To have expected that the owners of this holiday let would not be living in the building.

i See they made a different description now
So not sneaky

but I’m used to questionable descriptions so I’d have checked why the images and descriptions don’t stack up

but agree. Not sneaky

Theyre sneaky owners I’d say but technically haven’t lied

If they don’t speak English they probably don’t even realise it isn’t accurate.

The French listing makes it clear they live underneath.

Yes I’m not surprised the hosts are a bit baffled, the French version looks fairly honest. Do you speak French? (Or mind doing a translate app convo if not!) Worth a chat to say you understand the crossed wires and can you work together on it, which might allow you to salvage some more peace and have more chance of a good outcome from Vrbo.

Owners have played a blinder here

Entire home - technically yes as it’s the top floor flat.
Naughty

However the images show a bbq on a raised balcony, not ground floor
You can see railings/ balcony from the dining rm image too
The aerial view shows a much larger house well in excess of the accommodation you are offered on the site

I've used booking.com for years and check everything. With this one I would have queried the bbq and balcony and who else lived in the building.

Theyre sneaky owners I’d say but technically haven’t lied

Hope you managed to get this sorted, it sounds like a stressful situation!

Rather than falling out with the owners get them onside in complaining to vrbo. They are going to get more complaints if they take bookings from other English speakers. It is vrbo who have failed to include vital information which the owners provided. Once they realise you're on the same side they might be more willing to accommodate your requests for quiet.

Wow that is quite a big difference between the Vrbo description and the one on the French version of Vrbo. I wonder if the owners are even aware of this? If I was them I would also be taking it up with Vrbo/Abritel.

So sorry your holiday is not going as planned. So disappointing.

Here's what it says on the French version of VRBO

Vos hôtes seront sur place , très discrets, dans un appartement situé au sous sol, toujours présents pour le moindre service.

Google translated that as

Your hosts will be on site, very discreet, in an apartment located in the basement, always available for the slightest service.

Agree the reviews looks suspect as they use literally the same words all describing the owners as discreet.

(ETA weird formatting disappeared once posted)

This is down to VRBO using an auto generated description on their British site, which is shocking. The French description, written by the owners, is honest that they live there.

Like booking . com do they are clearly just using listed amenities to generate a description . That means important information has been missed out. VRBO shoukd be compensating for this.

As an aside, if you are ever booking via booking . com read the 'host information ' which is actually the owner written description. The 'property description' is auto generated and misses out important information.

Do call VRBO while you are there and focus on the fact you filtered for a house, and it’s not a house. This is misleading as you would not have booked it if you knew. Escalate your complaint, if necessary.
Also say the owners are running a noisy business from the property, which is negatively affecting your stay.
Pleaae, please, please mention both these things in your review so others are aware.
I wouldn’t be happy either

Record video of the vans coming and going to demonstrate the noise too.

I agree - you need to contact VRBO while packing up to go elsewhere if you want any kind of refund. Which may be more stressful than its worth.

Seems dodgy to me having 15 reviews all giving 10/10.
Can you move your bedroom to another part of the house to get some sleep…

They wanted me to accept a voucher instead.

I've been waiting 7 years for someone to say this! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Wow, why did Mark Warner do that? That’s awful.

Chargeback: I successfully did this when Mark Warner refused to refund a holiday they cancelled during the pandemic.

1. Pursue the owners and VRBO first - give them, say, 6 weeks for a refund or partial refund (whatever you think is fair). Put everything in writing and keep screenshots/evidence including the listing and your photos.
2. If they refuse, contact your credit card supplier and ask how to apply for a chargeback. Mine is American Express and there's a portal to upload the evidence. They contact the person you have a dispute with and ask them to respond. In my case, Mark Warner didn't have a leg to stand on, they were acting unlawfully and the chargeback happened quite quickly. Incidentally I'd never book a holiday with them again.

These days I'd save time by using ChatGPT or Gemini - feed in the information and evidence and ask it the best way go about complaining and how to phrase the complaints.

@WatchingCometsLand I wonder if you could glean some tips, wrt compensation, from this fb page?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/220641516813509/posts/819947556882899/

eta; missed word

If you want a refund you need to complain to Vrbo while you're there. I think you also need to make moves to leave. If you complain afterwards Vrbo will not be helpful. I know because I had a similar experience earlier this year. I'd contact customer service right away.

That’s shocking, @NCTDN! whoever had done the version for English speakers has left out really important information and created a really misleading ad!

I think the reviews could be fake, each review 10/10 Excellent, really having to share the property with the owners on site! I would be looking for a part refund.How long was the property booked for? I would be asking for at least £1,000 refund.The advert is totally misleading.

The 10/10 reviews seem suspect considering it’s not a “country” house, but a flat.

Actually photos have uploaded the other way round.

Photo the place and record the noise. How awful for you to have this hassle on holiday. Don’t pay anything in cash. Tell the owners not to make noise. Email them as well about this. Complain to the letting company. Complain to the townhall about the swimming pool because an alarm or protection is not listed. All in ground pools need a specific alarm, fence or cover to prevent drownings. Has any pool security been explained to you? The fine is substantial for not complying with this law.

The difference between the French version (1st photo but obv translated to English) and the English version (2nd photo) is shocking !