Anyway, I learned the hard way that if there’s a problem, you must contact Airbnb within 24 hours of checking in. They will then give a full refund. Guaranteed.

But I didn’t know. Instead I called the host on his cellphone to tell him the place was dirty. Big mistake. I also later learned all communication should be done on the Airbnb platform. That way, the company can at least see a record of what was said.

Anyway the host promised to refund me the full amount and even said I could stay the night for free. He just did not want me to complain to Airbnb or leave a bad review.

The next day I left and texted him to thank him and ask him to process the refund. But I got no reply. I called him a couple of hours later but got his voicemail. I left a message. 2 hours later, still no reply.

I texted again. No reply. Finally I texted again to say if I didn’t hear back soon, I’d contact Airbnb. He then called me back and yelled “go ahead!”

By then, it was beyond 24 hours of my check in. He obviously knew it was now too late for me to get a full refund from Airbnb.

He also accused me of scamming him. He said the place wasn’t dirty and I probably just found a cheaper place and wanted a full refund. BS! I think he didn’t want to give a refund so he purposely waited until after 24 hours to tell me to go ahead and call Airbnb.

As for hosts who say guests should not expect the kind of cleanliness you’d get at a hotel, I say BS. They like to argue “this isn’t a hotel. It’s someone’s home!” But these days that is not the case! Most Airbnb listings are NOT their homes. Most of the hosts have multiple properties. They’re running them as a business. And they’re charging a lot for these places.

As for COVID deep cleaning that hosts claim they do, apparently it’s nonsense. I won’t be renting Airbnbs anymore.