How to Make the HomeAway Corporate Office Listen

People all over the US use Homeaway to rent vacation homes. But all too often, Homeaway messes up or makes a mistake and attempts to dodge responsibility. If you try to contact them, you can find that it’s all but impossible to make the Homeaway corporate office listen to your complaint, no matter its legitimacy.

What is there to do? Turns out, there are a few options available that don’t involve filing a lawsuit.

Use Arbitration to Settle Your Complaint with Homeaway

Homeaway may say that they prioritize customer interactions and good customer service, but all too often, they leave customer complaints alone or don’t try to fix issues that are brought up politely and legitimately. In many cases, it can be difficult or even impossible for you to get a real resolution if you have a complaint against Homeaway, their reservation policies, refund policies, or anything else.

This is because any contract you sign or agree to when using Homeaway’s services makes it impossible for you to take them to court with a traditional lawsuit. This binding agreement would, on the surface, make it seem like there’s no real recourse for bad behavior on Homeaway’s part.

But you do have another option: independent arbitration. With this process, you’ll hire an arbitrator that is neutral to both parties and can look at the situation fairly and impartially. Furthermore, they’ll come up with a legally binding decision that Homeaway will be forced to stick with. This is totally legal as well since most corporate contracts do allow you to take the company in question to arbitration even if you can’t take them to court.

Arbitration is Fair, Just, Reasonable, and Transparent

Your case will likely be handled by the American Arbitration Association, which means that it will comply with the Statement of Principles of Consumer Due Process Protocol. This means that:

• The arbitration hearing will be fair for both parties, not just Homeaway or you. Furthermore, a neutral arbitrator, whose competence is demonstrated beforehand, will be hired to oversee the hearing
• Throughout the hearing, reasonable standards will be upheld, meaning that both parties will be able to access the same information, reach the location for the hearing, and won’t have to pay insane costs
• Standards of transparency will be prioritized. Any resulting arbitration agreements or negotiation contracts will be clear and easy to understand and both parties can hire additional representation
• Alternatives to arbitration, including mediation or small claims court, will be offered depending on the case
• Overall, the arbitration hearing will result in a just and fair ruling, and the results will be legally binding regardless of whether they are awards or penalties

Arbitration Gives You, the Customer, Leverage

Companies like Homeaway are used to having the upper hand, which is part of the reason why they only rarely respond to customer complaints, if at all. But once they receive word that you’re committed to pursuing arbitration against them, they may suddenly sit up and take you seriously.

That’s because arbitration costs money for big companies, regardless of whether they win or lose. They still have to put materials together, spend time and money preparing for the arbitration hearing, and talk to dozens of people within different departments to get their story straight. If they lose, they’ll have to pay even more. Ultimately, Homeaway is much more likely to listen to your demands when they consider all these costs.

Yet if Homeaway still decides to play hardball, know that you won’t have to spend any money throughout the arbitration process unless you win. FairShake will help you step-by-step and won’t charge you a dime until victory.

Just know that arbitration should only be used as a serious last resort. Grievances that could be deemed frivolous by the independent arbitrator may end up costing you money in the long run since you might be deemed responsible for the charges Homeaway incurs throughout the proceedings. Make sure to only use this for serious complaints.

Leverage Can Lead to Faster Settlements and Real Resolutions

Big companies like Homeaway don’t have an advantage when arbitration is on the table. As a result, their corporate offices are much more likely to reach out for negotiation or offer a quick settlement to sweep the entire thing under the rug.

To start arbitration proceedings, you have to actually formally raise the issue and your intentions for arbitration with Homeaway before filing. FairShake can assist with this point and any others.

In fact, we’ll send Homeaway a specific 30-day countdown that demands a resolution for your complaint, or else the arbitration proceedings will begin in earnest. Your contract with Homeaway likely has a window during which you must give the company time to handle your issue that’s similar to this time frame, which is why it’s so specific.

The good news is that about half of all cases result in company corporate offices offering settlements to their disgruntled customers before the arbitration deadline comes around. This may result in you getting a real resolution without having to lift a finger. If they don’t send you a response letter or start negotiating, you can formally begin filing for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. FairShake can assist with both the filing process and future steps.

Do I Need an Attorney?

When you go to arbitration, you’ll normally have the option to hire an attorney for additional representation and legal assistance.

Attorneys can be great choices since it’s easier to get a favorable ruling or a particularly high settlement if your complaint can be identified as covered under a certain law or statute. Since attorneys are experts in legal matters, it’s easy to see why they can be helpful for your arbitration case.

If you do decide to represent yourself, check out the American Arbitration Association’s Pro Se Case Administration Team, which has helpful information. But do keep attorneys in mind overall; some cases, like those dealing with harassment or improper debt collection, can benefit from an attorney’s assistance much more than others.

What Can I Do Next?

The path to arbitration starts by telling us your complaint against Homeaway. As soon as you fill out the form below, we’ll begin working on your claim and taking away the frustration and stress from the situation. You’ll get a fair resolution – that’s a guarantee, or we won’t charge you a penny.