One of the most ruinous things about COVID-19 was the way that things seemed to go from 0 to 60 in North America in a matter of hours.

One minute you were firmly convinced that you were still going to be drinking Mai Tais in Hawaii, or smoking Gitanes in Paris over spring break. The next the government was basically demanding you not get on a plane on this side of the pond, or demanding you get on a plane and get back home if you'd already embarked on a March adventure.

The big fallout from that was thousands of folks found themselves cancelling their plans at the 11th hour. And in doing so, they found that not all travel-booking services took the same approach to refunds. 

If you booked with Airbnb, you pretty much got your money back instantly. If you booked with Vrbo, it became an endless circle of Vrbo suggesting that you contact its hosts for a refund, and said hosts telling you to contact Vrbo for a refund. 

The internet, meanwhile, became instantly enraged.

This afternoon, Vrbo president Jeff Hurst sent out an email to VRBO users clarifying the company's position for those who found themselves paying for rental homes they never got to use. 

The letter starts with "In Vrbo's nearly 25 years, we’ve been through a lot, but nothing comes close to the current challenges facing the travelers and partners (homeowners and property managers) who advertise their homes with us. Vrbo is a two-sided marketplace, so for every traveler who paid hard-earned money for a getaway they may not take, there is a partner who relies on clear cancellation policies and the associated money within those policies to pay their mortgage and hard-working employees."

That four nights of what most folks pay for VRBO properties is usually enough to cover the mortgage for a month was evidently not worth broaching. (Throw in an extra night to cover cleaning fees.) 

The upshot of what follows is—for those who prefer to get all of their information in Cole's Notes soundbites—that, due to an "impossible situation" (that Airbnb for some reason didn't find impossible at all to fix) that the best VRBO owners are doing is giving credits for future stays, if they so choose.

To its credit, Vrbo is at least telling hosts refusing to issue cash refunds that they are being, to put things diplomatically, flaming assholes who may face vaguely defined repercussions by someone or other. 

Hurst wrote: "Vrbo has notified partners that they must abide by our COVID-19 Emergency Policy, which requires them to provide at least a partial refund of amount paid to date if a flexible credit cannot be accommodated. Those who do not offer flexibility are subject to penalties in our marketplace. For clarity, in most jurisdictions partners have no legal obligation to do this, but we acknowledge some travel may not be rescheduled after COVID-19, and our travelers may prefer to have a partial refund than a full credit. This is applicable for all canceled stays with a night that falls between March 13 and April 30, even on trips that are outside the set cancellation policy."

Vrbo will, however, at least return VRBO booking feels. Recognizing that most owners are hanging on to the money of people who were unable to travel thanks to COVID-19, Hurst wrote: "We’re actively listening to feedback from travelers and partners as this outbreak develops, and today, to help ease uncertainty during this time, we are rolling out a new policy that strikes the best balance of protecting travelers, partners, and the public."

Here is my the full letter sent out by Hurst:

Dear......

In Vrbo's nearly 25 years, we’ve been through a lot, but nothing comes close to the current challenges facing the travelers and partners (homeowners and property managers) who advertise their homes with us.

This is an impossible situation. Vrbo is a two-sided marketplace, so for every traveler who paid hard-earned money for a getaway they may not take, there is a partner who relies on clear cancellation policies and the associated money within those policies to pay their mortgage and hard-working employees. Despite that, the vast majority (>95% in the past week) of our partners are rising to the occasion and giving credits or refunds to travelers given these extreme circumstances.

We’re actively listening to feedback from travelers and partners as this outbreak develops, and today, to help ease uncertainty during this time, we are rolling out a new policy that strikes the best balance of protecting travelers, partners, and the public.

Here’s what Vrbo is doing as part of our COVID-19 Emergency Policy:

 

1. Full Refund of Vrbo Fees:
   Vrbo is refunding 100% of the money it makes through traveler service fees when someone must cancel a trip due to COVID-19, whether the cancellation is government-mandated or because you’re prioritizing the health of your family and loved ones. This is in effect for all stays booked before March 13 with a stayed night between March 13 and April 30. You don’t have to do anything to collect the refund; it will happen automatically over the next few weeks if you cancel. No need to call and confirm.

 

Flexibility for future travel plans:

 

1. Credit for Future Dates:
   We are asking partners to offer a full credit of amount paid to date for flexible stay dates within the next year (at no additional cost). If you are unwilling or unable to accept the credit, we advise working with our partner on an acceptable refund, and we have incentivized our partners to go above and beyond their standard policies. The more our partners are able to do for you, the more Vrbo will reward them with future bookings.
2. Incentives for Refund Flexibility:
   Vrbo has notified partners that they must abide by our COVID-19 Emergency Policy, which requires them to provide at least a partial refund of amount paid to date if a flexible credit cannot be accommodated. Those who do not offer flexibility are subject to penalties in our marketplace. For clarity, in most jurisdictions partners have no legal obligation to do this, but we acknowledge some travel may not be rescheduled after COVID-19, and our travelers may prefer to have a partial refund than a full credit. This is applicable for all canceled stays with a night that falls between March 13 and April 30, even on trips that are outside the set cancellation policy.

 

Visit our COVID-19 help page for FAQs and additional details on our policies.

Taking care of our customers is at the center of everything we do. As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, our teams are focused on first addressing the needs of travelers and partners with imminent stays. As always, you can manage your booking through your account or contact us through the help center. As a courtesy to fellow travelers, if you’re not traveling in the next four days, please wait to call our representatives.

We’re thankful for the thousands of partners who are already working with travelers to change reservation dates or offer refunds despite cancellation policies. And, we thank you for your patience as we navigate this situation.