PHOENIX — So many special occasions have been put on hold as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Those who planned big events months in advance are dealing with the stress of cancellation and losing out on deposits for rentals.
Kaitlinn Solinsky, a bride-to-be, is battling a property owner in Arizona over hundreds of dollars for memories she won't be able to make. She told 12 News she would love to execute her stay with her friends at the rental property, but per federal guidelines, she legally can no longer do that.
"It's supposed to be the happiest time of my life. My sister's bought all this engraved stuff for it and I have 12 friends travel in for it," Solinsky said.
She said she hopes that the property owner will come around.
We know financial stress levels are running high as many Americans wonder how they're going to even pay their bills, but Solinsky said this is an entirely different monetary burden.
"This is the last thing I want to do, and now I just hope to get this refund back," she said.
A dream weekend with girlfriends in this gorgeous VRBO Fountain Hills home has turned into a nightmare ahead of a lifetime milestone.
"It's just been a pain it's been 10-12 hours on hold, then on with customer service, working with him directly," she said.
Solinsky said the property owner, Todd Brecto, refuses to fully refund her money, including the $385 cleaning fee.
"VRBO ended up refunding their booking fee, which was $142, but the other half of the fee, which is $800, he says he is just going to keep," she said.
We tried to contact Brecto, but he was unable to be reached. However, in multiple email exchanges, he's agreed to a 50% refund, and per VRBO, which is a third-party administrator, it is up to the property owners' discretion.
Solinsky just hopes given the circumstances and CDC guidelines that there would be a little more leeway.
"It just seems like he has the opportunity to capitalize on this unfortunate circumstance. It's just kind of disheartening to have to go through and deal with," she said.
She said she booked a different rental through VRBO, the same company, and dealt with that owner directly with no issues. Her hope now is to at least get that cleaning fee back from a property she never set foot in.
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