Comments on: Airbnb is a Ripoff, Plain and Simple

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 06:37:55 +0000

In reply to CereCere.

The hosts lie
And do fraud
Repeatedly
Without consequence
They steal
And then lie
After they have your money
FOREIGN SCREWY ENGLISH BY LIARS WHO PRETEND
NOT AMERICANS
LIARS HALF WAY AROUND THE GLOBE

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:40:33 +0000

I moved to Philadelphia with my children to start a graduate program and a job ant the university. I had to book an airbnb for 16 days until my our townhouse is available. I booked the airbnb for myself, my children, and their father who also relocated to PA to be near the kids. At check-in the code was wrong and the host was unreachable, the number that airbnb had on file for him was a “google phone” number that said he was “unavaialable.” So airbnb had to contact him. Then he gave the correct code. Once inside, the place was filthy, the a/c in the living room was broken and it was 90+ degree weather in a scorching hot upstairs apartment. The microwave was broken (sparked when plugged in), the couch was being held up with a 2×4, there was dirt and trash (including a tampon) in every corner, closet, and cranny. I updated the host about each of these things but remained understanding because I was in an unfamiliar city with my three children and I needed to start my first day of work here in the morning. In the morning, I took a shower and there was no hot water. The host said that hot water was not listed as an “amenity.” He also said that the tampon that was shoved into the open hole at the top of the banister pole of the stairs was not there when they “cleaned,” which was clearly a lie (the unit had not even been cleaned at all). Airbnb would allow me a refund for 30% of the first night and 100% of the unused nights and let me rebook with a coupon worth 30% of my original booking. At this point I did not want to stay in another air bib with my children as I had spent two days at my new job in a new city dealing with this. So I secured housing for myself and my children through the university but my children’s father still needed a place to stay. He would stay in another airbnb since it would just be him. Airbnb told me that he could use the coupon code they gave us to book his own airbnb since I could not book for him. But they cancelled our stay before they gave of the coupon and before rebooked. After our stay was cancelled and he tried to book another airbnb it took 30 minutes for the coupon to arrive, then when it arrived it was “invalid.” Airbnb said that he could not use the code after all. That only I could use the code on my account and I could not book for an airbnb I would be staying in. On top of that, the refund for the original stay would not come back for 10-15 days, so I’d have to pay another $1400+ for him to stay at another airbnb with not return yet on my first payment. Mind you, I am living off of limited funds in a new city that we had never been in before, and I still have to make sure that I can feed myself and my children and pay the deposit and other move in costs on our new apartment. Airbnb was not at all concerned with protecting us or making sure that we were safe and sheltered. Amongst the trash in the airbnb, there was the owners business card in a pile of dust and wrappers under the couch. When I googled the name of the the apartments on the card “Algon Gardens” in Phialdelphia, a slew of negative reviews describing the same conditions as the airbnb came up. Bugs, broken amenities, mice, no repairs or response. Airbnb is not a safe or securely regulated platform. Clearly they only care about making money. They charge a service fee and a cleaning fee but they do not make sure that the hosts are honest, reputable, or that the places being hosted are being kept to livable standards. This was the first and last time I will ever use an airbnb. It is much better to stay in a hotel, or even a motel and now that there is a certain standard (which includes hot water) that is sure to be met. I have been experiencing severe anxiety from this whole ordeal, my children have been uprooted and made uncomfortable. Any other business (hotel or motel) would make sure that they keep the customer whole in the event of any complicated circumstances. Airbnb does not.

By: Joey B

Joey B — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:42:23 +0000

We used AirBNB at the request of a relative who wanted us to come visit. This is certainly a HUGE mistake. If I could upload photos on this site, I certainly would! We rented a beachfront condo in Orange Beach, Alabama, in the Phoenix VI building. The “host” sent us an email instructing us to contact her DIRECTLY if there are any issues! We had to call the host ten minutes before the 4pm check-in because the email with access codes NEVER ARRIVED! Once in the unit, we saw that it was dirty and filthy. We spent the first hour cleaning the place because we realized that the “host” and AirBNB was ripping us off, and nothing would be done to clean the place. Here’s what we found upon entry: food scraps on the kitchen counter, dirty mugs in the kitchen cabinets with liquid inside and lip prints on the cup, spots of some type of gel on the bathroom counter, mold along the inside of the toilet, toys and food scraps under chairs, the indoor furniture was filthy, stained, and smelled awful, the outdoor furniture was broken, torn and stained shower curtains, mold on the grout above the shower, and sticky dirty floors. My advice to everyone is to use ONLY reputable hotels OR rent from a reputable property manager in the area where you wish to rent.

By: Patrick J

Patrick J — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 18:20:54 +0000

We used to use airbnb but now they are just one big scam like all the others. My wife and I are professionals and have been treated horribly for the last time. They even censor themselves online so others cannot see the truth. Please just go back to motels and hotels.

By: Penny WEdd

Penny WEdd — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 17:31:08 +0000

Here’s what I don’t get. You can’t even talk to the potential hosts until you pay a downpayment. Which apparently you get back if the reservation doesn’t complete.
But that means Air BNB is holding my money ( let’s say $200) for one night. Multiply that by a 10,000, customers and you now have $2,000,000 sitting in their bank account over night earning interest! They haven’t done anything.

That is total fraud. Why do people use this website. It’s a total scam.

By: CereCere

CereCere — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 17:28:42 +0000

If people are so stupid to make reservations without reading the cancellation policies, is not Airbnb’s fault.

By: Henry C Robledo

Henry C Robledo — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 21:25:44 +0000

I didn’t receive my down payment of $1400 after canceling not even 24hours after booking my stay . Because of a so called strict cancellation bullshit policy. Airbnb set itself against the host and vis versa. I real dishonest game. Don’t use Airbnb ever.

By: Matt West

Matt West — Sat, 21 Nov 2020 05:15:29 +0000

Worst freaking company on this planet!!! Had similar experiences as everyone and I also hosted 2 x properties and they were just as bad on that side. How do we do something?

By: Sue Steele

Sue Steele — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 20:44:59 +0000

They are thieves….when booking a reservation, I paid half of amount due. I then had to cancel and received a refund of $18! When I inquired as to why, they said if I have paid in full, I would have gotten a refund, but since I only paid half, I was out of luck. I cancelled this reservation 27 days before arrival date.

They are awful!

By: Henry Robinson

Henry Robinson — Tue, 19 May 2020 14:04:08 +0000

They placed an ad, it was $23
When I went to book, it went up to £29 (NOT dollars) – that’s 100% more!
on my girlfriend’s phone (she is a local) it was $23
They have a way of sussing out if you are from the UK, US Aus, etc then you pay MUCH more. Yes, it’s a rip-off in many different ways.