Check in was a tad different than any of our other VRBO stays. We had to text Michael to meet us at the property so that he could unlock the padlock. The property is in a pretty run down area of town, so that might explain the padlock. Michael seemed friendly & personable. He showed us around the property and answered questions we had about the area. Upon arrival, we noticed a strong chemical smell, but thought that it might just be because the property had been closed up. We opened windows, doors & started fans. A few of us left the property for about an hour and and when we returned the members of my family that had stayed at the house were extremely ill from the smell. It was absolutely toxic. It smelled like hardwood floors had been refinished. We text Michael, he eventually responded that it was Pine Sol. I use Pine Sol at my home. This was not Pine Sol. I explained that we had to leave for the safety of our family. We certainly wanted to be fair & offered to pay half.
This is where I get disappointed. Michael seemed to have been friendly upon arrival. However, when we reached out to VRBO to explain that we needed to leave, they said that he would need to cancel the reservation on his end for the reimbursement to take place. He refused. VRBO explained that he was still being pd his half, but in order for reimbursement to take place on my end he needed to cancel stay (from host end). He still refused.
I reached out to him several times w/o response.