PENN FOREST TOWNSHIP, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A family from New York will finally get back the thousands they shelled out for a vacation rental in the Poconos they call a "nightmare" booking.
28/22 News spoke to the family about what they discovered upon arriving, including what they described as mold and safety hazards.
The family may be getting their $6,000 back after they‘ve been fighting for months for a refund after booking a rental home in Carbon County.
Back in December 2024, the Shumack family packed up and headed to the Poconos for their third annual New Year’s Eve trip.
Remembering one of Scranton’s finest
Expecting luxury and relaxation over the holiday they, along with five other families, traveled to a home in Albrightsville off PA 534.
“Found this house and walked in and it was not like the pictures at all, completely misrepresented,” explained Jacqueline Shumack, Long Island.
That's when the trip took a turn.
“Anything that I had talked to the host about prior to going there, was lied about,” claimed Shumack.
Shumack told 28/22 News they documented everything. Taking photos and videos of what looks to be black mold filling parts of the home and hot tub, along with safety hazards, such as missing cabinet doors and exposed wires.
“The day before I contacted the host about the hot tub and she said it was in perfect working order so we got there, it was full of mold so obviously it hadn’t been working for quite some time. There was mold in the refrigerator, in the bathrooms. It was a complete nightmare,” explained Shumack.
Leaving immediately to find another rental, the family contacted the host and booking company ‘Vrbo’ expecting a full refund of $6,000.
Vrbo initially told her the issues were "minor", but later offered them half of the cost, stating that their "investigation determined that the property did not meet the criteria for significant misrepresentation".
“No consumer should have to go through this. I think it’s absurd that it’s even gotten this far for me,” said Shumack.
She’s taken her story to social media, and after months of contacting those involved, Shumack says she was told Thursday night that they will be receiving a full refund.
Something they’re grateful for, as well as the community’s support.
“Everyone has been so supportive, it’s been unbelievable. I was waiting for people to come out and say stuff, but everyone is just disgusted by the photos,” stated Shumack.
The home in Carbon County has been hidden from Vrbo's site during its investigation.
A Vrbo spokesperson sent 28/22 News the following statement on Wednesday, March 19th, before a full refund was promised to Shumack by the host on Thursday, March 20th:
"We want to ensure our guests have a positive experience and we’re sincerely sorry that wasn’t the case.
We understand that this situation has been challenging. While refunds not covered under our Book With Confidence Guarantee (BWC) are at the host's discretion, we want to ensure that Ms. Shumack feels supported. As a courtesy, Vrbo has offered her a 50% refund, which she has declined twice. This offer remains available to her, considering her experience with the property. We hope this can help address her concerns.
As background, Vrbo has a full-time Trust and Safety team that carefully reviews cases when health and safety concerns are reported. The team investigated the Shumack’s claims and determined that the property did not meet the criteria for significant misrepresentation.
The listing remains hidden from our platform while we work with the host on proper cleanliness procedures".
Vrbo has since sent 28/22 News a statement stating:
"Vrbo is providing a full refund to Mrs. Shumack due to her experience with the property. The listing remains hidden from our platform while we work with the host on proper cleanliness and safety procedures. Our customer service team will be in touch to provide her with more information."
