Travel Troubleshooter: Vrbo offered a refund after my husband lost his job. Where is it?

Q: My husband unexpectedly lost his job last year. We had to cancel a two-day vacation rental through Vrbo. I spoke to a Vrbo representative, who agreed to issue a partial refund of $751. I waited a month but did not receive anything.

I called Vrbo and the company told me it approved the refund, but that I would need to contact the property owner since he was the one holding up the refund. I contacted him again. Now he says he doesn't know anything about a refund and never agreed to one.

Can you help me sort this out? Initially, all I wanted was a refund of the cleaning fee since we weren't there. But ideally, I would like them to honor their promise of a partial refund.

A: Vrbo's refund policies vary. You have to click on the property page to see the exact terms and conditions for your rental. They can range from a lenient policy that offers a 100% refund if you cancel at least 14 days before check-in, to a strict no-refund policy. On this point there's no debate: You were past your refund period.

The correspondence between you and the owner is problematic. If you read it a certain way, it looks as if some kind of refund is due. And you say that Vrbo promised you a refund. But the rental manager also says no refund is due. That's confusing.

So, what's going on? To find out, you would have had to contact Vrbo directly. I don't see any correspondence with Vrbo in your paper trail. But you can easily reach out to the company online.

I checked with Vrbo. It doesn't have any record of offering you a refund. But when I inquired about your case, it refunded the $88 service charge. That still leaves $663 in charges, which you say Vrbo promised it would refund you. A Vrbo representative told me that you were not eligible for a refund.

"However, the guest did purchase trip insurance through CSA/Generali Global Assistance, which partners with Vrbo to offer travel protection for bookings," the representative told me. "This policy may provide coverage for involuntary termination of employment, so we recommend that she follow up with CSA/Generali."

Unfortunately, you were not eligible to file an insurance claim because your husband lost his job within 10 days of purchasing the policy. The insurance says it has to be at least two weeks before you can file a claim.

I relayed that information to Vrbo, and it offered to advocate for the insurance company to honor your claim. You received a full refund.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit consumer organization. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.