TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Holland couple recently turned to the 13 Help Team after a vacation gone wrong.
Tim and Nancy Gerham used the travel platform Vrbo to book a weekend in Traverse City. Soon after their arrival, the couple told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that a mechanical issue threw a wrench into their plans.
The Gerhams have been together for decades, just celebrating their 38th year of marriage. A longstanding anniversary tradition of theirs is to rent a place somewhere and play card games like pinochle together against a couple of friends who share the same anniversary month.
“Always in Traverse City,” she laughed. “We've talked about going elsewhere…Traverse City is the place.”
The pair said they've been making the trip for about the last 10 years, spending time in brew pubs, playing cards and having a nice dinner.
However, the couple always has to be conscious about the accessibility of where they stay due to Tim's diagnosis of MS. He's been diagnosed for about 35 years and said it's a "gradual, downhill glide path."
Tim uses a rolling walker to get around the family home in Holland. For longer distances, he relies upon a wheelchair — neither of which works well on steps.
“We've done different Vrbos, Airbnbs,” Nancy said. “Very careful about how to get in and out because steps are a problem.”
Nancy said for their most recent trip she made sure they had an elevator available because they selected a second-floor condo unit.
She found a home away from home in the form of a sleek new condo complex only a short distance away from downtown Traverse City. With its wide hallways, accessible spaces and, yes, its elevator, Trailside 45 seemed to have everything they were after.
“When we got there, the elevator was working,” Nancy said. “We settled into the room and then went out for dinner.”
Making their way back later, an unwelcome surprise awaited the group.
“(The elevator) was all taped up,” she said. “It was like, 'Oh, now what?'”
Using the app she used to book their vacation, Nancy got in touch with the folks coordinating her booking, who informed her they were "working on it."
In order to get to their room, Tim needed to hang onto the railing in the stairway and gradually work his way up the steps, one step at a time.
They made it safely up to their room on the building’s second floor. Settling in, they hoped for an easier go the following morning, to no avail.
“(We thought in the morning) we'd be all good. But nothing,” she said. “You don't want to go to Traverse City and just sit in your rentals. He decided to try the down.”
Nancy pulled out her phone, documenting the harrowing trip back down to the exit. She continued filming as Tim navigated from one flight to another, again clinging to the railing for support.
The Gerhams would later learn the elevator, the rental’s chief selling point, would be out of commission for the remainder of their booking. Frustrated, Nancy asked for a refund – at least some of what they paid – as a peace offering for their trouble.
“The response was, 'We're sorry for your inconvenience, but you know, hey, we can send someone over to help you with luggage when you check out,'” she said. “I did push back and say, 'That's not good enough. I need help getting a guest out.'”
Nancy said she selected the room based on its accessibility and had conversations ahead of time to confirm this.
Despite the conversations and the research, the couple was mostly confined to their room for their trip.
“We had to play pinochle in the room,” Tim noted. “We didn't have a chance to go anywhere.”
“The building itself, I mean, they should really have a backup plan,” Nancy added. “Again, you know, nobody's fault, who can predict…nothing was ever suggested or offered to us.”
As Nancy later discovered, the property management company had approved a partial refund prior to 13 ON YOUR SIDE’s inquiries.
A VRBO spokesperson told us the platform had never been contacted. Had they been notified, staff suggested they would have sought out alternate accommodations:
“We understand the traveler’s frustration and are disappointed to hear about this experience.
We spoke with the host and confirmed that Nancy reached out to them directly regarding the broken elevator. The host issued a partial refund to the guest since the elevator wasn’t accessible during part of their stay. They also offered on-site assistance, which was the best they could do since the building itself (and elevator) is managed by a different company and would not be fixed in time for the guests’ stay.
Vrbo is also refunding the traveler service fee, the only fee set by Vrbo. The traveler service fee guarantees extra protections for travelers who book and pay on the Vrbo app or site. However, since Nancy did not contact Vrbo directly regarding the broken elevator, we are refunding this fee. Had Nancy reached out to Vrbo customer service directly, our agents would have offered rebooking assistance for the remainder of their stay to find another vacation rental or appropriate accommodations. Our health and safety team has also confirmed that elevator service has been restored at the property for future guests.
For your background, all guests who book and pay through the Vrbo site or app are automatically covered by the Book With Confidence Guarantee. This guarantee, which has been covering guests for years, provides protections including:
• Comprehensive payment protection for the full rental payment against listing fraud, phishing, the property being significantly misrepresented and more
• Customer service available 24/7 with any issues or questions regarding the stay
• Rebooking assistance to find another vacation rental should the booking be wrongfully cancelled at the last minute by an owner or manager
• Security deposit protection to help recover a wrongfully withheld deposit
Creating a platform where everyone feels welcome is a priority for Vrbo and all of Expedia Group. Expedia Group is committed to an inclusive marketplace, holding ourselves, our hosts, and guests to the highest standards in how we treat one another.”
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