Independent consumer record
4 months after I left, they still have not returned my deposit. They are actively gaslighting customers and lying straight through their teeth. Save yourself the misery.
Trustpilot and Google Play. Every one a single star.
I made the foolish mistake of trusting fake reviews and a star rating on the app store. Look a little deeper and you will see they are fake, and that the real reviews are buried in there, showing you the true horror of renting an apartment from Travelio.
The numbers bear this out. Travelio holds 4.38 out of 5 on Apple's App Store in Indonesia, from 26,064 ratings, yet of the latest 500 reviews people actually wrote there, 179 give one or two stars. It holds 3.54 on Google Play across 51,000 ratings. On Trustpilot, where people go to write about a company rather than rate an app, it holds 2.0 out of 5, and 81% of those reviews are one star. Same company, same period, two completely different pictures. One of them is the one you see before you book.
Straight from Apple's App Store, checked every day.
NOT RECOMMENDED!! Absolutely the most unprofessional, deceptive, and frustrating company I have ever dealt with. Their customer support is a masterclass in gaslighting and deliberate stalling. I requested the original, signed hard copies of my rental agreement and Power of Attorney. Instead of fulfilling a basic contractual obligationโฆRead the full review โ
Room boy not responding Arranged to meet at 10. Waited for the room boy, no response for up to 40 minutes. The showing team on WhatsApp didn't reply either. Shit, they think people's time is worthless
If there were zero stars, zero stars it'd be. The unit is neglected, CS and technician communication is really bad. The bathroom exhaust fan was broken, CS said to replace it, the technician refused to replace it because they said it still turns on even though the exhaust has no power. Rented a 2-bedroom apartment, only given 1 access key, and no room keys eitherโฆRead the full review โ
6 months of using the app For 6 months using this, everything in it is rotten, they give you bad rooms lacking this and that, you pay through the nose and what you get is rotten, the deposit money only comes back after 2 months, probably getting embezzled, waiting until whoever embezzled it has the cash before it gets returned, even justโฆRead the full review โ
Fraud and deposit not returned After the checkout process I had returned the access key into the mailbox in line with the applicable instructions. But your side assumes I lost the key and my deposit has been withheld and to this day still hasn't been refunded. In the end I contacted the apartment management, and the mailbox has been unlocked andโฆRead the full review โ
App is a hassle Such a hassle to use!
This is not speculation. Customers on the App Store and Trustpilot, writing years apart, describe the same thing: staff demanding five stars before they hand over the key, pushing for them at check-out while the deposit is still held, dangling a voucher for them, or taking the phone and doing it themselves. One was told it was SOP.
They refuse to expedite the deposit and instead told me to give them a 5 stars review in hopes of winning a voucher of 800K rupiah. What kind of service bribery is this?
At check-in, the procedure forced me to give a five-star review before they handed over the key.
Every time I rent a unit by the day, the room boy forces me to give a five-star review first, before I have even entered the room or been given the key. They say it is SOP.
At check-out the room boy changed the subject and pushed me for a five-star review. The problem was not resolved and the deposit had not been returned, but they were already busy asking for a good rating.
They asked for five stars at the very start. Very disappointing.
The room boy also pushed hard for five stars.
During checking he opened the review tab, and put 5 stars on everything, which I would have never done.
They always force you to give five stars at check-in, even though the service is zero.
I was shocked to receive an email thanking me for the review on certain unit in this app while I have never submitted any reviews. I chose not to give reviews as I was not satisfied with the unit but the reviews came with all 5 stars.
From people who have just been through it.
Quoted from the reviews themselves. Each links back to where it was posted.
Donโt expect to get full deposit return, theyโll find a way to cut it, if not take the whole of it. Itโs more like a scam rather than a genuine accommodation rental service provider.
Never book with this company.
We booked and paid for 2 nights almost 6 months ago. Two hours before we were due to arrive they cancelled. They changed the lease unilaterally without confirming with us, and threatened to fine us around 1 million rupiah. They deliberately sold the unit we rented 6 months ago at a low price, to sell it to someone else at a high price.
My friends were kicked out from the unit whilst they were not there, and got no replacement room. That unit had been paid for 6 months prior. They changed the invoice one-sided without confirming. Feels like my friends have been cheated by these imposters.
Worst customer service ever. It takes 3 days to solve any problem.
Cancelled unilaterally, without confirming with us, hours before we arrived.
Three years renting from them. The first and second units took more than a month to return my security deposit after extensive follow-up. They have been withholding my money for almost 3 weeks when the process should only take 3 days.
Deposit thievin goblins. Wouldnโt give my deposit back even though I checked beforehand before checkout if they would. They said yes. Do not use this site, itโs borderline a scam.
After checkout my deposit did not come back until a week later. They said the bank name was different from the booking name. I always use the same account, no issue, and input the bank data upfront.
They refused my refund over an electricity penalty raised after I had already left.
They didnโt refund me by charging crazy interest and penalty on the last electric bill that doesnโt get to me after I left. They charged 2% per day and a huge fine. They deducted it from the deposit and so I get half of my deposit.
They charged interest at 2% per day.
There were cockroaches in every room. We had to fight with them for hours just to get our deposit back, while they kept asking for the same information again and again to delay the refund as much as possible.
We had to fight with them for hours just to get our deposit back.
Staff avoided confirming in writing that the apartment was the same. When I asked to confirm the deposit, the staff wanted to check the email confirmation on my phone. During checking he opened the review tab and put 5 stars on everything, which I would never have done.
Cockroaches in every room, and black mold growing in the corners.
Still fighting with them to get my security deposit, in excess of USD 500, and they keep finding one after another unreasonable request and proof for me to produce. Every time I contact customer service I encounter a new person and have to reinvent the wheel.
They keep on finding one after other unreasonable request and proofs for me to produce to get it back.
The second you pay for the place you can forget about any refund if problems arise.
A month chasing a refund while they claimed items were missing, after their own staff signed off when I moved out.
Avoid this company at ALL costs.
The worst accommodation and customer service!!!
Scammers, false advertising.
Customer service and terms are really bad.
Extremely disappointing.
Very bad company, scammer.
Worst customer service.
Total scammers.
There was mold everywhere, the room was extremely dirty, no hot water, insects everywhere. They charged me 25 euro or 500k rupiah for a missing ice cube tray that was never there in the first place. They told me if I didnโt pay for the full 5 months they would keep my deposit.
They are big scammers.
The worst customer service I have ever encountered.
Really disappointed with the chaotic service.
Customer service and field staff did not work.
Deserve minus stars. Never communicated that IPL has to be paid 3 months up front. Very late in sending the bill, with only 1.5 working days remaining for a large sum. The CS answer is just copy-paste โsorry, but you have to payโ.
Very poor management and CS for renters.
Eight months of delay. Very unbelievable.
Not customer focused.
Don't book.
No details of the expenses.
I paid Rp6,100,000 and got Rp2,740,000 back. No breakdown, no explanation.
They deducted Rp400,000 for a key I returned. I have the photo and the video.
They post-charged me for furniture damage that was not mine.
The six that come up most often.
The most frequently documented complaint. Tenants report that after check-out the deposit is not returned within the stated window, and that each enquiry produces a new prerequisite rather than a payment.
15 documented reports โ MediumSupport described as slow or circular precisely when money is in dispute, including refusal to confirm in writing at check-out that a unit was returned in acceptable condition.
13 documented reports โ CriticalCharges levied days or weeks after a guest has left and the unit has been re-let, for damage the guest disputes. Distinct from a deduction agreed at inspection: by the time the claim arrives the guest can no longer inspect the unit or rebut it.
9 documented reports โ HighA second group of complainants: the landlords whose units Travelio manages. Published letters describe repair costs charged to owners for damage owners say was not their fault, unverified water-bill refunds, rental agreements delivered without the ownerโs signature, and owner-relations staff who answer only with standard procedure.
9 documented reports โ CriticalDeductions applied without prior notice or agreed evidence, for items tenants dispute as normal wear. A published Indonesian complaint documents a deduction justified as 'wall stains' (noda tembok).
7 documented reports โ MediumCharges tenants report as disproportionate or not clearly disclosed at booking, including a published account of interest charged at a stated 2% per day.
6 documented reports โLandlords complain about Travelio as well, and have since 2019. Repair costs charged to owners for damage they say was not theirs. Occupancy guarantees that went unmet. A management agreement handed over without the ownerโs signature. One owner could not get the keys to his own apartment back after ending the arrangement. Another had to publish twice because the first complaint changed nothing. Owners hold the one thing tenants do not: the flat itself.
Published complaints and platform reviews, with dates and links to the originals.
A consumer demands a refund on the grounds that the apartment unit differed significantly from the images it was advertised with, and additionally raises concerns about the handling of personal data. The most recent published Travelio complaint at the time of capture.
Read the original โReviewer: "worst costumer service ever it takes 3 days to solve any problem."
Read the original โReviewer states a booking was "cancelled unilaterally without confirming with us" only hours before arrival.
Read the original โA reviewer reports being denied a refund because of penalty charges on an electricity bill, claimed as a late payment that arose after the tenant had already moved out.
Read the original โReviewer reports unexpected penalties and inflated bills, including interest charged at a stated "2% per day".
Read the original โReviewer describes having to "fight with them for hours just to get our deposit back."
Read the original โReviewer describes "cockroaches in every room" and "black mold growing in the corners", alongside non-functioning appliances and broken furniture.
Read the original โReviewer: "they are keep on finding one after other unreasonable request and proofs for me to produce to get is back."
Read the original โReviewer: "The second you pay for the place you can forget about any refund if problems arise," and reports that at check-out staff avoided confirming in writing that the apartment was in the same condition.
Read the original โReviewer reports being told the deposit would be kept unless they paid for a full five-month booking, despite wanting to switch rooms.
Read the original โApp-store reviewers report that Travelio declined to process a cash refund and offered a discount voucher in its place. Others describe waiting a full month for a deposit after checking out correctly.
Read the original โConsumers report deposits delayed or refused on the ground that the bank account named for the refund did not match the name on the booking, a condition raised only at the refund stage, and not applied when the same payment was accepted in the first place. A related account describes a refund refused because the person who booked and the guest who arrived were different people.
Read the original โA reviewer describes spending a month pursuing a refund while Travelio claimed items were missing, despite staff having signed off on the unitโs condition when they moved out.
Read the original โThe consumer checked out early from a unit at Tokyo Riverside Tower Dotonburi on 21 October 2025. Following Travelioโs own instructions they left the keys in the mailbox and documented it with photographs and video. Travelio staff stated the keys were not found and charged a Rp400,000 replacement fee against the deposit. This is the clearest documented case of a deduction applied against contemporaneous evidence the consumer already held.
Read the original โA follow-up letter from the same consumer acknowledging that Travelio resolved the mini-refrigerator charge. Published four days after the original complaint. Recorded here because a record that omits resolutions is not a record, and because the sequence is itself the finding: the charge was reversed after the complaint became public, not before.
Read the original โA guest is billed repair costs for damage to a mini-refrigerator which they state was not caused by them.
Read the original โA property owner criticises Travelioโs owner-relations team as unprofessional in its handling of the verification of a water-bill refund.
Read the original โA tenant reports paying a deposit of IDR 6,100,000 and receiving only IDR 2,740,000 back in February 2025, a shortfall of IDR 3,360,000, with no itemised statement of what the difference was spent on.
Read the original โA tenant reports that despite having paid, they were not given the rental management document (PSM) bearing the ownerโs signature, leaving the tenancy without the documentation that would evidence its terms in a dispute.
Read the original โAn owner publishes a second complaint about the management of multiple units, notable because it is a repeat filing: the first complaint did not resolve the matter.
Read the original โA published letter praising Travelioโs Instagram customer-service team as professional and helpful. Included because selective publication is how a documentation project loses its authority. Note the channel: the praised service came via a public social channel, not the in-app support queue where the disputes above stalled.
Read the original โA consumer thanks MediaKonsumen for mediating the resolution of an earlier Travelio complaint. Published two days after the post-charge letter above. The second documented instance of a dispute resolving only once it was published.
Read the original โA guest who stayed 11-13 October 2024 against a Rp300,000 deposit disputes post-checkout charges for furniture damage they say they did not cause.
Read the original โA property owner reports being charged for repairs to a managed unit where, on the ownerโs account, neither they nor the unit were at fault.
Read the original โA complaint describing incompetent service delivery spanning several separate reservations, rather than a single booking going wrong.
Read the original โTravelio publishes a formal response ("Tanggapan") to the unclear-charges complaint filed on 16 February 2024. Recorded because the response itself is the finding: the company engages publicly on this platform after a complaint is published, having not resolved it privately beforehand.
Read the original โA consumer confirms their complaint was resolved by Travelio. The third documented resolution in this archive, and like the others it follows publication rather than a private support ticket.
Read the original โA published complaint concerning charges the consumer states were not clearly explained or itemised.
Read the original โA formal Travelio response to the owner-relations complaint of 31 January 2024, concerning dynamic pricing disputes.
Read the original โA property owner publicly requests an explanation and a resolution from Travelioโs owner-relations function, having not obtained one privately.
Read the original โA published complaint characterising Travelioโs service as very poor and unprofessional.
Read the original โA dispute over property damage in which liability was, on the complainantโs account, never clearly assigned and responsibility was declined.
Read the original โA customer reports disappointment with service quality following an apartment booking.
Read the original โA property owner complains to owner-relations management about discrepancies between the cooperation agreed and the service delivered.
Read the original โThe complainant reports the amount returned did not match the deposit paid, with deductions taken for water charges and for dirty walls. The deduction is described as applied unilaterally rather than agreed at inspection.
Read the original โAn annual-lease tenant checked out on 5 April 2023 and asked customer service for clarity on the deposit return. The complainant states the agreed term was a maximum of 14 working days after deduction of electricity and water, that 18 working days had passed without return, and that enquiries produced no answer or solution, only a repeated 'awaiting billing confirmation', despite building management issuing statements on the 5th of each month.
Read the original โA published account describing customer service without empathy, a defective lease-extension feature, and damage claims the tenant characterises as invented (mengada-ada).
Read the original โA long-term tenant disputes charges for furniture damage which, on their account, existed before their tenancy began. The earliest documented instance of the post-charge pattern.
Read the original โA property owner reports difficulty retrieving the keys to their own apartment after terminating the management agreement, the clearest documented case of exit friction on the owner side.
Read the original โA renter publishes a request that Travelio process the refund owed on a cancelled yearly lease: the complaint is that the refund had not been processed, not that it was refused.
Read the original โA guest reports both unsatisfactory unit conditions and complications obtaining a refund afterwards.
Read the original โAn earlier published complaint on the same theme, establishing that the deposit-return pattern was already being documented publicly in 2021.
Read the original โA consumer reports a five-million-rupiah down payment disappearing, deducted in full as penalty fees.
Read the original โA property owner describes feeling trapped in a cooperation agreement whose occupancy guarantees were not fulfilled. The earliest owner-side complaint in the archive.
Read the original โThe earliest complaint in this archive. A customer criticises Travelioโs customer service as unprofessional and its refund process as lacking transparency, the same two themes still being filed in 2026.
Read the original โImagine how terrible the customer service and the service has to be for me to dedicate an entire website to warning you about it. And even then you are wrong. It is much worse.
You are not the first and you will not be the last. These are the bodies that have to take your complaint, what each one is good for, and exactly where to file. All of it is free.
The national body. A filed complaint creates an official record that exists whether or not Travelio ever replies to you.
What to do: WhatsApp is the channel to use. Send the timeline, payment proof and chat screenshots straight to 0815 3153 153. Their online portal at pengaduan.bpkn.go.id is currently returning a certificate error, so use WhatsApp or phone until that is fixed. Keep the reference number they give you.
The government-wide complaint system. It routes your case to the responsible ministry and tracks whether they respond.
What to do: Submit at lapor.go.id and select Badan Perlindungan Konsumen Nasional as the destination. It issues a tracking number you can cite in every later message to Travelio.
The one that can order your money back. No lawyer required, and it does not care what passport you hold.
What to do: Find your nearest office through the BPKN directory. Bring the written demand, the payment proof, the dated photographs and the message history. Almost nobody gets this far, which is why almost nobody gets paid.
A consumer organisation with reach. Companies that ignore individuals tend not to ignore YLKI.
What to do: File through the online service portal. YLKI adds public pressure that a private support ticket never generates.
The trade ministry directorate responsible for consumer protection and orderly commerce.
What to do: Use the published complaint procedure. Worth filing in parallel when the amount is significant or the conduct is repeated.
Four full pages of Travelio complaints already sit here, going back to 2019. Every resolution in our archive followed publication, not one followed a private ticket.
What to do: Send dates, amounts and evidence. Of every route here, this one has the best record of getting a reply.
Where the next person looks before they book. Your review is the warning you wish you had read.
What to do: Post a factual, dated account with the amounts. Then send it to us so it joins the record here too.
Many people who have rented through Travelio say yes, and I am one of them. Judge the record: 45 dated complaints from 2019 to 2026, Trustpilot 2.0 out of 5 with 81% at one star, deposits held past Travelioโs own deadlines, and charges raised after check-out for damage tenants deny. One tenant paid Rp6,100,000 and got Rp2,740,000 back with no breakdown. Another was docked Rp400,000 for a key he had photographed himself returning. A third watched a staff member open the review tab on his phone and leave five stars. Travelio manages around 15,000 units. This is not one bad landlord. It is how a company of that size handles deposits, and it has run unchanged for seven years.
Travelio's stated policy is that daily-booking deposits are returned to the original payment account within 7 days of check-out. Monthly and annual tenants are commonly told a maximum of 14 working days after deduction of electricity and water charges. In 2021 the company publicly claimed 91% of daily deposits were returned the day after check-out and 80% of monthly deposits within 14 days. Published complaints describe waits substantially longer than this, including one tenant still unpaid after 18 working days.
Ask, in writing, for an itemised breakdown of every deduction plus dated before-and-after photographs for each claimed item. Normal wear is not chargeable. Under UU No. 8/1999 you are owed accurate information and compensation where a service falls short of what was agreed. If the itemisation never arrives, escalate to BPKN and LAPOR!. Keep every message: the written trail is what makes the complaint enforceable.
Building managements typically issue utility statements on a fixed monthly date, which is why complainants have challenged this explanation as open-ended. It is reasonable to ask for the specific date the statement is expected, the name of the building contact, and a committed payment date once received. An explanation that never resolves into a date is the pattern tenants have documented repeatedly since 2021.
Tenants have reported refunds blocked on exactly this basis. The reasonable objection is that the same check was not applied when payment was taken, and that the condition was not disclosed at booking. Ask for the clause in the terms you agreed to that imposes it. If it is not there, say so in writing and escalate.
In escalating order: Travelio's own support in writing (build the paper trail); BPKN, the National Consumer Protection Agency; YLKI, the Indonesian Consumers Foundation; the government's LAPOR! complaint portal at lapor.go.id; and BPSK, the local consumer dispute settlement body, which can hear the case without a lawyer. For sums that justify it, a civil claim remains available. Publishing your factual, dated account is also lawful, but keep it factual.
Post what you can evidence, and frame it as your own experience. Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) has been used against consumers who posted complaints, so accuracy is your protection. Stick to dated facts, amounts and documents you hold, avoid stating opinion as established fact, and keep the original evidence. A precise account is both safer and more persuasive than an angry one.
One complaint gets dismissed as a bad day. Forty-five dated ones are evidence. Adding yours takes a few minutes.
