HN Explorer

Airbnb Support Is Shit

31 points by realjohng ↗ HN
I got bug bites at Airbnb. Doctor says its bed bugs. Host kicks me out same day leaving me stranded for the night and changes the locks, but says will refund. Next day he says he didn't find any bed bugs, so he will not refund, oh and plus cleaning fees! Airbnb support is just going back and forth, doing nothing. The trip is still "Current trip" so I'm paying for a stay that I'm literally locked out of.

I am truly shocked by Airbnb's incompetence and lack of real sympathy for guests. If I'm ever in serious trouble, I know I can't count on them. All of their support is electronic... and S L O W.

They have little interest in truly helping guests. They offered NO material support when I informed them I had been locked out at night? How about providing a hotel for a night? -- even shitty airlines will do that!

For the bed bugs, they're saying don't book another airbnb- book a hotel, so your bugs can go to a hotel and not one of our listings. Do wash your clothes in high heat, and throw away everything else. And oh, just to be clear, we won't be compensating you for anything you end up throwing out.

They made these conditions while suggesting they will refund me. After I agreed to the above, now they're backtracking on the refund even.

Lesson learned: think twice before booking Airbnb!

25 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 67.5 ms ] thread
throayobviousl
Is it a superhost? I would never book a room that isn't from a superhost. Keep hitting them up on social media they will take notice.
realjohng
It is a superhost surprisingly! They were very friendly until I reported the bed bugs.
mikeodds
(Apologies for hijacking)

I booked recently for 35 nights in SF. Around $3.5k booking, turned up, completely unworkable construction noise from next door, to the point you couldn’t hold a conversation. Tried to make it work, didn’t work.

Told the host I needed to cancel, who told me to contact Airbnb about the refund. I speak to Airbnb, they say I will pay for the days I had the keys and get refunded for remainder. Heard nothing from Airbnb for 10 days after, despite prompts.

At this point Airbnb informs me they can’t contact the host. I contact the host, they immediately respond. I have to act as the go between, this lasts for days.

Host had a 30 day cancellation policy. At this point Airbnb tells me that because I didn’t let them know within 24 hours and because of the hosts refund policy. I will get nothing and their decision is final.

They offered a $20 credit against my next booking and wondered why I laughed.

Interesting side note, requested all information including phone calls via Subject access request. They provided inaccurate/bad transcriptions instead of audio recordings.

Now exploring arbitration / legal action. If anyone has resolved a similar situation I’m all ears.

Seems insane to me there is no other option to escalate. Are they assuming people will just drop it at this point?

ivanvanderbyl
I had a similar thing happen with a 30 day stay in Europe last year. Same cancellation policy. Host refused to refund us and Airbnb kept saying it was in the hands of the host. Basically each party refusing to do anything.

I contacted my credit card company and disputed the charge on the grounds that the host wasn't providing the product that was advertised. They agreed and refunded me.

realjohng
Disputing the CC charge is a good option I didn't consider!
simfree
Won't AirBnB just ban you for life if you dispute the charge?
bombcar
After this are you ever going to want to stay in an unlicensed hotel again?
realjohng
It's all wonderful until something goes wrong.

What other options are there? I'll go with the CC option if nothing else works.

mikeodds
My first support agent just disappeared on me. No acknowledgment from the second that picked it up weeks later.

You can call and that was a faster option for me to get responses.

In their terms and conditions you agree to arbitration. IANAL so I don’t know if this is binding in all jurisdictions. Amusingly(/not depending on your side) there are stories in their forums where a guest has taken the host directly to small claims court.

realjohng
What's their phone number? I couldn't find one.
mikeodds
On the mobile app, go to the booking page, click “help centre” at the bottom, scroll to the bottom of that page and select the “Still need help option”, then you should be able to select the booking it’s about and get a phone number.

You can then keep ringing that number without going back through the app. First person you speak to will likely be the first line support and you will need to be transferred to their resolutions team, you only seem to be able to escalate 1 level before being told the decision is final.

I would record everything because you will get given contradictory statements and the transcriptions if you request them are inaccurate.

realjohng
Good idea to record the conversations +1
stevewodil
Probably.

Good news is email addresses are cheap, and it's unlikely that the bans are based on anything other than the email. Have had problems with PayPal in the past, and had to just make a new account.

mikeodds
Thanks, I’ll give that a try, I’d prefer they just rectify it but they now just close the support chats with a blanket answer after I open them…

Seems crazy, I provided video evidence from inside the apartment and outside the apartment after they asked and then they just ignore it as the host doesn’t want to refund.

bunfunton
I booked an airbnb in Tijuana for a month. I show up, it's a complete warzone. The picture was accurate but just super cropped. A pack of wild dogs literally chased me down the street trying to bite me. There were sketchy people hanging out in burnt out buildings. Everything was collapsed and covered with grafitti. AirBNB didn't refund me. Thinking back I should have made a video and sold it to the news stations.
dragonwriter
So, your conplaint is that your AirBnB in Tijuana was...in Tijuana?
reustle
Basically this. People book Airbnbs to feel like they're living like a local, but don't always like it when they end up living like a local.

I've used Airbnb across 30-40 countries, and it is absolutely a mixed bag.

realjohng
When customer support fails, going to the media is probably the next best option.
sahin
I hd horrible experiences with airbnb after using it for many years, we dont use it anymore..
digianarchist
There's a simple solution here. Don't use them. I've had bad experiences with AirBnB and Hotels.com. I don't use either now.

They're rarely cheaper than using a hotel anyway...

xiphias2
I have used Hotels.com to go to real hotels, and I never had an issue. The 10% refund they give makes it often cheaper than booking.com.

Though I use booking.com for looking at reviews and hotels, because I like the interface more and trust those reviews more.

ballenf
> Host kicks me out same day leaving me stranded for the night and changes the locks, but says will refund.

I really wonder what would happen if you got a locksmith to open the house and just went back in for the night in that situation. Probably depends on local laws and definitely a terrible idea. Just kind of curious if it's actually a crime since you have rented the place.

jgb1984
I wouldn't touch Airbnb with a ten foot pole.
bradgranath
They have no support for host either, it's all a free for all. A drunk guest tried to force his way into my sister's room one night. Got zero response from Airbnb and the guy is still on the platform.
rognjen
My experience is similar to yours when it comes to support.

Eventually what I've learnt to do when booking a place for more than a few days is to book a more reputable place for the first few days and then actually go look at the places where I'm planning on staying the rest of the time.

For instance, two days in Ibis and then during those two days go look at 10 different Airbnbs or whatever else exists in the area.