I booked an apartment for a week in London through Airbnb: $2,800 non-refundable because I knew I had to be there that week under any circumstances. About eight hours later, the host messaged me asking for my phone number and clarifying that the listing was for private rooms in a shared space and not an entire apartment. Then he called me explaining in detail how to cancel and request a refund via resolution center. He refused to cancel on his end because of the penalties.
I contacted Airbnb support instead of cancelling (I am not that dumb) to resolve this. They verified that canceling was the only way for me to request refund. So I cancelled even with the text ‘$0 refund’ staring at me (I am that dumb). Now I have no reservation, no refund, and can’t leave a public review against the host since I have no reservation. I am down $2,800 within eight hours — not sure about my mistake or a listing created for a scam. The host has 14 listings running in parallel for the exact same room… how many rooms does this house have?
This was his first message to me to after about eight hours:
1. You booked two private bedrooms in a shared apartment with strangers you do not know (other guests/ my co-host/ family/ friends ). There is no private entrance to the listing.
2. You will share the bathroom and other common areas with others, not from your group.
3. Shared kitchen/living area/balcony are only accessible during daytime, as written in “other things to note” and are occupied by the host.
I want to make sure you are 100% satisfied with my service, even if you change your mind about this reservation, so please tell me if you have any questions.
Seems clear to me from the listing that its shared
You’ve been scammed. Its the airbnb way.