This was a first for us and the worst accommodation experience we’ve ever had.
We booked on 10 July for 7–9 August. Expedia confirmed the reservation and, the Night Before arrival, emailed “Ready for your stay in McCall” with the property address and access code.
At 4pm we arrived, having bought groceries for our 3-day stay, only to find another family checking in! They had booked through Vrbo. They called the owner and passed me the phone. She told me she does not advertise her property on Expedia.
At 16:25, while we were still on hold with Expedia, I received a call from someone claiming to be Vrbo support, saying our reservation had been cancelled and “we cancelled your access code.” How Vrbo even obtained my number remains a mystery.
Meanwhile, the Expedia app still showed our booking as valid. Expedia initially told me it was valid, then backtracked and claimed the payment hadn’t gone through — despite payment being due that day and another family already occupying the property.
2½ hours later we were still sitting on the driveway, luggage and groceries in the car, with nowhere to stay. A festival meant most McCall accommodation was full, so eventually, stressed and desperate, we found and paid for a motel ourselves.
Lesson learned: apparently even an Expedia confirmation, address and access code the night before do not guarantee you actually have accommodation. No warning, no cancellation — we discovered we were stranded only when we arrived at the door.