I had always been a fan of Airbnb. I believed in the concept and always had positive experiences as a guest. So… why not rent out my own property? I spent lots of time creating the perfect profile, including professional photography. Then my account was “temporarily disabled” before even getting my first booking. I emailed customer service three times, made six very, very frustrating phone calls, and had one twitter exchange. There was no feedback from anyone – absolutely nothing – even though I was able to get two people to tell me they would call or email me back… but they didn’t. The only thing anyone could tell me is that my issue had been forwarded to the Trust and Safety Department. Of course, it hasn’t been assigned a case officer even after three weeks. They just tell you to wait. It’s been three weeks! I’m done with Airbnb as a host and as a guest. I’ve already listed my property on Home Away and will only use such sites in the future as a guest. Goodbye and good riddance Airbnb!
I’m new to Airbnb and having used it as a guest I thought I’d try it in my own property. I have a condo in a major tourist town out West. My usual renter left and I had the place gutted and professionally decorated, at great expense, the hardwood floor renovated, added brand new furniture. I’m keen on design so I designed it beautifully in a white and orange theme, and my guests love it and I like them very much. I’ve had 5 star reviews. However, the 4th guest, who was an instant booking, in spite of the fact that I had told Airbnb not to do this, was for three men in two double beds. I told the man this and he said “Oh, it’s OK. We’re used to it, two of us will sleep in one bed.” They arrived looking the worse for wear. I was leery of them. However, I did not know that I could have cancelled. Long story short, they were “mud wrestlers in some sort of touring game.” the bathtub was full of mud . I had to call a plumber who said he’d never seen anything like it. Also, they had stuffed two cushions into my new orange linen armchair and when I removed them I saw the large cigarette burn hole in the right arm inside. Smoking is not allowed in the building. Beer was all over the floor in the kitchen and the living room. Cans everywhere. When I claimed from Airbnb I got short shrift and had to pursue it aggressively to get compensation, but the woman I dealt with was very condescending and arrogant and said she would not charge the client as he said he had left the place spotless, in spite of the fact that I had sent photographs of the damage. He never did get charged. However, she did offer me something, but not the cost of the brand new chair. I was really turned off by this and I think sometime in the future Airbnb had better watch out instead of resting on their laurels. Every dog has his day!
Airbnb is clearly a victim of its own success. Indeed, move on and register on Wimdu, VBRO, Homeaway etc. Best of luck!