Jailed for Eight Hours a Day, No Satisfaction from Airbnb

This is the totally honest review I wrote and the host’s character-besmirching remarks. Airbnb refuses to retract these remarks, by their host Pradeepa, and they remain on the site to this day. Thanks for allowing character assassination and slander on your website Airbnb.

If you want to be imprisoned for eight hours a day, smell incense 24/7 at a strength that would knock over a horse, have moldy coffee grounds in your coffee maker, have the hosts go in your unit and snoop around every day when you are not there for God knows what reason, hear your hosts talking loudly through paper-thin walls, have them start a remodeling project during your vacation time which you will hear and smell, and have your host break down in tears if you let her know something isn’t right, by all means, book this place. I drove 2400 miles round trip to stay here and my vacation was completely ruined. If you stay here, get a device which will secure the door that leads from their side of the house to yours because they will enter as they need to unlock it from their side; it was totally unnerving.

Airbnb takes no responsibility for their clients’ safety as they do not require a hasp or chain lock on the residences they are listing for rental, allowing anyone with a key to just walk in your temporary home when you are there. Even Motel 6 has chain and hasp locks on all their rooms. Airbnb’s lack of vigilance and caring is absolutely disturbing.

This was the response from Pradeepa:

John was apprised of our guest house policies and he agreed to conform to them without exception. He stayed for two weeks and his behavior was socially and morally unacceptable. We therefore requested he check out. His review was beyond insulting. I hope no Airbnb host will ever have to go through what we went through with John.

Socially and morally unacceptable? If this is not character assassination and slander I don’t know what is. She makes it sound as if I was a pervert and attacked her. I was respectful but told her of the issues involved and was met with tears… with her husband standing there. Unbelievable. I failed to mention the uncomfortable furniture with a dining table so small it barely held my laptop. There was no other place to set my computer. No security hasp or chain so they could and did walk in anytime they felt like snooping around. They locked the courtyard gate at 7:30 PM and didn’t open it until 7:30 AM (even though the gate was chain locked, for which they also gave me a key), leaving me with no way to get out without pounding on the door or ringing the doorbell. I am certain this is against Phoenix Fire Department regulations. I was never apprised of all their extra rules until the day after I checked in after driving 1200 miles. Had it been posted on the host’s original Airbnb listing that I would be locked in my leased unit eight to ten hours per day I would have never leased this unit from the hosts from hell.

I have complained to Airbnb before about not making their hosts have chain or hasp locks on the rental units to no avail. My only conclusion is, at this point, they are making so much money that they don’t care. Thanks also to Airbnb for having their call center in the Philippines, so between the horrible crosstalk and interference of the connection there is also a language barrier. Unbelievable…..