Customer ReviewsforWhimstay

"Im utterly disappointed with Whimstays lack of compassion and understanding. I get itbusinesses have policies, and sometimes its easier to hide behind them rather than do whats right. But to watch a company like Whimstay stand on business rather than extend basic human decency is beyond **************** one asks for breast cancer once, let alone twice. I never imagined Id be in this position, reaching out with a heartfelt request to cancel a reservation because of an unexpected, critical surgery for my cancer recurrence. But rather than empathy, I was met with cold policy enforcement.Its baffling that a company would choose to stick rigidly to their rules instead of recognizing a genuine, life-altering situation. To anyone considering booking with Whimstay, just know that if life hits you hard, youll likely face indifference rather than understanding. When youre going through the unimaginable, the last thing you need is a company that sees you as a dollar sign rather than a person."

Thank you for sharing your experience. We sincerely apologize for any additional distress that our response may have caused during such a challenging time. Please know that we genuinely empathize with your situation, and were truly sorry for the hardship you're facing.Our policies are in place to ensure fairness and consistency for all guests and hosts across our platform. Although we must adhere to set guidelines, we are committed to offering compassion and understanding in our interactions, and we regret that this was not reflected in your experience.Thank you again for your feedbackits invaluable in helping us improve.

We lost $3737 to this unethical business that engages in predatory practices! Their website didn't work after booking, they don't provide a phone number on their website, and when we contacted them through email, they didn't respond for almost a week. And once we finally heard from them, it was too late to cancel or qualify for insurance.We booked on Aug 6 for a trip in October and we quickly realized that we might need to cancel our booking. They have a 60-day cancellation policy, so we decided to proactively gather details on how to cancel and whether our reason for cancelling would be covered by insurance. My husband made multiple attempts to login on Aug 14 to find more information about cancellation and insurance, multiple days before the 60-day window. He was unable to login, as the verification emails were never sent. In addition, I couldnt find a phone number anywhere on their website. It stated to contact customer support by email only. I emailed on Aug 17 regarding cancellation policy details and questions about insurance.On Aug 19, we definitely needed to cancel our trip. Their site was not working, and we still couldnt locate details about how to cancel or if their insurance would help us with our specific situation. We looked into insurance through their site anyway, but the details were generic. We didn't want to throw good money after bad and spend $400 more on a sketchy site that was broken and had no phone number, so we decided to contact my credit card company.On my statement, I found a number. I called and left a detailed message on Aug 21, reiterating the info above and asking what our options were. On Aug 22 (five days after I emailed them), they replied, blaming their delay on a technical error with their email platform. At that point, we were TWO days beyond the 14-day window to buy the cancel for any reason insurance. My husband called again and even offered to pay a 25% cancellation fee, but but they wouldn't budge. Buyer beware!

As outlined in our Terms, Whimstay has a 60-day cancellation policy, and any cancellations must be formally requested within that window. While the guest reached out on August 17 to inquire about our cancellation policies and travel insurance, we did not receive a formal cancellation request from them until August 21. By that time, unfortunately, the 60-day window had already passed, and our non-refundable policy applied.We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to their initial inquiry. As mentioned in our communication with the guest, this delay was due to a technical issue with our email delivery platform. However, information regarding our cancellation policies and travel insurance was available at checkout and in the booking confirmation email, which also included a link to purchase Cancel for ******************** within 14 days of booking. While we regret that the guest found this information inaccessible at the time, it was provided throughout the booking process and in confirmation emails.We also want to clarify that our phone number is provided via confirmation text to every guest upon booking, and it is the same number listed on their credit card statement. While we understand that the guest experienced difficulties with logging in and accessing certain details, we encourage all guests to reach out to us directly if they encounter such issues, as we are always available to assist.We understand the guests frustration regarding the timing of these events and deeply regret that we were not able to assist them sooner. We remain committed to ensuring clear communication and transparency for all our guests, and we appreciate this feedback as it helps us continue to improve our service.

Horrible! THEY ARE FARUDSTERS! They will rent you a misleading, deceptive, and terrible stay then gasslight you to pay.They flat out lied to us, refused a refund, and tired to gaslight us that there was not constant construction above us when there was. Do not ever stay with them.

To provide some context, during ***** stay, they reported construction noise, which they stated occurred for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. We immediately took ***** concerns seriously and followed up with the property host, who provided us with video evidence showing no construction in the area during their stay. Without further verification of the noise issue, we were unable to honor their request for a full refund.We understand that situations like this can be frustrating, and we always aim to advocate for both our travelers and hosts to ensure the best experience for everyone. We appreciate ***** feedback and will continue working hard to maintain fairness and transparency in all our dealings.If you have any additional concerns or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to us directly. We're here to help.

I will not work with this service again. Due to a website glitch I made a reservation that I did not want or need. I tried to cancel it immediately, but Whimstay would not allow me to do so. Instead, they recommended that I buy traveler's insurance to get a refund. After a lengthy application process I learned that they would not give me a refund. Whimstay eventually helped me to get a refund on the insurance, but never gave me a refund for my 3 day reservation.

Whimstay appreciates the feedback provided by Mr. ***** regarding his recent experience with the platform. While the company understands his frustration, the request for a refund was made outside of Whimstay's established cancellation policy, which clearly outlines that cancellations within the specified time frame are non-refundable.Upon Mr. ****** notification, our team reviewed his user history and noted that nothing out of the ordinary was evident and our site worked as intended, so we could not hold ourselves at fault for this issue. However, Whimstay worked diligently to assist Mr. ***** in securing a refund for the travel insurance policy itself.Whimstay takes customer satisfaction seriously and makes every effort to assist its travelers within the bounds of its policies and agreements. The company appreciates this feedback and will continue to work toward providing excellent service to all users.

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. They refused to refund for a genuine booking mistake. We did not even want a refund we just wanted to change the date but since that date was taken, we needed a refund. They flat out refused. We are out $200. We will go to our bank and request a fraud chargeback. This is ******** NOT USE THIS SITE!!

Dear BBB,We appreciate the opportunity to respond to ****** Parkers review. After thoroughly reviewing our records, we were unable to find any booking, communication, or registered user associated with the email address or zip code provided. Additionally, the zip code "*****" is not a valid U.S. postal code, and the booking mentioned in this review cannot be verified in our system.Whimstay follows a clear policy regarding cancellations and modifications, which is communicated to travelers at the time of booking. It is important to us that all transactions are handled fairly and transparently. Unfortunately, without verifiable booking information, a registered user, or a valid zip code, it is difficult for us to investigate the situation as described.We encourage the traveler to contact our support team directly at ********************************** or by phone at ************** with more accurate booking details so we can further investigate and resolve any concerns.We take accusations of fraud seriously and are committed to ensuring a positive experience for all of our travelers.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support Team

I booked a vacation rental with Whimstay -- never used them before and was excited to find an option from ****** or Vrbo. After renting the property -- 27 days before the day requested -- I realized that I needed more dates and wanted to cancel this rental. I was told I cannot receive a refund of any amount if I cancel within 60 days of the rental unless I had purchased insurance. I then sought to add days to my original rental and was told they were processing my payment. The following day I received an email letting me know they cannot accommodate my request. There is no number to speak with anyone and in general I found this company to be unprofessional. They are predatory and I would not recommend using this company. I certainly will never do so again.

The traveler initially reached out with a request to extend their reservation by two days. As a third-party booking platform (OTA), Whimstay acts as a liaison between travelers and property managers. We advocated on behalf of the traveler to the host to secure the requested extension. After some back and forth, we were able to negotiate a lower price for the additional nights, ensuring the traveler received a better deal.However, despite our efforts and securing the extension at a more favorable rate, the traveler expressed discomfort with the process and ultimately decided to cancel their request for the extended nights. Its important to note that while Whimstay facilitated the communication and negotiation, we are not the property managers. The booking remained confirmed for the original dates without any disruptions to the travelers stay.Whimstay always strives to advocate for travelers and ensure a seamless experience. In this case, we diligently worked with the host to meet the travelers request and regret that the traveler felt uneasy despite our efforts to provide excellent service.We value all feedback and are committed to improving our processes to provide the best experience possible for all travelers.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support Team

I had an upcoming trip, that got cancelled because of a catagory 4 hurricane and they will not help me out one bit. Even the govenor of FL has a executive order (order number ******) for state of emergency and said ********************************************************************************************************************************* I could give 0 stars I would!

Dear BBB Team,We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the complaint submitted by the traveler regarding their booking impacted by a hurricane. At Whimstay, we strive to ensure our travelers have a seamless experience, and we want to clarify our position in this matter.The traveler in question booked a non-refundable reservation through our platform. As per our cancellation policy, which is clearly stated during the booking process, bookings within 60 days of check-in are non-refundable unless the traveler has purchased travel insurance. This insurance is offered specifically to protect against unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, that might prevent a trip from happening.While we understand the impact of a Category 4 hurricane and sympathize with the disruption it caused, our policy remains consistent across all bookings to ensure fairness to all travelers and property managers. We encourage all travelers to purchase travel insurance to safeguard their plans in situations like these, as this protection is designed to offer reimbursement when travel becomes impossible due to circumstances beyond their control, including weather events.Regarding the Florida State of Emergency (Executive Order ******), it does not mandate businesses such as ours to offer refunds for bookings made under non-refundable terms, nor does it alter the contractual agreements in place at the time of booking. Our team would have been happy to assist the traveler with filing a claim if they had purchased travel insurance.We hope this explanation clarifies our policy, and we remain committed to ensuring transparency and providing support where possible.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support

It seems likely to us that Whimstay is a failing start-up that is doing its best to hold on to all the money it can before it goes belly-up, unworried about alienating customers. Be prepared for them to side with their property clients over customers in any dispute. My family and I were on an end-of-summer road trip. I was booking stays along the way, and I came across the Cozy Suites listing in ********** through Whimstay. The original quote was $66, which seemed amazing. After I clicked through to Whimstay and all the fees were added on, the price had increased by $100. It was more than we wanted to pay but the place looked nice. We have a dog and it said pet friendly in several places. I looked at the pictures on the landing page and read all the text. There was no pet fee listed It seemed like a good place, so we booked it. About an hour later, I got a message from Cozy Suites asking me to agree to several terms including that I would not bring a pet. I wrote back saying we had a dog, and we thought the place was pet friendly. They told me they would charge me another $100 for our dog. Immediately I asked to cancel and be refunded but both Cozy Suites and Whimstay refused, telling me that the pet fee was announced on the listing. The email from Cozy Suites was especially off-putting, repeating my name over and over in weirdly ungrammatical sentences. It reminded me of those phishing emails you get from Nigerian ********** turns out that the pet fee is on the listing but in a photo (but not on the landing page). If you dont click through to the picture page and read all of the 40+ pictures you will miss it because the pet policy is in the very last picture. Additionally, the pet policy allows only dogs under 40lbs, meaning we couldnt stay there even if we wanted to because our dog is over 50lbs. They refused to help us even though we asked for cancelation within a few hours of booking.

Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent booking at *********** in **********. Were disappointed that your experience fell short of your expectations.Pricing Transparency: We understand your concern about the price increase after fees were added. While fees can vary, Whimstay is committed to transparent pricing, and we strive to ensure all costs are clear during the booking process.Pet Policy Disclosure: The pet policy and associated fees were provided by the property management company (***) and were included in the listing. We rely on the *** to accurately represent their policies on our platform.Cancellation Request: As a marketplace, we connect travelers with property managers who set and manage their own policies. Since the pet policy was listed in the booking details and the pet was not included in the initial booking, we were unable to process a refund. However, we understand your disappointment, especially given your prompt request to cancel.While we regret that this situation impacted your trip, we appreciate your understanding. Should you choose to book with us again, we would be pleased to offer you a discount on a future stay as a gesture of goodwill.Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

After booking with this company I had horrible experience and amenities were horrible. Rust around the bath tub, black mold, Broken fans and electrical outlets. ****** smelled nasty and had rust in it. Balcony was crooked and was falling apart. I was afraid to let my kids and dogs out due to the hazard.

Thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention. We're truly sorry to hear about the issues you encountered during your stay.As a platform, Whimstay partners with property management companies to list their properties, and we do not manage the properties ourselves. However, we take guest feedback very seriously and strive to ensure a positive experience for all travelers. When issues arise, we encourage our guests to inform us promptly, so we can advocate on their behalf and work with the property managers to resolve any concerns.We're sorry that this did not meet your expectations and affected your stay. Rest assured, we are addressing this with the host to prevent future occurrences and to maintain the quality of accommodations offered through our platform.We will reach out to this host with this information. Please let us know if there's anything more we can do to assist you.

Screwed up our booking. We were supposed to stay in central ***************. They sent ** to some village 50km away from our location. They offered no compensation and no solution. Stay away from this company that does not know what they are doing.

Whimstay sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and frustration the customer experienced due to the booking issue for their stay in ***************. Being a travel agent, the customer understandably has high standards for travel arrangements. In this instance, Whimstay acknowledges that these expectations were not met. There was a system error on the part of Whimstay's hosting partner, leading to the unfortunate double booking of the property selected by the customer. Although the host offered an alternative nearby property that was comparable, Whimstay understands that this solution may not have aligned with the customer's needs.Upon being informed of this issue through the customer's outreach to the support team, ********************** promptly proposed a full refund, deeply regretting any inconvenience caused by this situation. Whimstay accepts full responsibility for ensuring that its partners maintain accurate and reliable booking systems and is taking steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future.Whimstay appreciates the customer bringing this matter to their attention and assures a dedication to improving its services. The goal is to provide a seamless and enjoyable booking experience, and Whimstay is committed to making necessary improvements based on customer feedback. ********************** thanks the customer for their understanding and hopes to have the opportunity to provide better service in the future.