he’s on it, so we call him and this time, he actually answers! and he says “It is not possible. I sold that house in 2024. You might be getting scammed. I’m sorry.” and he hangs up.

He sounded genuinely sorry.

So, I can’t call VRBO or Delta Stays, and neither of them has an email anymore. They aren’t on WhatsApp, go figure.

The Hotel doesn’t have a phone with an outside line.

It’s after 8 PM and the phone places are closed.

Our guests are already here in Spain…

What do I do?

Delta, you some explaining to do!

Thanks for any help.

Hi y'all-- I just did the math on my managed portfolio and found that it earned 9.91% in the last 12 months (based on today's numbers, which are high).

I am kicking myself because I had only apple stock and I listened to the broker who said I shouldn't keep all my eggs in one basket, so I sold half of them and used the proceeds to invest in their managed line. I am set up for growth and income, categorized as "Aggressive". I did this divestment of half of my apple stock in Sept 2024, and since THEN, the managed portfolio has grown 22%.

But I pay 1.8% in management fees... and so if I were to add those back in, with 9.9% growth that the portfolio earned, it would have been a solid 11.8% growth this year.. which is acceptable to me...

But less than 10% is where I draw the line. I don't have it in me to watch what I have grow so slowly.

am I just being impatient? Or should I leave the managed portfolio behind and say... transfer it to fidelity and open up some index fund or something?

this is my first time posting on Reddit. I'm glad it exists.

thanks for any feedback.