Airbnb Truly is Hell When They Defend Guests Like These

Posted on December 30, 2021

I was happy to stumble across Airbnb Hell, as that’s exactly what happened to me as a host. I had used the platform for years as a guest and loved the community and having the comforts of home when traveling. When a chance to travel to climb and work presented itself, I felt this was a no brainer to make some additional money while gone. However, my experience was cut very short after my second guest booked for a week and decided to violate all the house rules.

I alerted this guest that I would be by to pick up my truck camper and explained not to block it in. She told me family was visiting but ensured it would not be a problem. Upon arrival, my camper was blocked in, and after attempting multiple calls, text, and knocking on the door and seeing children inside unattended, I decided to let myself in. The house smelled strongly of marijuana, which I’m not opposed to but not in the home. Four young children were on the couch and I had a “no one under 12” policy. Then a cat appeared.

After speaking with the guest and explaining the house rules, I decided her ignorance might be honest and decided to give them another chance. However after climbing the next day and returning into service range I was alerted by my neighbor co-host there were more children and now a dog on the property. At the same time the guest had requested to book additional time, to which I responded “your stay is being canceled and I would like you to leave the home immediately.” All communication stopped and I sent the co-host over only for them to lock the door and refuse to answer.

The following morning I sent my best friend — a strong male — over to attempt to resolve this matter. However, again, they wouldn’t answer and he informed them that he would be letting himself in. Upon arrival, the same violations were occurring and he and the boyfriend got into an argument. Basically I called the police to have them removed for trespassing because Airbnb continued to say they were working on the matter.

I sent the police over with my friend and they were astonished the guest had been there for days and not weeks or a month. There were cameras up, random new tools most definitely stolen and all kinds of weird stuff. They stayed until the guests finally gathered their possessions and I thanked them for their service. This whole time for over 48 hours Airbnb support did basically nothing besides state they were looking into the matter. With the s%#&, smoke, drugs, and the thought of my newly remolded home being destroyed I took matters into my own hands.

Within 72 hours, I got a wonderful pre-Christmas gift of being removed from the app. I’ve attempted to be reinstated but can’t file the forms due to Airbnb locking my account. When calling and emailing them I’m basically running in a circle. With other bookings coming, I paid my co-hosts a large additional cleaning fee, and funds to replace the sheets and blankets.

I’m now left with that cost and the horror of attempting to resolve this as it feels like I’m in purgatory. Basically Airbnb can get AIDS, COVID, and be tortured for all I care at this point. They have the worst customer service I’ve experienced in my 38 years of existence. Thank you all for listening to my rant and I only hope no one ever experiences anything like this.

Locked in Small, Disgusting Airbnb Room

Posted on November 4, 2019

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.

Jailed for Eight Hours a Day, No Satisfaction from Airbnb

Posted on May 10, 2017

This is the totally honest review I wrote and the host’s character-besmirching remarks. Airbnb refuses to retract these remarks, by their host Pradeepa, and they remain on the site to this day. Thanks for allowing character assassination and slander on your website Airbnb.

If you want to be imprisoned for eight hours a day, smell incense 24/7 at a strength that would knock over a horse, have moldy coffee grounds in your coffee maker, have the hosts go in your unit and snoop around every day when you are not there for God knows what reason, hear your hosts talking loudly through paper-thin walls, have them start a remodeling project during your vacation time which you will hear and smell, and have your host break down in tears if you let her know something isn’t right, by all means, book this place. I drove 2400 miles round trip to stay here and my vacation was completely ruined. If you stay here, get a device which will secure the door that leads from their side of the house to yours because they will enter as they need to unlock it from their side; it was totally unnerving.

Airbnb takes no responsibility for their clients’ safety as they do not require a hasp or chain lock on the residences they are listing for rental, allowing anyone with a key to just walk in your temporary home when you are there. Even Motel 6 has chain and hasp locks on all their rooms. Airbnb’s lack of vigilance and caring is absolutely disturbing.

This was the response from Pradeepa:

John was apprised of our guest house policies and he agreed to conform to them without exception. He stayed for two weeks and his behavior was socially and morally unacceptable. We therefore requested he check out. His review was beyond insulting. I hope no Airbnb host will ever have to go through what we went through with John.

Socially and morally unacceptable? If this is not character assassination and slander I don’t know what is. She makes it sound as if I was a pervert and attacked her. I was respectful but told her of the issues involved and was met with tears… with her husband standing there. Unbelievable. I failed to mention the uncomfortable furniture with a dining table so small it barely held my laptop. There was no other place to set my computer. No security hasp or chain so they could and did walk in anytime they felt like snooping around. They locked the courtyard gate at 7:30 PM and didn’t open it until 7:30 AM (even though the gate was chain locked, for which they also gave me a key), leaving me with no way to get out without pounding on the door or ringing the doorbell. I am certain this is against Phoenix Fire Department regulations. I was never apprised of all their extra rules until the day after I checked in after driving 1200 miles. Had it been posted on the host’s original Airbnb listing that I would be locked in my leased unit eight to ten hours per day I would have never leased this unit from the hosts from hell.

I have complained to Airbnb before about not making their hosts have chain or hasp locks on the rental units to no avail. My only conclusion is, at this point, they are making so much money that they don’t care. Thanks also to Airbnb for having their call center in the Philippines, so between the horrible crosstalk and interference of the connection there is also a language barrier. Unbelievable…..