I booked this room, but I decided not to stay here (https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/6407995) very quickly after my arrival. I just looked at the place and said “not for me”. Whilst I probably should’ve investigated a bit more before agreeing to rent, but you tend to take things on face value, and other reviews, so I thought I’d got a decent deal. After having to navigate my way up a rather steep, narrow and extremely dirty and smelly staircase with brown liquid stuff (which I hope was ices cream or similar) carrying a heavy suitcase, I found a very, very tiny room with an extremely uncomfortable bed, very small outdoor style table and chairs, no place to hang or store clothing, the curtains are see through, and on top of all that, the air conditioner did nothing except make a loud noise. The place is quite central, but that’s probably the only thing it has going for it. Oh and the WiFi works fine, once you get the correct user id and password. It was printed incorrectly on the fact sheet, so I had to contact Romain to get it sorted. To Romain’s credit, he answered all my emails and inquiries very quickly, but unfortunately the place just wasn’t up to a standard I find acceptable. I think there needs to be more honesty in the description of the apartments on AirBnB. Must admit, this experience has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I probably won’t be using this service again. I did contact AirBnB, to complain, but 4 weeks later, I am still waiting for a reply.
Tag Archives: airbnb nightmare
AIRBNB IS DUMPING SUPERHOSTS IN NYC IF THEY HAVE MORE THAN ONE LISTING.
I am so disgusted with airbnb that I have been seriously branching out to other sites. Anyway, the owner or manager from New York Stay called me and we talked for over one hour yesterday. She told me that the reason airbnb is dumping super hosts in NYC is because of the law here. She said this has been planned since airbnb came out with the warm and fuzzy campaign and the new logo. I asked airbnb about it and they said yes it is true. They are dumping you if you have more than one listing in NYC. The thing is that if airbnb did not have a financial stake in the process, they would not have to do that. If they would just collect a commission for hooking you up with the guests, and stop with holding the money to collect interest, stop with the 1099s, stop meddling with unqualified arbitrators, and just take their 15% and then have the guest pay the host directly and use the host’s contract, they could spend there time making sure the listings on their site are all real instead of causing grief for people due to their unethical incompetence. This company is a nightmare!!!! Plus, they could have warned people about this when they came out with the new warm and fuzzy campaign and that stupid logo.
Psychopathic airbnb host in Hawaii
We booked a room that was formerly called “the surfer room” in hawaii. It is now listed as “hawaiian spirit and lots of aloha”. The host was a crazy woman that posted reminder notes all over the place. These reminders were an insult. Turn off the lights, turn off the fan, don’t put quilt on floor, leave door open, leave sand at the beach, and more. All she did was complain about past guests. Read some of her very very long replies to comments guests have left on the Airbnb.com site! This lady yells and screams when she talks. Her site has listed many amenities that aren’t available unless you pay her some cash. She refuses to do laundry unless you pay $10 per load. She claimed that it’s a contribution because the resources in hawaii are so limited and so expensive. We can understand that but then don’t offer them as “guest amenities”.The glass shutters in the room were broken. The toilet was awfully dirty with hair, mold and sand. The kitchen was even worse. The toaster oven was gross and the microwave was worse. There is a coffee machine that was also gross. And this host brags about how much of a clean freak she is. All this crap for close to $100 per night. The $40 cleaning fee was a joke. We had to do most of the cleaning ourselves before checkout. Then finally she begged us to post a great 5 star review. We refuse to post anything positive because there was nothing good about the surfer room. We expect that our negative review will be removed by Airbnb since it looks like this is what they do. I highly suggest you avoid this terrible hawaiian airbnb listing 100% at all costs!
Guests Robbed in Paris, No Help from Airbnb or Host, and Airbnb Removed Negative Review!
In August, my wife and I booked a “lovely” houseboat on the Seine River in Paris. The reservation indicated that there would be an access card entry and the reviews were generally positive. When we arrived, we noticed that the entire river embankment in our part of town was being used as a camp for migrants. The owner assured us that there would be strong police presence and that the area was safe. She enlisted her neighbor to keep watch over the area while she was gone. There was no access card, however, as promised. Unfortunately, the neighbor who was supposed to be keeping watch skipped town for the weekend and we were robbed in the middle of the night while sleeping. The thieves took our wedding rings, engagement rings, laptops, jewelry, cash, cards and passports. They were actually right above the hull of the ship where we were sleeping. Thereafter, we were informed by another resident that this had become quite common; i.e., there had been a rash of break-ins in this very area. We had to sit in a police station for 3.5 hours trying to tell our story in broken French. AirBnB and the houseboat owner were extremely callous and unsympathetic. Most of our items were uninsured, so we lost a decent chunk of our property, as well as our security. They have refused to reimburse us and they do not seem to realize that they had a duty (whether moral or legal) to inform us about the recent activity in the area or to take bona fide steps to secure the property. Worse yet, our negative review of the property has been removed from the AirBnB website. The owner is Marie and here is her unsecured property: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/527140?s=CwERv8I5
Horrible, dirty listing – and no way to warn other people about it!!!
I booked a 2 bedroom apartment (https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/5887408) for 10 nights for my parents during a visit to see me in Australia, as the beautiful studio they previously stayed in was unavailable. Prior to our arrival, I found the host to be responsive and the location of the listing is certainly great being as it is a stone’s throw from the epicenter of lovely, lovely Newtown. We had hoped we were about to discover another local Airbnb gem, but unfortunately we were left very disappointed by this dirty, poorly appointed and dangerous listing. Not only did we have to formally complain to Airbnb, but my parents had to check out early and waste an entire day of their holiday sorting out new accommodation. I have pictures and videos of all the issues described below, which I provided to Airbnb with my complaint. To their credit, eventually, they agreed to refund us the un-used nights and have given me a $250 credit towards the 3 horrible nights my parents stayed in the listing. Unfortunately, Airbnb told me that because I didn’t physically stay in the apartment and because we didn’t complete the reservation, the review I have written will not be made public- and so the host will get to keep his 5 star listing… which I have no idea how he got in the first place.
Having purposely booked a 2-bedroom listing, we were disappointed that the second room was not made up as a bedroom (no bedlinen and futon folded up) and feel that the photo does not illustrate how low the ceiling is. However, our principle concern was in the master bedroom- the sharp, metal bedframe was extremely hazardous, especially as the room is quite dingy and cramped, and no bedside lamps were provided. We found much of the furniture to be very tatty, the bedlinen and towels in the apartment showed signs of age, and my parents were only provided with one towel and one pillow each. The cutlery was stained, sometimes broken, and not properly washed (some still had bits of food on), mugs were chipped, and glasses and a bowl were filled with dust. The top of the microwave, base of the toilet and bathroom exhaust fan were also extremely grimey. The host was not at all friendly or accommodating when they asked for a second pillow, bedside lights, or for bed linen for the second bedroom. He also dismissed my parents concerns about the dirty microwave saying “who is going to put things there?” which they found very unhelpful and a bit rude. Lastly, whilst there is a washing machine and the price is clearly given, the listing does not make it clear that guests are not permitted to access the machine by themselves. To get their clothes washed, they would have to give their dirty items to the host, who would then wash them and return them- wet, with a drying rack- for $8. I should add that this is the first and only time I have had to complain about an Airbnb listing in over 2 years of using the site- I’ve received a great feedback from and have left many positive reviews for other hosts: I certainly don’t make a habit of criticizing or whinging and have personally received excellent feedback. My biggest complaint is actually with Airbnb- they constantly changed their story at all stages of our complaint. One minute we were going to get a full refund, the next minute a partial refund, then no refund… it was time consuming and exhausting. To know here that they won’t publicize our experience feels like disingenuous censorship. So, repeat, DO NOT STAY HERE: https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/5887408
Host from hell
This story has a good outcome… the host got kicked off airbnb! I was her very first victim… I should of known better. Never stay with anyone that isn’t a Superhost. I have used the airbnb site many times and spent over $4,000 so far this year with them. I have an excellent rating as a guest and I have stayed with 5 hosts, one twice already, all have extended a “please come again”.
This host’s place was filthy. She didn’t have sheets or proper pillows, and she expected me to sleep on decor pillows with a pattern. I would of woken up with a nice inlay on my face. I ended up sleeping with two towels as a pillow. I was in her town for business, but she had no closet for me, just a small space to put stuff on the floor. If I had stayed the full time my clothes (for work) would of hung in my car. Airbnb refuses to let me give her a review, as they stated they know I will give her a negative. I am disputing with the credit card to get the extra day back they charged me for. I’ll pay for one night in hell, but no more.
Bad Airbnb customer service – Canceled reservation without asking
I had a really bad experience on Airbnb today. I made a reservation, and 2 days later I realized I couldn’t make the trip, so I told the host that only my friends will stay in his place. (I don’t know if the host told this to Airbnb, or Airbnb is peeking our messages.) And then I got an email from Airbnb telling me I shouldn’t make reservation for others. The staff didn’t ask for my opinions or explanations and canceled my reservation immediately, which was really annoying to me. This cancellation caused me to lose 14 euros in Tax fees. The person cancelling said she will give me a coupon, but I don’t even want to continue using Airbnb after this bad experience, why do I need the coupon? I really hope Airbnb improve their customer service quality.
FRAUD and SCAMMERS INSIDE AIRBNB!!
This is my sad Airbnb story. Me and a group of friends planned a trip to Amsterdam, we found the house we wanted on the site Airbnb, the host was a registered user with good reviews from the apartment, apparently all normal. We contacted the host through the Airbnb site, who responded to our request via email were we exchanging information to confirm the reservation. Back to the site of the apartment, to proceed with the booking, and once again all normal, or the site was a perfect copy of Airbnb, or even was the original, because everything was equal, logos, fonts, layout,etc. I proceeded with the reservation and confirmed the same, then I get an email at the following address airbnb@reply-booking.com (again equal to the sent by airbnb), to pay for the booking to a bank in the UK, Barclays Bank PLC; Payment due: 3 days IBAN: GB73BARC20077473958027; Bank address: 35 Frederick Street, Birmingham B1 3HH, United Kingdom). Unfortunately payment has been made, we received a new email confirming that he had been transferred the money, which the reservation was ready and safe, the host confirmed by email that Airbnb was informed that he had been paid the booking, saying that on the day of our arrival bound us to mark the delivery of house keys. With the approach of the trip, and no Host answers, we began to get suspicious that we were fraud victims. We contacted airbnb, who just informed us that there was no reservation for that number, and asked for payment and other documents, and it was all sent to them. More than 48 hours have passed now and no response from airbnb, which forced me to make a complaint to the facebook page of them, which by sheer miracle, made them immediately send an email, saying it had been a fraud. They apologized but said they can not do anything. It is amazing how a company with the size of airbnb does not help victim users of these crimes and take their responsibility for a scam that happened on their website! with a registered user, using their platform to catch the victims. The first contact of fraud is done on the Airbnb website, they have responsibility for it, I did not ask airbnb to give me back the money I lost, but at least to help me better and provide host information and method that was used in fraud . I believe it is an inside job of someone who works in airbnb along with another person outside the company, because all the initial contact, is always done in the airbnb site, where they “fish” their victims.
Airbnb, never more!
Terrible airbnb experience, and a $12 refund
I had a 2 night stay at a home in Marin county this past weekend. The host said she’d be out of town and my mom and I would have the home to ourselves. We arrived to find the key sitting in a basket clear as day at the foot of the door and was told to leave it there when leaving. The risk of this to my property is quite obvious. The house was not very clean at all, but at that point I wasn’t ready to quibble. The first morning we leave to have breakfast and come back to find 2 keys in the basket, go inside and find lots of new items in the one bathroom. I peek in the spare bedroom to find loads of unpacked luggage. I had slept on the sofa since I had asked the host if there was a sofa or something I could put on the floor to sleep since I don’t sleep with my mom. The response was ‘people make it work’. Ok. So I collect my belongings by the sofa and put the sofa back together, since I assumed maybe the host had another airbnb guest, but I was angry about no advance notice of this since we were told, ‘you’ll have the house to yourself’. I tried to reach the host to ask what was happening to no avail. Finally I get a reply that says only, ‘that is Stacy, she texted me this morning, and I don’t like for people to sleep on the sofa’ Ok, that isn’t going to cut it. Is my stuff safe? Are we safe? I slept on the sofa because no one was home and I was ‘making it work’. It was too late to leave and get a hotel room, because we had to drive far to a wedding. We arrive back at 10pm and it seems ‘Stacy’ is still out. At 1am they (2 people) arrive and noisily use the bathroom, which of course is directly across from our room. At 1:30am begins a 15 min vomiting session in the bathroom. I get up around 4am to use the bathroom and the genius had used the SINK to throw up in and there is vomit everywhere. At 6:30am we leave, brushing our teeth in the kitchen sink. I contact the host and tell her that it was not appropriate not to tell us she was allowing her friend and boyfriend to stay without notifying us. How is that not self evident? I also spoke of the vomiting to be assured it wouldn’t be blamed on us. What kind of person doesn’t clean up their vomit when 4 adults are sharing a bathroom? As compensation maybe in her tiny mind to prevent a bad review, she offers to refund $12 of a $225 rental or offer 50% off the next stay. Right. I assume that I have no recourse since this type of situation is not addressed in the refund policy, but this was the second time using airbnb with my mom, the first featuring a 4 year old running around touching everything and hours later being told he was diagnosed with pneumonia the day before. My mom is 76. I guess the lesson here is that many hosts don’t give a sh*t.
First and LAST time airbnb customer
I had never used airbnb before but was traveling with family to California for a wedding. My cousin was nice enough to book a place for us using airbnb. I was traveling with 2 other adults and 3 children so needless to say we were disappointed to find that she had only booked us a 2 bedroom condo but figured we’d make it work. That was until we got there and saw the condition of the place. It was cramped and filthy. The one bathroom was moldy and the sink was broken. The mattress in the master bedroom was stained with blood and urine. The kicker was there was no A/C and it was over 100 out. We had no idea what we were going to do until a man approached us and told us he was the landlord and that the place was not in fact a condo but an apartment and the tenant was in violation of his lease by renting it to us and we had to leave. We contacted the owner for a refund and he insisted that the landlord had told him we could stay but that he would refund us. So then the 6 of us basically homeless in LA attempted to book another place on airbnb. We found a place that looked great. It bragged of city views in a safe neighborhood so we booked it and headed out. On the way a friend from home said he could help us get a huge discount at a hotel starting the next night. We called the host of the place we just booked literally minutes earlier and asked if we could change our stay to just one night and offered to pay the cleaning fee as well. He said ok so we started our drive there. We started noticing that the neighborhood we were driving into was looking less and less safe the closer we got and then we drove up a street that was literally inhabited by only homeless people in tents. Of course, the house was right around the corner. We pulled up to a small 2 family home next to an open lot that had a 30 foot drop with no fence and garbage everywhere. We then received an email from our host saying that we were just too complicated for him and we should cancel our reservation. At this point, we didn’t want to stay there anyway but wanted to ensure a refund. The host came outside and we asked him to contact airbnb letting them know he was canceling not us. He said no, we had to do it first and then he would agree. Of course he never did and we ended up pleading with airbnb for a refund. This guy was completely fine with telling us we couldn’t stay but keeping $1500. It took 5 days for a refund so thank goodness we got a discount at the hotel or we wouldn’t have been able to afford to stay anywhere. We should have just booked an affordable hotel from the start. Never again!