-
January 2024 by Zach Costa
I had to cancel after the refund deadline, and Agate Bay Realty still made sure to get me my refund! Kind and clear communication through the whole process. Thank you!
-
January 2024 by Candace Anne
SCAM!!!!! Read the last “recent reviews” - this company is a full on scam. Skip this company and make sure you don’t accidentally book through them on VRBO. They don’t communicate whatsoever and just canceled and booked on top of my reservation. NO PHONE CALL NO MESSAGES - NOTHING!!!! What a pitiful business and Chelsea or “Claire” couldn’t have been less helpful - don’t book with them they just want to charge your credit card and are so unorganized they book on top of your reservation
-
August 2023 by Terri Maritz
I booked our yearly summer vacation through Agate Bay in May, 2023 for a week long stay for July 8-15, 2023. I paid in full and received confirmation that we were all set. On July 3, I emailed Agate Bay to get the check in information as we were scheduled to arrive July 8. I received an email back for the dates of July 16-23, to which I responded back that those days were incorrect. I asked to call but was told that we could only communicate only by email. I then was told that we did not have a reservation at all in their system. I asked to speak to someone again by phone which was denied. After a few more emails I was then told they did not have a reservation for us at all because there had been a computer error on their end. I again said that this was unacceptable and needed to speak to someone. Claire told me this was not a possibility. I spent 8 hours going back and forth by email to get absolutely nowhere. I expressed we had taken time off work, had a pet sitter booked, and had someone flying in for the vacation. I was offered a leftover cabin they had that was half the size and much fewer amenities than the cabin we had booked. Claire then said I could get a refund and book through another company. It was mid July, the peak season! Everything had been booked months ago!! I did end up finding a cabin for the following week through another company but it was more expensive. I asked them to split the difference and give us $500 to make it all good. They would not budge. No care at all for what THEIR error had messed up and complete disregard for our situation. Unacceptable all around.
-
March 2023 by Kerri O.
Thank you, Agate Bay! We were meant to travel to Tahoe and stay for a week (skiing, ski race, school tour) but the storm here in California and subsequent highway closures (203, 395, 6, 80, 267) prohibited travel between our home in Mammoth Lakes and Tahoe for the duration of our stay. Each day into our reservation that we were unable to travel, I checked in with Joanne and she reassured me they would work with us - as the situation was completely out of our hands. This morning, we were given a full refund. Because of Joanne's support and willingness to work with us, Agate Bay will be my go-to in booking our future Tahoe area travels. Thank you, Joanne!
-
February 2023 by Susan Boucher
Our favorite vacation getaway is Lake Tahoe—specifically the North Shore. We’ve worked with many individuals and management companies over the past eight years. Top of that list is Agate Bay Realty. Not only are the properties well kept and comfortable, they also have superior customer service. Their communication and partnership is very much appreciated. We prefer to book with and stay in Agate Bay properties where we can.
-
February 2023 by Sablle Stahl
We have used Agate Bay Realty multiple times now and it has always been a positive experience. They respond quickly and are a very dog friendly company with a lot of options which we appreciate. We also feel like the don't have a lot of the hidden fees that you see on a lot of Global websites. Support Local and I promise you won't be disappointed with your experience and service! 10/10 recommend renting through them.
-
February 2023 by Chad M
Agate Bay Realty was a pleasure to rent from and goes above and beyond to ensure you have a great trip. We were extremely pleased to return home after a long day of skiing with a completely cleaned driveway/walkway to the house after a storm that dropped 2' of snow overnight and throughout the day. I Highly recommend renting from Agate Bay Realty as I will the next time I make a trip to Tahoe.
-
February 2023 by Susan B.
We have rented vacation properties along the North Shore in Lake Tahoe over the past eight years from many individuals and management companies. When it comes to quality care, attention to our needs and accommodation in our plans, we prefer to partner with Agate Bay Realty. You'll have the confidence your vacation is enjoyable, comfortable, and actually better than advertised.
-
January 2023 by Belynda P.
I take it in serious consideration when I write a negative review about any business especially small business. I support local/small businesses. I'm a home owner so I understand the responsibility of owning a home so when I rent vacation rentals, I would treat it as my own. I have a big extended family so often enough I used VRBO or Airbnb to rent vacation rentals and never encountered anything like what I'm dealing with with this rental agency.Booked a home for ten of us on 12/29 for my husband, myself, our 9 yrs dog along with my daughter, her husband and her two young children, a baby girl just turned 1 and my grandson who is 4 to head up on Thursday 1/12 thru Sunday 1/15. My brother, his wife and their two teens would be up early Saturday. The bad weather in CA started 1/3 with outlook through the the week is unstable for travel, I emailed them to inquire if we're unable to make it up whats are the terms. This is my mistake for not reading the terms when I booked, I was informed it's non refundable, if they're able to rebook any of those days we would be refund for that rebooking. If I'm unable to travel due to road conditions, it's low probably that someone else will book it. But yet I was optimistic, I continue to pray and checked weather report. I also emailed the rental agent "Claire" throughout the process regarding my concerns and asked if we're arrive early, is it possible to check in before 4:00pm. I was concerned with young children and anticipated it would take longer to travel given road conditions. Both time, the replies were we'll let you know.Thursday came, weather cleared, my husband and I got up early busy packing for our road trip. Headed out around 9:30am from San Jose, my daughter called to alert me that weather channel alerted storm hitting Lake Tahoe Friday afternoon thru Tuesday afternoon. I tried calling the agency to no avail, their preference is via email. I emailed while we're on the road around 10:00 am to alert of my concerns, we're scheduled to check out Sunday to head home. My husband has to be in office on Monday and my son-in-law starts his new job Tuesday so instead of risking stuck in Tahoe can we reschedule it to a different week. I was informed I can reschedule to any week in April, I challenged why in April, Claire informed me it's due to their policy. Have requested to see policy several times to date, none was provided. I reread the terms attached white the confirmation email, nothing mentioned.I was threatened If I didn't replied with dates to reschedule I would lose one night, but yet I already provide such information earlier in the morning in my email to postpone the trip due to weather. But wait, it's not over yet, Thursday evening around 8:30 pm, they texted me asking if I was in the rental since there's alert that people were inside. Seriously, is this a joke? They wanted me to respond immediately so they can take action but yet when I needed for them to respond, it's via email only so I hope you get the terms here.Last but not least, I was informed April is low peak season but the rates I paid for high pear season, there's no refund. In summary, DO NOT book thru this rental agency, the lack of service, care is inconceivable! The rental I paid was around $3200+ for 4 days/3 nights so it was not inexpensive. I'm reasonable and willing to work with this agency for a workable solution. What I get is only on their terms!
-
January 2023 by Hazel G.
Booked through Airbnb and stayed at Birdie Time. Let me start off with the positives -- the house itself is for the most part just as pictured. There was plenty of room for our family of 6 and 2 dogs. We liked that each bedroom has its own bathroom. And the kitchen was stocked with all the necessities. Great location within walking distance to the lake.Unfortunately, this beautiful property is managed by people who only care about taking your money. I booked this nonrefundable trip for my mom's bday, knowing well that there would be plenty of snow in January. What I could not have foreseen at the time of booking was that there would be severe winter storms affecting all of California. The day before our check-in, California issued a state of emergency along with instructions from the National Weather Service to avoid travel -- such events are covered under Airbnb's Extenuating Circumstances Policy and should take precedence over the reservation's cancellation policy. I raised these concerns with Agate Bay Realty but all I got were snide remarks like "just leave a little later tomorrow and you are all good according to the governor". They were not willing to refund any money for cancellation nor was I given option to rebook for another date. I even called Airbnb to ask for help but I was only given the runaround and ultimately, the final decision was up to the host. In all the years I've used Airbnb I have never felt so infuriated. The whole situation was handled very poorly. Take the time to read other negative reviews on this property management and see how they handle conflict.My family and I had no choice but to continue with the trip if we wanted to save our money. Needless to say, the whole drive to Tahoe was so stressful because of the heavy rain and wind. Even with snow chains on we saw cars skid when we got to the mountains. And just as expected, accidents happened. Traffic was at a standstill for over an hour when we got on the 267. What should have been a 3-4 hour drive took us 8 hours. I understand the host has no control over the weather and road closures but the whole point is SAFETY. Any host who cared about their guest's safety would have listened to their concerns and found a better resolution when we asked if we could cancel the booking.Oh but it doesn't stop there. My dad found an open safety pin (how ironic?!) on the carpet in the downstairs bedroom shortly after we checked in. Not a big deal since no one stepped on it but definitely a safety issue, especially with two dogs running around. Also the front porch lights didn't work. So again, I emailed the property management right away. No response. Waited until noon the next day to send them a second email, to which they finally replied to but did not acknowledge the pin situation. They obviously do not care and have no regards to their guest's safety at all. My goal in writing this long review is to hopefully warn others to stay away from Agate Bay Realty. Although the house we stayed in was nice, my personal experience was tainted because of the interaction I had with this particular property management. Please do your research before booking with them.
-
December 2022 by Christina Meckstroth
After our first time experiencing usingAgate Bay Realty for our weekend rental at Lake Tahoe, we will be using them to rent all of our future rental homes for our yearly Tahoe trip! Due to a winter weather storm, there was a snow berm at the end of the rentals driveway preventing access. Before it was even time to check in, an amazing agent had already contacted us with the issue along with options for a different rentals to accommodate us for the night until they could have their snow plow remove the berm. Some of the options were more deluxe/expensive than our current rental but they assured we would not have to pay the difference and, if we chose, could stay at the new rental for the remainder of our stay if we chose. Thankfully the snow berm was able to be cleared and we checked in to our original rental on our first night with no other issues. The agent provided us with her personal cell phone number during all of this for quick assistance during it all. 10/10 DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!
-
June 2022 by Hannah C
My fiance and I, rented an Air B&B through this company. We spent over $2000 for a cabin for four nights, mainly because of the hot tub. When we arrived there we signs posted we could only use the hot tub until 9 p.m., if we disobey we could be fined. No where in the air b&b did it state this prior to arrival. I was very disappointed, because I'm an adult, not a child. What's the point of having one really unless you can't get into at night?? We obeyed this rule regardless because we were guests. Included with that $2000 was the cleaning fee. I received an email saying the hot tub was dirty and they charged me an extra $150 dollars. SMH. Really disappointed. Should be cleaned between guests anyway.
-
March 2022 by Adam M.
We have rented from Agate Bay Realty several times now and have really enjoyed our stay at each home we have stayed at. We highly recommend them to anyone.
-
February 2022 by Bobby Jones
Very happy with the service I received during my stay with Agate Bay Realty. Staff was very responsive and understanding considering the massive winter storm that came through the tahoe area during Christmas. Agate Bay offered a full refund considered there was no way to access the basin. They even offered for me to rebook my dates at no additional cost. I have stayed with many management companies, and when you work all year long for a xmas vacation in the winter, it is comforting to know that this company won't take advantage of your due to circumstances out of your control (weather). For these reasons I will continue to use this company for my holiday rental as I know they operate fairly to their guests.
-
January 2022 by Ash L.
Where do I start! It's very sad that this beautiful home is managed by a horrible management company!! We checked in late, greeted by a frozen driveway. They did not clear the driveway 2 weeks after the storm! There is about 20 steps to go up to the kitchen, living room and master bedroom. Downstairs there are 2 small bedrooms. We had to clean the entire home for 2 days!! Dog p*** in the living room and balconies. Pee and dog hair all over the home. The fireplace in the master didn't work! Dirty dishes and pots and pans in the kitchen! The home smelled like curry and so did the jacuzzi!!! The management never bothered to call us back! They only want to use email. I even asked them to call me, they refused! I called the emergency line a few times and they still didn't answer us! Do yourself a favor and stay elsewhere! This place is a waste of money due to the management company! Extremeley dirty and filthy place!!!
