Ransomware Attack Doesn’t Qualify as Extenuating Circumstances?

Posted on June 12, 2021

My family booked a trip in the mountains for North Carolina. Three days before our trip, the Colonial Pipeline was hacked and held for ransomware. This lead to a gas shortage and state of emergency that was declared in the state. We contacted Airbnb customer service to see if we could cancel our trip due to the state of emergency and the fact that we wouldn’t be able to make it to our destination. They told us they would look into it.

We reached out to them every day for five days, and continued to be told they were looking into it. Finally, after our trip was scheduled to be over, they came back and said it wasn’t covered under the extenuating circumstances policy but wouldn’t tell us why, even though a government-declared state of emergency is clearly listed as part of the policy. We asked for a manager to give us a call, so that they could give us a better explanation.

Instead of a call, a manager that was based in Europe emailed us to let us know that the decision was final and that she couldn’t call us in the U.S. because of the time zone difference. We asked for a manager located in North America or more specifically in the eastern time zone. She came back and said if we want to talk to someone, we can call the customer service line again and start over with a new ambassador. We still believe that our claim falls under the extenuating circumstances policy and would really like to talk to someone that understands why the decision was made to deny the claim.

Airbnb Host Account Hacked, Locked Out

Posted on February 18, 2020

I have been successfully renting my lovely townhouse since August 2019. I still love in it but move out approximately two weeks per month to rent it through Airbnb. This has been assisting my income.

Last week I received an email saying the phone number on my account had been changed. I immediately went onto my profile and deleted the new number and changed my password. Since then its been havoc. I was logged out of my account, half my future bookings for my place were cancelled by Airbnb and guests are emailing me asking why their bookings have been cancelled.

I cannot reply to them as I cannot log in. When I receive a reset password link it says it has expired. I have tried to call and email Airbnb so many times with absolutely no success; they do not even bother replying. All I want to do now is delete my account but if I cannot log in I cannot delete it. I have even spoken to an IT expert and asked for help but there is nothing they can do to help me. Only Airbnb can help but they ignore me.

Airbnb Company itself is the Horrible Scam

Posted on June 21, 2019

Airbnb did not set up proper security, so my account was hacked and then the assailant charged me an extra $1,000 and deleted my account. When I called in to discuss this matter, I was told that I was not allowed to talk to them because technically my account had been deleted.

I spoke to supervisors and everyone that I could and basically, a member of my family ate the costs by rebooking. It took us two weeks to get a refund and even then, we only got a partial refund. I have been trying to get the rest of the money from Airbnb, and yet I get at least one new email from them every day, explaining that it’s my fault and that they have “laws to follow.” They obviously aren’t following the laws on my side.

Airbnb is a truly horrific company to have an issue with. If everything runs smoothly and according to plan, you’re safe, but if there’s any mix up about reservations or accommodations, they are the first to abandon you and speak down to you. Please never use Airbnb.

Airbnb Account Hacked and Bookings Lost

Posted on May 24, 2019

My Airbnb account was hacked on May 17th. Six simultaneous bookings were made, my account settings were changed and the account closed. It was impossible to contact Airbnb as they like you to login to contact them, which is impossible if your account is closed and all of your details are not recognised.

Luckily my credit card company was swift to close my card and will refund the £1500 of fraudulent activity. However, I had a booking in place, for which I have paid a 50% deposit. As the account was closed the booking was cancelled and deposit lost.

I finally managed to contact Airbnb by the phone number above (not sure what country that goes through; I am in the UK). The guy who answered was really unhelpful and did not understand my issues so I insisted on being given a UK number to call (+44 8000315680). I have called that number three times and each time they inform me my case is under a ‘Case Manager’ and that they will call me back, promising it will be the same day. Surprise, surprise, no one has called me back.

They refuse to give me a case number or the name of the case manager. I contacted the host of the place I had booked via email from a different booking site for the same property and he informed me the booking was cancelled and therefore the deposit kept and someone else has now booked the property for those dates. This money appears lost as I can get no answers, and my husband gets no romantic birthday getaway.

Shocking customer service. I will never open another Airbnb account and I will raise this case with the financial Ombudsman to seek further advice. Fuming doesn’t even cover it.

My Airbnb Account Comprised Charges Worth Nearly £15K

Posted on May 11, 2019

I’ve only used Airbnb twice in my life time. I got up at 6:00 AM, saw spam in my inbox, and then a notification from Amex stating that my account has been maxed out. I logged in. To my horror, a transaction of £14,729 was pending to Airbnb.

My Airbnb account was linked to my Google account and I’ve set up active PayPal, which was linked to my Amex account. Hackers had also cancelled and removed my number from Airbnb, and spammed my inbox with thousands of emails.

My first instinct was to call Amex and log a dispute to PayPal. I couldn’t log into my Airbnb account but got a UK number to call them. Investigations are still pending. PayPal for some reason approved the payment to Airbnb. When I logged the dispute they didn’t approve it. I had to call them twice to explain my situation.

Just be wary out there. Airbnb customer care were totally useless; I had to chase after them again at the end of the day and they have not refunded PayPal or contacted them on the fraud transaction.

Account Hacked, Used and Deleted with no Contact

Posted on May 7, 2019

On May 5th, 2019 my Airbnb account was hacked. In the space of five minutes, the hackers had made five reservations for May 5th-9th, 2019. All reservations were accepted and charged to my credit card. On receipt of payment, they then cancelled all of the bookings (all had strict cancellation policies so I was not entitled to a refund), deleted my phone number from Airbnb and closed down my account.

They have managed to steal £1500 from me. My credit card company has told me that in the first instance this needs to be resolved with Airbnb. Because the hackers have closed my account, it is now almost impossible for me to contact Airbnb as you have to log in to access the resolution centre.

When I was able to get a phone number for Airbnb, I was met with an automated voice telling me that in order to use this service you had to enter the phone number that was associated with your account; my phone number and account had been deleted so I could not get through to speak to a human being. There was no other option but to enter a phone number so I had to hang up.

I am appalled that for an organisation as large as Airbnb this is the only way you can contact them on the phone. I then decided to use my mum’s phone number as she has a Airbnb account. This got me through to speak to an actual person however they were worse than useless: their English was appalling; they did not understand the situation and it took ten attempts to get them to take my details rather than looking at my mother’s account (which has not been hacked); they were just a triage service and the ‘team’ that I needed to speak to were unwilling to speak to me until they had investigated further.

I was told that I would be called back yesterday. I have had no phone call. I am going round in one big hellish circle. I have tried to reactivate my account. In order to do this you need to log on, which I can’t as my account has been deleted. When I try to create an account it tells me that the email address I am using is already recognised in the system. When I go through the ‘forgot my password’ option, I enter my email address and it tells me that email address does not exist.

This is absolutely atrocious and Airbnb need to rectify this immediately – it is not like they don’t know what is happening,;here was an article in the British newspaper ‘The Sun’ yesterday about this exact issue with Airbnb. Shame on you, Airbnb. I won’t ever be using your service again and will advise everyone I know to close down their accounts.

I Was Hacked… Airbnb Didn’t Delete Account

Posted on May 4, 2019

My Airbnb account was taken over by a hacker. Monday morning I got an email from Airbnb saying that my email had changed to something unrecognizable and that the person did it from a California location. I immediately contacted Airbnb, giving them the full rundown, the email I had received, and where the hacker was.

All they needed to do was delete that account. It was linked to my bank account and still had private information within messages to hosts. My guess is that this hacker was just looking for someone with good standing so that they could prey on hosts using my likeness. Airbnb auto-responded via message on their site saying “they forwarded my concern to the proper department and that I would expect a prompt and proper response.”

Days later, still nothing. I tweeted at them. Still nothing. I know they won’t respond no matter how much I bother them. All they have to do is delete that old account.

Do yourself a favor: delete your information and get off their platform. Also, don’t accept any guest accommodations from a thirty-something woman in Brooklyn who was last staying in Manchester, England, two years ago. It’s most likely my hacker. Stay safe, people.

Airbnb Account Hacked, Only Bank Helped

Posted on April 15, 2019

Yesterday my Airbnb account was hacked by someone. I know this because they changed my email address and phone number on my profile. This person tried to book a stay in Detroit for $400. Thankfully they didn’t delete my email from the account and I got an email congratulating me on my upcoming trip.

I immediately called the host and told him I was hacked and to cancel the trip. I then called Airbnb and it was like talking to a wall. They assured me my claim was a high priority and I would receive an email shortly with an update on the status. I never received an email from them. I asked them to help me secure my account so this wouldn’t happen again. They told me they couldn’t help me until they verified that this was fraud.

I had been signing in through Facebook, so never actually created a password. I highly recommend not signing in through Facebook as it was difficult to figure out how to create a login. I called my bank, cancelled my card, and disputed the charge. My bank was helpful. Airbnb was not.

I don’t plan on using Airbnb again. They have horrible customer service and it’s not worth the few dollars I would save by staying at a home rather than a hotel.

Airbnb Account Hacked, Need Thai Assistance

Posted on March 29, 2019

I have also had my account hacked. It started with an email from a future guest saying Airbnb had sent him an email saying my account was closed. I had fortunately given him my private email when he had confirmed. I tried to open my Airbnb account but to no avail, and also got message saying my account did not exist.

I opened a Twitter account to contact Airbnb, as everyone knows how easy it is to contact them – being sarcastic here – and spent about two hours chatting to them, eventually being told I needed to contact customer service in the States. This cost me an absolute fortune, only to have some idiot keep repeating that he could not help me as he could not authenticate my name. That is why I am calling: because someone else is using my account.

He was absolutely useless and could not offer me any solution to my problem. I don’t think he even believed I was hacked. This all happened without me receiving anything from any scammers or anyone.

Eventually I got the customer service in Thailand, where I am presently, who were more helpful, but now I have to wait for the security department to contact me. Totally peeved, as I have spent the whole afternoon on this.

Airbnb Hosts: If you want to get paid, beware

Posted on September 11, 2018

I am a multi-host with Airbnb and operate in Palm Cove, Queensland as a fully qualified real estate agent. I recently had two bookings, one in Palm Cove and the other in Sanur, Bali. Both payouts were due very close together. When no payment was received I checked my account only to find that somebody had hacked the Airbnb page and added their details as the default payout party. Total money lost: just under $2000, of which $1500 belongs to my clients and I have to honour.

I immediately contacted Airbnb after changing my default details and password. I was told that the Airbnb computer system was secure and that they had no idea how this could have happened. I was told my case was being referred to their Trust & Safety Team to investigate, and that I would be contacted very shortly. Well over a week later, and almost daily calls by myself to Airbnb, I have yet to get a call back from anybody, despite promise after promise to do so, and “Of course, we are so sorry this has happened.”

I have asked to speak to the Trust & Safety team to see what they are doing about my money. I was told today that the Trust & Safety Team works in the back offices and they don’t have phones. Well I kid you not, I nearly wet my pants I was laughing so much.

If that weren’t bad enough, here is stage two of Airbnb at its best. I was invited to join Airbnb’s Plus Programme where they send a party to your nominated property to inspect and do a photo shoot. This, according to Airbnb, will elevate your listing to a preferred status whereby potential guests will be convinced to book your property because you are a trusted host whose property has been inspected by their professional team.

I put forward the two properties Airbnb had chosen from my portfolio. A date was set for each property, and here are Airbnb’s requirements: schedule your home visit; choose a date and time for an Airbnb partner to visit your home in person. The visit will take 1-3 hours and includes an inspection and photoshoot. You or someone who maintains your property should be there the entire time.

You know what’s coming next, don’t you? Of course Airbnb did not turn up to either property to either prearranged time and date, and I had to pay my staff for sitting on their backsides watching TV waiting for Airbnb to turn up. So once again I have to contact Airbnb to get a credit for $236 which they charged for these two non-visits. Then again, they are oh so sorry for what has happened and will arrange a credit.

Now I know you are going to ask, did they credit you? You already know the answer. Of course not. “Please go away and stop bothering us” is the impression you get when you ring and get put on hold time after time after time. For today’s call I was on hold for 14 minutes. I am sure they were just hoping I would go away. They are like insurance companies who receive a claim, and adopt the declined declined declined response, until they realize you mean business.

Today I have reached the end of my tether. I have been told that the Trust & Safety Team does not have phones and when I requested to speak to a Public Relations Officer, I was told Airbnb does not have one. I just got the round robin treatment of “Well, we cannot do anything from here as we are a call centre.” I asked to be directed to a phone number to speak to somebody who can actually act with responsibility. “I am so sorry, we cannot give out other numbers as we are only a ‘call centre.'”

Time to go public and tell the news media. I know they just love this juicy type of story to get stuck into Airbnb.