This is not a horror story but a cautionary tale. Hosts should be held accountable for their conduct, don’t you think?
My first experience with Airbnb was great until it wasn’t. My friend and I took a weekend trip to Mont Tremblant in Québec. Things were great. It was a sunny day and the drive was decent. When we arrived we parked and started to unload our belongings and groceries.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t pack light. We had a fair amount of stuff to carry and we knew this would take several trips. The host wasn’t lying when he said there were stairs. The apartment was built on a hillside and there were stairs to get down to the main door and two flights of stairs to navigate inside.
The apartment itself was fine and there was an excellent view of the ski hills and lake. On first inspection we found some laundry left in one of the closet’s which was quickly taken away after the host was notified.
I know you are probably wondering: when does this turn ugly? Well, there were two kids’ beds which I knew about. I kindly offered my friend the master which looked cozy. We agreed on switching sleeping arrangements but that never happened. When it came time to leave we packed our things and went home. We enjoyed our stay for the most part.
This was my first time writing a review so I pointed out the things I didn’t enjoy. I gave the host a five-star rating and I stated that the only drawbacks to the apartment were the stairs and the kids’ beds. This seemed to really piss off the host. After the review was posted I received text messages. The host proceeded to insult my intelligence and basically said his “four year old” was smarter than me. That statement may or may not be true but it’s bad practice to insult guests in my opinion.
This was my first experience with Airbnb and it was now tarnished. I was really shocked that this happened so I called Airbnb that night. The employee I spoke with brushed it off by saying maybe he didn’t mean it? I’m pretty sure he did. Nothing was done about it in the end and this guy continues to profit from Airbnb.
I deleted my account after that one experience. I realized that Airbnb does not hold its hosts accountable for such incidents. My review is still up for all the world to see and the host’s snarky comment along with it. It just angers me that people like this get away with harassing clients. If you plan on staying at this apartment then be sure to leave a good review or you may be subject to his wrath.
Well, you are talking about the superhost with 365 glowing reviews, all 5*
“Children beds” you are talking about are in fact, very comfy looking single beds and nobody else complained about them. The difference between children’s beds and single beds is common knowledge and easy googlable
“Laundry left in the closet” was most probably extra sheets and blankets in case someone needs them. This is common in all Airbnbs.
I can’t comment on your review and his reply bc I couldn’t find it but the impression I got about you from this post is “better suited to stay home” where everything is just the way you like it.
Your comments seemed to be strange. Did you not see the child’s bed in the photos before booking? Why would you make a comment about that and the stairs were mentioned in his listing? It’s a home, not a hotel. You brought many items to the property to have a comfortable stay but it seems like you were penalizing him for it.
Please stay in hotels if you can afford to and pay to eat in the restaurant. Your host was surprised by your ignorance and took it poorly.
As a former host, I would say something along the lines of “Thank you for highlighting once again what was mentioned previously in the listing. My hope is that my property is the right fit for active people and families.”