Tag Archives: airbnb check in problems

Anyone Can Walk in, No Soundproofing

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I booked an Airbnb for two nights and I should have known I was going to have an issue when the host never responded to my inquiry about early check in. Later I messaged them again and she seemed really confused and didn’t get back to me with any firm information until 12:30 the afternoon of check in, well after I had made alternate plans.

I arrived at the Airbnb and, even though she knew my ETA, I had to figure out which “guest suite” was mine, where to park (I was immediately boxed in by other renters), and how to get in without any instructions. The real issues came when I opened what appeared to be a closet in one of the bedrooms and walked right in to the next unit over. The door between units was not properly secured and, while there was a way for the other unit to lock me out, the people renting next door could easily access my unit/belongings.

I immediately called Airbnb about this issue but received little to no help, unsurprisingly. Also, the door between units was so thin and ill fitting, you could literally hear conversations at normal volumes in the next unit from two rooms away in ours. I left the next morning after sending Airbnb and the host detailed messages as to why the situation was unacceptable. However, the host quickly stopped responding to my messages, refused my later request for a partial refund, and lied to the incompetent Airbnb staff.

Basically, she got away with scamming me and I hope it was worth the scathing review I posted for her property. So, beware of this host and any of her slummy listings. She uses the same profile pic for everything and (ironically) works as a realtor but yet somehow claims to be ignorant of soundproofing and security issues. Avoid this like the plague.

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Airbnb Hosts Turn ‘Karen’ Over Guest Complaints

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I recently stayed at an apartment in NYC for a getaway for a few days. Initially the host came across as very helpful and responsive and was easy to communicate with. Unlike any other Airbnb that I have stayed at, this host used a security app called Latch as a keyless entry system to his apartment and that system sent the guest a log in email. I never received the email from Latch nor did I receive one from the host (sometimes technology fails us — no big deal).

When we arrived at the apartment at 10:00 PM and downloaded the app to attempt to log in, we were unable to check in because we never got the confirmation log in. Being that we’ve never used this type of entry we assumed we would be able to access the building if we downloaded the app which wasn’t the case. We contacted the host to let him know that we could not get in to which he and his wife went full on “Karen mode” and attacked us about not getting the email.

When we asked if someone could come let us in — seeing as a host is responsible for helping guests if they have a problem checking in — we were told it wasn’t an option and it was a huge ordeal to get someone down to the building to unlock the door. Finally after arguing with the host and his wife over something so ridiculous they finally helped us get the app to work and we were able to come and go without any problems.

You’d think this would be the end of the issue, right? I mean having someone attack you over not receiving an email is an unpleasant check in experience and just absolutely stupid. Well, it got worse.

We finished our trip and left the apartment cleaner than when we arrived (knowing that the host flipped out over an email we most certainly made sure everything was immaculate as to not piss him off again). I reviewed the place as I would any other place I stayed at and left an accurate and unbiased review and recommended the place to anyone who would be interested in staying there.

The host responded to the review in the public comment section slightly passive aggressive but civil. However, he then private messaged me and went on a “Karen war path” for leaving him a three-star review. I have attached the screenshots of our message thread that shows the messages I sent him when we could not get in as well as the war path he decided to go on when he didn’t like my review of his place (also attached is the review and his public response).

Now I know this isn’t as awful a horror story as some of the other posts on here but it’s just utterly absurd that the situation turned into what it did. No one deserves to be berated over an email or a review. I would like to save someone else the headache of this host so I am posting this story here. Everyone loves a good “Karen” story and this definitely fits the bill. My only regret is that I did not voice record our conversation for your listening pleasure.

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Bad Experience with Airbnb Host in Vancouver

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I made a reservation on Airbnb for a bedroom with a private bathroom and paid the full amount on November 23, 2019 to stay December 5-8, 2019. On the check-in day, December 5th, the host emailed me to change my bedroom with a private bathroom to a shared bathroom at 3:00 AM in my timezone. I didn’t check my email until a few hours before the check-in time. I never expected a change in the reservation on the check-in day.

I insisted to the host that I still wanted the bedroom with private bathroom which I reserved and had paid for since November 23rd. The host replied that he already sent me an email about the change. However, he did not clarify on compensating me for the difference between a private bathroom and a shared bathroom. The only thing he replied was that he could cancel my reservation if I wanted.

On the check-in day at 10:00 PM at night, if an Airbnb guest cancels his reservation that he made on November 23rd, where can the guest stay that late at night? Why should I deal with this host and this situation? It was a very bad experience for using Airbnb for the first time in Vancouver.

Airbnb Apartment on Active Building Site

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I booked an apartment on Airbnb in Bugibba, Malta based on the description and location. The location was given to me by Google Maps coordinates and I was instructed to meet a rep there who would take me to the apartment. However, when she picked me up she took me to an entirely different area. The apartment was unfinished and in the middle of an active building site with workers carrying out work in front of the apartment.

I told the rep that this was not acceptable and to contact the host, which I did. He told me that he may have an alternative. As it was getting dark, I had to use the apartment as I had no alternative accommodations.

That evening as my wife and I attempted to go out for a meal we found it was impossible as there was builder rubble strewn about the area and no street lighting. We had not eaten since breakfast but it was impossible to leave the area. My wife and I are both in our 80s and diabetic so going without food was dangerous.

The next morning I contacted the host and told him we were moving out as it was dangerous to walk in the area, Explaining that the previous evening we had not been able to walk in the area. His response was “What can I do? Do you want me to come with a torch?”

This apartment should not have been rented out and giving an incorrect location is fraudulent. I am now in a different apartment at considerable expense to myself and when I requested my money back was just told no.

Some Superhosts are too Immature to do Anything

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For my 10th wedding anniversary, my husband and I planned a big vacation to Hawaii: Hawaii island, Kauai and our final stop on Oahu. We stayed in two different Airbnbs on the Big Island and it was great. No issues there. Nice hosts, cheap, comfortable.

We were only staying on Oahu two nights and found an Airbnb in Kailua. Quiet neighborhood, free parking, mountain views. A little out of the way, but it was like $50 a night and saved us hundreds of dollars. The listing was a younger couple with a Superhost badge and positive reviews. A few automatic cancellations, but most were 40+ days before the vacation so plenty of time to reschedule if necessary.

We booked four months in advance. I sent messages about a week before our trip to all our hosts confirming arrival dates and times. There were no issues at that point. I sent another message to the host when we were boarding the plane for Oahu to get the door code as they stated in their listing.

When we landed, I still hadn’t heard back, so sent a follow up message to let them know we were in Oahu and that we’d be at their location shortly. We made a quick stop at Pearl Harbor and then got dinner. We still hadn’t heard back. I was starting to get a little worried, but figured they were probably just at work and it was still fairly early. We drove around a little more… still no response.

Finally at about 6:00 PM we decided just to drive over there. We got to the location and there was a car in the driveway and the lights were on. We knocked on the door; we could hear footsteps inside and we started to relax. Except… Nobody ever came to the door. We knocked again. We heard someone running. They still didn’t come to the door, but suddenly the lights that were on were shut off and the blinds were closed. Are you serious?

After waiting almost fifteen minutes, I looked at the profile to get a phone number; there wasn’t one listed. I sent another message. I waited thirty more minutes. It was about 7:00 PM at this point and getting dark. I noticed there was a newer review on the profile from about a week before we arrived. The guest stated that they showed up and the hosts weren’t there and they ended up having to find other accommodations.

I was freaking out. I immediately called Airbnb customer service to see what we could do. They tried contacting the hosts and couldn’t get through either. They told us we’d have to cancel and find a new host. It was dark at that point – it was 8:00 PM – so were we really going to find anything?

The answer was no. We ended up getting a roach-infested hotel in Waikiki for almost $200 a night, four times what our two-night stay was supposed to cost. Airbnb refunded us the $104, and gave us about $50 towards the new hotel, but between the additional cost of parking and the room, we ended up spending about $340 more than we expected. I was pissed.

What was even more disappointing to hear is that because they were a Superhost, Airbnb won’t do anything about it. They’ll be charged a small fine for the last-minute cancellation, but they still get to keep their Superhost badge. Even after screwing over at least two guests, if not more.

Showed up to apartment, was told it’s not available

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My first and last Airbnb experience. I reserved an apartment for 30 days. Heard nothing from the host. I contacted him and he told me to pick up the keys at the desk when I arrived.

I showed up, the hotel management said there were no keys for me. They called the host who had forgotten to make the reservation and they told me to try again some other time. I dragged my suitcase through the streets of Bogota, Colombia at night looking for another place to stay. I contacted Airbnb and they refused to honor their refund policy.

Sure some people have had good experiences and maybe I just had bad luck. But ask yourself: do you really want your travel plans hooked up to a wheel-of-chance? Do you want to arrive and find you have no place to say and you’re out all the money you spent? Do yourself a favor: pay the extra 25-30% to stay in a real hotel where they do guest lodging as a profession. Don’t chance it on some random idiot. They guy had all five-star reviews so you can’t count on that either.

Stay at Airbnb Once, Shame on You. Twice, Shame on Me.

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I booked a room in London for myself and my boyfriend for one night because we were going to look at a gallery or museum and I also had an appointment. I paid online and turned up in Pimlico where we were meant to stay. I rang the host and then rang a few times after but there was no reply at all.

We walked a long way; my partner has a very painful knee and I had an injury. We walked to a block of flats and not only was it a long walk from the tube but also a long walk inside an estate that looked the same for hundreds of blocks. No map in sight. We walked and asked, asked and walked, and a woman we met who lived there was even a bit outraged on our behalf.

I tried to ring Airbnb many times but there was a wait and also in some parts of London there was no signal. Hours went by and it was very hot weather. We had to buy a cold drink and snack in a cafe and still had no room for the night.

Airbnb was very unhelpful and suggested I pay for another room. I protested that I did not have the funds for that but that also there was no signal at times for the phone (not the internet, which I have data for ). The very relaxed rep did not seem able to get any contact from the host I had paid.

After walking round the estate for a long time we realised we would have to find another room for the night and we had to stay due to an appointment I had. After many calls with Airbnb, in which I tried to get a refund, I managed to get them to agree to give me enough to get another room, but it was nearly evening by then.

We found a room that seemed nice online and went there. It looked okay, a bit scruffy for the price, but the bed looked clean enough. We went out for the evening nearby and slept there. The next morning there was no breakfast which had been advertised as part of the price nor was there any light in the bathroom then or the night before. This made things difficult of course.

The woman who owned the flat was okay but did not bother with us at all: really and clearly just wanted the money. Her boyfriend was not clothed in the sitting room where they were sleeping. I did not write a review of the awful experiences on Airbnb because I forgot. I wish I had.

The second host had the cheek to message me on the site and tell me I was lucky to have gotten a room and that I should be grateful. I was disgusted with the whole process but was given a voucher for a few pounds to put towards another room. I know some people have great experiences, e.g. my daughter abroad somewhere, but if this is the standard in London… what a rip off.

I am trying to book a room with my voucher now but have found out that guests need to verify their identity nowadays on the site by sending a copy of an official document such as passport or driving license to the host using a link that has not worked for me. Customer service has rung me back twice to try to help but the woman on the phone was laughing at what I told her.

It’s not inspiring but hopefully I can get somewhere better this time (if I can work out how to send the document and I need to send a ‘selfie’. A nice little – I mean big – earner for some hosts who just provide a bed or mattress and not much else sometimes it seems. Good luck out there.

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Do Not Stay Here: Horrible Experience in Halifax

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My daughter, best friend, and I visited Halifax for a long weekend expecting to stay at a comfortable, new clean condo which is not what we got. When we arrived to the address we were shocked to see a full on construction site. This property was still being developed. The exterior of the building looked completely unfinished and there was no marked address. The building was completely covered in scaffolding and the grounds were a construction zone with workers and machines all over the place.

We drove right past it because we couldn’t even imagine that it would be possible to list a place on Airbnb that had not fully been built. Our host had not sent any check-in details as he had promised to do. Picture three women traveling and arriving to this sketchy construction zone without any check-in details.

I texted him and there was no response. I finally called a phone number and spoke to a woman who seemed like she worked for property management company who advised me that the cleaner was still cleaning up the suite. They finally sent us check-in instructions but the lockbox was empty. Thankfully the cleaner came down and was quite nice and offered to let us put our bags in the unit and that she wouldn’t be too much longer. We opted not to do this and grabbed some food while I scrambled to find alternative places to stay for the weekend.

Upon getting the key, we parked our rental car in the most shadiest, filthy dump of a garage where there was piles of garbage and barely any lighting. It felt dangerous, dirty and totally unsafe. The unit itself was as the pictures presented. Not sparkling clean, more of a surface clean and the windows were disgusting, covered in mud from the construction. The lobby and hallways were unfinished and the same went for the elevators. It was all very sketchy and unsafe.

It was also quite warm in the unit. I had asked the host if there was AC as many reviewers had mentioned there weren’t any. He said yes, which was not the case – he had two upright fans, not an AC unit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an alternative place to stay as the city was hosting a film festival along with back-to-school events and there weren’t any other places to accommodate the three of us.

On Friday morning we were awoken at 7:00 AM by drilling sounds that felt like they were taking place outside our window. I even wore earplugs but that didn’t make a difference. On the last night of our stay I messaged the host to see if we could check out half an hour later at 10:30 AM. Please note check in was at 4:00 PM and check out at 10:00 AM, rather early and late by normal standards. He flat out refused, making up some bullshit excuse blaming the cleaning company’s policy that the cleaners are scheduled to be there at that time.

The next morning he must have felt bad and sent me a message at 9:30 AM saying a half hour was not going to be too much of a problem. At that point it was too late. We wanted to get the hell out of that that construction disaster. I would not recommend this place to anyone. The reviews noted construction which differs from you are staying at a construction site.

Left Homeless in Philadelphia after no Contact

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My credit card was charged for a five-day rental in Philadelphia. The host emailed me through Airbnb that the entry code to the property would be sent to me 24 hours before I arrived. I was sent a file through Airbnb’s system, since all communication must go through the service. The file was sent, but couldn’t be opened. The host couldn’t be contacted by Airbnb’s case manager. I was told to go get coffee while Airbnb tried to contact the host. No contact was made. I was homeless, 3000 miles from where I live. Airbnb admitted to the error, but merely wiped the charges from my credit card; there was no effort to compensate me for a very expensive last-minute hotel. They referred me to their legal team, and all communication stopped.

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Additional Fees Make Prices Difficult to Determine

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This site is a scam and they take no action into making their clients happy and making things right with both hosts and guests. They’re always on the hosts’ side, trying to make excuses because of their “terms and conditions”. There is no reimbursement whatsoever for any reason.

When I reserved a property, Airbnb had given me a time to check in between 1:00-3:00 PM. When I arrived to check in at 1:00, I was pretty much yelled at by one of the hosts about the fact that “check-in was only to be made after 3:00 only” not before. When I mentioned it to the host, I was given the offer to cancel my reservation without any charges but I wasn’t going to be able to find anything else at the last minute. I decided not to cancel since I had nowhere else to go.

It looks like charges are wrongfully made the minute you make that reservation, which is not supposed to be done that way. I made a request for a one bedroom with two beds. Anybody would think that that would include at least two people, especially when I mentioned to the host that it was for me and my father. The host never mentioned anything about the fact that if it wasn’t just for one person that the price would change and told me to immediately change my reservation to two, not just one.

The minute I was told about that rule, I decided to just leave my father there due to his health. I decided not to change the reservation and just leave it for one person. I came back the next morning to pick him up and just cancel the deal. I handed in the key to the host and made it clear to his knowledge that I would no longer be staying.

Another thing I also now see on the receipt: the cost for the night, according to their advertising on Airbnb, was changed from $29 to $34.75 for my reservation for four nights. Was the extra $5.75 charge because of it being for two people or what?

When I contacted Airbnb about the issue, I was supposedly going to be helped with my terrible experience by requesting the host to accept the refund and keep me aware of the results, which a welcoming and reasonable host would do to an unsatisfied client. I was later informed that they had denied my request of being refunded for the nights I would no longer be staying at the property and using their service, as if it was only according to them.

As I was being informed, all they did was show signs of being on the hosts’ side and not caring in regards to the issues I had encountered. I considered myself being legally robbed because of my agreement to their terms and conditions.

I was also emailed about an extra $20 by the host because of the reservation having to be made for two people. I denied this because only one person had resided that night. I wondered what the outcome on that would be.

Do not use Airbnb. There is always a catch for cheap affairs. My irrational and insubordinate hosts have great reviews maybe only because of the fact that Airbnb doesn’t even give the unsatisfied the opportunity to write a bad review or a complaint.

I included a picture of the location to be rented by the hosts. Other signs of this site to be a scam is their cheap night stay without including fake charges like “service and cleaning fees” obviously not counted until the end, which makes it no better than a slightly smaller price paid at a simple motel. That makes it not much of a better deal than a motel if all you need is a roof to sleep under for one night or more.