When arriving at our accommodation after a very long flight, we saw the property hadn’t been cleaned. We contacted the host by telephone and he sent the cleaner in. She told us that it would only take her a half hour to clean.
When we came back all she had done was put some clean towels and made the mattress that was on the floor (no actual bed). We had to book into a hotel for our last few days of our trip at an extra cost to ourselves. We would have checked out sooner but we couldn’t find a place to stay at short notice.
This decision was due to the lack of cleanliness and mice infestation. There were mouse droppings and urine on the kitchen work surfaces and floor every day. The last straw was the appearance of some kind of cockroach which we had to kill. We were unable to sit on the sofa due to it not being fit.
The tap in the kitchen leaks water every time you turn it on, most of the lights don’t have bulbs that work, the toilet seat is old and dirty with the lacquer peeling off, the fridge has brown ice forming thick at the top (unfit for use), there are mouse traps that are not even in use making them pointless, the carpets are frayed and dirty, and the paintwork is dirty. We don’t want to touch the handrails which are wobbly and dangerous, and the bed advertised is not a bed; it’s a mattress on the floor. There was no mention of restricted headroom in the bedroom. The soap was dirty and used. There was a smell of gas. I have taken photos that I have attached. The property was dirty, tatty, tired and it smelt. As for the dishwasher, it was filthy with a moldy plate in it.
We found it really difficult to contact Airbnb whilst in NYC and their terms for resolution were that you had to complain within 24 hours of arrival. They also state that you must not contact the host directly with any problems and it must go thorough Airbnb, which is easier said than done. Of the £1026.00 that we paid Airbnb offered us:
I’m your case manager from Airbnb, I hope you are doing fine. Thanks for contacting us regarding your reservation. I’m sorry to see the condition of the accommodation you stayed at. I have gone over your refund request, and even though not all conditions have been met according to our Guest refund policy, I do think it is fair that you receive a refund after seeing the pictures that you made. After considering, I have refunded you one night and 50% of the cleaning fee, for a total of £167.19. This amount has been sent to your card and you will receive a confirmation email about this shortly. Please let me know if you have any further questions for me. Wishing you a nice day.
One more thing to consider. Your message to Airbnb was that your sister booked this stay on your account by mistake. Third party bookings are against Airbnb terms of service. To book this stay she had access to your log-in & password. It was not a mistake. Because Third Party Bookings are against the Airbnb TOS, I’m surprised they refunded anything.
As awful as this was for your sister (and I truly regret she went through this), it all started with your sister violating Airbnb rules for booking.
As soon as the “mistake” was realized, Airbnb could’ve have helped you cancel, get full refund, and move the reservation to her account.
I hate she had a bad experience. I’m curious:
1. Did she only use the phone line or try to contact them via Twitter and/or Facebook. They tend to be easier to reach via Twitter & Facebook & those are time & date stamped so easily can be determined if in the first 24 hours.
2. Did Airbnb accept a copy of the email communication? If yes, that is a nice surprise. Airbnb is pretty clear about keeping as much communication as possible on the Airbnb platform so they can review it in a case like this. I try to follow up text or email communication with a message on Airbnb stating that I sent a text about “ insert details here”.
3. Please look for it, there is a “report this listing” button. Report this listing for being inaccurate. If enough people report it, Airbnb will take it down.
NYC has highly restrictive parameters for allowing an Airbnb rental. I think Airbnb actually purged rentals (deleted listings) for rentals not meeting the rules about a year ago. Looks like it is time for them to do it again.
Wow. After all that the reimbursement was beyond insulting.