written by JohnDoe1967 on 11/09/2023
We booked a villa with Debbie’s Villas on 22nd June 2023 and paid a deposit of £664.95. The booking is for 17th August 2024, which as of today is 351 days away. Since we have nearly a year until the holiday, I have not arranged any travel insurance yet. Unfortunately, my wife was recently diagnosed with a grade 4 brain tumour which is terminal. If she does survive until then and is well enough to take the holiday, I have been told that travel insurance can be as much as £20,000 which makes the holiday impossible. I spoke to Debbie’s Villas today to enquire about cancelling the booking due to my wife’s prognosis and was told that the deposit was non-refundable. I informed them that if I were to cancel today, they would still have nearly a year to rent the villa to another party. I was again told that they could not refund the deposit, even under these circumstances. I explained that if I was to wait until the final payment was due (6th June 2024) and then cancel, it would be far more difficult for them to rent the villa in that short time frame. I was told again that the deposit is 100% non-refundable. I can understand this treatment if I’d changed my mind on a whim or at the last minute, but to refuse under these circumstances with so long left to go is just heartless.
written by LaurieMorley on 18/02/2021
“Just wanted to place a personal message of thanks and appreciation to the Debbie's Villas team for sorting out our cancelled holiday arrangements to Florida for next year, not just once, but several times, which was brought about by the ever changing policy of a certain airline. Everything was done without a problem, smooth and easy, just how you want it to be. I just wish some of the bigger companies out there would take a leaf out of this companies approach towards customer service, which has been exceptional in my view.”
written by Freddy1952 on 13/02/2021
Like many other customers, my holiday has been massively affected because of Covid, not once but twice! The first time I needed to change dates was in 2020 and although I was about 4 months away from going I wanted to play it safe and change my villa over. Debbie's Villas staff helped me select alternative accommodation because my first choice villa was unavailable (the owner was selling). I have just managed to change my 2021 holiday to next year. We were meant to be going in June 2021 but there is too much uncertainty around. Debbie's Villas have once again allowed me to move my deposit to a future booking - 3rd time lucky - fingers crossed we get there this time. The only downside in all of this is that I now have to pay more for my children's flights and park tickets because they are older. Thank you for being so professional in all my dealings with you team DV.
written by AlanBowater on 11/02/2021
I booked with this mob in 2019 for a villa holiday in June 2020 for 8 people. Paid a £750 deposit plus £50 deposit for park tickets. Covid meant we couldn't go so they charged us £25 to move the booking to June 2021. Our Government have announced there will be no foreign travel again this year so contacted Debbie's and asked for a refund. Their answer was a point blank no. No negotiation just no. We are not in a position to delay again so this utterly unethical company thinks it's laughing all the way to the bank with my £825. Utterly disgusting and I would advise everyone to avoid a company who obviously value profit over people.
written by Billybear71 on 13/07/2020
Excellent company that has supplied my wife and I with beautiful villas since 2017. Excellent help in sorting us out through covid situation. I would recommend to anyone for quality and customer service. Staff in UK and Florida are amazing and answer any questions very quickly via email or telephone. Website is excrptionaly easy to use and book
written by Lawrencel234 on 23/05/2020
I've just read a comment written by someone else who has fallen foul of Debbies Villas failure to refund villa accommodation costs. I had a similar reply from Debbies Villas when I asked for a refund when my holiday was cancelled due to flight cancellations and travel bans that are completely beyond my control. Whilst I do have insurance, there would be an excess charge on my policy of £300, and I'm not at all happy about losing this amount when all my other outlays for my 'holiday' have been refunded in FULL. It's only Debbies Villas who have refused to refund my £2,000 plus that I have paid for my villa. We have used DV's many times over the years, and whilst they have been helpfull and supportive when we have encountered other issues, they are totally refusing to help when it comes to refunding my money. The Competition Marketing Authority (CMA) have stated that all compaines should be refunding money that has been paid for goods and services that customers have lost due to the pandemic, so I suggest that anyone in this position reports these companies to the CMA via their website, and then ask your credit card company to ask for a chargeback, before meekly giving in and claiming from your travel insurance. It's all about principal at the end of the day, and companies such as Debbies Villas should do the morally correct thing and give us back our hard earned cash.
written by Hanandsue on 21/03/2020
We have had our holiday cancelled due to the pandemic. Every other company we have dealt with has refunded the money. Flights (BA), car (Through BA), Orlando attraction tickets, booking. Com (refunded deposit even though they didn’t have to) apart from Debbies Villas who have kept over £2500 and told my parents to make a claim on insurance. For a service we haven’t and can’t receive. I’d steer clear of this company. We will not use again.
Written on: 26/03/2020
We are very sorry to read these comments - from the information given, it sounds like the customers had 'accommodation only' which means that we would have already paid the villa owner and we would have no legal recourse to claim the monies back from them. Villa owners have cited many reasons why they are unable to refund, the two main ones being 1) They have been holding the dates for the customer for months, sometimes years and cancelling at such a late stage means it would be impossible for them to replace the booking
2) They still have bills (including mortgage) to pay despite the pandemic and have budgeted taking into account the rental income they expected to receive.
It can be seen from the vast majority of our reviews that we are a very customer-focused business and if we could have given refunds, we would have, but our contractual obligations prevented us from doing this on villa bookings (please note that we have been able to arrange refunds on attraction tickets and car hire). However, we were able to negotiate with the vast majority of villa owners for a 'change of dates' all the way up to the end of 2021 and large numbers of customers were very happy with this option and selected it.
In a few instances the customer has said this is not possible, and it is in these cases where, regrettably, we are unable to identify any other solution than to suggest that the customer speaks to their travel insurance company instead.
We have been working tirelessly on finding solutions for thousands of customers during this unprecedented time, listening to everybody’s needs and concerns and adhering to every guideline, suggestion and policy that ABTA are advising us to do. One point to mention is that it does seem unfair that some customers are spending thousands on a holiday and not getting insured for it, expecting individual villa owners to take the loss instead (please note that this booking is not an example of this, but we feel we should make this point in an effort to encourage all customers to take out travel insurance as soon as you have booked a holiday).
Written on: 01/06/2020
Have you reported to CMA ? also see TRUST PILOT
Written on: 30/05/2020
REPORT TO CMA SO THEY CAN INVESTIGATE THIS COMPANY!
written by Montgomery1010 on 30/07/2019
Our holiday was fantastic and the villa was superb. We had some issues following a storm and the local management team were fantastic and responded immediately. From the start of the booking process until the very end Debbie's Villas have been brilliant. We would definitely use you again.
written by shanetrafford on 05/07/2019
Debbie’s Villas have been brilliant throughout the whole process and the villa was ‘out of this world’. It was really modern and felt like it was our home from home. The mobility scooter we hired from Debbie’s Villas was a real godsend. We really can’t sing your praises enough and we will definitely be using your company again.
written by echansen on 22/02/2019
Booked a villa in Orlando with Debbie's Villas. Friendly, efficient, helpful - can't fault them at all. Just wished they operated in other places as well as superb company.
written by on 05/02/2019
As advised by Debbie's Villas we stayed on Highlands Reserve near Davenport. We went to play golf and found the course to be excellent. We had a very good 4 bed, 3 bath villa facing west and backing onto open land and woodland. There was a pool within the lanai and we were able to enjoy a glass of wine (or more) as the sun went down most evenings. The villa was well equipped and spotless. It was managed by a company on site who were most efficient. Within easy reach were many golf courses including Celebration, Champions Gate, Providence and Reunion all of which we played. We could walk (about 15 mins) to a Thai restaurant, a Pizza restaurant, a Burger bar and a local steak bar. These were all next to a local Publix supermarket which we used most days. Orlando theme parks were within 30 minutes, the Kennedy Space Centre was about an hours drive and Sarasota about an hour and a half away. We found Debbie's Villas a pleasure to deal with, honest, straight forward and most efficient and we wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
written by redla on 31/01/2019
We really enjoyed our stay at the Townhouse on Encantada and it met all of our expectations. The vicinity to all attractions was good and the actual location of the house backing onto the lake and catching all the afternoon sun in the pool area was lovely. Although we didn't use the main pool at the club house it also looked really nice. > Finally I would just like to compliment Debbie's Villas themselves. All dealings and communications have been without fault and I would definitely recommend your company
written by PalmerFamily on 27/09/2018
September 18 - Just come back from the villa booked at Champions gate Florida. Gated community was one of the best communities that I have been on and the villa was outstanding would definitely go to the same villa and community again. The service provided by the staff was excellent nothing was too much trouble from start to finish gold star customer service provided. Have already recommended Debbie's Villas to a number of my family and friends, would recommend anyone to check this company out. Its great the way you can view and pick the villa you want before you book.
written by SilG on 23/04/2018
Debbie’s Villas are a fantastic company. We booked a six bedroom villa in Emerald Island Kissimmee to take our children and grandchildren on a holiday of a lifetime and it certainly was. We dealt with a lady who was so knowledgeable and helpful. The villa was fabulous and lived up to and beyond our expectations. We will certainly use this company again. The price was right too. We looked at several websites but Debbie’s Villas came out best for everything. The welcome pack at the villa was a lovely touch too. We only had to call the management company out once as there was something wrong the the heating in the pool and they came the very next morning. Well done Debbie’s Villas!! Our memories will last a lifetime thanks to you.
written by McKenzie328 on 19/04/2018
We stayed recently at 317 belfry drive davenport .this villa is very well equipped has a lovely pool great location near a golf course with decent access to parks and local restaurants.Overall a nice experience nothing to complain about
written by iandavy on 16/04/2018
We had a good feeling about Debbie’s Villas before we traveled , just the care and serviced seemed very good , we asked about renting a double pushchair , they didn’t have what we wanted but contacted us 2 days later saying they would purchase one and rent it to us if we still wanted , it was there when we arrived and perfect , we arrived late and there was a nice welcome pack with bread butter tea coffee and more , the Villa itself was very well equipped , spacious with plenty of quality towels , we had one issue while there and it was sorted really quickly to our satisfaction , We will without doubt use them next time we visit and are really please to recommend them Regards
written by on 06/04/2018
To Debbie's Vilas Just back from our holiday in Reunion, excellent accommodation, 5 star all the way. We have been to Orlando many times over the years but this is the best condo ever. Please book with them as their service is second to none . You will not be disappointed. This company cannot do enough for you. They phone you before you go to see if you need anything or ask any questions, they phone you a few days after you get home to see if everything went well. We will not look anywhere else in the future. Trust me this company is excellent.
written by threeelms on 12/03/2018
we go to florida every year sometimes twice and have stayed in many villas with many different companies but up until 2 weeks ago we have never had the service given to us by the staff at Debbie's Villas. They went over and beyond to help us find a Villa for the next day when we found out the night before travelling that our original Villa was double booked and we had no accommodation. on the morning of our flight and there staff worked miracles to find us an outstanding villa for our arrival and kept us up to date through out with constant calls. The Villa was great and the staff allowed early access to the house and was so helpful. They even sent us a free welcome pack on the day which was impressive at such short notice and the lovely delivery couple worked direct for Debbie's villas also. Will definitely be making all future bookings with them and recommending them to all my friends. Big thumbs up.
written by Loobyxx on 19/10/2017
We (party of 9) have returned today from a 2 week stay in Orlando with Debbies Villas. Excellent customer service and communication, very appreciated welcome pack and the sorting out of an electric wheelchair. Really couldn't fault them and will defo be using them again and recommending to others
written by 2inrosecott on 16/10/2017
The brooking process was incredibly simple and efficient. We requested a sat nav which arrived in plenty of time along with a pre paid return envelope. It was so much cheaper then with the car hire company. The villa was amazing and totally met our expectation. I would recommend Debbie’s Villas to anyone who asked me. It was fantastic
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Debbiesvillas's Response to AlanBowater's Review
Written on: 15/02/2021
"Hi, we are very saddened to read this and would like to respond as we do feel that the content is unfair and also gives the impression of a company ‘grabbing the money and running’, something which we have never done in 20 years of trading. Our customers are at the forefront of everything we do and thousands of customers have experienced our Award-winning service over the last 20 years. In an effort to give a balanced viewpoint for the reader, here is our full response to the customer’s wife which was sent to her yesterday and which has prompted this post:
Hi Gillian,
I really am sorry to read your reply and we do sympathise with you at this difficult time.
Nicola Sturgeon and some other politicians are being rather unfair at the moment and ABTA are working hard to persuade them not to make such inappropriate comments. No one knows yet how the situation will be in 4/5/6 months time and as Boris Johnson said last night, it’s just too early to talk about the Summer. So at this stage we just don’t know for definite if your holiday will be affected.
It is correct that nobody should be out of pocket, but if all travel companies were to refund non-refundable deposits – there would be no travel companies left, it is the lifeblood of businesses, especially travel ones. In addition, when you made the booking with us, we took on financial commitments which we are not able to renege on despite the pandemic – we have obligations that we need to fulfil so it’s simply not financially possible for us to refund every single deposit.
The pandemic is not anyone’s fault and we are just trying to do the best we can for customers within the constraints we are working.
We are following all ABTA guidelines, and trying to help every single customer where possible.
We are not saying your deposit is lost, we do not want any customer to lose their money, we are offering for it to be used in the future and we are trying to be as flexible as we can.
The Covid guarantee you mentioned is only for new customers after a certain date as we have been able to negotiate all future contracts with owners, suppliers, management companies etc – we would not be able to go back and change historical contracts I’m afraid, even though we would have very much wanted to do that, it has just not been possible.
The reason why in our FAQs we mention insurance companies – is because this scenario is what they are there for, to cover unforeseen circumstances. However unfortunately they would not currently accept a claim from you, as at present it would fall under ‘disinclination to travel’ as we don’t know what the Government restrictions will be in June.
We can look to extend the offer of a credit into 2024 if this helps you? Another option if you don’t think you’re able to partake of another holiday to Orlando in the next 3 years would be to move the booking to another party name? Some customers have done this and it keeps the deposit safe. The person taking over the booking would then give you your deposit back. Just a thought, we are trying to find as many ways as possible to help customers.
If you have any queries, please let us know.
We hope that this has given the reader some semblance of balance.