Cardo Vacation Rentals — Local services in San Diego

I don't write a ton of reviews but feel compelled when I encounter companies with insidious policies that maximize profit over people.

Quick backstory....

I rented one of Cardo's places for a family get away. We haven't traveled for a while so I probably pushed our budget more than I should have. But my kids are worth it.

A few weeks before our trip, I severely ruptured my achilles. After emergency surgery my doctor said I'd be bed-ridden for the next 6-8 weeks which meant we couldn't go on our trip.

My family was absolutely gutted. Not only did I suffer a freak, brutal injury, my family lost their summer vacation, and I was out thousands of dollars.

I reached out to Cardo see if I could get a refund or, at the very least, a credit to use some time in the future. I know they have a business to run but I thought they'd surely make an exception for a medical emergency.

I was wrong.

Here was their compassionate response...

"Hi Peter,

I'm truly sorry to hear about your injury. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a refund due to our reservation and cancellation policy. However, you may cancel your reservation, and if any of the nights get booked by someone else, we will gladly refund you the average nightly rate for those nights.

Wishing you a swift recovery."

Do you see that slick move they made? Not only did they NOT offer a refund, they tried to get me to cancel so they could double their revenue. Truly disgusting.

Thankfully, most companies/people aren't like Cardo. Most companies understand that emergencies come up and make sure their customers– ie. the humans on the other side of the transaction– are taken care of.

A hex on you Cardo Vacation Rentals and every company...

We rented a place at 3550 Meade Ave in the Normal Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Our children forgot their jackets in the home as we were heading out of town via the John Wayne Airport.

I initially feared the worst when we were told that the jackets were not found. Nonetheless, the owner of Cardo worked tirelessly and tracked down my daughters' coats.

More importantly, the house was adorable. In the dense neighborhood of Normal Heights, this place has a secure off street parking space that was able to accommodate our Ford Explorer rental vehicle.

Aside from no cheese grater, we had everything we needed to spend a week there without feeling the need to eat out for each meal.

Communication with Cardo was superb throughout our stay. The emailed instructions related to security codes and standards were timely and clear. Moreover, the owner made it a priority to track down the jackets when my wife alerted him of the issue. With all of the fraud out there, we also appreciated the extra measures of security that Cardo took to ensure our photo ID matched the credit card. This company is responsive at looks after the customers that visit the properties...

Very clean. Beds extremely comfortable including the twin. Kitchen and living room mostly open concept which gave the feeling of lots of room especially with kids. Lots of counter space and closet space. We ended up walking everywhere instead of driving. First night walked to Extraordinary Desserts Restaurant then walked the Quince Street Bridge and the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge. Walked back to house and then walked to Mona Lisa Restaurant to pick up our take out. Next day walked to the Waterfront then through Little Italy and had lunch at Ballast Point Brewery--food was incredible. Walked with a 4 month old and 3 year old. The food was so good at Mona Lisa's we had dinner there again. The airplanes fly right overhead. Believe it or not it was one of the highlights of our trip. Absolutely incredible! We were worried about sleeping though; however, our two picky, light sleepers (both male) didn't even use the earplugs provided. The two men wanted to switch bedrooms the next night so they could watch the plane from their bed in...