Back in December I tried to book a room via Airbnb. The host sent me the offer and asked for payment. Within minutes they retracted their offer and raised the listing price. It was a classic bait and switch.
I reported it to Airbnb and provided the screenshots of the offer and change. The rep went on about fluctuation, pending time, etc. The retraction and change was clear and concise. They did nothing.
I booked a room with a host in Las Vegas. I chose his establishment based on his Superhost status and reviews. The reviews all said the place was clean and so on. One thing to remember is that to some people who might be nasty, this place might have very well been clean. He listed his place as a sanctuary and a private retreat for writers.
I arrived and there was a photoshoot going on and I could hear the music and chatter from the street which was 100 feet away from the front door. Upon checking in, he stated that the photoshoot would be ending within the hour. I decided to take a shower to kill time and found the tub riddled with mildew, some around the sink drain, as well as hair all over the floor.
Long story short, the next day I asked for a partial refund in which he obliged and was apologetic about the situation. Then he later left a scathing and false review to which I rebutted. I gave Airbnb screenshots of our text correspondence and photos of the conditions. As per the usual, they did nothing but dance around the subject, stating that the review could not be taken down because it was his experience with me.
I reminded the rep that the photo evidence I showed proved he was lying about the people making noise being community residents and he, in writing, said they were from a photoshoot. It made no difference.
I was compelled to do further research and found that the host/establishment did not have a business license. The lady at the county clerk’s office advised me to report them to the business licensing department because they were in a zone where it was required. So, I did. I also filed with BBB.
I advise anyone who wants to see results or at the very least put the hosts on notice to research the address with the business license office in their jurisdiction to see if it is required and if so, report them if they do not have one. In Las Vegas a host was fined $72,000 for operating without one.
Also, if they offer food or snacks they must provide a permit for that as well. Airbnb takes no responsibility for anything because they are unregulated. If your room is dirty it’s just your opinion, and no one really cares about that. However, the government absolutely will have no problem launching an investigation against hosts with no business license because they are not paying taxes.
Airbnb should be forced to display that the host’s license has been verified and that they are indeed the owner of the property they host and if not, they should be forced to provide a notarized agreement between the owner and the renter stating they have permission to host on Airbnb.
To Emma, “Em,” or “Patricia”: I read all that you posted and your comments. I am a new, and unique poster. My posted opinion is based solely on the information YOU provided. I am a guest advocate, and while I’ve been fortunate in my guest experiences, after reading many, many reviews on this site (both guest and host, neighbor, and the owner of this site), I am unlikely to rent through Airbnb again. HOWEVER, you, my dear, are in the wrong. What you did and continue to do, is wrong. To try and destroy someone’s livelihood to prove a point, then continue to fight against all who question your motives, based on what YOU posted, is simply irrational, unreasonable, and borders on mental illness. You need to re-evaluate your own behavior, instead of fighting everyone else. Good luck.
This is so funny. You mentioned 2 incidents and then the entire article is about Airbnb’s crappy customer service. Not about this one guy. But you got a couple of pendjos and a pendeja making it about towels on the floor hahahahaha. Never mind the actual dirt. Geezus. Nasty @ss people!
Further, the guest gave this jerk a positive review and also mentioned that he compensated her for the inconvenience. I know. I read it myself. Educate yourself and get your facts straight, Tara. See for yourself. Look up Vegas Airbnb Mona Farm Stay. This asshole also said some snooty things about his guests because they had on “full make up.”
I’m not surprised that you missed the point and have elected to ignore the fact that the host lied about several things that were proven in writing. And wow, such a big deal over towels on the floor. Assuming that you have never left yours on the floor. But mold and mildew is okay. I suspect since you’re suddenly here posting right after responses were posted to the other two pretty much saying the same thing- that you are in fact one of them with a fake account.
Wow. You sound like a nightmare. All over a dirty shower (which the guy apologized for, offered to clean, and was still willing to give you the discount you asked for). I have no sympathy for bad hosts, but this guy was not one. I gleaned this just from reading his messages and yours (which you posted), and your vindictive rant above. You need to stick with hotels (where they don’t mind if you dump your wet towels on the floor). However, I suspect there are a few hotels where you’re not welcome either. Stay home.
Reads like Tara thinks it’s okay for a guest to 1. Be inconvenienced. 2. Be given a room with what was clearly not clean (photos here.) Maybe the hair was new, but the mold and mildew on the shower and in the sink scientifically had to have been a few days old. Tara thinks these things are okay, even though the guest paid for a clean room as the host advertised, and the dirt is unsanitary. BUT, she feels it’s not okay to leave towels on the floor, that I am assuming were used to stand on since the floor was unclean? That’s moronic.
Rick on the other hand seems to think by investigating and reporting that one has too much time on their hands? How does he think corrupt corporations get busted? It’s good that people report this stuff. And ironically, Rick had enough time to read this article and post a comment!
From the looks of the host’s review he seems a bit angry and sensitive to criticism. From the looks of the photos the place was not clean.
So to both of you, if he host posted photos of the room showing the shower like that and mildew in the sink- would you still book it? Probably not. So, swallow that humble dose of reality.
You have far toooo much time on your hands… Any word from the BBB ?
How do you think whistleblowing works? So, you think it’s not worth the time to report things so that guests AND hosts do not find themselves in these situations? My friend is a host. Airbnb is insured to cover hosts for damages, but he’s had to jump through hoops to get anything done. Despite the positive reviews of one of his guests, she had a party and trashed the place. It’s a risk. But I’d say a lot of hosts would not be willing to take it if they knew what a hassle it would be to get things resolved.
The complaint sounds like someone that is demanding and lacking flexibility. Why not give the host an opportunity to remedy the cleaning issue? And left the used towels on the floor because that is what is done at a hotel? That’s BS. If someone did that at my house, I would not be very happy about it. Stay at a hotel next time where the staff is trained and paid to deal with your expectations. What an uptight POS. You must be a joy to be around (sarcasm). Grouch old biddy.
So Tara, if the host posted photos of the bathroom showing hair on the floor and the sink with gunk and mildewed shower would you book it? And you are saying it’s unacceptable for a guest to leave towels on the floor, possibly to stand on since the floor was dirty, but you find no issue with the guest being inconvenienced, and feel that someone who is not comfortable showering in mildew and using a sink with grime in it is an uptight POS? Wow. I suspect you might not feel too good about your own hygiene.
Dear Tara. The bathroom was a 4×4 room with no towel rack. If you weren’t aware- people use towels as shower mats and in some hotels they ask you to leave dirty towels on the floor and ones that might be used, but you can use again on the rack. There was no towel rack. Plus, if the floor was clean to THEIR standards, why such outrage about the towels being on the floor? I did give them the opportunity to reclean it. The cohost who came in was very apologetic but only used a dust pan to sweep up the hair. She didn’t touch the sink or shower. There was visible mold and mildew in the sink and shower. Perhaps you are okay with exposing yourself to unsanitary conditions, but not everyone else is.
When a host earns the title of superhost for providing a clean and easy environment- that is what people expect. Just like Yelp, we trust positive reviews, but we sometimes fail to consider the standards of others. Like, you are good with other people’s filth, I’m not. You might see me as an uptight POS, I see you as someone with lower standards.