Tag Archives: airbnb la

Host Slept in Living Room While Guests Stayed in her Room

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Not so long ago, I went to LA with my friend and decided to stay in the heart of Hollywood. I saw this one-bedroom place on Airbnb and decided to book it because it was heaps cheaper than hotels. The place looked amazing and the bed was massive. I contacted the host and she was very prompt in replying.

On the day of arrival, I pressed the intercom and was surprised that a guy answered and told us to come in. As far as I can remember, I was exchanging messages with a female beforehand. Anyways, my friend and I decided to go ahead. When we got into the place, we were not so pleased to see three people (two girls who were the host and
her sister, and one guy). The host was very friendly and took us to our room. My friend and I were becoming a bit jittery of the situation. We decided to go out and have dinner, hoping the three would be gone when we come back. After all, we booked a one-bedroom unit; we expected privacy.

To our surprise, they were still there when we got back. We decided to sleep just one night and leave the next day. Upon waking up, we saw the host and her sister sleeping on the couch just like it was their usual routine. I couldn’t describe how I felt that day. I was angry deep inside. I felt I was cheated. In spite of what had happened, I told the host that we were leaving and that we didn’t like the experience.

I tried to put a bad review on that listing but it didn’t get published. I made a complaint on Airbnb but there was no reply. Unfair, right? Upon checking up on the host, I found that she had moved to a new place and had a new listing. It seemed to me that she didn’t own the place at all. What she probably does is lets people rent her place so they can pay for her rent. That’s why I have been very skeptical of Airbnb, because of that terrible first experience.

Airbnb Beach Getaway Right Next to Insane Train

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It had been a very long time since we’d had a decent vacation and in our mind it was: “No beach? No vacation!” We’d heard some pretty good things about Airbnb so we decided to look around in the San Diego area where we wanted to go. My wife did the looking and she did it for days. As it turned out most of the area was already booked. That’s why we were so pleased to see this listing vacant in Oceanside, CA. It seemed to have everything; a nice kitchen, wifi, free parking, and only a three-minute walk to the beach – and it was a very nice beach.

When we got there, the host told us about the train noise but said that most people sleep through it. That was when I decided to look at the listing and sure enough, buried way down at the bottom was the mention of the train noise. I seriously don’t know how anyone could sleep through this and believe me we tried. The only air conditioning in the place was a one-room portable air conditioner that needed to be vented to the outside. This means that you have to have the sliding door open a bit for the vent. The Heat throughout the place was brutal, especially upstairs. You have to have the windows open for the cross-breeze at night to give you any relief, but then you’re listening to the train. My wife did go out and buy us earplugs and a noise machine but the trains even drowned that out.

We ended up leaving one day early, because without decent sleep we were exhausted. I feel like we threw away money and will never stay there again or probably at any other Airbnb. You just don’t know what you’re getting.

Dirty Apartment, Stayed for One Hour, No Help from Airbnb

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I’m complaining big time today. I am deleting my Airbnb account now. What a shame. My sister and I travelled to LA to celebrate her birthday with family and friends and we booked an apartment in Hollywood with two reviews (now we know: red flag). Everything seemed okay until we were in the apartment checking to ensure everything was nice and clean (as usual when staying at an Airbnb or hotel) and we found dirty and stained sheets and pillows, hair in the fridge, a full trash can, and dust in the living room area.

We contacted the host (never got in contact with her; it was always the boyfriend) and never heard from either of them. We called Airbnb and they said we’d be relocated within thirty minutes. At that point, it was approximately 5:30 PM. Thirty minutes went by and we were still waiting to be relocated, so we called again, and again, almost every hour because Airbnb would either keep us on hold for 40+ minutes at a time, or say someone else would call back. It was a really frustrating situation.

It was 1:00 AM and we still had not been relocated. Of course we ended up booking a hotel room. What kind of customer service is this? There has still been no refund, and we never heard from Airbnb regarding a solution. They said our case would be closed because we didn’t have enough proof… we had more than ten pictures of the gross apartment. I do not recommend Airbnb to anyone. Needless to say, we still enjoyed our trip and didn’t allow this experience to ruin our stay in LA. We’re still working to get Airbnb to refund us for staying in a dirty apartment for one hour, as we paid for four nights. Airbnb Hell indeed.

The Airbnb was booked through my sister’s account. Also, the host’s boyfriend accused us of stealing an Xbox. None of us care for an Xbox, and truly don’t even know what it even looks like. He stated he submitted a police report in LA; Airbnb told us the same thing. He is now requesting $200 from us.

Evening of Airbnb Hell in Marina Del Ray

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The “Wayne and Abby Venice Beach” location is advertised as quiet, and their house rules insist on quiet behavior by Airbnb guests. My wife and I checked into this Airbnb location on Thursday afternoon, February 23rd. Thursday evening was peaceful, but Friday night, we endured non-stop loud noise in the building all night long, from 9:00 PM through 8:00 AM Saturday, February 25th. There was a wild party downstairs, which meant little sleep for us.

I notified and complained to the host at 6:09 AM Saturday. I did not receive any reply and sent another message via the Airbnb system before noon. At approximately 4:30 PM, I received a response from the host saying that she would notify her landlord. It was then that we realized that she as an Airbnb host is only a tenant herself in this multi-dwelling building. Her response and results were ineffective, and we decided to cancel the remainder of the trip, as another noisy party in the building was underway.

The host argued that we did not give her the opportunity to work things out. We notified Airbnb, checked out and canceled the reservation. We requested from Airbnb a refund for five of the six nights (one unsatisfactory evening plus four unused evenings). Airbnb processed only a partial refund of $444 (for the base room cost for three nights, but not for the pro-rated tax and “service” fee) already credited to our credit card. I contacted our credit card customer service on March 1st to complain. The credit card company is still adjudicating the matter. I’m requesting an additional net refund from Airbnb of $504.

Airbnb informed me that they consider the matter closed and will not respond to further inquiries from me. Furthermore, Airbnb has blocked me from posting a negative review. That’s why all you see are the positive reviews. We will never use Airbnb again, for anything. Imagine staying in a Holiday Inn, Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton Inn, getting no sleep because of noisy guests, and the hotel chain denying you a refund for lack of satisfaction? Imagine the hotel telling you to get lost with your complaint.