Airbnb Non-Payment from Successful Stay

Posted on November 6, 2016

I had a guest for two days and Airbnb did not pay. They claim the payment did not materialize and now they have been “looking” at the issue for a week. A case manager is supposedly solving the problem with no results and no feedback on what is exactly going on. I called today and the person I spoke to threatened to hang up on me. I was not satisfied with her answer, “someone is already looking into this case,” and have no idea about the status of my claim. I asked and told her that I wish to speak to her supervisor. Her response? “There is no supervisor.”

The bottom line: I told the people I spoke with that this issue is not my problem. They approved the guest, their fees are collected lightning fast, and the mind boggling avalanche of data flows to your email, SMS, the Airbnb app, and any other contact information they have registered for you. It works with terrifying efficiency. I am not the one responsible for going after my non-paying guest. This is an issue that is definitely up to Airbnb, who subtly suggested I contact the guest for payment.

Home Owner Hell: A Renter Lists our Property

Posted on November 4, 2016

Long story short: I own a home that my husband and I have spent a chunk of our lives fixing, remodeling and shifting from shack to chic. We rented it out and made a terrible mistake of doing so to a deadbeat who posted our home on Airbnb. Obviously that was our fault; however, when we contacted Airbnb to remove the listing, they refused. We are evicting the tenant and will have him forcibly removed in three days’ time. Unfortunately, for those unsuspecting Airbnb users and renters, our home will once again be ours and they will not have a place to reside over the holidays. Bummer! Terrible service. Their motto should be “Screwing landlords and customers alike.”

Has Airbnb Missed the Mark Entirely?

Posted on November 3, 2016

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed by AirbnbHell.com users do not necessarily reflect those of the Airbnb Hell staff. That being said, we will continue to provide a free and uncensored platform for all of our contributors to share their Airbnb related stories, opinions, and experiences.

I am a boring old white male married with three children. I have no racial prejudices: the best man at my wedding was an Indian, I lived in Brixton when it was mostly black, I have gay friends, and I spent 11 years in the Middle East. I have employed Arabs and Jews and have friends who are both Muslims and Jewish – I even have a couple of friends who are lesbians – so clearly I am not racially prejudiced or against any particular minority group.

So what is Airbnb trying to do? They have sent me an email saying that unless I agree to their anti-discriminatory, pro-gay, pro-this and that terms and conditions, my guest house listing will be removed and any bookings I have made as an individual will be cancelled. What on earth are they trying to do? They are just an app with some really annoying features, like removing useful information from emails. This unbelievable arrogance speaks of delusions of grandeur. I will not agree to their new terms and conditions; it is not their business how I discriminate. I can fully understand why a old school catholic family may not want to host gay people. Surely they have that choice; it is their house and I am sure gay people would feel uncomfortable. Similarly, would a black guy want to rent a room from someone who is a member of the UK National Front? Probably not.

We all have our preferences. Airbnb has lost my listing for sure.

The Airbnb Community Commitment

Posted on November 3, 2016

It seems that this new policy is leaving a huge gap in the non-discrimination policy. Airbnb is apparently allowing rampant and blatant discrimination against what certainly is a fair percentage of users. I expect that a federal lawsuit against Airbnb will be necessary to right this wrong. The discriminated group are the pedophiles, child molesters, rapists, and criminals that search for victims among single females or hosts with children in the home. Do you want to hurt the feelings of these criminals by making them feel less than welcome? I should hope not! Certainly you are only partially addressing this discriminated group by creating a mandatory policy for forcing single white women into having black males in their guest rooms! Just because fifty percent of blacks have a criminal record by the age of twenty-three, it is not their fault! This racial discrimination against black criminals has got to stop! I expect that the present administration will use the justice department to correct this grievous injustice in the near future (after all, if they are no longer in prison haven’t they “paid” for their crimes?) and now deserve to be restored to full rights regardless of how many times they have been convicted? Thank you for forcing everyone to stand up and “do the right thing.” This is just the camel’s nose under the tent for moving forward with the political allegiances which should be included in the future mandatory statement. Great job, Airbnb; it is all about controlling the masses and deciding what is best for them whether they like it or not!

Airbnb Allows Theft and Does Nothing

Posted on November 1, 2016

We rented our house to three people from the Airbnb website where we advertised our three bedroom, two bathroom vacation rental. They stole all of our furniture, washer, dryer, artwork, and dishes. We immediately contacted Airbnb, filed a police report, found our receipts and emailed them all to Airbnb. They have done nothing to take care of this. They have a million dollar insurance policy and we never received a dime from this theft. Their insurance guy won’t return our phone calls and so we lost $15,000 worth of furnishings and appliances and Airbnb has done nothing to help us. I guess if you are a thief, rent through Airbnb and steal from the house you are renting, as Airbnb won’t do anything to catch you or help the people from whom you stole. I hope all thieves read this, rip everyone else off, and then, maybe when no one advertises through Airbnb anymore, they will go out of business. I am now going to contact the insurance commission and file a complaint. I will also contact other hosts on Airbnb and let them know about this so they can decide if they dare to continue with Airbnb.

Airbnb Refuses to Pay for a Guest Who Stole Everything

Posted on October 31, 2016

We accepted a reservation from a verified guest. The guest stole everything out of the house. I mean everything, down the broom next to the furnace. We did everything Airbnb required that we do: file a police report, make an Excel sheet of all the items taken, provide receipts for everything, and take before and after photos. It has now been a month and they continue to drag their feet. Hosts beware: Airbnb does NOT verify their guests. Get additional information from your guests: driver’s licenses, credit cards, photos of guests and vehicles. Meet every guest prior to their stay and check them out. Do not rent to anyone new to Airbnb and does not have exemplary reviews – no matter what. Believe me, the money isn’t worth it. Airbnb does not care about you, especially if you can’t make them any more money.

Airbnb Policies Don’t Work if the Guest Cancels Early

Posted on October 30, 2016

Don’t trust Airbnb with their cancellation policies. I had a guest arrive late one evening around midnight. They seemed quite happy with the apartment, then the next day called to say that they had found a place closer to the sea, and would like to leave. I said that would be fine, and then they asked for their money back. I responded it was not possible as I have lost other bookings. The next day they left and cancelled with Airbnb and requested a refund, which I declined. They also left the place filthy and full of rubbish. I heard nothing from Airbnb until after my next guest arrived, then they processed the refund from the payment of the other guests. Without telling me. This is daylight robbery. So hosts: beware your Airbnb cancellation policy means nothing. You are not covered. And what’s worse is they said that the apartment was listed incorrectly, which is all they have to do to get out of the cancellation policy. Do not list your property in Airbnb if you are a host.

Airbnb Resolution Centre is a Lame Duck

Posted on October 20, 2016

I prefer to not even recollect the awful experience with a past guest, but I’ll try (above all mine is a criticism against Airbnb). Basically the guy started complaining from day one. He seemed to be bent on finding any hidden cracks and obscure issues – a truly nasty character who refused to provide the time he was arriving and then dared to complain he had to wait in his review (like it was someone else’s fault?). However, that was only the start. After three weeks I was left with two broken appliances (cooker and washing machine) and for the very first time I decided to use Airbnb’s Resolution Centre (after having about ten guests and very positive reviews).

The documentation they requested was nearly impossible to provide. The appliances had been there for nearly 20 years (but Airbnb wanted the receipts). Secondly, I wasn’t in the property and most of the documentation requested was out of reach; I was miles away from any “useful” documentation, but I posted the bill from the technician and the receipt for the new washing machine. The technician was paid the day my nasty guest left, as he didn’t notify me of the issue (the cleaners found out) and I had to fix the problem for a new guest arriving the next day. So I had to order a new washing machine just the day after receiving confirmation the old one was properly broken.

The other problem – the gas cooker – we discovered later on (remember: I wasn’t there and couldn’t verify these issues on the spot) that there was no cooking involved. The guy took some pictures of the burned knobs but no picture of any meal he made? A burned chicken? Or any dish ready to enter the oven? Nothing whatsoever. The cooker oven (electrical) was then turned on and left unattended for how many hours? Days? That’s a very good recipe to burn any cooker! It’s called inappropriate use or negligence, but the guy clearly omitted this fundamental detail (of course, I’m not there) and blamed me for being irresponsible for not providing an extinguisher and access to the gas canister and assembly.

Now, I’ve been a guest in certain properties advertised on Airbnb and I can assure you none had facilities which are common in hotels (would you paint an escape route in your house?). So basically the guy wanted the professional approach of an hotel at a fifth of the price. In my opinion we have a typical opportunist who deliberately stays in Airbnb properties (many like mine) where he knows there is no extinguisher to be found and he knows there is no escape route marked on the wall, then deliberately uses these issues as weapons whenever he files a complaint with Airbnb.

So the company is a lame duck; they can’t see this guy for what he is and boot him out of the system. Let’s face it: Airbnb can’t check all these properties and can’t compete with hotels in terms of a professional approach to guests (in general, certain hotels lack that too). This is the root of the problem. When first approached, Airbnb staff seem reasonable; they promise you a full investigation. The truth is that they don’t really want nor need to find out. I’ve received two calls from their headquarters in California during the period of the investigation. The phone rang only once and as I tried to answer, they hung up (so they can safely say, “look we tried to contact you but you didn’t answer the phone”?)

Their task is simple, to discourage complaints and break down any attempts at compensation: you start complaining and they put you under immense stress. It reminds me of the origins of eBay – does anyone remember the reviews? On paper you might have the advantage but Airbnb has the perfect solution: they encourage your opponent to escalate the matter (even without any evidence) and they too are allowed to ask for compensation for issues which were never ever mentioned during the whole stay. For example, my guest never complained about the Internet or noisy neighbours but all of a sudden these and other issues were presented and the guy is encouraged to request the full amount he paid back into his pocket? What kind of mind game is Airbnb playing here? This is the cheapest trick, the kind kids do in kindergarten. The guy shouldn’t be credible (not if there was no previous complaint), so how can Airbnb fall for it? They aren’t failing to investigate, they are just at the mercy of nasty guests like mine. Enough of Airbnb.

Identity Theft From Guest, Steps Moving Forward

Posted on October 3, 2016

I wanted to share my story, and hopefully get some feedback. I do not want to be easily identifiable so I will not give detailed specifics. We are Superhosts. We rented our house to a guy that had a verified email, phone number, and an “offline ID.” This guy stole my identify along with a good chunk of money. The police report has been filed, there is a detective assigned to the case, and I’ve been working with Airbnb’s “safety and trust team.” They offered to pay us for Lifelock that we had put on our lives, and also for door locks that we replaced. When I asked about my security deposit, she without hesitation sent us the entire amount, without asking for proof of anything (making us think they know more than we do).

Long story short, this guy booked under a fake name, a fake profile photo (I reverse Google searched it), a drop phone number, and a fake brand new email. Shouldn’t Airbnb be held responsible? Don’t they have a due diligence to properly vet all guests that will be staying at hosts’ homes? Surely this guy’s name that he made up for the profile and the ID name and photo do not match, so do they really check these, or just act like they do since this person wants to book so they can make an extra buck, while neglecting their hosts? The detective is looking into video footage of confirmed activity on the money that was stolen from us, as this will be his best lead. They connected him to another theft of checks around the same area, that same night. So there are at least two incidents in one night, by this guy, under two different names, and the checks were made out to a different name as well.

We do not think Airbnb cares about their hosts as much as they claim, as none of this would have happened had they throughly vetted each guest’s profile. But they did not. They have offered to reimburse the money only if we owe it back, which does not make since. I have not responded to that offer, as I’m waiting on the detective to look at the video footage, so we can identify this guy, so this “guest” will eventually have charges pressed against him. Does anyone think we should go to the media, and make people aware? Does anyone think we should hire an attorney? Does anyone know of any good attorneys that have handled cases in which the host is the plaintiff, and Airbnb as the defendant?

Why is Airbnb Refusing to Cooperate with the Authorities?

Posted on September 29, 2016

On March 25th 2015, the two-bedroom apartment I advertised on Airbnb was booked. The guest was to stay at the property for 21 days. I was notified by Airbnb that her booking was cancelled due to a payment problem. On entering the property, I was horrified to find that the property had been vandalized. I reported this to the police and contacted Airbnb. I provided Airbnb with the required documents including the details of the police officer working the case.

Between April and June 2015, I was in discussions with Airbnb to obtain compensation. More so, I had hoped that following Airbnb’s cooperation with the police, that I might be able to bring a direct claim against the guest. The guest’s profile on Airbnb states that she provided Airbnb with an offline verification ID in the form of a passport, but Airbnb did not provide the law enforcement officer the information they indicated they had via their website. Instead, my claim was withdrawn and the case closed. Airbnb refused to communicate any further with regards to my dispute for reimbursement.

This claim was mishandled from the start, starting with Airbnb insisting I provide a crime report despite the fact that the UK authorities only give crime reference numbers, which Airbnb could then use to request the full crime report. Due to this, Airbnb excluded certain items from the claim and resorted to corporate bullying, demanding that I accept a claim I did not understand nor with which I was satisfied. Afterwards Airbnb ignored every communication on the matter until I began sending recorded delivery letters to the legal department in Eire. But despite reopening the case they have not addressed the issue of the missing ID nor was the offer satisfactory given the delay and mishandling of the claim.

Failure to exercise proper care and attention

Airbnb makes it quite clear that we, the hosts, are not allowed to hold any copy of the guest’s ID. The guest’s profile on Airbnb states that she provided Airbnb with an offline verification ID in the form of her passport. Unfortunately, despite several requests to provide the UK authorities with the passport of the guest responsible for the malicious damage and theft at the flat, Airbnb seemed unwilling or unable to provide that piece of information needed to get redress from the guest. I therefore find myself with no choice but to hold Airbnb responsible for the damages and inconvenience this has caused.

When Airbnb eventually responded to the issues of the missing ID in March 2016 , Airbnb claimed they did not provide the police officer with the passport information because he did not ask for it. Despite the fact that he requested all the information Airbnb had on the guest, he was only given the guest’s name and partial address. Considering the guest’s profile on Airbnb states that she provided her passport information, it is incomprehensible as to why Airbnb did not give all the information they had to the proper authorities. Moreover, I repeatedly and personally asked Airbnb to cooperate with the police and specifically referred to the passport. Once again, Airbnb ignored the requests I sent via email, Facebook and Twitter between April 2015 and July 2015.

If Airbnb has indeed collected the offline ID as they claim to, why were they never able to produce this vital information, since we hosts are not allowed to keep a copy of the guest ID? How are the authorities supposed to investigate such incidents effectively? What is the point of using the offline and online verification as a selling point to the host? How is a host supposed to feel safe knowing that Airbnb has no intention of assisting when dealing with any form of criminal behaviour? Is the offline Verification a scam?