Tag Archives: airbnb amenities

Airbnb Service the Last Two Years has Gotten Very Bad

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I am a long time Airbnb user and for the past two years the quality of service with Airbnb has gone completely downhill. I have many experiences to share.

Since March 2021, the quality of hosts’ service has gotten very bad and at the same time Airbnb has raised its service fees and rental rates. I have stayed in several Airbnbs where the linens weren’t washed and the hosts had ample time to wash the linens or could have used a different set of linens. I was still charged a cleaning fee. One host refused to provide a space heater (she kept the thermostat at 65 degrees F) in the winter time when the temps got below freezing that night. I told her I have a disability and my muscles lock up when they are cold. She got very angry when I told her that.

Another host turned off the heat when the temp that night was 32 degrees and the space heater they provided was over 20 years old (I saw the manufacture date on the sticker). It broke during the night and I woke up frozen stiff. I asked them earlier that evening if they could turn the heat up because the house was too cold for me but they refused and wouldn’t spend the $1 or $2 or $3 for that one night on their heating bill.

When I started using Airbnb, the service I got for the value was top notch. I rarely had issues like the ones I have been having over the past two years. If I did they were isolated incidents, but now it’s a pattern. I have to say for the record I am very grateful to Airbnb because I have a disability and I struggled a lot to live independently (I lived with my parents most of my life) because I couldn’t find quality affordable rooms to rent and apartments that was not moldy or smokey, that wasn’t in a basement and were the neighbors were quiet and not smoking.

Airbnb has helped me with my independence but since March 2021 I feel I have been scammed multiple time by paying higher rental rates than other tenants, and been scammed into paying cleaning fees for unclean rooms and linens. I have been denied a lot of bookings in the past year and a half too, something that very rarely happened to me before March 2021. I definitely feel taken advantage of because of my disability. I have more stories to share and I will be sharing them in the future.

Host Harassment After Five-Star Stay in Quebec

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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.

Deceptive Airbnb Listing and Shady Host Practices

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I stayed at an Airbnb hosted by a Superhost. She had all five-star ratings (I later found out why) and was very responsive by text. The location was excellent: in Arlington, VA very close to Washington DC.

The apartment was large, as advertised, but that was the only true thing. The ad listed “central AC.” There was a large ceiling unit in the living room. It had two settings: off or frigid. The furniture was Walmart quality and on its last legs. The “fully stocked” kitchen was a joke. I had to buy several things in order to make anything more complicated than toast. The bathroom was tiny and there was no fan.

The real issue was that on our last night there we talked to another tenant who told us that there was mold in the building’s pipes and that you have to sign a waiver to rent there. We felt this should have been disclosed. Apparently the water is not safe to drink. When I posted an honest review, giving 3.5 generous stars with a pro/con list that was very kind, the host lost it and convinced Airbnb to take it down. Apparently, if the host removes their review the guest’s is removed as well and there is no recourse.

In addition, we realized we had left my husbands medication behind and asked to pay shipping for it to be returned. We were told she would only return it for an additional $150. I will never use Airbnb again, since you cannot trust any review posted.

Guest Cancels and Leaves, But Still Charged

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We booked a week in a property starting July 17, 2021. When we arrived, we found the accommodation to be very unsatisfactory. Initially on inspection we discovered the accommodation only had five beds yet our party consisted of six people. When you’ve paid £2,250 for a week you don’t expect to be offered a camp bed.

When we first arrived, the cleaner was still there mopping the floor. The maintenance chap was also there. Neither were wearing face masks. In the listing advertising the property it stated (and still does) a 100-inch HDTV. However, there was no big TV: it was actually 24 inches.

As we closely inspected the place, we discovered the kitchen area to be unclean, the utensils were very dirty, and there was a used tissue in one of the drawers. The biggest shock was the state of the double oven. On opening the first door we could clearly see it hadn’t been cleaned and was in very poor condition. When opening the second door we discovered someone’s leftover pie. The cleaner quickly snatched it and hid it behind her back. The entire kitchen was in a very poor condition and certainly not what you’d expect for that amount of money. The garden area was untidy, with the grass not cut and loose tiles on the path.

On contacting the host, we found him to be rude, swearing and suggesting we were being unreasonable. We had just completed a six-hour journey to find our booking wasn’t to any satisfactory standard. We very luckily found alternative accommodation 30 minutes away so our stay at the Airbnb lasted only two hours.

On contacting Airbnb that evening telling them about all the problems and supplying photo evidence, at no point were we told to cancel the reservation until three days later, which meant we received £550 out of the £2,250 paid. Unfortunately for us, Airbnb took the host’s side and stood by the decision not to give us a full refund, which astonished us after sending the photo evidence.

A few days later, I decided to request a charge back on my credit card. Within a week we had our money back on our card and felt relieved, until my card company reversed the decision to uphold the chargeback and now I am £1,700 out of pocket for accommodations I couldn’t and didn’t stay at. I’m still contacting Airbnb and the host but not really getting anywhere. I’m desperate for any help or advice on what to do next. I feel I have a very strong case but unsure what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

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Host Robs Customers and is Supported by Airbnb

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I checked into a condo in downtown Aspen, where you would anticipate a nice stay if you have even half a brain. I checked in to see the condo had a tiny mini fridge and for some reason a giant ice box freezer on the floor. The freezer portion of the fridge was completely frosted over. The fridge continued to freeze all of my groceries so I contacted the host asking for help.

The host dismissed me and told me they’ve had other guests with no complaints. Apparently appliances only break on their perceived timelines. After two days of trying to get help from the host, I reached out to Airbnb. This was too late since I didn’t contact them within 24 hours. They suggested I check out and request a partial refund. I checked out well before check out time so the host could have rebooked if they would have liked. The host assured me they would give me a refund for the nights the condo was booked by new guests (as shown in their message attached).

The host laughed at me, made fun of me, called me names and berated me for days. No refund was issued. Airbnb told me there was nothing they could do even though the host assured I was due a refund. During a conversation with an Airbnb support ambassador, I explained what happened and asked them if they would be okay with paying someone $2,000 when there was no working refrigerator and they checked out only after a couple of days of a weeklong stay. They respond that would absolutely not be okay and my request was reasonable.

Airbnb staff agreed this was unacceptable only to then state that Airbnb would not do anything to help. I’ve never experienced customer service like this and hope people are aware of how Airbnb treats paying customers.

Roach Hell at Scorching Airbnb in Utah

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I originally booked with this hostess for two weeks for a ballet summer intensive. My wife and I have booked with Airbnb before with no problems.

It first started when we approached the door. She told us to go through the purple door with a keypad, so I approached it. She yelled at us saying it was the wrong door (she has two purple doors, on the same porch, both with keypads). Then she let us in. I apologized for my mistake and introduced my wife and myself.

Then hell began. When we got to the room, we were exhausted so we fell asleep. As I did, I saw our first live roach come from out under the wall. During the night, the hostess turned off the AC. Even though she advertised her property as having central cooling, she doesn’t use it.

My wife threw up from heat exhaustion. We worked with Airbnb and the hostess and what she recommended was a small portable unit, but the door to our bedroom and bathroom had to be kept open. As we installed it, she told me my wife “looked like she would beat her up.” I’m not sure what my wife could’ve done besides being a woman of color who is queer. We laughed about it. Not much you can do about “small comments.”

Once it cooled down in the room, we left to get dinner. The hostess turned off our AC unit, which we wanted to run for an hour while out because it was July in Utah and it had been off. I asked her repeatedly about the rules with the AC, but she never told me a limit or her wants. Just kept turning it off when she knew we left.

The third night, around 8:00 PM, we were greeted by roaches. Eight total throughout the night, one baby the next morning. We sent in evidence to Airbnb, including videos, of finding the roaches under the bed. Airbnb cancelled the rest of our stay and refunded us for the nights we didn’t stay.

I’m not sure I can provide evidence for this, but my wife thinks we were being watched with cameras. She works in security and tech and feels as if we stayed we would’ve seen the hostess was watching us.

In addition to the roaches, a strange man came into the house, got something out of the kitchen (which we were told we could use in the listing but turns out we couldn’t) and left. He didn’t announce himself or say who he was. We met the other guest and she did not have a male friend with her.

After all of this, the hostess left me a bad review as a guest blaming the roaches on us leaving food out and our “dirtiness” (we didn’t). She insisted the other guests hadn’t seen any roaches.

I caution any guest wanting to reserve here. She’s dangerous but had good reviews and was a great gas lighter. I could tell in the process this wasn’t the first time she treated a guest like this. She was smart enough to not get texts or messages — always insisted we talk on the phone or in person, but claimed we were “unsafe” and she was the victim. Because I insisted on messaging.

It’s not her first time manipulating a guest and I fear this will happen to others. I hope there are not cameras inside the room… especially for people who fit demographics similar to my wife and I. I was fine with the roaches and it being cancelled but being told it was my fault and that my wife seemed aggressive… I can tell she has done this before.

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Do Not Stay at the Lodging from Hell in Ghana

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Airbnb has unethical and deplorable practices. They would do whatever it takes to make sure their “Superhosts” keep their status, even if the reviews are honest. I read an article online about Airbnb removing a guest’s review because he posted an honest review about his stay at a lodging. I posted my review and within two days, it was removed because I was informed by someone at Airbnb that it violated the review policy. Since Airbnb will not allow for my review to be on their website, I will post it here.

I only reserved this place because of the reviews and I would like to say, I absolutely regretted lodging here. The Airbnb is not in a secure location for other travelers, but rather a community of renters. There are no security precautions in place and that is the reason I caught someone looking through my window.

The neighborhood is trashy, unkept, and very noisy with neighbors consistently slamming doors, babies crying, chickens crowing at all hours of the day, as well as other things. There’s no backup generator for the plethora of blackouts that occurred. How can you run an Airbnb business and have no backup electricity?

We had a broken toilet seat for five days and when I reached out to the host, she dragged her feet and responded to messages late. She claimed that 500 MB of data would be given per day, which is inaccurate. She claimed she added 5.13 GB of data and by day 3 it was all gone, which means there is a high likelihood that the data was being pirated.

If you want high water pressure, you have to perpetually go outside to turn on a switch. The beds feel like you’re sleeping on a hard floor and the apartment looks very outdated. The building is not clean: wires hang from the ceilings, and when I would return from my excursions, trash would be left outside my door.

I did not want to leave Ghana, but I was counting down the days to leaving this place. I guarantee that when the owners travel to Ghana, they are not staying in accommodations with these kinds of problems. I would never recommend this place to anyone.

I have posted pictures of what this place truly looks like. Don’t let the nice photos fool you; the bathroom was small and crappy as hell and looked like it was never cleaned before we got there and the furniture was extremely uncomfortable. Don’t let the positive reviews fool you because Airbnb removed the negative reviews, like they did with mine.

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Dog Lost his Life due to Airbnb Host’s Negligence

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We rented an Airbnb in Cape May  last week. There were many issues with the rental but my family and I were happy to be there just to get a break. The one issue we did contact the host over was that the air conditioning on the first floor was not working. Three days later she sent a repair man without our knowledge; the doors were locked she provided him with the code. Inside were my daughters and my one-year old bichon.

Due to the front door not closing properly, my bichon ran away. The host called my daughter to notify her. We raced home and began the search for my pup. He ran into a corn field nearby. My family and I searched for three days and nights with the help of neighbor’s drones and bloodhounds. We found her three days later torn apart by a coyote. We are heartbroken no one should have entered the premises without our knowledge.

No one has ever even apologized. I know some will think “oh, it’s only a dog” but suppose someone’s child ran out that door — I am sure all hell would have broken loose. Well he was my baby and the pain is no less. He was part of our family.

Basically, Airbnb Thinks I’m a Liar for my Claims

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I reserved an RV that was shown to be self-contained for a two-week stay while I was between homes. When I arrived to check in, I found the following: the couch pictured in the posting had been removed; the bathroom pictured in the posting had no water (no sink or shower), and the toilet contained dry brown material that emitted a foul odor; the kitchen faucet had no running water; the kitchen stove was not supplied with propane and did not function.

The property manager stated she was aware there was no working shower or toilet, and there is no propane connection for the stove. She went to the main house briefly to ask about the water in general, and confirmed there is no running water. The host was not present, but I contacted her immediately to inform her that none of the advertised amenities were working, and I requested a full refund. She responded “the amenities work”, said I would not receive a refund, and “god bless”.

I contacted Airbnb, and spent two weeks back and forth with “ambassadors”, and at the end of it all was told I didn’t request the refund quickly enough, and since I had no video evidence to prove the amenities don’t work, they will not issue a refund. Then said “have a lovely day”. I have repeatedly asked to have my case sent to a supervisor, and they just move it on to the next “ambassador”. I’m out over $400.

Followed Airbnb’s Rules and Got Shafted for it

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I run a business where I frequently use Airbnb’s services for myself and crew from Washington to California on a bimonthly basis for the last five years spending tens of thousands of dollars with all (but one) perfect reviews from hosts. This last trip, while cleaning up, we did a load of dishes in the dishwasher; it leaked on tje floor, but went unnoticed.

I got a request from the host for $1,000 for damage done to the floor in front of the dishwasher (apparently the dishwasher leaked and warped a 2×2 section of flooring in front of it). I refused the request for payment and called Airbnb to explain the leaking dishwasher was not intentionally done by us. Airbnb said they would look into it.

Two weeks later, at 2:30 AM, I received a text from Airbnb that they determined I was at fault, and now the bill for repairs was $2,500, due immediately. Without waiting for a reply from me, within seconds, I received a text from Airbnb saying an attempt to withdraw the $2,500 from my checking account failed and threatened that any funds from any current reservation by me could be forfeited.

What right does Airbnb have to withdraw funds automatically, without my permission, to resolve a dispute? I immediately called Airbnb to find out why the request for funds went from $1,000 to $2,500 and why in the hell they attempted to withdraw funds from my account without my permission. I have been waiting two days for an answer with an additional five calls to Airbnb to get answers.