Category Archives: Airbnb Guest Stories

These are real, uncensored stories from Airbnb Guests.  We encourage our site visitors to read and share their Airbnb Guest Stories to help warn others of the dangers of using Airbnb, and consider using alternative options in the sharing economy.

Vacation Rental in Charleston Goes Wrong

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We had a poor experience with an Airbnb in Charleston. In the midst of COVID-19 and the challenges of traveling at this time, we were disappointed that neither the host nor Airbnb would refund (nor give us a credit for) our $670 deposit.

My friend and I booked our trip to Savannah/Charleston back in October 2019. Our original dates of travel were for March and April 2020. With the onset of the pandemic and our optimistic belief that we would be able to travel again, in early March, we contacted our Airbnb hosts and changed our reservations to September. They both agreed and extended the reservations until September.

In June, we cancelled our Airbnb reservation for both Savannah and Charleston. We did this for several reasons: instances of COVID-19 and resulting deaths increasing in our country; restrictions put on place by our governor for travel to New York from South Carolina; nothing in the data indicating that the pandemic would be over (or a vaccine/cure would be ready) by September; and my personal health issues of diabetes and hypertension.

Advice from the CDC and my own physician indicated that individuals with these conditions are more vulnerable for serious health implications from COVID and should not travel. In good faith, we wanted to give our hosts plenty of notice and the opportunity to rebook if possible. Our Savannah host did refund our money except for $81.45 in fees which we appreciated. However, our host in Charleston refused to refund us our $670.

When we reached out to the Airbnb Resolution Department, the representative was not able to resolve this issue for us. He was professional and kind but simply quoted standard cancellation policy. At his request, we provided him my personal health information and a letter from my doctor. Bottom line, no refund.

We have written to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky as well and are awaiting a reply (so far two certified letters have gotten lost). We find this unacceptable and unethical. Our Charleston host has $670 of our money for services we are not receiving due to the pandemic. Airbnb’s own extenuating circumstances policy was recently extended to the end of September.

In good faith, we gave plenty of notice of cancellation. We feel strongly that an exception should be allowed for this pandemic. Airbnb has stepped up to provide assistance to their hosts in this financially difficult time. We are shocked that they are not supporting their customers in the same fashion. Be aware if you are booking through Airbnb.

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Airbnb Rip Off in Austin Forces Guests Out

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I’m a PM for a Internet technology company and I’m responsible for choosing Airbnb rentals for staff, usually 2-4 staff members. In September, I chose a host in Austin for one month. The rental had good reviews and looked good in the photos, so our admin assistant booked the unit for one month, starting the second week in September to the second week in October.

The staff arrived in the afternoon on a Saturday and were immediately underwhelmed, The cleanliness of the location was poor; there was debris in the front entry, dirty and dusty tile floors from the gap under the door allowing debris to blow in, sticky counter tops, a refrigerator with plenty of odds and ends from previous tenants with sticky unknown substance in nooks and cracks, and pubic hair in the toilet rim. In addition, the light bulbs and face plates in the house were not maintained and looked like the owner did not care to present a home they cared about, just a take or leave it house. However, they took 100% of our payment, $3,369.

Since our staff had to go through me and the company admin, the issue could not be addressed until Monday morning. Well, the host had an excuse for every issue, refused to let us out of our term, but was willing to send cleaners back over. After two days in the unit (not a home), our staff said “no way” to staying in this unit and we care and trust our staff. The host only offered a $220 refund and Airbnb is completely complicit in this behavior (they bear no responsibility or customer support for such situations). Since July my firm has spent approx. $41,000 with Airbnb. I will be recommending Extended Stay hotels to my executives for future projects.

Broke and Unhappy After Customer Service Experience

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I’m highly disappointed in my recent experience with Airbnb’s customer service. My friends and I booked what turned out to be a scam listing. We were already about 8 hours into our 11-hour drive to the beach when we received a notification from Airbnb that our booking had been canceled and we wouldn’t be penalized for the late cancelation.

We expressed that we were already over halfway there and were left with no place to stay. We were told that Airbnb would book us a new place to stay and get back to us within an hour. We never heard back from them. We ended up booking the only other pet-friendly beach house in the area that turned out to be four times the price of where we initially thought we were staying.

We reached out to Airbnb many times and were told that we had to wait until our assigned case manager contacted us and that no one else could help us. My friends and I now owe a difference of $700 per person for the new booking and Airbnb has refused to cover any of this difference. Now I’m broke and upset and my whole vacation was ruined because of this.

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Airbnb Nightmare From Lack of Basic Amenities

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We checked into a property for Airbnb. We immediately noticed black mold covering the entire HVAC system and surrounding closet within the interior of the property. The semi-attached townhome was completely filthy from top to bottom. There were dead dried up lizard carcasses spread throughout the interior. The property pool (regular sized hot-tub) was actually bone dry for our Saturday check in. It remained in that very same condition even after its weekly scheduled maintenance appointment.

The property management company really knows how to roll out the red carpet for their guests. The online photographs were enhanced tremendously. This property is off a very busy noisy traffic congested main boulevard that was conveniently cut out of all the photographs that were provided on Airbnb. We reached out to them directly, to no avail. We did not stay at there, not even for one minute. Three days had passed with no communication.

We then contacted Airbnb regarding these issues, when the property rep reached out to us. We waited at the property for over an hour on Tuesday until maintenance arrived. The maintenance rep provided two solutions: paint over the dangerous black mole spores located inside the HVAC closet and have their cleaning crew re-clean or we could take the other townhouse located next door.

At first glance, the semi-attached townhouse was 100 times better. It had an actual adult size pool, boat dock, terra-cotta floors throughout, an amazing emerald color large comfortable anthropology sofa, and an actual neighbor instead of a busy road. I took it without hesitation, not realizing I would be wasting five days cleaning up the property’s exterior from a previous Airbnb guest that entertained huge house parties (fun fact supplied courtesy by delightful neighbor).

Besides the overgrown non-maintained wet lands you will also find empty and full bottles of alcoholic beverages throughout the property exterior. What prompted the cleanup, you ask? While spending time at the pool the first day at the property, a huge rodent (rat) ran right by me. That very same night we saw several mice jumping over the fence, raising my blood pressure even more. I just dealt with it. I had even primed the pool pump and cleaned out the filter, which should have been done prior to my arrival.

Unauthorized people are just letting themselves onto the property, opening the backyard gate and walking in totally ignoring me but once confronted they run away. I’ve rented this property for a month and what privacy do I get? These trespassers are jeopardizing the wellbeing of my beloved pooch from escaping. They are trespassing on private property and leaving the backyard fence open while doing so.

I forgot to include that the property was just sold a day prior to my arrival. The new home owner just loves their new property so much. Now I have my very own paparazzi. A lot of creepy drive bys. They even stalk the las townhome from the parking lot across the intercostal in their tinted out black Cadillac Escalade (thanks law enforcement).

Every room is a adored with a beautiful Amazon FireTV for your enjoyment. It’s a pity that they aren’t functional. Why, you ask? Apparently the house doesn’t have its own Internet provider anymore. The internet was canceled back in May. So management is stealing wifi from another client at the property but not doing a very good job at it. Granted, there are cinderblock walls separating the two different attached townhome properties which is not allowing the wifi to penetrate.

Don’t you worry: the sound from next door penetrates perfectly, very life like, It’s like the other Airbnb guest’s huge dogs are barking in your very own living room. In addition, whoever had setup the Netgear extenders didn’t follow the proper installation procedure. I am not even able to order Internet or my own hotspot, as retailers are only allowing online orders, not in-store purchases. We are not allowed to have anything delivered to this Airbnb.

Why should I absorb additional costs after spending over $6,000 on this Airbnb? I forgot to mention they limit you on how much time you can spend in your own private pool that is located on the property that you’re renting. No swimming after 10:00 PM. What’s next? No swimming after a meal? They also forgot to include that tidbit on their Airbnb listing.

They also forgot to mention that during high tide or any sort of rain that the street located right in front of the property becomes another intercostal. So Leave the GTC Lusso garaged and bring the G-wagon instead. You’ll have no trouble fitting it perfectly within the garage. The same cannot be said about the other garage because it’s filled with old appliances and junk.

I’ve been in constant contact with the rep, but nothing ever gets accomplished. She is constantly passing the buck and has absolutely no follow through. If you ever get her on the phone she would first deny it’s her and then say it is once she decides that she’ll help you without even trying to disguise her voice.

I’m still at the property. There’s 10 days to go without any TV or functional wifi signal attached to a internet provider. I’ll just spend my time writing truthful reviews that will help others until the host or anyone from the management company resolves the ongoing issues at the property.

Host Refuses to Communicate About Cancellation

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We had plans to travel to the U.S. in October that were cancelled due to COVID. Alternative bookings were made for a property in Australia from Oct. 3-10 (we had stayed in this property 12 months ago with a great review from the host).

The cancellation policy on the listing at the time of booking was a 50% refund up until Sept. 25. We raised the question of flexibility to change dates if restrictions applied at the time of booking. The host responded “let’s talk about this in September.”

Flights cancelled by the airline, borders closed by our state governments and penalties (both financial and potential jail sentences) for breaching COVID quarantine restrictions forced our decision to request a change of dates to April 2021 to give us time for recovery post COVID. There was no response from the host.

We reached out to the Airbnb Support team who promised to look into the matter. We reached out to the host in September who advised that this property would no longer be available after February 2021. We were unable to take leave before February so pushed the “cancel” button and requested a refund. The host’s response was a “$0.00 refund.”

We reached out again to Airbnb Support who asked for evidence to be uploaded. They advised they were in contact with host. We were frustrated at how long it took to respond to a message. It would be great to actually speak to someone about this. I have been a very frequent user, supporter and promoter of Airbnb but the lack of real time support has left a very disappointing mark.

No Refund for $2600 Due to COVID Circumstances

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We cancelled our rental on March 21 for our stay in Austin scheduled for October 22-27 through Airbnb with a deposit $2,581.62 due to COVID-related complications. We booked in January. Neither the host nor Airbnb will refund our money due to their strict policy of “no cancellations” unless there are extenuating circumstances. COVID falls under that clause.

We have been fighting with them since March to get a refund. Our business was shut down due to COVID on March 13. We are now hiring an attorney to recoup our money. Do not use Airbnb. They have no compassion for the current climate or what people are having to endure. These are huge businesses which are not interested in the welfare of the clients. Losing $2,600 is a big deal to us, especially now.

Not Happy After Leaving Airbnb in an Hour

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It’s been a long time since my little family and I had gotten away. We chose a home in Lantana, FL through Airbnb to rent for the Labor Day Weekend. As soon as we got there, there was a very strong mold and mildew odor and of course my oldest daughter has allergies. That smell triggered her in less than five minutes.

The house has changed since their pictures had been posted: the reading room is something to be said for; the couch cushion was torn and sewed; the dining room chairs were all stained (who was gonna get blamed for that?); the bunk beds in both rooms said use at your own risk; the master bed literally sat on the floor; the back shower now looked like a jail walk-in shower (not that I know about that, seen on TV); the home was hot as hell and we turned the AC down to give it a chance; and the water was coming out yellow.

We felt so uncomfortable that I realized none of us would sit down. In less than an hour, I said we should go find a hotel. We found one finally about 10-15 minutes away and rented there, went back to the Airbnb, and collected all our items. I contacted the host and out of everything I had an issue with his response was it was cheaper to stitch the couch than to replace it and to try turning the AC down. I informed him that we had done that. He also stated that he went by and saw nothing wrong.

I have requested a full refund because we did not cancel. We showed up and his home was not okay to stay in. The mold and mildew smell alone was too much to handle. Of course there was no refund to give per the host or Airbnb (as if they actually go out and check things). His pool table room is a whole different color now (this is not a problem). They should update their pictures to match all the changes they have made and give someone a fair chance to say this is or is not the home for them (people have gotten too comfortable with ripping others off). I’m definitely not done with this.

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Fleas, Cockroaches, and a Late Check-in

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These Airbnb hosts made us wait an hour and a half after our check-in time to actually let us check in. Our dog caught fleas and there were live cockroaches, dirty floors, and a slimy shower. The hosts actually admitted to all of this. They said we broke their blinds when we never touched them and tried to charge us for it. They said I never paid the pet fee which is insane because we texted them like a month before our trip to pay it but they never responded to let us pay.

I reported all of this to Airbnb to which they sided with the hosts even with all this proof. They said they must stick to their guest policy and sent me a link. I went through the policy and showed that it said less than 24 hours after the trip ends, you can get a refund worked out. I told them if they want to stick to their refund policy then they should take the time to read their own policy and circled where it said that they would work out a refund less than 24 hours after a stay. Then I showed them that I messaged them in less than 24 hours.

The person I was speaking to said that it stated “24 hours before.” I zoomed in and screenshotted where it said “after,” circled it, and sent it to her again. They closed the case.

Charged for Two Airbnb Stays in One Night

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The Airbnb unit we were staying in developed a water leak from the upstairs apartment. We called the host and tried to get in touch with Airbnb, but could reach neither. It was getting late and so we panicked and booked something else nearby.

We drove over to the new booking and it was just a rundown residential suite. It didn’t even have an outside window — not what we wanted for our vacation in the mountains. I promptly cancelled but the host would not return my money. He had done nothing at all and lost nothing in the brief interim between my booking and cancellation.

We ended up staying at the original place once the leak was repaired, but there were drying mats down and two dehumidifiers for the remainder of our trip. Airbnb never did respond to our initial plea for help and sided with the host of the apartment we panic booked. Surely there must be some negligence on their part for not responding.