Tag Archives: airbnb host lied

Airbnb Service Charges not Returned on Cancellation

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I was interested in a villa in Colombia for March (four months from booking). It was a large villa and I wanted to confirm the guest. I asked the host for three weeks to cancel, rather than his normal 48 hours. He agreed and this was documented clearly in Airbnb Messenger. I cancelled after two weeks as I could not organize the guests and Airbnb refused to return their service charges of $864.79, citing their policy.

The end result was Airbnb Customer Service protected the customer and left the host and the guest out to dry, the complete opposite of customer service and common sense. This wasn’t a last-minute cancellation. This was a documented exception for four months from now. Airbnb protected their bottom line and sold their soul.

I pity the poor people who are getting excited about the Tokyo Olympics with Airbnb. They are lined up for a living hell. Frankly, I think that any normal travel company would never have a strict 48-hour cancellation policy. That really is the opposite of customer service.

Airbnb Host Falsely Accuses Guest of Theft

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I stayed at a place in Lyon, France I booked on Airbnb. The host was in fact not an individual but representative of a company called Flat Fish, which manages a bunch of apartments in Lyon. I left the apartment in great shape, following all the checkout instructions.

The host wrote to me the next day (about 24 hours later) saying a radio was missing. I wrote back that I am not responsible (I did not even turn it on during my stay; I don’t know if it was working or not).

The host later filed a claim for 700 euros through the Airbnb resolution center. Doesn’t this sound like a scam? The evidence they presented was a photo of a table with nothing on it, saying “the radio was there.” I think it’s likely that other people (cleaners, property owners) entered the apartment after I left and before the host entered, but for some reason they accused me.

The host may not be in on this, but still she’s becoming an accessory. I am a model citizen, with a great career, no criminal record, no financial problems, and zero debt. Still, Airbnb took this seriously and are investigating it. This is not like I spilled coffee on their white sofa, what they are accusing me of is a crime, a serious theft. Shouldn’t they have gone to the police instead?

I really enjoyed using Airbnb in the last 4-5 years on more than ten occasions, but if they side with the host here then I would definitely not like to take such a risk again. What do you guys think?

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.

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Locked in Small, Disgusting Airbnb Room

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I rented a small room through Airbnb. It certainly was the stay from hell. The sheets were filthy. The room was filthy. There was a safety issue with the keys; I was locked in my room for three hours and unable to get out. I was terrified. All attempts to contact the owners – phone calls, texts – were ignored.

Although there may be many good reviews on the property this was not my experience. The owner attempted to bribe me with a cheap bottle of champagne to not write a negative review on Airbnb, stating he was a politician in Brugge and didn’t want any negative reviews attached to his name.

Shortly after arriving at the Airbnb, I went to sleep before heading out for the evening. Pulling back the sheets, it was obvious they had not been changed: the pillows had hair on them, and the sheets were crushed and filthy. I guess someone had slept in them with shoes on, bits of grass, dirt, gravel.

I called the owners. They promised to come over and change sheets immediately. Three hours later I called the host to ask why she had not arrived as promised. She rudely stated, “I have more important things to do. I have to pick up my child from school.”

If you can’t manage to juggle your business and your family life, then don’t become an Airbnb host, and certainly don’t lie to guests. When I said I would not sleep in filthy sheets she rudely said she would send a cleaner over to change the sheets, which she could have done in the first place.

The cleaner arrived an hour later, four hours from my initial call. The cleaner was shocked when she viewed the sheets and promised to inform the owners. She also agreed that the floors had not been vacuumed, the toilet had certainly not been cleaned or flushed, and the basin had not been wiped – it was disgusting, with old soap and toothpaste left. The shower had not been wiped clean. This room had obviously been missed.

The following morning I had planned to head out for a walk early but was unable to unlock the door after trying numerous times. I called both owners for help and sent texts but they were ignored. Three hours later, the cleaning staff arrived. I had to yell from my room for help. The staff acknowledged that this was an ongoing issue and both owners were fully aware of the safety issue regarding the key and had done nothing. The cleaning staff told me they had had previous issues with guests being locked in this room before.

Shortly later as I was packing my bag to leave, I could hear the host speaking with a staff member in the garden/courtyard below my room chastising the staff member for not cleaning the room or changing the sheets. He spoke to her at length and I heard all of this conversation. Yet the host stated the sheets had been changed and I was overreacting and not staying calm regarding the keys. Instead of taking responsibility and simply apologising for the mistake, they chose to shame me in an attempt to make themselves look better.

Later as I was leaving the property the host approached me and attempted to tell me why the room had not been cleaned. He offered no apology, just “My wife is a very busy person and doesn’t always have time to clean the room between guests.” He then went on to hand me a bottle of champagne -which I refused – as a bribe to stay quiet, begging me to not put a negative review on Airbnb as he was a local politician in Brugge and did not want any negative reviews against his name.

Their review on me was completely dishonest in an attempt to protect themselves and their tardiness and deflect any responsibility. I was disgusted and disappointed by these hosts: unprofessional, dishonest and simply low-lifes. Do not stay at here. Absolutely the room and hosts from hell.

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Airbnb Condones Lying and Scamming Hosts

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I booked a stay in Los Angeles from September 23rd to September 30th. My total was $2134.46. Upon arriving to the location at 3:00 PM, the host took me through what seemed to be a back entrance to enter the building and up to the unit. I asked if he had two keys as I had a second person staying with me and he told me the building only issued one.

He showed me around to the unit, told me that the pillowcases and towels were still in the dryer, and then left. Within minutes of him leaving, I noticed that the bed linens were dirty, with hair on the sheets and white stains all over the bedspread and pillowcases. I was going to just wash them myself. However, the linens that were in the dryer were not dry. I tried resetting the dryer three times but it kept cutting off.

I tried to connect to the wifi and it would not work. I then set out to go pick up something to eat. Upon leaving, I double-checked to make sure the front door was shut tight and locked. However, when I pushed on the door, it popped right open. I tried to shut it about three more times but it would not shut and lock completely. Therefore, I called the host and explained:

• The bed linens were dirty.

• The dryer kept cutting off whenever I tried to reset it to dry the pillowcases and towels that were in them. I had to reset since after the first cycle had finished; they were still damp.

• I could not connect to the wifi.

• The front door would not shut and lock properly.

The host said they never heard that before. While on the phone I again attempted to shut and lock the door hard. However, it would not shut and lock properly. Add this to being brought in using a back entrance and I did not feel safe. I could not stay in a place that does not have a front door that shuts and locks properly.

The host said I could cancel my reservation and they would give me a full refund with no contest. I then called Airbnb to follow up; the person I spoke with told me she needed to see the communication and that she had to contact the host. Airbnb called me back, saying the hosts said they would come over to fix my issues.

This turn of events was alarming since when I talked to the host they said I could leave, cancel, and be given a full refund. I tried to tell Airbnb that I did not feel safe and was uncomfortable. However, the woman on the phone aggressively ignored my concern. Being a single female, taken through a back entrance, then realizing the front door did not shut and lock properly, the hosts being two men, I was completely terrified.

I packed up my belongings and went to wait for them outside in public. By the time I got to the door, they were on the other side of it. They came back to the unit to try to “fix” the issues listed above. They showed up to the apartment with an extra key in hand. However, I was told the building only issued one in the beginning; this was also concerning.

They proceeded to come in and I stepped outside into the hall, as I did not feel safe. They tested out the door and saw for themselves that it was not shutting and locking properly. On their several attempts to shut and lock the door, they told me that I just needed to slam it extremely hard. I should not have to slam and jury-rig the doors to the highly priced Airbnb I was staying at.

When traveling as a female alone, safety is of the utmost importance. I explained to both of them that I did not feel safe or comfortable staying here and I would really appreciate if they would stick to their word allowing me to cancel and give me a full refund. They agreed so they sent a message via the Airbnb app and confirmed they would honor a full refund for cancelling due to the issues listed above and their inability to fix them.

At this point, I returned the key to them, they walked me down out of the seedy back entrance I came in, and I left. The host agreed in the Airbnb app to giving me a full refund without contesting it. I then called Airbnb again to follow up; I was told that I had to cancel the reservation to get a refund. I did that and then called back.

At this point, I was told someone was handling my case and would be contacting me. I never heard from him until he emailed me at 5:41 PM saying that he had forwarded my case onto someone else who would be contacting me.

At 7:31 I began receiving messages from someone saying that he was handling my case. He said he spoke to the host and they sent videos/photographs of the issues listed above working. These alleged photographs/videos were obviously taken after I had left, after the host agreed to a full refund because he could not rectify the issues.

Airbnb told me that they would not honor my refund. They also said that the host was claiming that I refused to give them the key until I got my refund. This is entirely not true. As I mentioned above, I handed over the key to the host when he agreed to give me a full refund due to the issues listed above, as I no longer felt safe staying in this Airbnb.

There is absolutely no reason why I would withhold the keys. A key fob is not worth the $2134.46 I paid to stay in this Airbnb. Withholding a key fob is not going to get my money back, nor provide a place to stay. The host never informed me that any issues were fixed or could have been fixed. I tried reaching out to the host several times but they stopped answering my calls and texts and blocked my number.

I asked Airbnb who I could speak with but they ignored me. I called again; I just kept being told this particular case manage would call me. He did not; he continued to message me. He told me if I had proof of all this, to send it. Therefore, I sent him the screenshots of the messages where the host confirmed he would give me a full refund since. This is what Airbnb said they needed to see: verbal confirmation from the host agreeing to give me a full refund.

I requested Airbnb call me immediately. Finally, about seven hours later from the start of all this, they finally called and did not take into account my experience, but just kept reiterating that the host sent pictures. Had the host put any effort into seeing that all these issues could be fixed when he came back to the unit then I would not be writing this; the issues would have been fixed and I would have had a place to stay. However, he did not do any of that. The host agreed to give me a full refund without contesting it and we parted ways.

I asked Airbnb for a corporate number: they said there wasn’t one. Therefore, I asked to speak with a manager and he finally got us on the phone with one, who said an investigation would be launched.

I am appalled at this level of service. The constant run around with Airbnb customer service has taken up my entire day and ruined my trip. My brother was getting married and this week started in tears and fearing for my safety. Not only did I lose $2134.46, I am 3000 miles away from home without a place to stay.

This Airbnb host has scammed me. I deserve a full refund. My request was simple: I wanted a refund for the full amount which I was told from Airbnb customer service that the host had to agree to, and they did. There is no way I could have stayed in an apartment with a broken door, being taken through a back entrance and then having the host make false claims after confirming he could do nothing about the broken door, the dryer and wifi not working, and would give me a full refund.

This completely ruined my trip and overall experience with Airbnb. I have called numerous times, I have spoken with several “case managers”, I have been told ad nauseum that someone will be reaching to me and no one has. I then had to spend another couple thousand dollars on hotel accommodations.

I have had nightmares following this incident of someone breaking into my hotel room and doing terrible things, all because of the traumatic experience I went through with this Airbnb host and the company. I deserve a full refund for the hell this host and Airbnb’s customer service has put me through during a time that should have been one of the happiest moments for my entire family.

I am glad I found this site to help me learn I was not alone in this nightmare. I wish I would have found it before booking but I will make sure everyone I know knows about it before they consider booking with dirty Airbnb.

Creepy Host Harassing Airbnb Guests

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Attention everyone who finds this apartment attractive. We’ve just had a very creepy and shocking experience with the host of this place. As we (four adults) arrived to the apartment, we discovered that one of the two double beds did not have a mattress. Instead, there was a very thin pad covering a wooden surface of the bed’s carcass. We called the owner to find out if something could be done. He allowed us to combine some mattresses that were on two single beds.

The next day we decided to move from the place anyway (in addition, we realized that this apartment, crowded with old furniture and hundreds of objects, had a very bad smell). However we didn’t bother the owner with the smell issue; our major problem was the bedding that caused a lot of inconvenience to us. The host was pretty frustrated, but he gave us a refund as soon as we left. We left at about 9:15 AM and moved to a hotel.

The nightmare begins now. That evening, as we walked through some touristy places, we received a message from the host. He accused us of the crime of flipping over his whole apartment, stealing some jewelry from the drawers, breaking the bed, etc. As we read this, being speechless, he continued to add things that never happened and had never been done by us.

Imagine: four adults (I am an architect, my sister is a college teacher… we have grown-up kids) now have to deal with such a horrible scam. We then started to read carefully all the reviews on this apartment and we discovered something very similar and horrifying from a woman and little kid who rented this place a while ago (please find this one-star review and read).

We contacted Airbnb right away and told the assistant about the situation. In the meanwhile we contacted the host and suggested we come with the police and have them evaluate our fingerprints. He replied, “In Italy, there is no such thing.”

The next day, this manipulative person wrote us another message and asked, “Why didn’t you come with the police?” I probably should stop describing all the nonsense and wait for the update from Airbnb.

The owner demanded 450 Euros in compensation from us at first. After a few days he increased the amount to 661 Euros, enough for Airbnb to move the case to a different team. In addition, as we usually take pictures of every room in the apartment at the moment we leave, we did the same with this place. We provided Airbnb with everything we had to prove our decency. This host has no proof. He never called the police, and he continues to threaten my family.

False Review from Airbnb Host in Bosnia

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Not a terrible experience – and actually I do not have anything negative to say about Airbnb itself, just this host. Two friends and I were on a road trip through Bosnia and Montenegro. Using the filters “3+ bedrooms” (not people) and “entire property”, we booked a place in Trebinje, Bosnia as a base prior to the Montenegro border crossing.

The confirmation said the property had four bedrooms and was for 16+ people. As a relatively regular Airbnb user, this isn’t unusual and the prices were not out of kilter with other “entire properties” in the town. We checked in around 6:45 PM, and were shown (by a rep, not the host) a one bedroom apartment “for 3 people” because “this is what you booked”.

Well, my confirmation said different and the rep agreed; she called the office and we were told we could have the connecting one bedroom apartment if we paid cash. Red flag alert. They told me it would cost more on Airbnb – which I knew – but felt very scammy at the time. We were the only people staying at this complex. We would’ve paid extra cleaning fees had they given us the separate bedrooms we’d booked, but they wouldn’t move at all.

Rather than give them a penny, we spent about 30-45 minutes arranging alternative accommodations. Our next host came to our rescue and left a family celebration to check us in one day earlier. She was amazing and her place was awesome.

We did get a full refund, and Airbnb called me multiple times to make sure we weren’t stranded which was impressive (if unnecessary). We never got an apology, just a rude and dismissive attitude. So I had the choice – write a negative review and get one back in return, or just leave it.

After giving them two weeks to correct their listing I went for the negative review so no one else would have the same problem. Then I got this back: “This guest is very complicated. They booked one apartment for 3 persons. When they arrived we give them option choose apartment which most suitable for them, but they wanted apartment with 3+ bedrooms or whole Villa (our Villa has 9 AP). We explained them that it is not possible, because price for theirs reservation was 35$. After check in they used apartment 2-3 hours, showered and then say that they are not satisfied and wanted bigger apartment. We could not offer them it for 35$ and we refunded them all funds. They leave our apartment after 3 hours of use and leave it messy.”

Essentially a flat-out lie from the host. However I hadn’t told them I’d taken a video before we left (decide for yourself how “messy” we left it). We never had a choice of apartment (I’ll take what I booked, please), I had complained immediately, we hadn’t used the shower, was there less than two hours and that time was spent frantically on the Internet and calling to sort out accommodation at 7:00 PM in an unfamiliar country.

I tried to link the YouTube video in my Airbnb response but Airbnb blocked it. Hopefully this can come up if anyone searches for this place in the future. At least I’m telling myself that for the satisfaction – screw this host. Not really Airbnb hell, but liars should always be called out if you have evidence to refute.

Stay Away From Weird Hosts in Bardstown

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We checked into an Airbnb apartment in Bardstown, KY. Two hours after we checked into the apartment, there was an issue with the key not working to unlock the door. The key would not turn in the lock and everything was so old, we didn’t want to mess with it for fear of breaking off the key in the lock.

It took more than 20 minutes to receive a response and when the host finally arrived and demonstrated the “trick” to turning the key in the lock I suggested she might want to include the trick in the instructions, at which time she told me I was being ugly. It was just a suggestion.

She offered a full refund, which we decided to do, then she refused to issue a refund through Airbnb. Before we returned the key to her, she asked if we had a dog in the apartment. What? No. But I do have pictures of our dog on my Facebook page. Maybe she was creeping me?

When we were finally settled in our nice clean modern room at the Hampton Inn, she called me on my cell phone and when I answered, she hung up. I called her back. No answer, of course. I suggest you stay clear of this location, unless you don’t mind being called ugly and being stalked.

Bait and Switch Airbnb in Bilbao, Spain

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I booked and paid for a three-night stay at an Airbnb within walking distance to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain in a really lovely looking place with a Superhost. Unfortunately due to falling ill in San Sebastian, Spain, I was only able to get to Bilbao for one night.

On arrival, I noticed that there were three bedrooms which I knew were not part of the description. After taking a nap, I had a better look at the apartment only to realise it wasn’t what I had booked. In contacting the host to ask to move me to the apartment I paid for, I was told that it had been given to someone else.

I was not provided with the apartment number at the time of booking. I was not advised before or on arrival of the change. I was given a substandard alternative which, amongst other things, was dirty and had exposed power points which let off sparks. The entrance and lift smelt of urine. These are photos of what I was given.

Rats in House: Airbnb Sides with Host

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I rented a place on Philip St. in New Orleans. It was not where the host had said (not in heart of nightlife, but a bit at the edge of an industrial area), and there were many other ways that the place was not as promised. The capper was when all three guests saw a rat running along the baseboard. We were up and out in 40 minutes.

We contacted the host immediately. She denied it. Contacted Airbnb. They said we needed proof, e.g. did we take pictures of rat poop? Sure, we crawled under the stairs where it had disappeared… only not. The host got an exterminator to the house five days later, and go an all-clear report: five days in which to clean out the place.

Airbnb continually sided with the host as we fought this. We stayed 2 of 30 nights (moving to New Orleans) and got no refund. The host lies and Airbnb sides with them. Avoid some Airbnbs in New Orleans, unless you want rats climbing all over your possessions.