Booked an apartment for my family for five days in Barcelona through Plum Guide at the beginning of June. The second night we experienced a massive water leak due to a bust pipe in the apartment above us at midnight. This flooded the bathroom and one of the bedrooms. We had to insist someone come out to avoid major damage to the apartment. On the final two days of the stay we had no hot water. The host has been dismissive of our complaints and has refused a partial refund. Plum Guide despite repeated attempts has not contacted me at all regarding this experience. This was a $900 a night rental and it is absurd that we were not offered a partial refund or even an apology for this experience. I would avoid using Plum Guide at all costs now. There is absolutely no recourse if anything goes wrong and you will be out of money.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8558 posts
Thanks for the heads up. I have never heard of plum guide. Is it well known?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
It's a newer alternative to Airbnb. It is supposedly a more curated experience than Airbnb or VRBO. They have staff that they send to all their listings to vet the apartments and homes.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8558 posts
This must have been extremely frustrating for you. The situation was even more challenging since the issue was with a neighboring apartment, rather than the apartment you rent originally. I would be very upset if I was paying that type of money for that type of experience. I think I will stick with VRBO.
Posted by
470 posts
Their more curated experience sounds like a marketing sham. We've never had a bad experience with VRBO or Airbnb (knock on wood!) though I know of many people who have experienced last minute cancellations. It seems like luck of the draw with all of these companies.
Posted by
925 posts
Interesting and heart breaking. I just received this email from Condé Nast and wondered what the heck Plum Guide was. Now I know. The apartments look fantastic, though.
https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-airbnbs-in-paris?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=cnt&utm_mailing=CNT_Daily_Unpaid_061824&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5caac6da3f92a405d5bb8b37&cndid=50179398&hasha=35d1e94246959129149787062417acad&hashb=0f45a1840bcfae837f8e045dc30399d2b5a00c32&hashc=4a02794e57acb15ea0b96b2e2c8e9b9355f7c366ff9be158c7f0cf92396e87ec&esrc=CNT_IDCONDENAST_REGGATE&utm_term=CNT_DAILY_UNPAID
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1497 posts
My daughter has used them several times in London. However, on her last stay she got to the apartment to find there was no key in the lock box. It took her quite a bit of time to get it sorted out. They ended up putting her in a less desirable apartment after several hours of her waiting to get it resolved.
Posted by
629 posts
Leona, I am sorry to hear about what must've been a massively frustrating experience for you all, let alone in an uncheap rental. We used Plum Guide for a recent rental in Brick Lane (London). There were a couple hiccups but then again, we too were also guilty of some minor damage. So we did not complain. Fair is fair.
Best wishes on some resolution with your Barcelona situation.
We've had both good and bad experiences with VRBO and also Booking.com.
A tumble of the dice, yeah?
I am done. The end.