Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromRayna D

  Date: 10/12/2024

  1 star

  Rayna D

  Date: 10/12/2024

  SCAM! RUN! RATS, MOLD, FILTHY, HORRIBLE SMELL! TOLIET CONSTANTLY FLUSHING NOT JUST RUNNING! The floors are rotten under the vinyl plank. It feels like you are going to fall through them. Do not believe the fake reviews that say these are clean places to stay.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 10/16/2024

  Hello Ms. Rayna, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. To provide clarity, I wanted to walk through the events of your arrival to ensure the full context is understood. Upon your arrival, you reported several concerns including mold, cleanliness issues, a toilet running, and a rat, and you told us that you would not be staying in the property and advised that we would need to provide you with a full refund or face legal action. We immediately responded by asking for photos of the issues. After reviewing the photos that you provided, we found no evidence of mold or major cleanliness problems. There were a couple of stains on the sofa, which we acknowledged. Beyond that, the property was in good condition. Regarding the rat, it’s important to note that you mentioned seeing a dead rodent outside near the building, not inside the building or unit. While outdoor wildlife is not something we control, we promptly reached out to the HOA to have the animal's remains discarded. There was no evidence of rodents in the building or unit. You also raised concerns about black mold in the vents and sent photos of them as well as the AC closet. As vacation rental managers in a humid region, we take reports of mold extremely seriously. Upon further inspection of the photos and a property manager’s visit the following day, we determined that what you believed to be mold was actually dust, which can accumulate around air vents. There were no signs of black mold in the closet, nor was there mildew anywhere in the home. Additionally, your concern about the floors being rotten was not mentioned during any prior communication, and our inspection focused on the issues you initially raised. To our knowledge, no significant structural issues, including those with the floors, were observed by our team or noted in the photos you provided. We did find that one of the toilets was malfunctioning, and we thank you for bringing that to our attention. The team was able to quickly correct this. Despite these findings, we offered to refund the cleaning fee as a goodwill gesture. However, we will not be issuing a refund for the stay itself, as there was no evidence of uninhabitable conditions or severe cleanliness issues as reported. We understand that your experience may not have met your expectations, but our team responded promptly. We do wish that you would have given us an opportunity to correct what we could before your departure from the condo.

• Review fromKatie M

  Date: 08/14/2024

  5 stars

  Katie M

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Our recent stay at this condo through RealJoy Vacation Rentals was nothing short of perfect! From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this property was as stunning in person as it was in the photos. My family of five had more than enough space to relax and enjoy our time together, and the condo's thoughtful touches made our stay truly special. The inclusion of games and beach toys was a fantastic bonus that kept our kids entertained and added an extra layer of fun to our beach adventure. We also spent countless hours on the balcony, marveling at the breathtaking view and even spotting dolphins playing in the distance—a magical experience that we'll cherish forever. RealJoy's attention to detail and commitment to providing a top-notch vacation experience really shone through. We're already looking forward to our next trip and will definitely be booking through RealJoy again. Thank you for making our family vacation so memorable! Katie M.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 08/20/2024

  Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us positive feedback. We hope you come back and stay with us again soon.

• Review fromTerin F

  Date: 08/12/2024

  1 star
  My family of 5 stayed in a RealJoy until DESTIN, FL for 3 nights in July. 18 days after our checkout I received an email from RealJoy stating that I was being charged $780 for damages noting they found a "human sized dent" in the wall next to the TV. We absolutely, positively did NOT dent or damage any walls/doors OF ANY SIZE during our short stay. Any number of people could have been in/out of this rental until within that 18 day period. Further concerning is that I have read similar reviews made by others about this company. In one review I read RealJoy responded that they have someone inspect the rental before and immediately after checkout. If that is in fact the case then it should not have taken 18 days to contact me. Additionally, renters should be provided with some type of document from said inspection on the day of check in that notates any/all imperfections so we know if we need to report something or not. Just like rental car companies do. I say that because there were like 3-4 floor tiles on the entryway floor that were completely detached from the floor when we checked in. I didn't report anything for that b/c it wasn't a big deal to us. I chaulked it up to normal wear and tear, but now it has me questioning... Are they going to charge some other innocent family $1000 for supposed damage to their floor 2 1/2 weeks after they checkout? I have contacted the rental company and I have filed a charge dispute with my CC company, but I want others to be aware of our experience.

• Review fromSandeania M

  Date: 08/12/2024

  5 stars

  Sandeania M

  Date: 08/12/2024

  We stayed att a beautiful house close to the beach in May. What a blast our family had. Complete with lots of space and our own swimming pool. It was everything promised and more. Real Joy ROCKS!!! We will be back

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 08/13/2024

  Thank you for taking the time to leave your positive feedback. We look forward to hosting you and your family in the future.

• Review fromDevin D

  Date: 08/12/2024

  5 stars

  Devin D

  Date: 08/12/2024

  Top notch Property management company with team members who care.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 08/13/2024

  Thank you. We strive to be the best!

• Review fromFawzi E

  Date: 08/09/2024

  1 star

  Fawzi E

  Date: 08/09/2024

  DISGUSTED!! Real Joke, NOT Real Joy! We are currently staying at Sterling Reef in a unit managed by RealJoy, unit 1504. I rented directly from RealJoy hoping that if we encountered problems we could go directly through them versus renting from a third party like VRBO. The unit was filthy. Floors covered in sand and animal hair, dirty sheets and blankets, and dirty dishes. If thats not bad enough, the A/C stopped working within 30minutes of arriving. Mind you, todays temperature actually reached 99degrees! They said they would have the maintenance guy on site check it out. We called again at 6pm and again at 8pm and told a different story—that a 3rd party AC company was going to come out. 10pm came along (6hours after our initial call) and we were told that they are still waiting on maintenance. No one ever showed up!!!! I wasted 3 hours on youtube learning about AC units and thermostats, however, the unit started blowing again at 10:30pm but kept shutting on and off and never kept the unit below 80degrees. We gave up and tried to make the best of it and enjoy the beach. This is the WORST resort management company I have ever dealt with

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 08/13/2024

  Thank you for writing on behalf of the reservation holder. I have reviewed the calls from your stay as well as spoken with the property manager so that, along with your comments here, I can have a closer to full understanding of what happened during your time with us. While I’m not sure why the AC vendor was not dispatched on the first night of August 7th, I now know that ultimately the problem stemmed from recurring and intermittent WiFi issues within the building. As that unit’s HVAC system is WiFi based, the intermittent issues that the building was experiencing with their WiFi had a direct impact on that thermostat. We noticed that when the thermostat came back online, it defaulted to 80 degrees. When we visited in the early afternoon of the 8th, the thermostat was nicely set at 70-degrees and the air was blowing comfortably cool. If there were continued problems after that, I greatly apologize as we believed everything was working correctly at that point and we didn’t hear back from you again. Regarding the cleaning items mentioned, I’m truly at a loss. We would have happily taken care of any cleaning misses immediately had you let us know. As far as I can tell, there were no comments from you during your stay regarding housekeeping issues. Also, we don’t permit pets so there shouldn’t have been anything resembling animal hair. My inspection reports after the previous guest’s departure and again on the day of your arrival both show everything clean and ready. I truly wish I had known about your concerns while you were here so I could have addressed them for you. No home is perfect, but I promise that RealJoy works before, during, and after your stay to make our properties as best as they can be for you and your family. Despite the hiccup with the wifi and AC, I hope your group had a wonderful time in Panama City Beach. We’d love the opportunity to host you again. Reach out to me when you want to come to town and I’ll happily find the very best location for you and ensure that there aren’t any items of concern so that you can fully focus on relaxing in the sun.

• Review fromBrenda W

  Date: 08/08/2024

  1 star

  Brenda W

  Date: 08/08/2024

  Our stay should have beenAug 4 thru Aug 8. But we left on Aug 7 because there were several issues. PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR-B&B: 1.) THE BLINDS IN THE LIVING RIOM NEEDS REPLACING! THEY DON’T CLOSE COMPLETELY, AND ONE BLINDS IS MISSING! 2.) BOTH BED MATTRESSES NEEDS REPLACING! 3.) THE COMMODE IN THE MASTER BED ROOM NEEDS REPLACING! 4.) The sofas were mismatched THE BEIDGE COUCH NEED REPLACING, IT IS WORN OUT! 5.) NOISE FROM THE A/C UNITE, makes A HORRIBLE NOISE WHEN IT IS RUNNING IN THE GUEST BEDROOM! 6.) THE unit ABOVE US, WE COULD Hear THEM EVER TIME THEY MADE A STEP ABOVE US! THE NOISE WAS SO BAD, WE HARDLY GOT ANY SLEEP. It was constant day & night THERE WERE YOUNG KIDS ABOVE US, PLAYING CONTINUALLY day and night! 7.) THE TV IN THE MASTER BED DIDN’T WORK! THE HORRIBLE, very disturbing noise was reported on Monday but nothing was done, the noise continued. The office did not follow up to see if anything changed.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 08/15/2024

  Hello ******, I want to express our sincere apologies for the issues you encountered during your recent stay with us from August 4th to August 7th. We genuinely regret that your experience was marred by the concerns you’ve raised. We understand that the noise from the guest above and the issues you reported with the unit impacted your stay. Our team takes all feedback seriously, and we wish we had been made aware of these concerns earlier so that we could address them promptly. Upon reviewing your feedback, we went to the unit and found the following: Beds: The mattresses are firm, which is a matter of personal preference. Had we been notified, we might have been able to offer mattress toppers to improve comfort. Bathroom Issues: We checked the toilet and shower handle and found no leaks or looseness. We regret that we were not able to resolve these issues during your stay, as we strive to provide a seamless experience for all our guests. Unfortunately, we have limited control over external factors like noise from neighboring units during day time hours, but we continuously work to minimize disturbances and ensure our property meets high standards. We truly value your feedback and are committed to making improvements based on your experience. If there’s anything further we can do for you or if you have additional concerns, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.

• Review fromTony V

  Date: 06/12/2024

  1 star

  Tony V

  Date: 06/12/2024

  we stayed at Holiday House in Panama city, FL and immediately had problems. It was a 5 bedroom unit and the main HVAC was broken. It was mid May and the temperature inside never went below 78 degrees. A call to the number provided on a courtesy memo on the refrigerator went to a voicemail. NO RESPONSE and call was placed when we arrived at 5 pm, two hours after arrival. First nite in a warm humid building was very uncomfortable only possible with fans we brought along. We had to search the internet to reach a person to help us. After speaking with a rep with their maintenance, they dispatched a HVAC company that arrived at 4 pm that day (day 2 ) The tech switched off power to HVAC unit and left saying it was shot and had been flagged for repair/replacement one year before. He left and was not returning. Another call was placed to maintenance again. We demanded it be fixed or we wanted another rental. A few hours later, four portable air conditioners were installed. This provided some relief however the installation created a security issue since they used painters tape to hold exhaust vent to the window frame, leaving the windows unsecured. The ceiling fans could not be controlled since the remote batteries were dead. Outside shower had " out of order" sign posted and had been there for some time. We had to repair a temporary shower that was attached to the garden hose. Evidently a stop gap measure to allow feet to be rinsed of sand till the other was repaired. Sliding door to patio needed great effort to open, only usable after we used WD-40 to lubricate. This truly warrants a one star review. For the amount of the rental, a customer would expect better quality and faster response to issues. This was not a leaky toilet that could wait... this was a major problem that the management wanted to brush off. We will never stay at a Realjoy rental and will mention to anyone considering to do the same.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 06/18/2024

  Hello Tony,
  
  
  Thank you for writing in and sharing a bit of your experience at Holiday House. It’s never a good day when the HVAC decides to break!
  
  
  I know it was frustrating on my end, so I can’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for you and your family while you were expecting to relax on your beach vacation. 
  
  
  We work hard every day for all of our guests and certainly never “brush off” any maintenance issues whether small or large.
  
  
  Holiday House has two HVAC systems; one upstairs and one downstairs. I’m glad you were never completely without cool air. Both units are regularly maintained by a certified professional. In fact the upstairs unit was replaced earlier this year. It had been their opinion that the downstairs unit would need to be replaced soon, but that it still would be able to service the home in the meantime. Sadly, it reached the end of its ability to continue cooling on the same day that you arrived. Very unlucky timing!
  
  
  Once the techs determined that a replacement was indeed required, we immediately began coordinating with the homeowner to schedule that job. Thankfully, a brand new unit has now been installed, so the home has two new HVAC systems for the upstairs and downstairs. 
  
  
  While we were awaiting delivery and installation of the new system, we installed four portable AC units to help supplement the other primary HVAC system in an effort to keep the home as cool as we could for you. This is certainly not a perfect solution, but we wanted to have something in place to keep the house feeling nice.
  
  
  On May 31, we refunded 30% of your base rent back to you via AirBnB. I hope that eased a bit of the disappointment for not having a fully functioning AC.
  
  
  We’d love to host you again. Maintenance problems do happen from time to time, but really they are few and far between. Give us a call when you’re ready to book and I’ll ensure you get the best price, plus I’ll even double check records to help direct you to a location that doesn’t have any history that gives us anything to worry about.
  
  
  Thanks again for staying with RealJoy! I believe you’ve been our guest at least twice and we certainly honor and appreciate that!
  
  
  Very kindly,
  
  
  Jonathan Johnson
  Regional Director Guest Services

• Review fromFredrick P

  Date: 05/06/2024

  5 stars

  Fredrick P

  Date: 05/06/2024

  We're in a unit under re-construction. Thank goodness, Real Joy is the rental agency. They have been kind and helpful, making sure we get what we need. We especially appreciate Van and Spencer for making sure our unit was stocked, and Michael for getting internet service for us.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 05/07/2024

  Hello Mr. ********, Thank you so much for your kind words! I'll be sure to pass them along to Van, Spencer, and Michael. We're happy that we were able to take care of those concerns and ensure a pleasant stay for you. We strive to provide all of our guests with 5-star service!, and your experience matters greatly to us! Should you need anything further during your stay with us, please don't hesitate to let us know. We hope to host you again the next time you travel to the area!

• Review fromMelR

  Date: 05/04/2024

  1 star

  MelR

  Date: 05/04/2024

  Stayed at Dunes of Panama Unit 2002E. I would advise against anyone booking this unit, as I DID NOT have access to the balcony. There were boards on the doors from the outside..I assume due to an inspection issue or something. RealJoy literally called me on the day of my booking an hour before check in about the balcony being closed! What a way to ruin my Birthday vacation. For you all to claim you had no idea the balcony was closed. There was a sign posted in the elevator....about work being done in building in E since February!! I recommend anyone who has issues with this company to file a complaint with FL State Attorneys General's, FTC and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That’s the only way your voice can be truly heard because these reviews don’t do too much. Consumers need to be protected from the shady and unethical business practices of this company.

  RealJoy Vacations

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Hi *******, Thank you for your follow-up message. Again, we apologize for the balcony closure that occurred during your stay. The construction and repair schedule for the building initially was such that it would not interrupt your stay. The reservation in the same unit as you just prior to your arrival did not have the same experience you did, and you were not supposed to be impacted either. But the schedules changed and that wasn’t communicated to us in a timely manner by the HOA of the building. I’m sure you can relate that there would be no reason for us to hide these facts from a guest or to book them into a unit where they would not enjoy themselves. There’s simply no benefit to anyone for that to happen. Also we have made sure that the listings for all of our units at Dunes of Panama have the latest information about the projects clearly displayed. We completely agree that you did not fully get what you had paid for and we refunded 49% of the rent back to your card for the loss of use of the balcony. Also, my coworkers and I all sympathize with you and are sorry your trip was affected by the work that the HOA was performing. Because of that, I spoke directly with the owners of the unit you rented and they have approved a 10% discount off of the rent for a future reservation in their unit. This discount is valid for one-year after the original stay date and excludes holidays or special events. Simply give us a call when you wish to utilize the discount and we will take care of the details for you. Please, call or write with any questions or concerns. We’re happy to be of service. Kindly, Jonathan RealJoy Vacations