Airbnb 4+

Recently stayed with a host that was very clearly defrauding us. They staged “damage” that occurred from our stay but had faked the damage themselves after we had left. A deep dive into the host’s reviews ended up revealing a pattern of similar behaviour and other scams. After trying to claim over $800 in damages for a window blind that had been taken off the track, we tried to resolve the issue with Airbnb, showing that we had made the host aware of issues that we did find present (there was a tear in the couch and the dryer wasn’t functioning) but this damage was not us. We also showed them the multiple other instances of shady business the host had done. Airbnb originally claimed that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to find us responsible but they were going to reimburse the host themselves and close the matter. Fast forward a few days later and now Airbnb is claiming we are fully responsible and need to reimburse them for the money they sent the host. The lack of consistency and what honestly just seems like trying to make back their money in spite of lack of clear evidence shows they can be just as shady as the hosts they collect their fees from. Airbnb had become a platform where this stuff is permitted as long as they get their cut, and the customer is left to pick up the bill. I unfortunately can’t trust their service team to have my back, so I won’t be using their services again.

My partner and I booked a house for our wedding 8 months ago, only to have it canceled with less than 2 weeks before the wedding. AirBnB first offered a $35 coupon (along with a refund, which is obviously the bare minimum) and suggested rebooking houses that were more than an hour away. Unfortunately the cheapest option in the area at such short notice was almost double the price (for a property that fit two less people). After a back and forth with AirBnB they offered a single use expiring coupon of 25% of the previously listing (which was less than the AirBnB service fee on the new place) then upped that to 50% after almost an hour on the phone. We asked them to cover just the pre tax difference in cost which would have been ~75% and they wouldn’t even do that. If we had to book on another platform (which unfortunately also had no availability) our single use coupon would no longer be valid, meaning that there would have been no compensation for ruining our housing plans. This was for our wedding party and now we have to pay $800 more for a house that doesn’t fit everyone and either pay for a hotel or find another wedding guest who can put up the two that don’t have a bed. Next time I guess I’ll book on VRBO or just stay in a hotel because if the listing falls through I know AirBnB will fight to do only the bare minimum.

-A Very Frustrated Groom