We’ve all heard the horror stories at one time or another: A friend finds what looks to be an unbelievable deal on a beachfront Maui vacation rental, quickly makes arrangements with the owner to book said dream vacation rental, remits payment, books a flight and car and, after what seems like an eternity in the air, finally touches down on Maui. Your friend then promptly heads to their reserved vacation rental for a bit of pre-relaxation relaxation, then goes to check in on site: only to discover the rental they were ready to enjoy had never actually been booked. Worse still, the Maui vacation condo that had been presumably booked, has never heard of the person who made the booking, and has now absconded with the payment made to secure the rental.
While this may seem like an extreme example, the sad fact is that there are many people who are quick to scam unsuspecting vacationers out of their hard earned money, leaving them scrambling to salvage what they believed would be the perfect Hawaii vacation. So how do you as a consumer, avoid such scams? Here are a few tips:
- Research
Your very first step in choosing a Maui vacation rental is to find one represented by a reputable company with BBB accreditations. Look up your prospective company on BBB.org to find out if their licensing is current, if any complaints have been lodged against the company, if said complaints had been resolved, and much more. - Keep researching
Besides the BBB, take a look around the web for reviews of the company in question from people who have utilized their services. Good places to start include Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor. - A bit more research . . .
If possible, talk to any friends who may have booked a Maui vacation rental with your prospective company in the past, to get a candid view of their overall experience. - Browse the business online
Check out the vacation rental businesses official website, Facebook, Twitter, and other social feeds to get an idea of the level of professionalism and service you can expect. Not to toot our own horn too much, but good example can be found on our website RentalsMaui.com as well as on our official Facebook page; where you can find reviews on the many South Maui vacation rentals we have on offer, as well as a wealth of information about our business, our vacation rentals, and lots of general information on what to see, eat, and do while on vacation on Maui.
A bit of research can make the difference between trying to fix a nightmare Hawaiian vacations or enjoying your dream vacation on Maui. If you have any questions, contact our Maui vacation rental experts at RentalsMaui.com today. Mahalo!
