Ludlow, Vermont Vacation Rentals by Vacasa — Local services in Ludlow

Our 2-night stay has been by far the worst Airbnb experience, not because of the property itself, but because of Vacasa, the host, who is the property manager for the homeowner.

Communication was extremely poor. Although the app says they respond within an hour, they do not. The messages always come from the general help desk and never from the local office. They always pass you off to another representative so the question is never answered. Calling them is even worse. You’ll be waiting for someone to pick up from the general help desk for hours and even then, the responses are textbook answers.

Beware of the cleaning fee. There is a minimum of a 2-night stay which averages around $92/night, but the fixed cleaning fee is $234, which is an absurd amount regardless of how many nights the guest stays. We had ants on the counter tops and cabinets in the kitchen and tons of stains on the carpet, some of which we thought may have been blood stains. Because there were baby toys left on the ground, which I highly doubt are from the homeowners, I am not sure how detailed of a clean the cleaners did, especially if they vacuumed the floor. So was this placed vacant for an extended period, do the cleaners actually do a deep clean, or are there even cleaners that come or is Vacasa just trying to profit more by tacking on more non refundable fees (except during cancellations)?

We coincidentally booked a reservation that happen to coincide with a big blizzard. Vacasa believed that because a blizzard came through that their reservations and guests did not matter. We traveled over 13 hours and finally arrived late in the evening, just to find out that the property accumulated over 3 feet of snow, none of which was shoveled for us to be able to enter the house. The location of the lockbox was not identified in the arrival text sent by Vacasa. When we called Vacasa, and waited 30 minutes for them to answer, to tell them about the situation, they were quick to give us the option to cancel to find other accommodations rather than assisting us and sending someone to help us, even though their messages always say that they are here 24/7 to help. When Vacasa said that they had no one available to come help us, we trekked and “swam” through the 3’ of snow, to both the front and rear doors in search of the lockbox. We finally found 2 lockboxes and the keypad and was able to enter. Because of the amount of snow, we were not able to roll our luggage in and had to only take out the essentials needed for the evening and next day.

An hour after entering the house, we found that the water pressure and temperature of the water were both low. Shortly after, we had no water coming out of any of the faucets. After waiting on the phone again with Vacasa, it was determined that the water pump and water boiler, both of which should have been turned on by Vacasa prior to our arrival, were switched off. During the same phone call, the representative (Matt) told me that I would be getting a phone call from the local office the next morning and that someone will also come to help clear the paths for us to be able to get out.

The next day, no one from the local office called, no one came to shovel the snow, instead, I was informed that no one will be coming because everyone is “stuck at home”, when in reality, the roads were all cleared and everyone in Ludlow was out driving and eating. When I called Vacasa again, I was told by another representative (Mike), “well, you should have brought a shovel with you”. Super unprofessional and unrealistic. I doubt everyone carries a 5 foot shovel in their car everywhere they go. It was later communicated that the trash can and a shovel were both in the shed outside of the house, but regardless, the shed was inaccessible because of all the snow around it. The final message I received was that there was not going to be anyone coming out once again to assist and that they “may” come the next morning prior to the 10am checkout. When we checked out at 9am the next morning, the paths still were not...

I wish I would have read VACASA reviews before booking our stay. I booked through VRBO but property was managed through VACASA. Like others have said the communication is horrible. Unlike other VRBOs there is no ONE direct phone number to get in touch with ONE host/property manager. There is multiple numbers and every time you communicate it is with a different person. I was contacted by the head cleaning person one day but she would not share the property caretaker contact info and instead said she created a “ticket” and the property care taker would be in contact with me. However the rest of the trip I never heard from the property caretaker. They promised to send the cleaner back to clean the home, that never happened. They promised to send someone to check on why the jetted tub wasn’t working and that never happened. It was like talking in circles every time I tried to reach out and I got no where. I have stayed at many air bnbs and never had an issue with cleanliness or reaching host. I would not recommend this cabin in North Hero, VT.

I am writing this review after a 4 day 3 night stay @ It’s Kismet. As soon as we pulled in I was worried about what the inside was going to look like. The pictures in VRBO do not reflect the first impression of the cabin as you pull in. The cabin is dark, old, and worn. It is obvious there has been little to no upkeep. The grass and weeds are overgrown. There has been ZERO landscaping done to make property appealing. It looks old and abandon. Entry into the home was quick and easy. Code was long but it worked on first try. The cabin smelt stale and musty like no one had used the home in awhile. There are portable air conditioners in every room but none where on and we arrived on an 80 degree day. You would think the cleaners would turn on before leaving so home was comfortable for guests when arriving. I would like to lead with I clean air bnbs on the side. Once inside and using the home it became clear to me and my family that this cabin was not clean. The cabinets in the bathroom were covered in grime. There was pee stains dripping down the side of the toilet. In the downstairs bathroom there are cracks in the wall covered in tape and the stand up shower is covered in black mold. Kitchen cabinets felt sticky with thick grime. The drawer under the stove was filled with crumbs. Anything I planned to use I had to wash thoroughly before using. The fridge was also dirty. The dust and cobwebs collected on ceiling light fixtures and ceiling fans through the home was so thick. Not only was cabin dirty but there is no beach access. It is a marsh covered lake front view. The advertised Jetted tub does not work. There is water damage spots all around the home. Windows are broken, cracked. Only half the motorized blinds work. The yard is a sore sight.

I would suggest if you have an eye for detail do not stay at a place managed by VACASA. I wish I would have done my research first. I figured a property of VRBO was fine. I’ve never had a...

ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE. (read the edit below).

I don't think I've ever dealt with a business who appreciates their customers less than these people. Our rental on Okemo Mountain was nice, however, there were a few things which absolutely irritated me and some of my guests.

The fireplace was out of service. Upon checking in, the home was 61° and my 5yr niece was shivering that we had to put her coat and hat back on. It took hours to warm up to temperature.

Parking passes: there's supposed to be two, but we only found one. The instructions indicated that the passes are located underneath the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. It doesn't exist. The security at the entrance gave us a warning that we could be towed without it. So now we were worried about one of the cars being towed away during our stay.

Blankets: the blankets we used were old and dry rotted, that they were falling apart as we used them.

Honestly, most of this was fine until I chatted with Vacasa via text to request a late checkout. The calendar showed that no one booked after us, but they denied it without any reason. I even brought up these points, figuring a late checkout would compensate for the initial fireplace/heat inconvenience, but it was as if I was speaking with a robot providing an automated response. They had absolutely no understanding and seemed like they couldn't have cared less.

The listing photos show a fireplace. It also has certain amenities listed with a cross-out, which indicates that it's not available. So then "Fireplace" should be listed and crossed out, right? It's not. They don't even have it written in the description that it's out of service..

P.S. - during our chat, I told Vacasa Ludlow that I'd be leaving this review on the unit. It's been a week and I haven't received the invitation to write the review. I wonder why...

UPDATE: Vacasa Ludlow is a SCAM. I read the reviews on my rental unit, it's hilarious how there's only 4 and all have 5-stars. Multiple others have similar results. They won't allow me to leave my review, so instead it's here. READ THE GOOGLE REVIEWS, not theirs which they clearly pick and choose.

Also, I reached out to Vacasa direct and still got the same crap treatment. They didn't even answer all of my concerns. I'm lowering my rating to 1-star. ...