Florida Houseboat Vacations

"Reservation cancelled upon plane landing. Was told property was vandalized and owner would try to get a generator for us but they were really hard to come by. Spent first four days of our vacation in hotels not planned for or wanted. Owner Deb called to say she was giving us a “free $1400 upgrade” to a bigger, really nice boat but we would need to pay balance of days(she asked for cash! And suggested I go to ATM several times over vacation to get that cash!) huge red flag! Upon arrival, the property was a mess, car tire ramps to cross(not secured, no lighting) the dock to a boat-which we had to walk across then cross another dock onto “free upgrade” boat. What a dump! Dark, smelly, NO drawers in the dresser! Owner said the dresser drawers were vandalized(nothing else was vandalized in the property—???) huge red flag. When we inquired about original houseboat booking, she referred to just simply running to Home Depot to grab a generator like it was no big deal! The exact reason she said we couldn’t come there in first place! I knew then she was a total scam! I also texted we were in town and we were going to stop to just see the grounds. Deb said no, she couldn’t have anyone at property. Another huge red flag. Thankfully we did not pay ahead to “secure” this boat. Deb got a little testy suggesting we were putting her in a bad spot by not taking the boat. My husband even gave her $100 cash as a kind gesture! Forget her part that she had us literally stuck upon arrival! Do yourself a favor and stay far away. She will make herself out to be the victim and it sounds like take money and then say it’s non refundable. She preys on peoples kindness and trust! Read the other reviews. This is her M.O.. I honestly don’t know how people like this sleep at night! She’ll maybe reply rebutting all of this-also her M.O.. too bad that energy isnt put into getting her business and property in order. I honestly don’t know her end game of all this but save yourself a ton of time and headache, do not book here."

"I bought too many Groupons for Kayaks, canceled 2 back in Feb when I realized my mistake.I still had 4 rentals left. Made the reservations for April 14 when our grandsons came for Spring break. I confirmed it April 8. We texted to see if we could be an hour late. Never heard back until we rushed to make the 11:00 appointment and pulled up. They said they were in Tampa and couldn’t be back for over an hour. I got a text saying she thought I canceled and sent the 2 canceled vouchers. I sent her the ones I didn’t cancel and never heard back. This person said they were at Moffitt. I know how long it takes for an appointment with Moffitt from experience and from confirming on April 8 to April 14 I know the appointment was not made in those few days. I thought I would get an apology or something but nothing. I do have all the texts and all the vouchers , the canceled and the not canceled. I noticed it was everyone else’s fault when there was bad comments so I am sure this will be my fault also. Of course you can’t get your money back from Groupon so this was an expensive experience."

"I bought a Groupon for a pontoon rental with Houseboats Margaritaville. I called to make the reservation and spoke with Deb, who was the friendliest person, and even suggested their deck boat instead. She asked me to cancel the Groupon and pay her directly as she said they lost so much money with Groupon fees. I was happy to oblige (though should have been a red flag) and I was so excited. Within a couple days of making my reservation, I texted to see if it would be okay to change from a Sunday the 6th to a Friday the 4th because my daughter's graduation was happening, and travel and event plans were coming together for the school and my family's flights. Deb said no problem, and I thought all was set as was discussed in detail over a text message and phone conversation. Not once did I think I had put her out or there was a problem. Fast forward...I called the day before to make sure all was okay (Thank goodness), and Deb acted like she never heard of me and said I was down for the following Friday (which made absolutely no sense). I was so confused and tried to jog her memory of our phone and text conversations. She said she talks to so many people and asked where my proof was and she didn't like my insinuating she had made a mistake. (I do have proof on my text thread after looking back) She said her boat was already booked, the other boat was broken, it wasn't going to work out, and she was going to give my money back - and slammed the phone down on me. She was stressed, no doubt, but to slam the phone down was uncalled for. I checked my credit card and saw that a refund was pending, but later saw it was not there. The credit card company said the merchant had apparently rescinded the refund, which is forcing us to dispute the charge with the credit card company, which equates to stealing. For sure, I made the mistake of not getting a formal reservation change, but dang...she was so nice and made me feel so confident all was fine from the phone conversations and texts. Learn from my mistake if you decide to do business with these people. She is very nice, but she will turn on you so quickly if there is a confrontation. I am giving one star for the unprofessional, rude customer service. Now let's see if she writes something back - blaming me and making excuses like I notice she's done with other negative reviewers. .As predicted , your response is filled with blaming and sadly, downright lies. Nothing was discussed about Groupons or priority bookings, nor did I care about such things once I paid directly and had my reservation. I paid what the Groupon rate was - that simple - no "special" deals. You set the rate - not me - and I did what I was asked to do when was asked to cancel the Groupon and pay direct. If I knew I'd get bumped, I would never have done it - who would for a big family occasion? I was understandably frustrated, never angry. I never threatened you and I have proof on my text messages that all you say is untrue about the dates. I am happy to take a photo of the text thread. I was never trying to re-book anything, just checking in to make sure all was set and ready to go for the day we agreed to, and I was concerned about the weather. I am not trying to do damage, but did not appreciate the way I was treated. You slammed the phone down on me, or this discussion could be private. Regardless, I'm sure you have many happy customers."