I don't like to write negative reviews. But I want to warn their potential customers to be more careful. I do not want to describe for a long time. The apartment did not meet expectations at all. The washing machine did not work, there was a musty smell in the rooms, the bed was not fresh, the drain in the bathroom was clogged and the curtain in the shower was dirty, even black. Pans and pots in such a form as if they were found in the garbage..I had important reasons to leave 2 days earlier, I gave them a week's notice, asked them to find customers to return their funds. I did not receive help and support. read more

They listed property on Airbnb on 30A with a golf cart. We made a reservation (over 4 months out) and learned the morning after making reservation that the cart was an additional cost. So we canceled less than 24hrs after making reservation. They were only going to refund 50% of deposit. Total rental was going to be $5,200. Deposit was $2,500. After explaining the misleading listing info to them, they said they would just keep $100 cancelation fee and return the rest. This outfit is a complete joke and is just looking to take money from anyone they can. 3 days of fighting this and Airbnb is just as bad. They keep passing us around to "specialists" hoping we just give up, I think. I would highly advise people not to use RealJoy and we will not be using Airbnb after this ever again. read more

RealJoy Vacations - Very misleading listing. - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Destin, Florida

The name of this property needs to be changed. "The Beach House of stress relief" was the most stressful vacation we have ever experienced. The house was filthy (our socks were black shortly after arrival) and has been neglected for years. The listing photos are not accurate. The balconies have rotted wood and the banisters rocked making it unsafe to be on the porches. The Real Joy listing claimed that there was a partial gulf view (it has since been changed). The only view is of other houses and the delivery area of The Henderson. Constant noises/beeps from their delivery trucks. The refrigerator leaked, the ice maker was broken, and many shelves were missing in the fridge. The unit had 5 forks and 3 spoons so we had to buy plastic ware to use for meals and buy ice throughout the week. The tub has a huge crack in it and there was black hair in the tub when we arrived. A family member almost fell off the back porch step because it wasn't secured on both sides. The pool deck area is so uneven and we almost tripped multiple times (one family member did fall). Real Joy sent maintenance men just about every day to make repairs. These "bandaid fixes" did not adequately address the poor condition of the home. A small refund was given but it didn't fully compensate the issues we faced and the terrible impact it had on our vacation. There are 61 FIVE star reviews on the Real Joy website but I found multiple terrible reviews on third party websites. Many of the same issues we faced were reported in 2021 but not repaired - and they still continue to rent at a premium rate. I asked for more compensation but was denied. They have also ceased communication with me since I told them I would report the balconies to the building code enforcement office. Hard earned money completely down the drain. Look up Real Joy on Better Business Bureau. They are not accredited. Do not rent this house or from this management company. read more

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This is my wife's google review: "What RealJoy Vacations have been nothing but a nightmare! Day one our fridge and A/C went out, our condo was 77 degrees and this was at 9 at night, I called the line for after hours and was told there was nothing they could do, being I booked with them it had to be one of their vendors and no one was available, day two my husband goes to use the free gym here on the property and my husband was told he couldn't without a card that we had to get RealJoy, RealJoy refused to give us one, HOA here on Majestic's property told us she knew for a fact they had 2 gym cards because she gave them to RealJoy to give to us and another guest of RealJoys who was asking for it. We finally received our gym card from RealJoy day 3 of 5 of our vacation by someone coming into our condo while we where NOT present and not notified someone would be coming until after we inquired about not having the card still! And to top it off tonight around 11pm I was woken up with a phone call that our vehicle was being towed because we were not in the correct parking spot. Our condo came with an owners spot 388 on the third level of the parking deck, per MULTIPLE PLACARDS in our condo room on what spot to park in. Majestic Beach Resort security handled the situation very well, the issues was RealJoy told another set of guest that our parking spot was for their condo as well. I am very upset, someone is supposed to be calling me in the morning so we will see." read more

I should have consulted yelp before booking... lesson learned!! All previous reviews are totally accurate! Booked a property at Adagio in Blue mountain beach and arrived to it filthy! Called and received great customer service from Noel (5 stars for her!) but we had to be moved to a different rental about 20 mins away at 930pm after traveling all day with little kids. Upon returning the next day to our original unit I inquired to real joy ( this time talked to Marie, zero stars for her) on how we would be compensated for this and she wanted to refund us just half the cleaning fee and that was it. after more discussion, she agreed to refund the full cleaning fee, which was still unacceptable. she was extremely unprofessional, kept telling me there was no one higher up I could talk to and said that at least they found us somewhere else to stay for the night... Please do not use real joy. It is awful! read more

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Our family vacation turned into a nightmare. The house we rented "Two Friends from Colorado" from RealJoy caught fire while we were sleeping. Not a single smoke detector went off. There was no safe way to exit the second floor as the staircase was on fire, so myself, my husband our two daughters and our niece were forced to jump from the second floor balcony. We only suffered minor physical injuries but we almost lost our lives along with all our vehicles and belongings. We have yet to hear from anyone about this, not even an apology! Stay FAR away from RealJoy you may lose more than money! read more

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If I could give 0 stars I would. This company was founded by Ryan Olin, a professed Christian. He has not responded to my certified letter outlining an issue my family had when we reserved a 3 bedroom 3 bath condo at Ariel Dunes in Miramar Beach, FL. We specifically needed 3 private spaces, however upon arrival found and reported a leak from the bathroom above, affecting the bathroom and bedroom. The leak was not repaired during our stay and we could smell mold or mildew. We did not know if the water was gray water and due to existing health issues, we closed off the rooms. Our third adult guest did not join us, since they would not have a private space. We paid well above comps, due to it being a holiday week, spending over $4500 for a week, when comparable two bedroom, two bath units were under $2500 in the same area. I asked for compensation to receive 1/4 of the amount spent (2 of the 8 rooms) when they asked what I wanted. As a property management professional, I calculated the concession based on industry standards. They offered substantially less and refused to say how they arrived at the number. Their agents and managers are rude, condescending and have no desire to provide a good travel experience. They did not make the repair, offer alternate accommodations or a fair refund. Mr. Olin, is this how you treat your customers or are you too busy counting your money to really care?? read more

RealJoy Vacations - Bathroom ceiling when we arrived and throughout the stay it got worse, - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Destin, Florida

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BEWARE!! DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! I booked a condo for Spring Break, I paid it up front, they gave me a confirmation number, which I am attaching. This was 3 weeks from my stay. They kept sending emails about their place, what to bring etc.. Then, ONE DAY before my trip they send an email saying that my condo was not available. They sent some alternate options that were nothing like what I had. Not even in the same beach! When I called, they were just so unhelpful and a person named Jeremy even asked me why I was surprised, He said, this happens all the time! Just horrible!! This people ruined my Spring Break. They are scammers to me! Attaching the confirmation after payment and the email Sent one day prior to my trip. read more

RealJoy Vacations - Attaching the confirmation email - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Destin, Florida

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I have frequented GWE every year since 2014 and have never had an unpleasant experience until now that it is being managed by this company, RealJoy. Harmony Beach Vacations was the previous company and they always took care of us in a timely manner and stood by their word. In fact, I have spent less time on the phone with them booking for 10+ years total than attempting to book with RealJoy one time. Literally started this process on 06/02 and it took until 06/11 to get a somewhat clear answer from someone. When a representative of your company says they will do something, it isn't just them saying it, they are a voice of the company itself. Not honoring your word is very unprofessional. Don't tell a customer that you will do something and then not do it. It is crazy to me that someone who is a supervisor doesn't see that this is a problem. We really enjoyed Gulf Winds East and all of the memories we have made over the years and looked forward to many more, but now they will be made someplace else. Do yourself a favor and just use airbnb to book a place. We just did in a matter of minutes and got a better condo at a cheaper price. read more

BEWARE!! FILTHY . STINKY. MOLDY. MUSTY. Their units are filthy and the only positive reviews are from employees. THE photos of their units look nice , but in reality they know the issues with smell and cannot be disputed because there isn't any way to prove it with a picture. They need to be put out of business . Absolute crooks read more

We had many issues with our recent vacation rental with RealJoy Vacations in Destin, FL. It began months before our arrival, as the rental agreement began with VRBO, then moved to RealJoy, then moved to another company, then back to RealJoy. Admittedly, this was not RealJoy's fault, but it was aggravating. Our main issue once we arrived was with the refrigerator, which didn't seem to be urgent for RealJoy, as they never initiated contact with us, we had to contact them each time. We checked in on Saturday at 4:00 PM for one week. The Refrigerator was not working, and we immediately called RealJoy. A tech was sent out, and it was determined that Appliance Repair needed to be called. RealJoy sent a large cooler with ice for us to use. The cooler kept a lot of beverages cold, but it was no substitute for a refrigerator. On Sunday at 10:00 AM, we again contacted RealJoy, and were told that they were trying to get in touch with the owners to authorize the repair. At Noon we were told they would send dry ice to put in the refrigerator. When we returned to the house later that day there was a RealJoy employee just leaving, who said he delivered the ice, and that the owners had authorized a replacement refrigerator. However, dry ice was not delivered, it was a few bags of regular ice, and the next morning it had melted and dripped all over the floor, which we cleaned up. On Monday at 11:00 AM we called for an update. We called again at 2:00 PM. Neither call was returned. On Tuesday morning we requested an update via text. We were told that the owners had not been contacted and that a replacement refrigerator had not been authorized. They demanded to know who told us it had been. We were then told that an appliance vendor would repair the refrigerator later in the day. At 3:00 PM the vendor arrived with the part for the refrigerator. He had been to the house previously, before we ever checked in, and had ordered the part. After it was installed the refrigerator started working. We requested the property manager's information. On Thursday we were told that the property manager would not contact us until after our stay. We never heard from RealJoy again, and despite being without a refrigerator for three days, no compensation was ever offered. These were many other issues with the house, not limited to the following. Toilet lids in all bathrooms have to be held up when used by a male. Not enough hand towels. Master shower handle came off. Toilet handle came off in one of the bathrooms Toilet in powder room wobbles when you sit on it. Closet in 3rd floor bedroom has a light switch, but no light. All showers in the house leak. Dirty air filter. No toilet paper holder in 3rd floor bathroom. The renters before us didn't take out the trash, both cans were full. Dead, and live ants were in abundance in the powder room. We will not rent from this company again, as there is No Joy when renting from RealJoy. read more

DO NOT RENT FROM REALJOY VACATIONS! I had the displeasure of renting a Unit at the Grand Panama in PCB from RealJoy Vacation (should be called RealHell Vacation). Upon waiting until after 4 pm to check-in as instructed due the unit being "cleaned" we arrive only to find the bed sheets not changed/washed and covered in someone else's hair. Not just one or two random hairs but hair all over the comforter, bedsheets and even all over the bed after removing the dirty sheets. Also the same hair was found in the bathroom on the counter and next to the mirror and randomly throughout the living room. I immediately call the RealJoy vacation office only to have to leave a voicemail. As I walk into the kitchen to send an email to RealJoy I am met by two roaches crawling around on the kitchen floor. I was able to kill one however the other crawled under the oven. After 2 hours I finally received a call back from the office and by that time I had already stripped off the bed sheets and washed them so my daughter could at least sleep on the couch. We were asked what we would like them to do at this point and I asked for a refund for half the cost. As this was during spring break and places were booked. I was told they would put in the request. As we were finally settling in for the night we took off of shoes to relax and our feet were black within 5 minutes of walking around from the floors not being properly cleaned. We were too scared from the roaches to even unpack our things so we kept all our items inside our suitcases. The whole trip was a nightmare. After leaving the rental I had to contact RealJoy everyday for 3 days straight to inquire about the refund status to which I was finally offered a $50. Refund (laughable). I provided them with serval pictures and even pictures of the roaches. RENTERS BEWARE! DO NOT RENT FROM THIS COMPANY. They will let you sleep on used sheets from the previous renters and rent out units with roaches than act like you are a lying about everything. read more

DO NOT BOOK a stay managed by RealJoy Vacations!!!! My girls and I stayed at a condo in Destin, FL Jun 24th - 27th 2022. EVERYDAY we saw roaches of all sizes babies, medium, and large roaches. I called and texted RealJoy Vacations continously and was constantly reassured that the matter would be handled and someone would come out and spray. No one ever showed up. Image cooking, eating, using the restroom, and sleeping with roaches all around your vacation rental the entire weekend. Moreover, they sent the rental agreement that must be signed in order to receive the access codes to use the rental after they received full payment and only one week prior to us arriving. There were terms that I would have never agreed to but felt compelled to oblige since it was last minute. Beware you only get one roll of papertowels, one roll of toliet tissue, and no laundry detergent. I will never rent through them again! read more

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We booked Double Down for a family vacation, planning on having a birthday brunch by the pool for our daughter. While preparing for our visit to Double Down, I noticed a recent bad review on AirBnB about mildew being in the house and pool being down for maintenance. BTW, all of RealJoy's reviews of the house are 5 stars. I emailed RealJoy Vacations 30A and was assured that the mildew had been addressed and the pool had been serviced (see attached picture). On our date of arrival at 3:45 pm (check in is at 4 pm), Jonathan Johnson called me to say the house had a mildew problem, and they do not have any availability at any other location. We went to the house to see exactly what he meant. Please see attached photos. I am posting this in hopes that another family does not try to rent this house and is aware of using this agency. The pictures they posted online DO NOT look like the actual house. It's dingy, dirty, and mildew is in the ceiling/walls. The pool water is brown with black patches. The grass around the pool and fire pit was at least knee high. Trash was visible around the pool. We were given a refund but nothing else. We were basically stranded after a five hour drive with a four year old. I had rented 2 sets beach chairs at the near the house but I was unable to get in touch with them to try to change our location until the following day. This was a stressful and terrible experience. Please be aware of the lack of concern for their customers. read more

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I booked my reservation via VBRO, but all communications that I received were from RealJoy Vacation Rentals. While our stay and rental unit at Dolpin Point Harbor, unit 404c, in Destin were nice, potential renters beware of post checkout charges! My family of 5 stayed in unit 404c for 3 nights in July. EIGHTEEN days AFTER checkout I received an email from RealJoy stating that they were charging me $780 in damages for a "human sized dent" in the wall next to the TV. We absolutely, positively did NOT dent or cause any damage OF ANY KIND to this unit. Why would a company wait 18 days to notify and/or charge someone for supposed damage? There could have been any number of people in/out of that unit within the past 18 days. This caused me to do some additional research and I found that RealJoy has a horrible BBB rating. I read terrible review after terrible review on BBB & Yelp. I also discovered similar reviews to mine on other sites. RealJoy responded to one of the reviews I read and stated that they have someone that comes in to inspect their units for damage or other maintenence issues before and immediately after checkout. If that is in fact the case, then why did it take 18 days? Additionally, why not provide renters with a copy of said inspection upon arrival that notates any imperfections found by the inspector, like rental car companies do? Car rental companies go around the vehicle with you present and mark down dings and scratches, etc so that all parties are in agreement on the condition before the new renter pulls out of the agency parking lot. After all, what exactly does a "human sized dent" look like? Is it a dent the size of an adult human being, a baby, a child, a large dent, or what? I don't know about you all, but my husband, kids, and I don't just walk around slamming ourselves or each other into walls at home, let alone in someone else's home. I have already contacted RealJoy and I have filed a charge dispute with my CC company. Based on the reviews I have read, I'm not holding my breath that they will do the right thing and refund my money without a fight. Do yourself a favor and research the actual rental company before booking. I wish I would have. Lesson freaking learned! read more

completely non functional stove top/oven in unit. they sent a maintenance person to assess it, he said it would need to be replaced and we'd be called at 9am when the office opened. no call no show. at 10:30 we called the office and were told "at some point during the day, a hot plate would be dropped off". no property managers will call the paying guest. I would not recommend or use RealJoy vacations again because they obviously don't care about the needs of the guest. read more

The turd floating in the Prominence 30a pool on the day of our arrival was a sign from God. That sums up the entire experience so far. RealJoy was supposed to send an email with the door code a half hour before check-in. That e-mail never came. (Early check-in was over $300 - remember that, it'll be important later...). 30 minutes AFTER check-in, at our second phone call, we were given the code. We went to our unit and were met at the door by the "cleaners". Again - this was 30 minutes after check-in. Yes, the quotes are intentional. They told us to come back in an hour. After driving 7 hours, the LAST thing we wanted was to go anywhere else in the car, but there you go. Among their finishing touches by the crew, the "clean" sheets they put on the bed. They offered us $100 which was better than nothing, but nowhere near adequate when factoring in the myriad things that were wrong inside the unit. Remember, to check-in early would have cost me over $300... to be locked out of our unit for over an hour and a half, they only offer $100. The unit smelled of mildew, but we could never find it. The dishwasher doesn't work. The clothes washer doesn't work. Two of the 4 bicycles in the garage are broken. The floor may not have been mopped since the building was built. It is so disgustingly dirty it makes your feet dirty after walking on it for 5 minutes. The front door handle doesn't function correctly. The coffee machine doesn't work correctly. The lights in the stairwell (which is dark as Satan's armpit at night) don't work. The shutters on the bedroom windows may as well be clear - there's no napping during the day because it's as bright as the surface of the sun in there. That's just the things that are broken and don't work. We called RealJoy about some of these concerns and we were told "we will have maintenance look at it..." which didn't happen during our stay. The beds... Oh my God, the beds.... They're one small step up the comfort-scale from sleeping on pavement. The master's is not even a queen. I think it's a full. In a unit that costs thousands of dollars a week. I am now sleeping on the sofa because it is actually MORE comfortable than the master bedroom bed. Skip this rental agency and find one that actually cares about their renters instead of just churning people through their meat-grinder of a rental unit. read more

We have stayed at MANY properties between Destin and 30A. This destination is the only place we vacation every year for spring break or summer. RealJoy Vacation rentals is the worst rental company we have ever dealt with. We were charged over $1,000 in damages SEVEN weeks after our stay. The company will not return our phone calls. NEVER rent from them!! read more

company is no good. I left a room perfect and they got me with a 500 dollar charge for smoking with no evidence of smoking. stay away

We rented a pricey 5 bedroom unit called the Holiday House. This was mid May and within two hours of arrival found the main HVAC did not work. This meant the inside temperature was no less than 78 degrees and humid. No response at all from the phone number provided on a guest memo posted on refrigerator. Left numerous voicemails, all unanswered. First nite was very uncomfortable only possible since we brought our own portable fans. The next day, an internet search located their maintenance phone number- not the one provided! They dispatched a HVAC company to service the main unit. Tech arrived about 4 pm. The tech claimed unit had been red tagged year earlier for replacement and was not repairable. He turned off power to unit and left. This is day two and no air conditioning. Another call to maintenance was placed and they dispatched a crew to install four portable units. This offered relief from the heat. However, the exhaust vents installed with tape in the windows left the windows unsecured on a busy street corner. Other problems include dead remotes for the two ceiling fans in the living area, Outside shower was "out of order" and had been from some time. The temporary shower attached to garden hose on patio was in pieces and had to be repaired. The rear sliding door very difficult to open. Very disappointing for the amount of money we spent. We would expect everything to work and a much better response to issues we reported right away. Never, never ever use this company for vacation plans. read more

RENTERS BEWARE! DO NOT RENT FROM THEM! Thieves is all I can say! Due to a change in employment I was unable to make the trip...lost all of my deposit. You people could work with customers on arranging a later date or refunded a portion of the deposit back! I'll never EVER look at your over priced rental properties again. P.S. make sure you read their policies..."no refund if mandatory hurricane evacuation" shame if a hurricane rolls in after you've paid over a thousand dollars... read more

We hope ALL snowbirds stay away from renting from RealJoy Vacation Rentals with their office in Destin. We rented an Okaloosa Island sixth floor condo thru them for Jan 16 thru Feb 15. We knew the only elevator in the bldg was under repair, but RealJoy assured us on January 1st that it would be finished by January 15th. On our trip to FWB (a 2 day drive) we received an email saying the repairs would be delayed, but completed on Jan. 18th. With help from RealJoy getting our belongings up the 92 steps, we thought we could live with three days of stairs. But then, additional promised completion dates of Jan 21, 25, 29 and Feb 1 was just too much. They then came up with the bright idea of moving us, which was 16 days of climbing 92 steps too late. They then agreed to let us out of our contract and return the unused portion. We are still waiting on that return. Their customer "non-service" person named Jonathan doesn't lie, but he'll tell you the truth two or three different ways. We have be coming and enjoying FWB since 2013. Up until this year, the people (and vacation rental businesses) have been great to work with. While RealJoy has some good folks, they also have some not so good. Be careful dealing with RealJoy and be prepared to lose your $ if you have any issues. As you might guess, we are seniors and climbing all 92 steps each time we returned to the condo got old fast. I have attached a picture of the stained carpets on our check in day. Sad, very sad. This is what they rented us "after claiming and charging to deep clean for Covid precautions". We love FWB and will be back in spite of businesses like RealJoy. read more

RealJoy Vacations - Dirty carpets. Due to Covid, RealJoy said the condo was deep cleaned before our arrival and charged us extra for it. - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Destin, Florida

Do not rent from this company! They are unethical and refuse to give any refunds, if though they falsify the condition of their rental units. They have a 1.2 rating from the BBB. Do your research. I wish I had. I will never do business with them again. read more

BEWARE! DO NOT RENT FROM REAL JOY VACATIONS! They do not allow reviews to be left on their website or their Facebook page. Please read reviews on Google and BBB. We rented a condo at Edgewater Resort in February 2021. Upon arrival the unit was obviously not cleaned. Unmade beds, no towels, dried blood on a blanket, water damage in kitchen cabinets with what appeared to be black mold, etc. There was also construction debris left on the dining table. After numerous calls, text messages and emails, they finally agree that it was not cleaned. They never sent anyone out to clean the unit. There was also water damage in the kitchen cabinets and what appeared to be black mold. I sent them pictures of everything. Again, nothing was done. We also had other major issues during our stay, such as no heating/air conditioning, no hot water, contractors entering the unit without our knowledge, etc. They also do not answer the "emergency/after hours" number, so if you have an issue during your stay, good luck actually getting someone to answer. read more

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miserable company. DO NOT RENT FROM THeM! after two days of traveling, we arrived at our unit only to be met with such a pungent odor of dog urine We cannot even enter the unit. I immediately contacted the 24 hour line where we were told the leasing manager would meet us at the property as soon as possible. After waiting for over three hours in the hallway outside the unit the manager finally arrived . doing a walk-through We also discovered the area rug was wet. The couches were damp The bedding was damp . the unit was uninhabitable. I asked the manager if they would be able to put us in another unit to which she replied. There has to be a problem for me to approve.. I don't see anything wrong with you staying here. at this point, I just burst into tears. There was no way that we would be able to stay in the unit. My daughter has severe lung issues as she lived with a heart issue called PDA for the first year at five years of her life and she has weak lungs and the smell of urine and cleaner that too strong. Plus, there was nowhere to sit, and there was nowhere to sleep considering the couch in the bedding were all damp to which she said sometimes they put the sheets on the bed damp so they don't wrinkle. I told her we would not be staying there and we left and had to find another unit to stay within hours before it became dark. I immediately reached out to real Joy asking for a refund to which they refused then reached out to Airbnb for a refund to which they gave me a $200 refund for their portion of commission and try to get Joy to refund the remaining amount to which they refused. I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint to which they were to issue a refund, but yet still refused to issue a refund stay away from this company. They are scammers. read more

RENTER BEWARE! Unless you want to hire an attorney to comb through this company's ridiculous terms and conditions, I strongly recommend renting elsewhere. I reserved a property on their website without reviewing their terms and conditions and I have paid dearly for that. Upon reserving the property, I was emailed their rental agreement. After reviewing the rental agreement (which is beyond ridiculous), I googled the company and discovered how many people have had major issues with them. When I contacted the company to cancel my reservation (I purchased their insurance and contacted them within 48 hours of reservation), I was told I would have to fill out and sign paperwork in order to cancel. Their cancellation document requires you to agree to give them your full deposit. The entire setup is a scam. Their terms and conditions include a clause that they can move you to a different property at their own discretion. So basically, you give them money and they'll pick where you stay. Long story short, this company too over $700 of my money to hold a reservation for 48 hours and wouldn't let me cancel without agreeing to give up any claim I had to that money, despite the fact that I paid an additional $165 for insurance. read more

Do not stay here!!! Real Joy is no joy! They have had 157 complaints in 3 years And they are rated a 1 on a scale of 1-5 They are not even members of the Better Business Bureau ! This should pretty much tell you everything you need to know. We are currently in discussions regarding our stay. I am asking for a complete refund and I will not go away. I am retired and have plenty of time to work on this. I am NOT going away! read more

Looking on Air B&B website, my wife found a house for vacation rental with RealJoy as the management company for the property. We found out that RealJoy Vacations employs lots of liars. We paid a deposit for a house that included a golf cart for 6. Two days before our trip, we received a call from an agent of RealJoy stating the golf cart was not functioning properly. We were very upset because my wife and I have trouble walking the half mile from our rental to the beautiful beach. We asked if we could rent a cart and they responded no, because there is no place to secure it. The very next day an agent representing KillJoy - er - RealJoy called to ensure we were coming the next day, and my wife asked what was going on with the golf cart - couldn't it be fixed within a few days? The agent said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the cart. She hung up to verify and called back to say that she DID see we were contacted about this the day before, but the golf cart was "verified" working - no problems! So we arrived the next day as scheduled and immediately noticed the floors had a substantial amount of sand throughout the upstairs and down, sheets were damp in some bedrooms and simply dirty in 2 of the four bed rooms, and despite us arriving 6 hours later than the 4 o'clock check in, the inside of the dishwasher was damp. So we checked glasses and plates only to find them put away filthy - food particles on plates, fingerprints on glasses, and silverware unclean. Disappointing since we paid a cleaning fee over $300. The next day (it was late and we were exhausted cleaning and driving in from Texas), 4 members of our party decided to move our cars out of the driveway and check out the golf cart. Trouble was, the key was in a lock box and we were not given a code for the lockbox. We had a code for the security gate, the front door, the community center, the community pool, but not for the key to run the golf cart. My wife called RealJoy and asked for the code on voicemail. Hours later, they returned the call, we finally got into the lock box, and the golf cart coughed and sputtered down the steep driveway, quickly dying right in front of our neighbor's driveway - blocking them in as they were trying to leave. The 4 strongest in our group managed to move the non-functioning cart away from the neighbor's driveway, up the steep driveway, and back in the garage. My wife called RealJoy AGAIN, once again requested someone to come fix the cart - and mentioned the dirty floor, dishes, and bedsheets. The RealJoy agent said we should have called sooner than the next day so they could have dispatched their cleaning service. So evidently it was actually OUR fault the sheets, floors, and dishes were dirty and we cleaned them up during the first full day so that we could be more comfortable. The RealJoy agent said she had someone in the area that could fix the cart by that evening. The mystery mechanic was a no show/no call. I was not surprised We were gone from the house most of the second day - BUT we DID call AGAIN, and we were told they really didn't have time to come out to fix the cart. My wife asked for a refund of the $300 they took off our credit card immediately after booking, and we did actually see the refund a week or so after we returned home. Sorry for the Looooong story, but we made it clear early on that the golf cart was the deciding factor when we selected this house. Heck, we would would have definitely opted for a house with a private pool way off the beach if we knew we had to drive to the beach and fight bad traffic and spend literally hours looking for parking. Strongly recommend finding another company to lease your vacation rental from. read more

We rented 207 Somerset in Panama City Beach. The rental is NOT pet friendly and the company refused to give any refund after we booked thinking everything would be ok. When we called Real Joy, the first thing they said was "no pets allowed", but it is clearly advertised as pet friendly. Also, pictures of the rental look great, but when we arrived the apartment was so run down. There was a ROACH in the living room, window screens are torn, sliding door to the deck does not lock, bathroom toilet seat is cracked, and the beds are so old and uncomfortable. During our 2nd day there, someone from the city came by and said they were going to turn the water off because the owner had not paid the water bill, and they had been trying to contact them for several weeks. It took a very long time to get a hold of someone at Real Joy to address this issue. We will definitely not be booking with Real Joy again. read more

Currently staying at Dunes of Panama Unit 2002E. I would advise against anyone booking this unit, as I DO NOT have access to the balcony. HOA has 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! Mind you, I live out of state and was a couple of hours away from arriving. They said they wasn't made aware of the issue until at that time. I opted for a discount to be provided from what I paid. It's day 2 and I have yet to hear back about receiving discount. They said they have to talk to the owner....what is there to talk about? You all and the owner need to do the right thing; otherwise, I will be filing a complaint with FL State Attorneys General's. What a way to ruin my Birthday vacation. For you all to claim you had no idea the balcony was closed. There is a sign posted in the elevator....about work being done in building in E since February!! read more

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TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!! We emailed RealJoy to inquire about renting two units for the same week. Via email and phone calls we agreed to rent both 16A & 16B Destiny Beach Villas on May 15th for a week in October. I paid deposit on May 15th. On May 16th Realjoy called and said it was mandatory that we book for 7 night, instead of 6. We said that's fine and paid the money required. May 25th, received an email saying reservation would not be honored but could provide alternate reservation with no explanation as to why. Called immediately and was told they would call back. They didn't. Two days later, called and was put on hold for 30 minutes. And then was told rental would be $1300 more than agreed upon. We requested our deposit back. Seem like a scam to me! read more

My family rented a unit in Miramar Beach that RealJoy managed. Unit initially had not been cleaned at all. And dishwasher in unit was broken and not operable during our stay. Lots of other little issues too. We are also still owed a reimbursement for an expense we incurred due to RealJoy's failure. Unit itself was just ok. Location was great though. In our opinion, we would not recommend renting a unit that RealJoy manages. Could be ok, but could be a disaster too. read more

Wish I could rate with no stars! This is a horrible company! More like "No Joy Vacations." My family and I rented a property managed by Real Joy Vacations for a small family reunion at 121 Moonlight Dr in Panama City FL this past weekend. As soon as we arrived the kitchen sink was clogged and the dishwasher pushed sewer (brown water) into the sink which caused it to overflow all over the kitchen floor and dining room floor. This was a foul situation as you can imagine. We spent a great deal of time mopping and cleaning up the water with the few towels they provided in the home. When we brought this to the attention of Airbnb and "Kill Joy Vacations" they refused to find another rental property for us. Having paid over $4000 for 4 days at the rental and spending $700 on food from the grocery store that we were unable to cook due to not having access to a functioning kitchen sink or dishwasher, we spent even more money on eating out with our family of 11. Real Joy Vacations and Airbnb decided that a reimbursement of $508 was enough for our troubles. It was not. Our "relaxing family vacation" turned into a stressful and even more expensive event. The sink nor the dishwasher was fixed during our entire stay. Whatever you do, do not rent a property through Real Joy Vacations! Airbnb was no help either and backed this property management company even though we provided plenty of proof. Unfortunately I am not able to upload my videos below. Take my word for it...this company is worthless and Airbnb will not hold them accountable. My family and I will be going with VRBO and Vacasa from now on. read more

Poor customer service overall. House description was inaccurate that just stayed in over Spring Break - no pool, private beach access was a joke, house was missing cushions on back porch, not well appointed in the kitchen - no fan to get rid of fish smell when cooking one night, dog friendly house but not people friendly rugs for pet dander. The customer service simply didn't respond in a timely fashion or have things done in a timely manner if at all. read more

A group of 11 of us arrived on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 pm to Hidden Dunes 601. At around 8:30 pm after just arriving 4 hours prior, we received a knock on our door from 2 of the front desk girls. They said to pack our bags because we are being evicted immediatly. The owner saw my husband on the ring doorbell with a cigar in his mouth. The owner was watching our every move since arriving. Even though we explained to them we just arrived and did not know all the rules, and the cigar was only smoked outside, they still said it didn't matter. We couldn't believe we were at least not given a warning first before receiving such excessive punishment. We pleaded with them to let us speak with the owner. The owner refused to speak with us. It was getting late and between the two families we had 7 children with us. It's spring break and we knew almost all hotels would be booked. We had nowhere to go with exhausted children. The girls said they would speak with the owner again and explain our situation with having 7 children. Once again, we were told to leave. We were so desperate that we offered to pay a $1,000 fine if she would agree to let us stay. Her counteroffer was that she would allow everyone to stay, but my husband was still being evicted. My husband and I walked down to the office to try and figure out our next steps. He was offered to stay a mile down the road at another RealJoy location. After just paying the fine that we couldn't even afford, we refused the offer for him to go elsewhere and pay more money for another condo until we could speak to management in the morning. My credit card was immediately charged. So, that night as humiliating as it was, he packed his bags and slept in our van. There was no one on site as far as management goes at Hidden Dunes to speak in person with about our situation the next morning. Our only option was to call the 800 number for RealJoy. We were told nothing would be done for us and that the ower was rather a "big deal." I've never spoken to someone from management with such a rude, condescending attitude before. Emily at the front desk was so angry about our situation, that it finally it reached the HOA president of Hidden Dunes. I give the front desk girls the biggest praise. They were only doing what the owner was demanding them to do, even though they didn't agree with it. We were brought into Becky's office and were told the owner overstepped her boundary and that he was allowed back into the condo. The owner questioned what kind of person sleeps in their car. This was just another example of her character. My husband refused to leave his family because that's the kind of person he is. This was after 3 nights of sleeping in our van and having cold showers. Finally, on the day we arrived home from this nightmare, Robert called and we were given our full $1,000 back and 10% off a future stay if we chose to give RealJoy another chance. After what we endured, we refuse to give this company another dime. The 10% offer is a slap in the face. We should have at least been compensated for the 3 days he was evicted. Management didn't even know what policies and procedures were supposed to happen when sometihng like this arises. We were told multiple times how unfair and excessive our punishment was, how extremly strict and unfair the owner was, but yet it took 3 nights of sleeping in a van for anyone to step up and do anything about it. That's 3 days we can't get back as a family. A 10% discount for a future stay means nothing to us because we refuse to ever stay again. It was completely ruined by a power/money hungry owner and a company that doesn't even know their own policy. Do yourself a favor and never rent Hidden Dunes 601 or any property from RealJoy. read more

I wouldn't recommend booking with RealJoy. Our issues started at check in when the condo didn't have a copy of our reservation (despite everything being finalized a month prior and confirming our check in time). The lady at the front desk of the condo was able to handle everything and it wasn't a big deal other than a waste of time. Next, we head to the room with our luggage and find out they hadn't even started cleaning. The lady told me it would be 20 min (to clean the entire condo.. hmmm) but she didn't even have a key to access the property! I called RealJoy to see what was going on and the girl I spoke with apologized but said we should leave the condo and go have a nice dinner (supposedly on them). I explained to her that we were standing outside with 2 full luggage carts and already had dinner plans so that wasn't an option. She then suggested we leave our personal belongings in the condo and someone would contact us once it's clean. I NEVER received a call, text, or e-mail.. we happened to walk back to the condo about 45 min later and they had finished "cleaning". Third issue, I read a review about not being able to bring personal umbrellas to the beach but I couldn't find this stated anywhere else. I contacted RealJoy about personal umbrellas and tents and they informed me that both were allowed. Fast forward to setting up our umbrella on the beach.. we were told we had to take it down because the condo banned them 16 years ago! Lastly, maintenance and cleaning are clearly an afterthought. The floors were still dirty, the extra blankets had stains on them, the washer had mold in it, and I found someone else's garbage under the nightstand table. The property also needed some minor maintenance - for example, the kitchen faucet wasn't secured to the counter so you needed 2 hands to turn it on.. one to hold the faucet in place and another to turn the water on (otherwise it spins 360 deg). RealJoy ended up giving us a $100 visa card but it wasn't worth everything we dealt with.. I recommend giving your business to someone else. read more

terrible customer service,the unit had blood on the shower curtain,linen,chair and walls of master bedroom.dirty walls in kitchen.the tub was filthy and stopped up with hair so obviously it wasn't cleaned prior to our arrival.don't waste your money or family precious time booking with these people. read more

Never rent from RealJoy properties again!We stayed in Destin in a unit they manage. We had MULTIPLE issues, biggest being sewage stench coming from master bath drain. RJ is very hard to communicate with via portal or phone. Guest bath toilet clogged. By now, the couple we were with just left due to smell and lack of cleaning in the unit, just grossed out (see pics). After finally getting through to someone they sent a "cleaner" out, he had a bucket and cleaned one toilet and bath and master shower(obivously nothing had been cleaned in the entire unit, from our point of view). that is it. never addressed the stench or other issues we reported & didnt know anything about them (blinds missing slats to all bedroom balcony doors & many more). We leave literally at 6 a.m. morning of checkout & our 12-hour drive home we smelled the sewage smell on our luggage in the car (it was that bad). I get a call from Emma at RJ saying they will compensat us for $100 for our inconvenience & sorry for the trouble, but 3 people went in unit and never smelled anything. They are a JOKE. This was the worst smell. No way people could go in the unit and not smell it. That with all the many many issues we had that they DID NOT CARE ABOUT will make me run anytime their name is attached to anything. OWNERS BEWARE...this makes your property look bad when you have people manage that can't even sanitize & clean your units then not FIX issues that are blatantly wrong and will only get worse (leaking faucet, doors locks not working, blinds torn up with slats thrown in closets, cracked tiles, and more). RJ doesn't even answer their emergency maintenance line. if you call their sales # someone will answer. read more

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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! They are awful. Covid hit and we had to cancel our reservations. They wouldn't even give us our security deposit back. They are awful people to work with. read more

We booked a stay at a beachview condo on 04/11/2023 and paid the rental fee up front. On 4/20/2023, two days before we were to arrive, we were notified via Air B n B that the host (RealJoy Vacations) had advised them to tell us that the pull-out sleeper sofa in the condo was broken and were offered an air mattress instead. My wife and I are seniors and have mobility issues and we told Air B n B that this was unacceptable and asked for compensation from RealJoy for the loss of the sofa. Air B n B said they would pass this onto RealJoy. We left Texas on 4/22/2023 and were contacted numerous times while en route by Air B n B about RealJoy's response to our request. RealJoy offered to allow us to cancel the reservation, which we declined. We stopped in Foley, Alabama for fuel and were notified by Air B n B that our reservation would be cancelled. We advised Air B n B that we did not want to cancel and were assured that the reservation would not be cancelled. We talked to RealJoy and they assured us that an air mattress would be provided and our account would be credited for the inconvenience. We arrived in Destin shortly after 4pm, received the resort gate code and the access code to the condo. We unloaded our belongings and purchased a week's worth of groceries for our vacation. Shortly after 6pm, we were advised by Air B n B that RealJoy had cancelled our reservation and offered us 6 alternative condos for our stay, none of which were beachview and were not what we wanted. Noelle said she was sorry and when we told her that we had just driven 11 hours from Texas and were tired, she said there was noting she could do. She even went so far as to ask us to remove our belongings and try to find alternative lodging via phone from our vehicle in the parking lot!. RealJoy even sent an employee to make sure we moved out and unlocked the front door and walked in unannounced/. When we asked him why he was here, he advised us that he was checking for maintenance issues in the condo. We contacted Air B n B and explained the circumstances and they tried to re-book the condo, but were unable to do so. I am a retired law enforcement officer and I contacted the Walton County Sheriff's Department for information on forcible evictions in Florida. A Deputy was sent to us and h patiently explained the situation to us. While RealJoy sent us notification that our money would be refunded, the deputy said that until the money was actually in our hands or our bank, RealJoy could not evict us without going to court. We showed him that the refund was not yet in our bank or credited to our card. The deputy also told us that he was advised by a supervisor that this exact situation had been investigated by their department before. We notified the RealJoy employee, who at first thought the Deputy was there for him, that we would not be moving out of the unit until the morning as we needed rest after the horrendous ordeal. At 1:56AM, RealJoy notified us via Air B n B that they wanted $1000.00 for the one night stay. The next morning, we were able find and book another condo through Air B n B that was suitable. While it was not beachview and required we drive to the beach and find parking, we felt we had no choice. In summary, I think RealJoy Vacations used a BAIT AND SWITCH on us. We booked a desirable beach view condo and were told it was unavailable after we had driven 600 miles to Destin. Then they offered us less desirable locations knowing we had to accept something or drive 600 miles back home to Texas. We checked the original condo later and found that it was occupied by whoever RealJoy kicked us out for. Too bad there are no negative ratings for RealJoy Vacations and they deserved as low a rating as possible. See Greg G.'s review from 10/01/2022 on their rental agreement paperwork. read more