We have used VRBO for over 10 years and have never been in a situation like what happened with this property. We booked Property ID 1810932 which is a 3-Bedroom House with large living room, fireplaces and more. The Owner called the day before we left saying they were kindly setting up desks for us to work from home and we will be staying at the "Cottage". We packed up 10 days worth of clothes, food, and pet supplies and drove the 3 hours to the house. Upon arrival we pulled up next to the House that was in the photos, and were told "No, that is booked you're staying over here" and we were led to an Apartment that is part of the Owners' House that is also on the property. The Apartment is smaller than our current apartment in the city and the Owner's live right upstairs. While the Apartment is certainly nice, it was far from the large House we had booked and was not suitable for the 10-day stay we had planned. The Owner's tried to explain they told us it was the "Cottage" but they should have clarified it was not the Property ID we booked and paid for through VRBO, and instead, was an entirely different listing. They used the term "Cottage" but should have said it specifically was a small 2-bedroom apartment and NOT the listing we booked.
The Owner's did understand that this was not what we expected and said it was a double booking error, and they refunded our money. However, we spent a lot of time and money packing up for a long stay and would have expected clear communication on the difference between the House we booked and what they actually had available.