I recently went onto Airbnb looking for an apartment in Amsterdam to rent for a weekend. I found a perfect one, sent it to my friend, and we all agreed to book. I clicked on the “contact your host” button on the Airbnb website, checked with the host if my dates were available, and got an email back from an Airbnb email address with a price and reference to confirm and pay. So I paid. I then got an email from the host introducing himself. I thought it was weird that he had my email but then thought we at least we can communicate about things to do and see and the time of our arrival. He then emailed to say that Airbnb did not validate my payment and that there was a refund coming back to me; Airbnb would send another payment reference. I contacted Airbnb about my refund and was told they had no information or record about a booking. I hoped for the best and that this was some sort of mistake.
I was constantly sending emails to Airbnb but getting little to no response back then finally I was told I hadn’t requested a booking or sent payment through them. I forwarded the email I received back to them. Then the worst email came:
“We are sorry to inform you this email did not come from us at Airbnb. Although it has an Airbnb email address and has been made to look like the company’s email, it is not one of ours.”
How had I received this email, from someone who had my email address and knew I was looking? The host of the apartment had emailed me back from the contact sent through Airbnb. I contacted Airbnb again to see what safeguards they put in place for their customers. Again I waited constantly for a response to be told they can’t do anything as the payment wasn’t through them. I am still trying to get to the bottom of this and see what they put in place for their customers if anything, and if they don’t why they don’t. Why don’t they validate their hosts like their websites states? Whatever happened to companies safe guarding their customers at the end of the day? Airbnb put me in direct contact with this scammer. I am still currently trying to sort this out but the more and more I search the more and more I see I am not the only person. In fact, there are hundreds out there just like me. Do not book through Airbnb. I’m a little over £1000 down the drain and nothing can help me.
Why is this the FOURTH POST from this girl? Come on woman! You are out a crap load of money and you have no one but yourself to blame! AirBnB shouldn’t have to be responsible for other people’s stupid.
Let me ask you this… I’m advertising this vintage diamond ring from Tiffany’s. I tell you that it’s an
Heirloom from my grandmother who was Jackie Kennedy’s second cousin. I reassure you its genuine authenticity- I’ll even email you some pictures and copies of the paper work documenting my validity. And these documents even come with the Tiffany letterhead. Because letterhead is IMPOSSIBLE to replicate!
I’m selling this ring way below its value because my wife is sick and I need the money to pay her medical bills. How about this…. In order to expedite the process, lets cut the middle man and just me and you do business. If you post $1500 to my “business” account within 24 hours, within 24 hours of that transaction, I will over night the ring first class mail and provide insurance 10times the value of tye ring.
Just send the money western union. I’ll let you know when I get it.
Would you EVER send money to a total stranger like that?!
I let you know that there has been an error with the account, the transaction has been denied for some unknown reason and whatever amount you sent is in the process of being refunded.
PLEASE POST AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT AND THEN I WILL SEND YOU THIS BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE DIAMOND RING FROM TIFFANY’S THAT MY GRANNY (who was Jackie Kennedy’s second cousin) GAVE TO ME.
Would you, or anyone with a fragment of knowledge ever send a nickel of cash to a stranger for something they can’t vouch for?
Hopefully someone has learned a valuable lesson. People are crap and they have no soul. Some of them at least.
Oh please.. Any idiot knows not to go out of the Airbnb system and you wired money outside of it which was so utterly stupid but hardly airbnb’s fault. Sorry mate, you were scammed but let down not by Airbnb but your self.