ComplaintsforHarvest Hosts

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Paid for a membership to Harvest Hosts 6/ 2022, set to auto renew. Membership did indeed automatically renew, I missed the 60 day window to cancell, canceling on Aug 12th. My husband had a stroke on June 11, 2023. Harvest Hosts was not on my mind. The rigid policy does not allow for medical emergencies. and you have 30 day " grace" period. In other words, the charge on credit card that they keep on file, better fall within specific part of billing cycle, or you will miss yje 30 day window. I was with my husband as he was hospitalized. I have documentation of this, so Harvest Hosts can't accuse me of making that up. I want refund from this rigid unfriendly company.

  

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  We appreciate Ms. Russell reaching out and send our condolences.  The refund was processed on August 12th. When she initially reached out, she did not include the medical information, only that she wanted to cancel and receive a refund.  As soon as she explained what occurred, we processed the refund and canceled her account.
  
  

  Customer response

  08/15/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  Kathy Russell

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Attempting to cancel membership but unable to locate appropriate place on website. I did not authorize automatic renewals to my credit card and request refund and cancelation. No response received.

  

  Business response

  07/21/2023

  ********** successfully contacted our customer service team on July 20, 2023 and received assistance cancelling her account and obtaining a refund.

  Customer response

  08/04/2023

  The company resolved the issue and issued a refund. I was out of the country and unable to respond previously. Thank you 

• Initial Complaint

  07/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I canceled my membership last year in June after a problem with a confirmed stay. I have not used the membership since. I became aware that they charged my credit card when I was looking at my credit card statement. I reached out to them to say I canceled the membership and did not authorize the newest charges. They basically said too bad it renewed over 30 days ago and wont refund the money. I want a refund. According to ***** , Harvest Host doesnt have auto renewal

  

  Business response

  07/12/2023

  We appreciate **************** reaching out.  We strive to be transparent and provide multiple notifications indicating the subscription is annual and auto-renewing.  Ms. ***********;opened her account in 2021, auto renewed in 2022 and recently auto renewed in 2023. 

  The first auto renewal notification is provided when signing up for membership. On the sign up screen, the membership summary indicates the subscription is billed every 365 days and the individual must acknowledge our terms and conditions (************************************************).  Our terms include the following:

  Automatic Renewal. Your subscription will continue indefinitely until terminated in accordance with the Agreement.   After your initial subscription period, and again after any subsequent subscription period, your subscription will automatically commence on the first day following the end of such period (each a Renewal Commencement Date) and continue for an additional equivalent period, at Companys then-current price for such subscription.   You agree that your Account will be subject to this automatic renewal feature unless you cancel your subscription, by logging into and going to the Manage Your Membership page of your Membership Details page.  If you cancel your subscription, you *** use your subscription until the end of your then-current subscription term; your subscription will not be renewed after your then-current term expires.   By subscribing, you authorize Company to charge your Payment Provider now, and again at the beginning of any subsequent subscription period.   Upon renewal of your subscription, if Company does not receive payment from your Payment Provider, (a) you agree to pay all amounts due on your Account upon demand and/or (b) you agree that Company *** either terminate or suspend your subscription and continue to attempt to charge your Payment Provider until payment is received (upon receipt of payment, your Account will be activated and for purposes of automatic renewal, your new subscription commitment period will begin as of the day payment was received).

  
  Refunds.
  Service Subscription Fees for our camperscard.com Services are non-refundable.
  Service Subscription Fees for our harvesthosts.com and boondockerswelcome.com Services.  For subscription purchases made directly from the Company on our websites, during the initial subscription period, you will have ninety (90) days from the Service Commencement Date to cancel your subscription, in which case Company will refund your Service Subscription Fee.  With the limited exception of this refund during the ninety (90) days from the Service Commencement Date during your initial subscription period, upon any cancellation thereafter, you will not be eligible for any full or prorated refund of any portion of the subscription fee paid for the then-current subscription period.   All refunds are one-time refunds, available during your initial subscription period only.  If your Account is reactivated in the future, or you open a new account, such subsequent subscription periods will not be eligible for a refund, and Company will not issue any further refunds if you claimed a refund during your initial subscription period.  Refunds will not be given if two or more stays have been completed within the 90-day period from the Service Commencement Date of your initial subscription period.  If your account is refunded, all membership discounts or benefits that *** have accrued will be forfeited, and any future reactivations will be subject to then-current membership rates.  Special event promotional rates are not eligible for a refund.

  The next auto renewal notice was in her Welcome email sent upon enrollment in 2021,the email states this is an annual subscription billed every 365 days. 

  Finally, she also received a "Payment Successful" email in 2022 and in 2023 after the funds posted.

  Our customer service team followed our policy as provided to **************** on multiple occasions.  We offer many membership benefits in addition to staying at unique hosts, which we encourage her to explore.

  Customer response

  07/13/2023

  Complaint: 20305744
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  They did charge my account in 2022 and that is when I cancelled my membership.  I am not sure why they recently changed me again after I cancelled but I want a refund.   I just became aware that this happens when I reviewed my credit card statement, so it has not been over 30 days for me.  They are playing games with other members also after I saw multiple complaints for the same reason.

  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  

  Business response

  07/15/2023

  Our third-party subscription company maintains activity logs associated with each subscription, including date/time stamps of each activity.  We see ******************************* scheduled the subscription cancellation on July 11, 2023 at 6:24 pm.  There is no previous cancellation request.  In your review of the activity log, for clarification, "subscription modified" refers to coupon clearing as supported in the second attachment provided.  At this time, we disagree with *********************************** position that she is entitled to a refund.

  Customer response

  07/17/2023

  Complaint: 20305744
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I dont know what game they are playing or how they reversed my cancellation but I am requesting a refund.  After the last failed attempt to use their service I cancelled and never used it again.  Since I cancelled my membership last year, why would I think it was still active and needs a yearly cancellation.  

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  Harvest Hosts does not reverse cancellations.  We have no further comment.

  Customer response

  07/18/2023

  Complaint: 20305744
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am requesting a refund, the account was canceled.  
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  from: *******************************************
  to: *****************************************
  date: Jul 19, 2023, 10:13 AM
  subject: Refund issued
  

  Please note, the customer for the below claim disputed the charge with her bank and the membership fee charge has now been refunded.  Thank you.
  
  Date Sent: 7/18/2023 9:09:13 PM
  Complaint: 20305744
  
  
  ***** *********************
  
  CFO
  Northern VA Office
  Unique RV Camping
  www.harvesthosts.com
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I WAS AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED $139 ON 7/5 WHICH I DID NOT AUTHORIZE. I HAVE NEVER USED THEIR SERVICE. I CONTACTED THEM VIA CHAT AND AFTER 30 MINUTES DID NOT GET A REPLY(AS THEY DIRECTED) I ALSO CALLED AND HAD NO REPLY. VERY POOR COMMUNICATION SERVICE.

  

  Business response

  07/11/2023

  We received Mr. Cicero's initial conversation at 3:24 pm ET on 7/10/23.  Our service representative responded back to him at 3:29 pm ET asking how we could help. He responded back with several messages over the course of 30 minutes and ended the communications with "complaint filed!".  Our service representative canceled and refunded him at 4:58 pm ET.  We include the attached expectations for messaging chat so customers are aware there might be a short time delay. Despite this, Mr. Cicero filed a complaint with the BBB on or before 5:09 pm ET on the same day, 7/10/23, approximately 1.5 hours after contacting our service desk.

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They cancelled my membership when I did nothing wrong. I complained to them that some of their host members are not following the rules by charging RVers more than the $20 donation their rules state. They refunded half of my membership fee and cancelled my membership. They say I used the membership but I didnt. I requested one stay but the host said that they charge a $30 fee for water hook-up. I let the host know that I would not need the reservation. I found another host in ** but they required ** to buy dinner for way more than $20. Their hosts are not following the rules, so I asked for a refund. If they were going to cancel my membership then they should have provided a full refund unless they were going to let me use the membership for half of the years membership.

  

  Business response

  06/18/2023

  A full refund was issued on June 14, 2023.

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I subscribed last year to Boondockers Wellcome. I understand they are now Harvest Hosts. I never signed up for automatic renewal and that is what they are trying to do. I do not wish to renew my subscription. I can not find anywhere on their site to cancel. They have made two attempts to charge my credit card.

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Left a multiple message on their webpage and Harvest Host membership page to remove the automatic renewal of my credit card. I have never received a reply back. All I am asking is to remove the automatic renewal on my credit card. When you call, all you get is a chance to record a message and this is it. No live person to talk with.

  

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  The refund was processed on May 15th.  When Mr. ******* initially reached out, he did not reply to our request for a reason for a refund and the request timed out.  Our customer service team reached out directly to him to resolve the issue.

  Customer response

  06/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am a member. Member #******. I went to a web site to cancel after they took money out today for 2023 (another year) we don't want another year because we don't travel anymore. Only used 3x's last year as we don't travel. I knew we couldn't cancel last year but DO NOT want another year. Just want a refund. Just taken out today.

  

  Business response

  05/02/2023

  Thank you for reaching out.  Our customer service team had a direct dialogue and issued a refund the morning of May 1, 2023.

  Customer response

  05/12/2023

  Complaint has been corrected from Harvest Hosts

• Initial Complaint

  04/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Ever since HH has acquired *********** *******, they have treated hosts like second class citizens... yet they promised the would not.... I'm sick and tired of my support requests being repeatedly ignored, I'm sick and tired of HH not providing a UI way to edit our posts... they bought ** to shutdown their operations but are trying to pretend that they're on board with the vision... they're LIARS....

  

  Business response

  04/28/2023

  The Company has been in frequent contact with Mr. ******** to resolve his issues and will continue to respond to his inquiries as long as he remains an active Host.  Sharing the details of his conversations in public is not appropriate as it contains extremely offensive language.  However, if the BBB would like to receive transcripts of his conversations with our team, we will share those offline.  We have nothing further to add at this time.

  Customer response

  04/28/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it doesn't address the cause of the complaint and it's a cheap attempt to discredit me with ad homonym attacks... My complaint is valid and doesn't detract from the issue at hand... Since Harvest Hosts purchased *********** ******* it has severely crippled the usability of the site and continues to ignore requests for digital functionality to be restored from the previous website, including the ability for users to change their Listing Title, as well as users to change their default profile picture. Explicit language does NOTHING to detract from those facts... so try again.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ********

  

  Business response

  05/02/2023

  We have no further comment.

  Customer response

  05/02/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:it's a non-answer and HH refuses to actually refute the facts. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear BBB, I am a member in good standing with Harvest Host hereinafter (HH). I contacted HH on several occasions regarding my out-of-pocket costs for staying at a host that HH suggested. HH offered me a free one-year membership valued at $139.00 however, I am out of pocket $674.00 through no fault of my own. I specifically asked HH to extend my membership for an equivalent amount of time to make up for my out-of-pocket expenses and HH refused. This is what occurred on February 25th, 2023. Harvest Host suggested an overnight stay at a Host. The Host is the Castle Glen Estates Farm and Winery hereinafter (CGEFW). CGEFW mandated a $22.50 parking and deposit fee. They did not respond to my request through the Harvest Host website and when I emailed them, they stated that I can only book an evening stay through their website. The website stated that the fee amount would be deducted from any purchase at the CGEFW. According to HH this practice by a host is violation of their agreement with the Host. Before, arriving to CGEFW, their directions lead us to a private road. You can read the reviews as I am not the first person that has ended up on this private road. When my rig could not back up on the private road, I had to knock on the door of a stranger Chris Adams for assistance. Mr. Adams said this happens all the time HH rigs end up on his property. After, he assisted us, and I venomed him $50.00 for damage my rig did to his yard. When we finally arrived at the CGEFW, the host greeted us saw our rig and did not indicate that there was any issue with the size of my rig. We were instructed by the host to park on the gravel path adjacent to CGEFW. While attempting to park and because of the rain, my rig became was stuck in mud, and I had to call a tow truck to assist and pull my rig out of the mudded grass. I incurred a $602.08 towing expense. After all that expense and in accordance with Harvest Host policy, we stayed overnight and even spent $186.62 at CGEFW and to add insult to injury, the winery did not even deduct the $22.50 from our bill. The total out of pocket expense for that evening cost me $674.58. My out-of-pocket expenses way exceed that amount of a year of HH membership, and I have no fault in this matter. Any and all receipts have been submitted to HH and are available for review. Lisa M. Golub-Gonzalez

  

  Business response

  04/27/2023

  Harvest Hosts appreciates Ms. Golub-Gonzalez's outreach to Harvest Hosts customer support in March 2023 which ultimately was resolved through a phone conversation on April 6, 2023.  Harvest Hosts is an on-line booking platform and stay details, or interactions between users, are strictly between the Host and the Member, which is clearly outlined in our terms of use available at www.harvesthosts.com.  As agreed with Ms. Golub-Gonzalez, Harvest Hosts issued a one-year membership credit and reached out to the Host to ensure they were not charging an overnight parking fee with this clearly reflected on their Host profile.

  Customer response

  04/28/2023

  Complaint: 19949924
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The one year membership fee credit offered by HH is valued at $139.00. I am still at a loss of $535.00. There is no ability for me to resolve the issue with the host as suggested by HH because the host is also has damages to their neighboring property caused by my RV when I was stuck in the mud in the grass field.
  HH has the ability to make me whole by offering more than a one year membership credit since I am at no fault regarding this incident.

  Regards,
  
  Lisa Golub-Gonzalez

  

  Business response

  04/28/2023

  Since Ms. Golub-Gonzalez agreed on April 6, 2023 via a phone call with our Company's CFO to the final next steps and resolution, we will provide further details here for the BBB to have more context and to explain why the Company will not reimburse her for towing.

  First, in our Terms of Use (*************************************/), we clearly explain in Section 4. Interaction with Other Users that the User, meaning Ms. Golub-Gonzalez, is solely responsible for interaction with Registered Users, meaning Hosts, and that the Company is not responsible for any liability incurred as the result of such interactions.

  Second, also in our Terms of Use, Section 7. Disclaimer of Warranties and Conditions, Cap on Liability, the Company is limited to the total amount Ms. Golub-Gonzalez paid to the Company one month prior to the act or $100.  Even though the Company has no liability related to this matter, we have provided a credit of $139 as a courtesy.

  Third, the Company is in the business of providing a online reservation platform.  We do not:

  1. Make recommendations for places to stay - this is entirely up to the Member

  2. We do not guarantee the weather - it might rain

  3. We do not guarantee the type of surface parking lot the hosts has - for example, a grassy field

  4. We cannot know how heavy a Member's RV might be - possibly between 13,000 and 30,000 pounds

  5. We cannot ensure that all of our Members consider weather conditions, parking surfaces, and the weight of their RV before making the decision to park

  As an analogy to online restaurant reservation systems, a person who makes a restaurant reservation through an online reservation platform, selects food that warns that it is not cooked (such as sushi), and becomes ill would not consider that the online reservation platform should reimburse them for medical bills.  The patron would look to the restaurant or simply consider making different choices in the future.

  As explained to, and agreed by, Ms. Golub-Gonzalez, we have complied with the terms of our verbal agreement in full.  We will not reimburse for towing an RV Ms. Golub-Gonzalez got stuck in the mud.

  Customer response

  04/30/2023

  Complaint: 19949924
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  To address the 5 points made by HH,
  

  1) I agree that HH does in fact make recommendations for places to stay, that is how I found the winery on the HH website.

  2) I agree that HH can not guarantee the weather,

  3) I agree that HH can not guarantee surface conditions,
  

  4) HH does in fact state what the length of the rig should be for each host, in this case it was 49 feet in total, which I was in full compliance with and if HH wants to know the weight of my RV it is 13,000 pounds which is on the lower end for a rig of this size,
  

  5) I agree that HH can not ensure all the conditions regarding weather, parking, surfaces, as these things can change on a day to day basis.

  I am not sure of the relevance to these 5 points made by HH but I wanted to respond. 

  HH also makes a also restaurant analogy which is meritless. As an attorney, I know that if a patron becomes ill from the food served at a restaurant that restaurant and any platform that recommends the restaurant can be held jointly and severally liable for any and all medical bills incurred by the patron.
  

  Finally, HH states they will not reimburse for the towing expense which is why I am only requesting that my membership fees be waived for three years.

  Lisa M. Golub-Gonzalez
  

   

  
  
  Regards,
  
  Lisa Golub-gonzalez

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩