Cliffside Bali Disaster Almost Leads to Mob Attack

Posted on May 20, 2019

This was the worst Airbnb/hotel experience of my life. We were almost attacked by host’s family/friends upon leaving. We booked two nights at what looked like a beautiful cliffside villa in Bali for my girlfriend and I. We overpaid for Bali so we kind of expected a nice place.

After dragging our belongings down five flights of stairs, we were taken to a room that looked nothing like what we booked. It was a totally different place. It had a pretty view of the sea so we didn’t complain.

When we emailed the host asking for the wifi password she quickly became defensive. After explaining that we were both working professionals who require internet access for our businesses the host became outright offensive. She continually called my girlfriend (who is a doctor) “sweetie” and “darling” after telling her how spoiled she was for asking for wifi. Absolutely not an appropriate way to speak to anyone, let alone a guest who is paying a lot of money.

We explained that we booked this place specifically because the listing said it had wifi, and we overpaid for it as well because we were told it would certainly have wifi. Then the host became abrasive and abusive, calling us names via WhatsApp and the Airbnb messaging app. We decided to cut conversation with the host at that point and asked her not to speak to us that way.

Noticing that the door to the Airbnb would not lock and watching the host’s worker come and go through our room without our permission, we decided we should leave for our safety as well. This turned out to be a good decision. After messaging and calling Airbnb and dealing with one useless customer service rep after an hour we finally got to a manager who read the rude messages from the host and realized how bad of a situation it was.

Agreeing that the host’s behavior was way out of line, she agreed to a refund. We were told the host was penalized for her behavior and misrepresentations as well.

But the story didn’t end there. We still had to get our bags out of the apartment. We quickly ran back down the cliffside stairs to get our belongings. We packed everything as well as we could and began carrying our big bags back up the stairs. Not an easy task even in the best of circumstances.

As we walked up the road a group of local people approached us asking if we were staying at the Airbnb. The man in the group was on the phone with someone and was leering threateningly at us. Being frequent travelers I sensed immediately that this was a threatening and possibly dangerous situation. The group blocked the way up the stairs to the road and asked us repeatedly if we were staying at the Airbnb.

Sensing the danger, we denied that we were going to stay at the Airbnb and said we were from another hotel. We pretended to not speak English as well and were able to pass by the group. The group however followed us to the main road where they continued to ask us questions about where we were staying. We heard the man on the phone mention the host’s name multiple times on the phone. It was obvious that this group was looking for us. One man continued to hover behind us while talking on the phone leering at my girlfriend. I positioned myself between him and her in case he intended her harm.

Thankfully, we were able to catch a rideshare in time and leave safely as more people began to show up. As we drove away the man on the phone made an aggressive lunge towards the vehicle as if attempting to provoke a fight. This was a very dangerous situation that could have gotten out of control quickly. I believe that without quick thinking by us and the luck of having a driver nearby we could have become victims of something far worse than a ruined vacation stay.

We left the Airbnb and went to another hotel but are very nervous and shaken up from the experience. I think this will be the last time we stay in an Airbnb. Not worth life and limb for a pretty view. I wish there was a way to tell more people to stay away from Airbnb. We saw other reviews where similar behavior occurred but we weren’t able to review online because we canceled. Stay away from Airbnb please for your own health and safety.

Airbnb Host has a Problem with Service Animals

Posted on November 10, 2017

Here’s what happened to myself and my group in Charleston, SC with an Airbnb host. When we first booked the place, we disclosed that we had a service animal with us. He was not an “emotional support dog” or “therapy dog” or “doggie” as the host called him. This is a dog trained specifically to help someone with a disability. She first asked us if the guest was blind; this was a little rude, but okay…

Our guest does not look disabled, but you do not have to look disabled to have a service animal. It’s like asking someone in a wheelchair why they can’t just walk. I have manners, so I would never ask something like that. She then told us to keep the dog off of every surface in the house and to keep him in the garden. The garden was a junkyard shared with two other random dogs. Mind you, the dog isn’t “well behaved” but literally trained to provide a medical service.

We had the dog with us at every point during the trip and he was in the house only when we slept. He has to sleep with his person so this was non-negotiable due to the nature of the disability. He didn’t get on the couch or on the other beds. While I understand ignorance, this is what followed.

The owner had us followed by her brother who lives on the property. We saw strange people staring at us out of windows and hiding behind cars. We are normal professionals and never once got rowdy at the house. I personally got rowdy and didn’t come back to the house one night, but that’s besides the point. We left the house in pretty normal condition, the only exception being the towels. I put them in the washer and next to it because I didn’t want to ruin the floors or leave them on the beds.

Apparently the single bite of dog food left on the floor and the fact that there was a dog present was enough evidence to charge us $300. We also lost a fork? She then went through the house and itemized everything we did wrong. This included ruining her towels, moving a plant, sleeping in the fourth bed (perfect for midday naps), ruining her sheets, ruining her blinds, and letting the dog poop in the garden. None of these things happened, including us letting the dog poop on the property because we were too scared of the garden. We are also respectful people with access to bags.

After having us followed, being incredibly invasive and rude, and discriminating against a legitimately disabled person, the host had the gall to write this review. This is what I have to say to her. We spent $1000 to stay in a subpar illegal rental in downtown Charleston. Her sheets were uncomfortable, her house was dingy, the floors gave me a splinter, and the only redeemable aspect of this stay was the location. Additionally, I spent two years learning a thing or two about special education and every aspect of her questioning guests violates the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as a basic right to privacy. Sorry about the dog kibble that was “disgusting” but it was clearly an accident. Also, our four legged working professional is a hard working man on the clock and a good boy off the clock.

Rude Unprofessional Host

Posted on May 24, 2015

Hello Internet! I was booking a trip to Korea with the girlfriend using AirBnB I decided to ask a few questions to the host to get a guage of who they are and to inquire about their properties which we were interested in staying in. One host “Jinju” (https://www.airbnb.com.au/users/show/17503108) was hosting a property “Eternal Sunshine @Gangnam” (https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/3864681) We asked the following: “Hello, my name is Royston. I am interested in staying here with my partner. However, I just wanted to ask a few questions first. On the description you mentioned there is portable WiFi for rent. How much is it to rent the portable WiFi for 5night stay? are we able to checkout late as our departing flight leaves at 3pm.. are we able to check out at 12pm? thank you, looking forward to your response” She replied with: “Hi, Royston Thank you for your interest in my studio. But you can’t book that days you want to stay. I am sorry about that. I hope you find good house for your trip. Thank you.” Straight after I got this email, I noticed that the EXACT DATES we wanted to stay at her property were blacked out (even when I logged out) All the months surrounding those dates were COMPLETELY OPEN! I personally find this response to be completely rude and unprofessional. I understand that AirBnB is a review based system, and that people can deny others at the drop of a hat. But in this instance, It is blatantly obvious that she lied and blacklisted the dates that we were after just to prevent us staying at her property.. Hopefully the host and many others like her learn how to be most honest, professional and diplomatic.

BEAUTIFUL 1 BR APT IN RITTENHOUSE forget this one!

Posted on May 24, 2015

This is not a bad apartment though not great. Really bad experience though due to poor instructions about how to leave the key. They confiscated our security deposit because we left the key incorrectly even though they were at fault for late communication. That’s the gist; buyer beware. They can and will take your deposit over a minor detail. Specifics: The communicator sent us an email 48 hours prior to our arrival with instructions about how to get the key from the lockbox (including details like “Can be sticky”, “Use a key for pressure”). The lockbox flung itself open before the code had been fully entered, and the face fell off. We had the key then and got in, and with some difficulty re-assembled the (old rusted) lockbox. We’d retrieved a message from the AirBnb site about our occupancy and instructions for check-out, but no word about where to leave the key. Reluctant to leave it in that hinky lockbox where it was not secure, we left it on the kitchen table. The apartment was spotless when we left. I received a literally screaming voice-mail message from someone associated with this apartment (female), and numerous angry texts later; “WHERE IS THE KEY?” I think there’s a disconnect between the person who appears to be advertising this AirBnB and the staff person who seems to be pretending to be that guy. Your messages go to the person who will scream at you if any problem occurs. Your deposit is in her hands. I will never go back to this place.