Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromDebbie H

  Date: 05/01/2024

  1 star

  Debbie H

  Date: 05/01/2024

  Of the 5 Condo Management Companies we have had, Real Joy Vacations is the WORST. I am writing this review because we don't want anyone else to suffer the total incompetence, and also the malice that we did because of them. Soon after we contracted with them to manage our condo we asked them to paint our living room furniture. While we were deciding on the paint colors, the home manager assigned to us told us she had already chosen our colors, and even had the gall to tell us that we would like it! The furniture is OURS, and she had no right to do this. Making matters worse, they even used the wrong type of paint, and the paint peeled off. They bought a refrigerator for us and never sent the ownership papers. It broke, they put a pitiful loaner in with broken handles, and took over 5 months to fix ours. There are other egregious acts they did, but space doesn't allow me to write all of them. The most horrendous was that we told them 3 times in emails and verbally that we did not want our den curtains removed to be cleaned, that we would deal with this, but they took them anyway, and RUINED them. They didn't even tell us, and we found out when we went there, at least 3 weeks later. We had to demand they tell us when this happened. Renters were using the condo, with no shield from the sun. Real Joy lied, and said they couldn't find the curtains; later they admitted the truth. We asked them to cover our den furniture until the new curtains came, to protect it from the intense sun, but they weren't even decent enough to do that. When we gave them the replacement estimate they said they would give us less than 1/3 of this amount, when they were COMPLETELY at fault, and did this AGAINST our will. We had to hire an attorney to recover our loss, and our property was being devalued in the meantime. They even said that I could not email them anymore, and I AM THE OWNER, which is ILLEGAL to cut communications with me!! COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE AND DISRESPECT!!!

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 05/08/2024

  This review is disheartening to see, as the team worked incredibly hard throughout the duration of the time we cared for this property. I will note that we managed the condo for almost three years. If the experience was truly the "worst" it is not likely we would have remained as the manager for that long. As in all disagreements, there are two sides. The relationship was strained from the beginning, but our team was determined to work through the issues. 
  
  
  Regarding the painted furniture, we waited for the owner to share a color to repaint worn rattan furniture. When questioned why we hadn’t painted it- we made a decision on the color. When the color didn’t meet expectations ( the owner at this point hadn't seen the repainted furniture but didn't like the shade of white we chose). We purchased new paint and repainted for no additional charge. 
  
  
  The fridge experience was a challenge. This was post Covid when supply chain issues were delaying many services. It took many calls to the warranty company to resolve in the midst of the part being on back order. Many man hours were spent working to resolve the new refrigerator failing. It is normal that a temporary loaner refrigerator isn't as nice as a new one. However, we were able to avoid cancelling guest reservations during this time. We did not charge the owner for the loaner. We were mostly concerned with taking care of the guests.
  
  
  The stained curtains were noted during the initial intake (in 2021) of the property. A new colleague removed them due to the condition to make sure it was ready for guests. The curtains were taken to our laundry center vs the dry cleaners which caused the damage. Despite the known condition and age of the curtains- RealJoy offered a generous stipend towards the purchase of new curtains. We worked with a local design shop to match the curtains. We mailed and hand delivered fabric samples so the owner could make an informed decision- and not have a repeat of the furniture painting.
  
  
  The nature of calls and emails were derogatory with the staff and that is not the experience we ask our team members to endure. In limiting the correspondence, we were able to keep the partnership moving. 
  
  
  We only wish the owner future success and regret that the experience wasn't better. It was time for both of us to move on.

  Debbie H

  Date: 05/10/2024

  I will not allow the Real Joy response to our review to stand unrebuked because it is completely false, and unprofessional of them not to admit their faults. They did NOT work hard to please us, and a few of the employees were also very rude to us. They did not return emails, or phone calls after repeated attempts to reach them. AGAIN, they treated us like they were the owners, and that they were doing us a favor by managing our condo. Regrading the painted furniture, no matter how long it would take to choose our colors, they did not have the right to choose them instead, and WITHOUT our permission. It is our property, and WE make the decisions, not the management company. We also did not question why the furniture had not been painted, obviously, because we had not chosen the colors yet!! The paint did peel off, and though they say it was repainted, it was still incompetent to use the wrong type of paint. The refrigerator issue occurred in the Summer of 2023, not directly after Covid, and we had to pay for repair services, even though the refrigerator was under warranty, which they said they were not aware of, even though THEY bought the refrigerator. About our ruined curtains fiasco, the curtains could have been SPOT cleaned, and we told Real Joy SEVERAL times that we would handle this. The cost to dry clean them would have been passed on to us anyway, but they were irresponsible and laundered them instead. They also devalued our property by not having the decency to cover the furniture that was fading in the intense sun, like we asked. Their fabric sample was flimsy, and transparent, and didn't look at all like our curtains. They should have known it would not protect the condo from the sun. They offered LESS than 1/3 replacement cost. We had to hire an attorney. We suffered immensely because of Real Joy's blatant defiance, and complete disrespect for us in this situation. It is our right to protect our condo, and we did. Real Joy is a shameful company.

• Review fromHolly H

  Date: 04/22/2024

  1 star

  Holly H

  Date: 04/22/2024

  Beware of this company. While the home was very nice, the service from Real Joy was the worst I’ve experienced. When our credit card was charged two weeks after our stay, I called to ask why. We received an email of the charge same day the debit occurred. I was told we would receive a call back in the morning. This was on 4/16. It is now six days later without a response. No one will return our calls or emails and have been told all communication must be handled through email. I will never book with Real Joy again. And note- another family stayed in the home after we checked out on 4/15 (debit on card was not until 4/16 as pending and 4/18 as full debit) another reason an explanation is warranted.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 04/24/2024

  We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the home you rented! However, we are sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you received. Before each arrival and after each departure, our property inspectors visit and perform a list of inspection tasks. Assessment of all televisions and of all furniture are included in this list of tasks. I've looked into the details of your case and see a record of the following: Upon inspection of the property after your departure on 4/5/2024, impact damage to the display panel was found on the 43-inch TV in the 1st-floor guest bedroom by our property inspector. Two images, both time-stamped, were taken and our team did notify you via written communication regarding this damage and the additional charges associated with them. Also discovered on 4/5/2024, in the same room, was a broken lamp. Images of this were also collected by our team. On 4/8/2024, our assistant property was preparing the home for our next guest due in on 4/12/2024, and he discovered the sofa in the bunk room sustained significant damage to one of the arms and one of the attached back cushions. Timestamped images of this discovery were also collected by our team. The caved-in arm was not repairable and the couch had to be replaced. Receipts for the couch and the television were both provided to you. As a courtesy, our team decided not to pass the cost of installing the TV or replacing the lamp onto you as our guest. There was a delay in our team recouping these funds, as this took place during the peak of Spring Break- one of the busiest times of year for us. Additionally, multiple departments are involved in cases that include damage caused to the rental property, including our operations team, owner relations team, and guest services team. Having multiple departments involved helps us ensure we are not charging guests in error. This can lead to delays as we take great care to be as thorough and detailed as possible in our investigation of the situation. Additionally, as stated in the rental agreement you signed upon booking your stay with RealJoy, "We require a valid credit card to be on file to cover any losses or damages that may occur during your stay. Your credit card may be charged without your prior notification if we find damages that weren’t present when you arrived and you didn’t report before you departed...I understand and consent to the use of the credit card provided without original signature on the charge slip, that an email of this agreement will serve as an original, and that this Credit Card Authorization cannot be revoked and will not terminate until 90 days after the rental is vacated. Additional charges may include: unauthorized long distance telephone and satellite TV charges; excessive cleaning fees; damages beyond normal wear and tear and unreturned keys. If the listed card is declined, expired, or otherwise I agree to allow RealJoy Vacations to charge a card that was used to make any rental payment for my reservation." We are terribly sorry for the delay in communication with management. This resulted from a miscommunication on our end regarding a timeline for you to expect a response, and the last thing we want is for our guests to feel ignored. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

• Review fromBrian P

  Date: 04/22/2024

  1 star

  Brian P

  Date: 04/22/2024

  We paid for a condo at the Emerald Grand. 1 week before we were to fly in to Destin they emailed us and said it was sold. So we had to choose a different place. So we choose one that was supposed to be beach front. When we arrived it wasn't . We called to let them know this was not what we were promised. There was Marijuana in the dresser drawer. The master bedroom sliders wouldn't lock and were very hard to close. The patio table is completely rusted and didn't have any chairs. The dock had a hole in the boards. The master bathroom toilet leaks. Upper bathroom leaks into the lower bathroom. When it rained the living room ceiling leaks. Ceiling fan in bedroom is noisey. The place next door is under construction and is NOISEY. This unit is at *** Gulf Shore Drive unit **** Destin FL.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 04/24/2024

  Thank you for your feedback. I have looked into your case and I see that on the evening of 4/6/2024, we received word from the owner of the condo that the unit had been sold and that it would be managed by a different organization going forward. This situation was not within our control, though we did our best to take care of you as our guests. On 4/7/2024, we contacted your party to inform you of this situation and provided you with a list of 12 alternative accommodations to choose from. The option you selected, a property called Gone Coastal, was misrepresented in an email as "beach-front" when it should have been listed as "gulf-front". This home is on the water, but it is not on the beach. This was not a marketing error but rather a typo by one of our team members. All photos of this property were visible in the link we provided to your group to review in the list of available properties. It is also worth noting that your original rental at the Emerald Grande was not beach front either, though it it waterfront along the Destin Harbor as was the new rental you moved to. Additionally, per the rental agreement that was signed upon your group placing this reservation, "We reserve the right to substitute comparable accommodations without prior notice or liability in the event of a sale of the rental property, or if the property becomes unavailable due to maintenance or other problems. We cannot guarantee a specific rental property in the event of unforeseen circumstances, like a hurricane, which could render the property to be unsafe or uninhabitable. We will make every effort to contact you should this happen. If a unit is not available due to any reason, including hurricane damage, the guest agrees to be moved to any other unit in our inventory based on sleeping capacity alone, NOT AMENITIES." When your group made your selected and the property reassignment occurred, our team took advantage of all available last-minute discounts for the new property and honored a lower rate for you. Because of this, you were refunded in the amount of $1,492.10. Upon entering the rental, your group brought up some complaints about the condition of some of the furniture, lack of convenient beach access, a broken door, and traces of cannabis in one of the drawers on 4/17. Additionally, you brought a couple of maintenance issues to our attention on 4/17, which included a leak in the master bathroom and a faulty shower head. These concerns were immediately escalated to a lead agent in Guest Services who spoke with you about the concerns. At that time, you expressed that all you wanted our team to address was the shower head and leak. A maintenance tech replaced the shower head and offered to fix the leak either that day or the following day while your group were planning to be out on a boat trip. You opted to have the work done the following day, and we obliged accordingly. All issues that you wished for us to address for you were handled promptly. Furthermore, our guest services management team was in contact with you during your stay, and on 4/21/2024, further compensation was offered to you in the amount of $268.44 for the inconveniences you experienced. We are sorry that you experienced any issues at all, but hope you were ultimately able to enjoy your stay at this beautiful property. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

• Review frommorgan n

  Date: 04/16/2024

  1 star

  morgan n

  Date: 04/16/2024

  DO NOT BOOK WITH REALJOY VACATIONS. Stayed at top of the gulf with my husband and 5 MONTH OLD. The stay started out fine but quickly turned sour when waking up to the smell of marijuana the next day. The smell was extremely potent to the point my 5 month old was coughing. The only solution the rental company had was to call the non emergency police line, which i did. The police office told me my child should not be inhaling the fumes. I bought my own air purifier because the company told me there was nothing they could do for me that night (mind you we were texting about the issue all day long). We rented a new unit mid vacation due to realjoy not even trying to fix our problem because “it is out of our control”. this is unacceptable & everyone should know that realjoy cares nothing about their customers. i was offered $75 for an $800 rental, which is laughable. just unacceptable from a business to treat their customers. i will never be a repeat customer & will make sure all my family & friends are never customers of this awful business.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 04/24/2024

  Hi Morgan, Thank you for choosing RealJoy Vacations to host your beach vacation. We know there are lots of options for you to select from when shopping and we appreciate your staying with us. We are truly sorry that your stay in the unit under our management was impacted by a few bad actors who were staying in rooms managed by other companies. Our goal is to provide a wonderful, clean, and enjoyable condo for your time with us. We take pride in ensuring everything within that space is to the highest standard. Sometimes, such as in your case, there are occurrences that are truly beyond our realm of influence. As much as we wanted to help, we simply could not do anything directly with guests from other units that are managed by other companies. Our team did however speak directly with the HOA of the building and tried to solicit their assistance; but, it seemed that they were unable to help us. I know that you departed a few days early and while I cannot refund you for the time that you did not use the condo we are still happy to provide you a courtesy reimbursement as mentioned in our previous correspondence to help with the additional supplies you purchased. I’ll make sure that happens today. Again, we are sorry that this happened to you and your traveling party. My wish is that you give us a chance another time to host you and show you a perfect beach getaway. Situations such as this are really few and far between. Our goal is to provide 5-star service to each guest, and I’d love to help create that experience for you next time. I’m happy to speak with you directly if you’d like to talk further. Sincerely, Jonathan RealJoy Vacations

• Review fromAPRIL B

  Date: 04/02/2024

  5 stars
  The property was everything for me and my family it was so nice and nearby many places if you need something. I will definitely stay at this location again.

• Review fromNicole W

  Date: 03/31/2024

  5 stars

  Nicole W

  Date: 03/31/2024

  We had a very positive experience with RealJoy during our recent stay at a house in Seagrove Beach. The property was exactly as described and we had no issues. We did have one incident prior to checking in when we were informed there would be an additional $50 charged over our fully-paid rental rate due to a new HOA fee but when I called to dispute the charge, they agreed that we did not have to pay it and credited our account right away. I would stay with RealJoy again.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 04/02/2024

  Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us positive feedback on your experience. We hope you will stay with us again soon!

• Review fromKirsten S

  Date: 03/04/2024

  1 star
  Was really looking forward to going on vacation in this beautiful home that this company rents out. And we unfortunately had to cancel our vacation this May, due to needing a new sewer line due do to tree roots in our house. $10k and we left them know 4 months prior (January) so they could re-rent the house out. I fought for 2 months to get our money back from this company and they said they wouldn’t give us our money back because it doesn’t meet there standards. I’m sorry but taking $1,200.00 which included the travel insurance away from me because I needed to put a $10k sewer in isn’t a good reason. That is very poor customer service and ownership. I will NEVER EVER use this company ever again in the Destin area.

• Review fromBrook O

  Date: 02/27/2024

  1 star
  Just booked a vacation for the end of March and it’s already ruined. My grandmother lived and breathed rosemary beach and I finally wanted to take the trip to spread her ashes there. However, I booked in a completely different area on the other side of 30a. I asked if we could cancel so that way we could be in the heart of the town but they refused to accommodate us. It may not seem like a big deal but I wanted to this trip to be perfect like I had envisioned.. my heart just hurts and I feel really bummed to even go on the trip now. This rental company only cares about your money, I would highly suggest going through a different company with better morals and values.

• Review fromCassandra B

  Date: 11/20/2023

  1 star

  Cassandra B

  Date: 11/20/2023

  I purchased insurance to cover my trip for a condo rental in June 2023 because it is suggested but the insurance doesn't offer a peace of mind as advertised. I felt that when purchasing trip cancellation insurance it should be disclosed which type of coverage you have instead of just checking a box whether you want insurance or not. I learned that if you purchase insurance for a trip that you need to call and clarify what type I have instead of assuming. In June 2023, it was my second time renting a condo rental and both times I purchased insurance for protection. I had a medical incident or unexpected reaction to medication prior to my planned trip and I was unable to drive from Northern Alabama to Destin, Florida. At one time, someone told me that I would get a reimbursement and a few days prior to expecting a refund I received a notice that I did not qualify for reimbursement. I spent over $100 for insurance protection and I lost over $1900 due to an unexpected illness and a relative who backed out on shared expenses for a trip.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 11/28/2023

  We are truly sorry you needed to cancel. The option to add insurance to your reservation is clearly outlined with a hyperlink that says "see what it covers", the link takes you to a page directly from the insurance carrier which outlines the details of the coverage. We only offer two types of insurance, the typical coverage is an add on option readily available the one that is cancel for any reason is a special case scenarioe rarely ever added due to the increased cost so we do not advertizse it on our site, however, it is outlined in the hyperlink provided by the insurance carrier directly. I've looked over the details of your booking and was only able to locate the email where you agreed to cancel with no refund. I was not able to locate anything from the insurance carrier regarding questions for your cancellation -- this is typical when a guest files a claim. I'd like to encourage you to reach out to the your insurance carrier again requesting a claim as the coverage you purchased should have covered an illness, if a doctors note was provided. From there the insurance carrier should reach out to RealJoy Vacations so we can further clarify the details on your cancellation. I hope this helps!

• Review fromSavannah P

  Date: 10/17/2023

  1 star

  Savannah P

  Date: 10/17/2023

  We booked room 212 and found a bug in guest bed, multiple bugs in master shower. Fridge handle broken. Dirty silverware, sticky countertops and drawers in kitchen. Called 2 times regarding our door that didn’t lock ( moved all of our belongings that were worth anything to car out of fear of being stolen because room was not secure entire trip) never came to repair lock. We really wanted to enjoy this vacation but we will not be returning. All they said to me when I told them about our several issues was Thankyou for your review. No resolution was provided. Very disappointed

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 10/25/2023

  Please know that as a valued guest, your feedback is important to us. I validated the details of your case and can see we offered a returning guest discount. I can understand how this may be a bit disheartening, however, we checked all of our communication systems to include emails, text and phone lines and were not able to locate the phone calls you've referenced. It's my understanding you may have contacted the HOA directly, instead of RealJoy Vacations - I am so sorry for the confusion. If we had been contacted with your concerns while in house, we would have surely taken immediate action. We offered to send a property manager to assist with the lock once this was reported on your last day, but we unfortunately never received a response from your party to confirm details regarding the issue and if it was okay to enter while you were away. Unfortunately since we were not able to validate the concerns we cannot provide compensation, outside of a discount on a future stay. My hope is that this was an isolated issue and that your next stay is better.