Reviews

This profile includes reviews for Whimstay's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Whimstay

  580 California St Ste 1200 San Francisco, CA 94104-1071

  
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  Whimstay

  281 Hartz Ave Danville, CA 94526-3309

  
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  Whimstay

  425 El Pintado Rd Danville, CA 94526-1848

  

Review Details

• Review fromMelissa T

  Date: 03/31/2025

  1 star
  I am thoroughly disgusted with the place I rented for a month. The photos were very misleading and the place was gross. There was pet hair in the sheets, a busted bag of flour in the cabinet, roaches on the counter and I was bitten by a bug that left a nasty welt on my back. I sent them all of the photos as it happened or I discovered it. I left within three hours of arriving. I kept trying to power through because I didn't want to move all of my stuff back to a hotel. I had rented it for a month. The photos were lovely. However, it looked nothing like the photos upon arrival. Parking was double what they quoted in the welcome letter. I could have dealt with that for a month but not everything that happened while I was there. This place was disgusting. They refused to give me my money back after much back and forth so I finally disputed it with my credit card company. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! They misrepresent and refuse to refund your money when you find out the place is dirty, buggy, and not at all like shown in photos.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 04/28/2025

  Thank you for sharing your feedback. Were sorry to hear your experience didn't meet your expectations.Whimstay is a booking marketplace that partners with property managers, who are responsible for the maintenance, cleanliness, and condition of the homes they list, as well as any decisions regarding refunds or compensation. While we don't manage the properties directly, we take guest concerns seriously and work to advocate on their ********* your case, we escalated your concerns directly to the host after hearing from you. We learned that the host offered a relocation option to you immediately, which was declined, and ultimately determined the resolution for your booking. The host also provided images that matched the condition shown in the listing.We are committed to supporting travelers throughout the process and ensuring feedback is shared with the hosts leadership for future improvements. If you'd like to discuss this further, our team is available anytime at *********************************** We appreciate your feedback as it helps us continue working toward a better experience for all travelers.

• Review fromKarine B

  Date: 01/23/2025

  5 stars
  *************** and I wish I knew about it years ago. Great place to find deals on last minute vacation rentals and they have many of the same properties as ****** and vrbo, only cheaper. I recently took a 2 week roadtrip from ******** ****** to *********** with no accommodations lined up and we booked with Whimstay the whole way down. Same day bookings. It worked out great.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 01/30/2025

  We love hearing stories like this! So glad we could help you find great places to stay along the way (and save you some cash too!).Looking forward to getting you more awesome deals on your next trip. Safe travels, and thanks for the support!

• Review fromAbigail M

  Date: 12/10/2024

  1 star
  This company has a lack of communication, transparency, and is not willing to fix mistakes.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 01/21/2025

  Thank you for sharing your feedback. We understand how important clear communication and resolution are, and weve worked to ensure weve been responsive to your concerns. Our team has promptly addressed your messages, often within the hour, and always on the same day.While the property host made the decision not to issue a refund, we extended a courtesy credit as a gesture of goodwill to assist in addressing your concerns. Throughout this process, weve aimed to provide transparency in all communications and have worked diligently to achieve a resolution.Were here to help and are happy to provide any additional clarity or assistance you might need. Please dont hesitate to reach out with any further questions. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

• Review fromronda b

  Date: 11/05/2024

  1 star
  "Im utterly disappointed with Whimstays lack of compassion and understanding. I get itbusinesses have policies, and sometimes its easier to hide behind them rather than do whats right. But to watch a company like Whimstay stand on business rather than extend basic human decency is beyond **************** one asks for breast cancer once, let alone twice. I never imagined Id be in this position, reaching out with a heartfelt request to cancel a reservation because of an unexpected, critical surgery for my cancer recurrence. But rather than empathy, I was met with cold policy enforcement.Its baffling that a company would choose to stick rigidly to their rules instead of recognizing a genuine, life-altering situation. To anyone considering booking with Whimstay, just know that if life hits you hard, youll likely face indifference rather than understanding. When youre going through the unimaginable, the last thing you need is a company that sees you as a dollar sign rather than a person."
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 11/07/2024

  Thank you for sharing your experience. We sincerely apologize for any additional distress that our response may have caused during such a challenging time. Please know that we genuinely empathize with your situation, and were truly sorry for the hardship you're facing.Our policies are in place to ensure fairness and consistency for all guests and hosts across our platform. Although we must adhere to set guidelines, we are committed to offering compassion and understanding in our interactions, and we regret that this was not reflected in your experience.Thank you again for your feedbackits invaluable in helping us improve.

• Review fromChelsea H

  Date: 10/31/2024

  1 star
  We lost $3737 to this unethical business that engages in predatory practices! Their website didn't work after booking, they don't provide a phone number on their website, and when we contacted them through email, they didn't respond for almost a week. And once we finally heard from them, it was too late to cancel or qualify for insurance.We booked on Aug 6 for a trip in October and we quickly realized that we might need to cancel our booking. They have a 60-day cancellation policy, so we decided to proactively gather details on how to cancel and whether our reason for cancelling would be covered by insurance. My husband made multiple attempts to login on Aug 14 to find more information about cancellation and insurance, multiple days before the 60-day window. He was unable to login, as the verification emails were never sent. In addition, I couldnt find a phone number anywhere on their website. It stated to contact customer support by email only. I emailed on Aug 17 regarding cancellation policy details and questions about insurance.On Aug 19, we definitely needed to cancel our trip. Their site was not working, and we still couldnt locate details about how to cancel or if their insurance would help us with our specific situation. We looked into insurance through their site anyway, but the details were generic. We didn't want to throw good money after bad and spend $400 more on a sketchy site that was broken and had no phone number, so we decided to contact my credit card company.On my statement, I found a number. I called and left a detailed message on Aug 21, reiterating the info above and asking what our options were. On Aug 22 (five days after I emailed them), they replied, blaming their delay on a technical error with their email platform. At that point, we were TWO days beyond the 14-day window to buy the cancel for any reason insurance. My husband called again and even offered to pay a 25% cancellation fee, but but they wouldn't budge. Buyer beware!
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 10/31/2024

  As outlined in our Terms, Whimstay has a 60-day cancellation policy, and any cancellations must be formally requested within that window. While the guest reached out on August 17 to inquire about our cancellation policies and travel insurance, we did not receive a formal cancellation request from them until August 21. By that time, unfortunately, the 60-day window had already passed, and our non-refundable policy applied.We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to their initial inquiry. As mentioned in our communication with the guest, this delay was due to a technical issue with our email delivery platform. However, information regarding our cancellation policies and travel insurance was available at checkout and in the booking confirmation email, which also included a link to purchase Cancel for ******************** within 14 days of booking. While we regret that the guest found this information inaccessible at the time, it was provided throughout the booking process and in confirmation emails.We also want to clarify that our phone number is provided via confirmation text to every guest upon booking, and it is the same number listed on their credit card statement. While we understand that the guest experienced difficulties with logging in and accessing certain details, we encourage all guests to reach out to us directly if they encounter such issues, as we are always available to assist.We understand the guests frustration regarding the timing of these events and deeply regret that we were not able to assist them sooner. We remain committed to ensuring clear communication and transparency for all our guests, and we appreciate this feedback as it helps us continue to improve our service.

• Review fromSam A

  Date: 10/21/2024

  1 star
  Horrible! THEY ARE FARUDSTERS! They will rent you a misleading, deceptive, and terrible stay then gasslight you to pay.They flat out lied to us, refused a refund, and tired to gaslight us that there was not constant construction above us when there was. Do not ever stay with them.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 10/31/2024

  To provide some context, during ***** stay, they reported construction noise, which they stated occurred for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. We immediately took ***** concerns seriously and followed up with the property host, who provided us with video evidence showing no construction in the area during their stay. Without further verification of the noise issue, we were unable to honor their request for a full refund.We understand that situations like this can be frustrating, and we always aim to advocate for both our travelers and hosts to ensure the best experience for everyone. We appreciate ***** feedback and will continue working hard to maintain fairness and transparency in all our dealings.If you have any additional concerns or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to us directly. We're here to help.

• Review fromRoger F

  Date: 10/05/2024

  2 stars
  I will not work with this service again. Due to a website glitch I made a reservation that I did not want or need. I tried to cancel it immediately, but Whimstay would not allow me to do so. Instead, they recommended that I buy traveler's insurance to get a refund. After a lengthy application process I learned that they would not give me a refund. Whimstay eventually helped me to get a refund on the insurance, but never gave me a refund for my 3 day reservation.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 10/07/2024

  Whimstay appreciates the feedback provided by Mr. ***** regarding his recent experience with the platform. While the company understands his frustration, the request for a refund was made outside of Whimstay's established cancellation policy, which clearly outlines that cancellations within the specified time frame are non-refundable.Upon Mr. ****** notification, our team reviewed his user history and noted that nothing out of the ordinary was evident and our site worked as intended, so we could not hold ourselves at fault for this issue. However, Whimstay worked diligently to assist Mr. ***** in securing a refund for the travel insurance policy itself.Whimstay takes customer satisfaction seriously and makes every effort to assist its travelers within the bounds of its policies and agreements. The company appreciates this feedback and will continue to work toward providing excellent service to all users.

• Review fromBlaise P

  Date: 09/28/2024

  1 star
  AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. They refused to refund for a genuine booking mistake. We did not even want a refund we just wanted to change the date but since that date was taken, we needed a refund. They flat out refused. We are out $200. We will go to our bank and request a fraud chargeback. This is ******** NOT USE THIS SITE!!
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 09/29/2024

  Dear BBB,We appreciate the opportunity to respond to ****** Parkers review. After thoroughly reviewing our records, we were unable to find any booking, communication, or registered user associated with the email address or zip code provided. Additionally, the zip code "*****" is not a valid U.S. postal code, and the booking mentioned in this review cannot be verified in our system.Whimstay follows a clear policy regarding cancellations and modifications, which is communicated to travelers at the time of booking. It is important to us that all transactions are handled fairly and transparently. Unfortunately, without verifiable booking information, a registered user, or a valid zip code, it is difficult for us to investigate the situation as described.We encourage the traveler to contact our support team directly at ********************************** or by phone at ************** with more accurate booking details so we can further investigate and resolve any concerns.We take accusations of fraud seriously and are committed to ensuring a positive experience for all of our travelers.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support Team

• Review fromKarolyn B

  Date: 09/27/2024

  1 star
  I booked a vacation rental with Whimstay -- never used them before and was excited to find an option from ****** or Vrbo. After renting the property -- 27 days before the day requested -- I realized that I needed more dates and wanted to cancel this rental. I was told I cannot receive a refund of any amount if I cancel within 60 days of the rental unless I had purchased insurance. I then sought to add days to my original rental and was told they were processing my payment. The following day I received an email letting me know they cannot accommodate my request. There is no number to speak with anyone and in general I found this company to be unprofessional. They are predatory and I would not recommend using this company. I certainly will never do so again.
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 09/29/2024

  The traveler initially reached out with a request to extend their reservation by two days. As a third-party booking platform (OTA), Whimstay acts as a liaison between travelers and property managers. We advocated on behalf of the traveler to the host to secure the requested extension. After some back and forth, we were able to negotiate a lower price for the additional nights, ensuring the traveler received a better deal.However, despite our efforts and securing the extension at a more favorable rate, the traveler expressed discomfort with the process and ultimately decided to cancel their request for the extended nights. Its important to note that while Whimstay facilitated the communication and negotiation, we are not the property managers. The booking remained confirmed for the original dates without any disruptions to the travelers stay.Whimstay always strives to advocate for travelers and ensure a seamless experience. In this case, we diligently worked with the host to meet the travelers request and regret that the traveler felt uneasy despite our efforts to provide excellent service.We value all feedback and are committed to improving our processes to provide the best experience possible for all travelers.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support Team

• Review fromLindsey L

  Date: 09/24/2024

  1 star
  I had an upcoming trip, that got cancelled because of a catagory 4 hurricane and they will not help me out one bit. Even the govenor of FL has a executive order (order number ******) for state of emergency and said ********************************************************************************************************************************* I could give 0 stars I would!
  

  Whimstay

  Date: 09/26/2024

  Dear BBB Team,We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the complaint submitted by the traveler regarding their booking impacted by a hurricane. At Whimstay, we strive to ensure our travelers have a seamless experience, and we want to clarify our position in this matter.The traveler in question booked a non-refundable reservation through our platform. As per our cancellation policy, which is clearly stated during the booking process, bookings within 60 days of check-in are non-refundable unless the traveler has purchased travel insurance. This insurance is offered specifically to protect against unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, that might prevent a trip from happening.While we understand the impact of a Category 4 hurricane and sympathize with the disruption it caused, our policy remains consistent across all bookings to ensure fairness to all travelers and property managers. We encourage all travelers to purchase travel insurance to safeguard their plans in situations like these, as this protection is designed to offer reimbursement when travel becomes impossible due to circumstances beyond their control, including weather events.Regarding the Florida State of Emergency (Executive Order ******), it does not mandate businesses such as ours to offer refunds for bookings made under non-refundable terms, nor does it alter the contractual agreements in place at the time of booking. Our team would have been happy to assist the traveler with filing a claim if they had purchased travel insurance.We hope this explanation clarifies our policy, and we remain committed to ensuring transparency and providing support where possible.Sincerely,Whimstay Customer Support