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FOX25 Investigates complaints against local vacation rental company

BOSTON — A half dozen people told FOX25 Investigates they are waiting for refunds after vacations booked through a local company were suddenly canceled.

Both Elisa Reynolds and Nikki Bennett booked a vacation at a Bretton Woods ski house through a local company, Our Rental Paradise. They said they found the Massachusetts company during a search on TripAdvisor's vacation home rental site. They both paid up front and in full for their vacations.

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Reynolds paid $3,500 to stay at the ski house. Bennett paid less because she was only staying for the weekend.

Both women have similar stories of how and why their vacation was canceled.

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Reynolds was told the company accidentally double booked the ski house, and that she could no longer stay there. Bennett was also told she couldn't stay in the home, this time because a washer had flooded it.

Both families said they're still waiting for a refund from Our Rental Paradise, which has a P.O. Box in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Bennett and Reynolds connected on social media about their experience, and it turns out  they aren't alone. FOX25 Investigates has heard from four additional renters who said they lost money and vacations through this same company.

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"I was just sick to my stomach when I started coming across other people who said they had been scammed," said Bennett.

FOX25's Kerry Kavanaugh reached out to people affiliated with Our Rental Paradise. They gave FOX25 conflicting stories about the status of the properties and their roles in the company.

The company claimed refunds would be processed, but the families involved said they had been waiting for months. Some have contacted the police.

TripAdvisor told FOX25 that "We can't control how the independent homeowners who list with us conduct themselves, but we do take quick, decisive action when they fall short  this can mean suspending or permanently removing their listing.  In this case, the property was permanently removed from our site."

The Massachusetts Attorney General said that the office has received eight complaints against the Our Rental Paradise since 2011: one in 2011, two in 2012, three in 2015 and one so far this year. The New Hampshire Attorney General reports that its office had one active complaint in 2016.

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TripAdvisor said it continues to seek refunds for the customers who went through their site.

However, the families aren't holding their breath.

Full statement from TripAdvisor's Laurel Greatrix:

We want the best for every TripAdvisor traveler and we hold the homeowners who advertise with us to a high standard.  Homeowners are subject to a number of security checks before their properties appear on our site.  Once live, we monitor their accounts (such as their response rate to travelers and inbound customer service calls) to ensure they continue to meet our high standards.  We can’t control how the independent homeowners who list with us conduct themselves, but we do take quick, decisive action when they fall short – this can mean suspending or permanently removing their listing.  In this case, the property was permanently removed from our site.

This homeowner takes payment directly from travelers and we have no oversight or involvement in their booking process.  They have advertised with us since 2006 with no previous complaints.  After receiving the first complaint on this account, we contacted the homeowner on several occasions to echo the customer’s refund request.  A refund continues to be promised but has not yet been provided.  We expect the highest standards from our homeowners and, as such, we’ve removed this homeowner permanently.  We have and will continue to follow-up regarding the refund they’ve promised and owe.