We waited until the required 5:00 check-in, only to find a dirty house that the housekeepers hadn't cleaned. Since I couldn't reach anyone at High Country Vacation Homes for 10 minutes or so, we started cleaning since we didn't have any sheets for the beds and everything was dirty from the previous tenants. When I finally got a hold of the office, we were deep into cleaning, so there was no point for them to send a housekeeper. I was told, "This doesn't happen a lot," and then when I asked how much we will be refunded for this, I was told, "We usually only refund the cleaning fee." So it "doesn't happen a lot", but they "usually" only refund the cleaning fee. Sounds like it happens a lot to me. After more than a month, and me making it perfectly clear that I wanted a refund of one cleaning fee since the house wasn't clean when we arrived, and then another cleaning fee since we had to spend the first evening of our vacation cleaning the house, we finally got some money back. But only the equivalent of one cleaning fee. And I was told we got our security deposit back, like it was some sort of a favor, when in fact, we left the house in way better condition than we found it. Losing the first evening of our vacation, especially to cleaning, should be more of a refund than $125. That is the absolute LEAST we should have got refunded. So, if you want the absolute least out of a property management company, then go with High Country Vacation Homes. But next vacation, our money will be going to a property company who deserves it. Pics are what we walked into. read more

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Complete garbage of a company. The cleaning staff was nice so we went with them in listing our new cabin for rent. Huge mistake. We are talking weeks to get calls back from the lady who was supposed to be getting our listing ready, and when it was finally Posted ... crickets. Priced too high, which we let them know about asap, and literally no response to adjust. The response was " oh we've had lots of Calls with interested parties, NONE of which became a booked reservation. The excuse from their phone answerer was that out contact was out as her husband was having health problems. Unfortunate for sure , but there is still a business to be run. The owner, also a woman, never responded to multiple calls or emails. After SIX WEEKS of this , also know as six weeks of lost income ( including May and Memorial Day) we were able to catch someone actually in the office and get our keys and things back. It took another couple of months for them to remove the listing. I believe ( hope ) they are now formally out of business , though they were halfway there when we were dealing with the clowns. Just beware ! read more

I had an issue with a vacation rental. Left several messages on a Thursday night at 7pm on both the office and after hours number. Did not receive a call back until Saturday. They claimed they didn't receive a call. I sent them pics of my outbound call logs to prove. They also falsely claimed they told me to bring a 4x4 not the "SUV" they said on the phone on our initial call. They claimed they had " notes" that they said 4x4 but for an company that fails to call back for 2 days after multiple messages, I doubt they are so organized that they have notes of our call. It's unfortunate because the house we rented was beautiful and not owned by High Country. read more

Unorganized, poor communicators, inexperienced staff, and clear lack of leadership. Not sure what's going on with this company.

Unbelievably bad service. These folks canceled our Labor Day weekend rental 10 days prior, saying that the home just sold. They had one home left which was smaller and more expensive, but I had to take it because at that late date, no homes were left. Now, on the day of my departure I cannot get in touch with anyone to get the key and directions to the house, or an address. Called countess times and their answering service has called the on-call person, yet nothing. Do not rent from these people. read more

We rented the luxurious Buckhorn Lodge in Banner Elk, NC for the week of March 1 through March 5. We were excited to have a vacation...I've been stuck home since March of 2020 because of covid and the fact that I am immune-compromised. Upon arrival, the home is beyond beautiful! There were only 2 of us to enjoy the expanse and beauty of Buckhorn Lodge! The home itself, gets a definite 5 stars! That being said, High Country Vacation Homes Management....not so much! Before we even left for our vacation, I had received a message to call so they could process payment. I tried 3 times to return the call, left messages with no return call. Finally on the 4th attempt, someone answered. I was never given a name. The emails are only signed by the generic "your mountain home specialists." Upon arrival to the home, we were impressed. There were typed out instructions above all light switches, including the main kitchen sink. It was in the 30's when we arrived and it looked as if the heat was set to 65. I turned it up to take the chill off and to keep us warm at night (we are from Florida). There were no instructions on the heating/cooling unit whatsoever. There was no WiFi to log into, at least not a secured one that required the password we were given and that was posted around the home. When we woke the next morning, it was freezing in the house. Took me a few minutes, but finally figured out the unit, only to find out that the vents in the master bedroom upstairs don't work. Still no WiFi to speak of. Called and left a message with the answering service around 9:00 am with no return call regarding the absent wifi network. I called again a few hours later and when the lady answered, she interrupted me and told me the password was ....... I told her I did not need the password, I needed the name for the network. I was told it was in the email sent to me when I informed her it was not. She told me it was in the welcome book, it was not. Told her the password was even on the fridge in the basement level but again, no network name. I was then instructed to look on the bottom of the modem. GREAT! Where the he.. was the modem. She could not tell me that either. Said she'd look into it and call me back in a few minutes. Again, NO RETURN CALL!!! Mind you, a lot of the things we did required purchase of tickets online, I could not use my computer which meant we had to use our phones and the data and it shouldn't matter if one has unlimited data or not. It's the point! Don't offer what you don't have! Heaven forbid we had an actual emergency or problem with the home itself!!! The customer service sucks and they do not return calls!! I would recommend the homeowners transfer their property to a different management company. I will never book with HIgh Country Vacation Homes Ever Again!!!!! read more