Airbnb Reviews

So when I have complained with a good attitude and gave gotten denial from a few owners, I then leave honest and constructive reviews for which I am retaliated against in unfactual ways. Then other owners read and believe the lies and I am denied stays unreasonably. Crazy. I will not use their service any longer and instead even pay a little more, and often not more!...at a hotel or motel.

The actual address was not what we were registered for. 1969 -10th Ave was our booking. When we arrived there was no such address. We called the host that night who corrected us to 1449-B which was a scary revelation arriving at night. Coincidence? If it had not been for the profuse and unkempt double canopy vegetation this immediate area surrounding our shack (sorry charming cottage) site reminded one of a shanty town in Calcutta or Rio. Located at the end of a narrow steep alley the cottage was built over a double carport. Our assigned slot was already occupied. No biggie. We parked in the other one. It rained almost every day and night and was very humid and sweltering hot inside. No AC. In sweat every night. Then there were the loud parties at midnight. And the procession at night of what seemed to be young locals getting their drug pickups.

Then next and almost every day the host just would come in without warning - in violation of renter law - and bring things we had to store for him: vacuum cleaners, toaster oven, carpets, bassinets, and always leaving the house partially unlocked as if to let us know he was watching us. We were three males which perhaps may have been the attractant for him. He reprimanded us for a towel draped on a seat. Yet there were cockroaches. Everywhere. The Electrical was all NEC Code illegal and run through the baseboards. Only one three prong receptacle to recharge PC within the entire 2 bedroom shack. No stove hood, no microwave, no dishwasher. No view. Neighbors on the phone at midnight sounded as if inside our bedrooms. Afraid to leave valuables anywhere. It was a trip from hell.

After 3 days out of 18 we asked Airbnb for a refund so we could book somewhere else hopefully near the beach. Airbnb pushed it on the host. Host would not cooperate. There were bed bugs, hostile or aggressive young neighbours, one of them shot a B.B. gun pellet at my other adult worker etc. Based on this one experience with host refusing to give us an address until the day before our departure (a policy so renters wouldn’t Air google it to realise it was a dump and cancel). I would never recommend Airbnb. The pictures were misleading. “Charming cottage” really meant a dump! I had to receive a month long treatment from Kaiser for the bed bugs. Embarrassing and painful. Bathroom was dirty and dank. Hardly a vacation rental. Let alone to conduct business from and commute after a sweaty noisy night with bed bugs. Will never use Airbnb again. They didn’t help at all!

The bath towels were old and had stains on them. I’m talking like the host’s 10 year old towels with stains on them (they were clean) that they used prior. You can’t go to Walmart and buy 10 new towels at Walmart for charging $1600 a night? (Hopefully after my review something will change) The grounds were not kept up with palm leaves on the driveway. The pool actually looked clean but the leaves/plants should have been pulled off dead ones if you are renting this place out. There was debris like a Florida thunderstorm came through and the grounds weren’t picked up. The sheets downstairs were musty and felt like sand was on them. The bathroom in the jack and Jill bathroom had some hair in the sink and the shower was a little dirty. The place itself was picked up but it was absolutely not cleaned before we arrived. One of my girlfriends Lysol wiped everything down. It was nothing short of embarrassing.

Also there was a black Mercedes in the driveway with Illinois license plates. The owner later told me that it was the plumbers. That would have been fine if the car was just there the whole time. However, here we are, 7 women staying in a home that is set back down a street on a canal, not on a beach where we can run down. When I arrived the car was there. When we decided this was not as nice of a house as we expected it to be, we all decided to Uber to a restaurant to eat (more out of pocket expense) when we were leaving to go out, the Mercedes was gone. That was weird. Where was the person that gone in the car to drive it away prior? So someone is coming in to the property and leaving in the car?

Then when we came back from dinner, the car was back! Even more creepy. Where is this person now? I honestly was afraid to message the owner again because they, he or someone could just enter through the garage with the code where all of us were and I was afraid to call attention to it. But we all felt very uncomfortable. 2 of my girlfriends flew in from NJ for this trip. What were suppose to do?

The next morning I awoke to learning 3 of my girlfriends left. My friend was disgusted by the hair in the bathroom and shower and the 2 that flew in from NJ decided they were staying at a hotel that was more clean. How embarrassing. I paid so much money to stay in this place for 2 nights I expected a spotless, just cleaned place! I don’t care as much as the furnishings and such but I don’t want to feel grossed out even if I spent $150 for the night!

I can go into more detail especially about the car being there but if you just audit the messages between Joseph and I you will see the communication. I messaged him that we were not staying the second day and wanted a refund for that day. His response was nothing more than threatening and defensive! Is that what I should expect when I am paying all of this money? The fact that the host started to threaten that he would report me to the sheriffs office in Sarasota is ridiculous since I already paid him upfront. He told me to call his housekeeper 5 different times and take it up with them. Why would I do that? I kept asking why I should call his housekeeper. I didn’t rent the house from the housekeeper I rented it from him. He also told me to call his plumber.

I expect Airbnb to investigate this horrible host. There were 7 of us and were are all 40 something’s with class and integrity. Not to be dealing with this. I’m asking for my second night refunded since we did not even occupy the property and left around 2pm. I can’t tell you I would have much rather this all have worked out and we stayed into Monday instead of people leaving because they were upset at the way this place looked. On top of that I was not given any instructions on getting into the house or house to get on to WiFi and the tv. Seems rather simple right? Well I configure networks and computers and there was something not working right. I should not have had to ask Joseph for the WiFi. Then he provided me like 5 different passwords! What the heck?

Also the sliding glass door in the master didn’t look and we had to put broomsticks to feel secure. He told me that I was ridiculous because you can even get to the second floor anyway. Wow. Well how do I know who is watching us with this setup? Weird Mercedes coming and going and no sliding glass doors locking?? My husband said if he knew this he would have sent us to a hotel. If you look at the messages between us I hope you will see how he asked me to call his housekeeper numerous times and then his plumber to check the story. I should not have to contact anyone other than the host. I wish I would have taken more pics but I only took a few not thinking I’d be dealing with this. But I have 6 other women that were there and we will all dispute such false advertising."

So the outcome of all of this?? Airbnb never called me after my case was open for a week with promises they would call me after they investigated. Instead all I received was a 3 sentence email (no greeting like hello or sorry for our inconvenience, just a 3 sentence message) siding with the host because there was not enough evidence. I could dispute this through my bank for the entire amount, but all I was asking for was a refund for the day/night we didn’t occupy the home.

How unprofessional of Airbnb. Shame on them. My guests and I didn’t feel safe here and this owner went as far as stalking my Facebook page to take screenshots of us taking pics at night after we came back from dinner and cocktails. What were we suppose to do? Not make the most of the situation? Airbnb is completely unprofessional for not even calling me to discuss this after I called 3 times and stayed on hold for 20 min each time. This has soured all of us from ever staying at any Airbnb ever again. As a professional business woman, I’m in complete shock as to how they handled this complaint.

Case 1: Guest from Hong Kong cancels week before arrival and claims her MOM is in the hospital. I said ok, here is the cancellation policy, here is the penalty. Guest agrees, then complains to Airbnb. Case officer calls me and just tells me that the guest will be repaid in full, because of family emergency (against their own rules). I accept, just request a proof, that the person in question is indeed in a hospital. The Airbnb staff then proceeds to straight up making up a story and tells me she personally called the hospital and confirmed that the guest GRANDMA is indeed hospitalized. I point out it is ridiculous to think a 3rd party could randomly call a hospital and request information for non-family member (having lived in Hong Kong for a few years myself) and I know for sure it is impossible. Airbnb staff claims it's true and a final decision, so kind of "Deal with it"...

Case 2: Guest has personal disorder issues and cannot find the key for self check in. I request several times for him to double check, knowing that the key is right there. Guest send me angry messages. I send my staff to help the guest check in. My staff pulls out the key from the designated location, right in front of the guest and he loses it. He calls Airbnb and claims "key was unreachable", when in reality my staff easily reached the key. The guest checks in, keeps quiet for a few days and then checks out, leaving a hateful wall of text as a review, stating obvious lies, such as "microwave doesn't work". My staff checks the state of the microwave and of course it works, but the guest haven't connected the microwave to electricity socket (microwave cable is situated on the top of the device, the electric socket is literally 10 cm from the microwave).

Guest also states exact location of the key in his review, effectively putting my apartment at risk to be robbed. I request Airbnb to remove the part where the key location is stated (as their own policy is) and they blatantly refuse. Reason? The bipolar guest happens to be a Superhost on Airbnb and as such, his reputation should be kept.

Case 3: Couple from Australia checks in one of my apartments, then proceeds to party hard for several days. My neighbours complain to the police and the police officers arrive at the scene, just to find the couple drunk and having a huge argument (at this point, the scandal has been going on for 2 days). The couple is then requested to keep it down by the police and the building management. They promise to cool down and as soon as the police leaves, the scandal is on again. Building management contacts me and informs me that I will be penalized and leasing agreement terminated. The couple is requested to leave by the police and the building management for breaking the rules.

Couple then complains to Airbnb. I ended up been charged for their stay in hotel and when I find out that they have damaged my apartment and claim damages and compensation, Airbnb recognizes the claim, but then "they cannot charge the guest, because the guest have removed their profile from the system". Like somehow they have lost the payment details of a person they charged just a few days ago...

Those are 3 cases just from the top of my head. I have dozens of those over the last few years and I had to put up with the ** Airbnb staff office had me going through. The company runs a complete cowboy operation, hiring very random individuals, who drink and use drugs at work (I have spoken with staff, high as a kite on several occasions, making me repeat 5 sentences for 20 min, so they can finally wrap their fried brains around). They blatantly refuse solid claims from both guests and hosts, make up rules on the go and when confronted about their policies, just... hang up on you! I could go for days, but now I would like to just move on, keep some of the best stories, to tell to friends over couple of beers, just to point out that don't matter the size of the company and what they brag, they are still going to be dragged down by the quality of staff they hire and in the Airbnb case, the examples are just rich!

Original Review: March 15, 2018

You know it’s very important to really understand everything when you book a stay with this company Airbnb. On their cancellation they tell you that I’ll give you 100% but really they’re only going to give you that if you cancel within the first 48 hours. I know this because they are charging me $170 still from my cancellation. Interestingly when it’s on their end to have to cancel or if I host has a home as I ran into that was damaged by hurricane Irma I got 100% cancellation.

Now the fun part of all of this is this if you try to contact Airbnb they want you to do all the legwork. It’s very hard to find their 800 number but you can if you search on the Internet and wait for a long time for someone to get on and basically be snotty with you and not really resolve the issue. Also I don’t think they’re really interested in doing for their business with people or they would resolve this issue and be honest about their cancellation policy when you book the trip. I will not book with them anymore. I don’t care if it’s a great deal. They were terrible company and they caused me to have to do a lot of work to get my money back. Now I will have to contact my credit card company for their fraudulent activity... Very disappointing.

The exhaust fan in the only toilet in the condo is not working. The small toilet is inside the bedroom and the door is less than two feet away from the bed. The toilet has no window or any ventilation other than the exhaust fan and the air has no way out except through the bedroom to the small window on the other side of the room! The host expected two traveling adults and a child to defecate beside their bed in a small toilet without exhaust fan, and to pay near 50 USD per night for that! Even dogs get proper air ventilation in their kennels! (3) Nauseating foul odor in the condo coming from the dirty kitchen and laundry area that has no any sort of ventilation. Large metal chains and locks on cabinets that made us feel very uncomfortable with the place.

No mosquito screens on windows to enable us, especially with a child, to just suck it up and stay there in that hot, humid county faced with Dengue concerns. Staying there was not an option, host apologized and agreed to approve full refund but later got greedy and refused to approve the refund, and Airbnb also refused to refund and blindly pointed at "cancellation policy." That place was not suitable for rent and we were cheated by host advertisement and robbed by Airbnb. Airbnb also refused to release my review and to let me share my experience that evening at their host's unit claiming that my review violates their policy. I have repeatedly tried to resolve this dispute with Airbnb at no avail.

Now I am initiating legal action against Airbnb in California and meanwhile encouraging anyone who was cheated or unfairly treated by Airbnb and its host/guests to join me the drive against Airbnb, to spread public awareness about the dreadful risks of using its services, and to regain our basic rights. To those who consider using Airbnb, avoid it and their hosts and rather stay at officially registered places, deal with professional hosts, and remain safe.

I did have very good experiences with some Airbnb hosts, but I also often encountered scary and greedy hosts who just wanted to make money renting their dirty and rundown places then good luck getting your money back without going through annoying and costly battles. Use professional services like Agoda and Booking.com and have peace of mind. After all, you are not saving any money by using Airbnb. To those who been hurt or affected by Airbnb, please feel free to contact me and share your experiences.

Nevertheless, Airbnb responds that no sales has been made due to the fact that the host provided me with an alternative proposal. Also, they mentioned that it is unfortunate, that no all of their hosts are aware of the ability to change prices a year in advance. My conclusion: the tools are there for the hosts, the terms and conditions clearly states that hosts are responsible for showing the right price, nevertheless, Airbnb does not protect its users when hosts violate the law and their own terms and conditions.

He also posted lies about our technical abilities and basically libelled me and my son. Now that he has posted these lies, we have no recourse, as I cannot provide feedback to feedback. I see that he has done this recently to another guest, and clearly he is a very angry person who should not be in the hospitality business. I know better than to ask that you kick Mark out of your network, however I am asking that you remove his comments from my profile and block him from ever communicating with me again.

Got a nice guy to talk to in resolution center - but then he disappears and end result was guest who had previously said would pay for damage now was not going to and Airbnb dropped the ball. I think there is just too much risk renting out a property to folks where there is no deposit or if one - not released by Airbnb. I have terminated my listing and am using Home Suite for business booking and VRBO for vacation. You have really shot yourself in the foot Airbnb! Beware - lots of deceit! Poor resolve if any issues.

My husband tried to sleep this night on the couch, no linen, no blanket, nothing. Our next vacation day we spent talking to different members of support team and finally to case manager Arianna. She did not explained our options but gave us guarantee in words that the situation will be resolved by the evening, the host should come and open another bedroom. Then it was a second sleepless night on the couch. Next morning we cancel this reservation. Airbnb punished us for cancellation, but not the host for cheating and extorting money from us. Be aware, this company support host's cheating and money extortion from the Guests, don't count on their help, they would only waste your time and your money.

They do not have the authority to solve your case and despite my requests to resolve the case they threaten to hang up to my face with the excuse of helping other customers.(as if I am not a customer, they seem to choose who to help and who to not). The concept adds value as a good and cost effective alternative to hotel accommodation. But Airbnb cannot and should not run this service. I am very impatient to see competing such as HomeAway to realize this and destroy Airbnb with superior customer servicing asap as they should not be around with such a poor business ethics and conduct.

So now we are stuck trying to find a reservation 4 days before our trip and we can only afford the less-than-decent accommodations now when we had booked a luxury location. Airbnb failed to help us in any useful way (sure, they sent other Airbnb listings - but no way in hell I will ever trust them again). Had I not tried to confirm my reservation I would be stranded in Mexico with no place to stay. They claim the amount needed to reserve decent accommodations was out of their budget yet neglect to think that it might be WAY out of my budget too?! Thanks to YOUR host I now have to pay an additional HUNDREDS of dollars for this. Do not ever trust these people. They take little to no responsibility for the actions of their hosts.

Having contacted Airbnb, I was offered some ridiculous alternatives, including a ‘summer house’ which was essentially a shed in the middle of a field. It's February and the place had no heating, but this was still deemed an ok substitute. I notice that Martin still has his ‘superhost’ badge and that nothing is showing up on his listing about him cancelling at the last minute. This is simply fraudulent and deceiving potential renters and needs to be addressed. How the hell is he a ‘superhost’ when he cancels at the last minute?! I was offered a poultry £82 to assist with the late cancellation to help me find a replacement. It took me an entire day of contacting host after host, asking if they'd allow our dogs to stay and if there was parking.

I asked for an email address to make a formal complaint, the response I received was basically ‘well you’ve got somewhere else so it’s ok’. When I pressed this, they offered me a feedback form. I asked if I'd receive a reply and no word of a lie, they stated "Your feedback will be reviewed by our development department, due to the high volume of complaints they do not respond but follow up internally. Thank you." This is the second time a host has canceled on us at the last minute. Something needs to be done to prevent this happening to unsuspecting renters like us. I certainly won’t use Airbnb again. It's a joke!

Later, I got ahold of the owner via email AIRBNB website and she agreed to reimburse us 80%. WTH? I wrote a review on their website which they never posted and immediately deleted. Just the last part should be a red flag. Why won’t they let customers submit real reviews and not only nice ones? The AIRBNB folks are dishonest that’s why. This is my second time using AIRBNB and my last one. First time was pretty good, but if you don’t care to post my negative reviews about a property then I don’t want to use your service again. Good luck using AIRBNB. It’ll be a 50/50 chance.

All case was described in the review and Airbnb of course removed it as defamatory content!! Together with his 5 star review to my place!! What a bunch of crooks. Stay away from this company. They never filter people. If you are host, believe me, those positive reviews don't mean anything. Airbnb is removing negative especially very bad negative reviews. Bunch of crooks, shame on you Airbnb.

I then took time off the next day to obtain a new state ID (paper copy people, they don’t hand you a hard copy the same day) then the owner tells me he misunderstand my message to him and accepted another person’s request to rent the property. He didn’t want them to write a bad review as they are attending a wedding close by that summer. Really? Chances are good it’s the same wedding! So my review won’t mean anything I guess! Now I’m out of $1000 to apply for another rental, could take 10-15 days for a refund. Very frustrating.

Was told that since a picture of the kitchen ceiling was never shown in the house pictures on their site it didn’t matter if the lights didn’t work. They said they contacted the host and he said the stove worked. I sent them pictures of a pan on the burner with the stove dial turned on but no flame. I was told that since I did not contact customer service within 12 hours after checking in and did not call the host every time there was something wrong we were not entitled to any refund. They gave us a credit for a future rental for the $60 we paid for the service fee. We paid $240 a night and definitely was not worth it. All of the reviews for the house gave him a 5 star rating. I really feel that the reviews are false. I wrote a negative review but it was not put on the listing.

The host was rude and abusive and when issue were brought up you were dismissed like there was nothing wrong. Airbnb did nothing, they just said no case and closed it. They were unable to get the money back from the host. We have forked out extra money instead of having a cost effective option. We will never be booking a place on Airbnb again and we will be recommending this to other people we meet. It seems there are a lot more fraudulent people listing their homes on Airbnb and getting away with it.

She kindly apologized and said she would email me. The next morning I did have an email from her and another text from the owners. Now telling me to call and cancel my reservation. If I wanted to stay with them it was now even more than it was the day before in the text. What a joke! Needless to say, I did not cancel but I was cancelled by Airbnb. Not that I would ever want to book through them again. This was my first and last time for that. I have booked many times through VRBO and I will go back to them again. I have traveled a lot and have NEVER been told that I owed more money after I had booked my room, unit or house. Totally ridiculous. I have been told I will receive a full refund. Hopefully I do.

We encountered some noise and disruption when we arrived. We were surprised but didn’t fully take in the far reaching consequences it would have. Having travelled 10,000 miles to be there we were however, exhausted and also extremely tied up with other family business which had drawn us to the host’s property in the first instance. The noise levels exacerbated to such a degree during our stay that it was categorically impossible to remain. There was massively loud machinery operating all day - and we were meant to be enjoying the warm weather outside on the decking area. Loud radios, workmen shouting, hammering, drilling, angle grinders, so on and so on. Absolutely impossible to live with. We were even asked by the next door neighbor if we would be going out at any point as he wanted to use some exceptionally loud equipment to bring down part of a wall.

No-one in their right mind would choose knowingly to spend almost £6,000 on a holiday rental plus all the other attendant travel costs with this imposition on either side of them. In addition there were parts of the property (equipment, lighting) which did not work - this only came to light as time went on and not within the first 24 hours. Requests to the host for information as to how to work various things were not answered. Such was the dirt within some of the kitchen drawers - again, coming to light after the first 24 hours, I had to strip them out, wash and disinfect them before I was prepared to use them and the utensils, equipment inside them. Live cockroaches I can deal with - dead ones should have been shifted before our arrival. The outdoor deck area was simply filthy. The garden described as lush was a bare lawn, some surrounding green shrubs and a shed/garage which was delegated and with a load of rubble and junk in it.

I can’t dress the deck up any other way - it was simply dirty, not bothered with and unprepared. This was meant to be our ‘special’ place. Coming from a relatively cold country, we wanted to be outdoors in the heat. I should add that not all the house was like this - parts were fine and as described, parts were okay, but come on - where are people supposed to hang their clothes for four weeks when they are not allowed to use the wardrobes? We have dated photographic and video graphic evidence supporting our findings which seemingly are of no consequence whatsoever to AIRBNB. It would seem to be just tough luck!

Moving onto subsequent dialogue with the host following our complaint to AIRBNB we found her responses to be beyond shocking. They were defamatory, uncouth and dishonest. I take strong exception to being described as a ‘lying whinging pom’ which if I remember correctly was the term the host used. The host leveled accusations at us which frankly rocked us to the floor and she absolutely and utterly lied. I don’t use the term lightly - she didn’t ‘embellish' some facts - she downright lied. We are all a professional, upstanding and decent family and would never abuse someone else’s home. Never! Indeed we left it in a better state than we found it.

We asked AIRBNB for a face to face meeting which was refused. We offered to show a member of her family who visited the day we were leaving around the property to check it and he refused. We asked for a reasonable financial recompense from AIRBNB for the ruination of our holiday which was refused. (We were given a refund for the 8 days we cancelled due to the unforgiving circumstances we found ourselves in but not for any of the other issues we encountered - some after the 24 hour period.) We have been continually fobbed off by AIRBNB with the 24 hour response comment which is simply ridiculous and I am surprised it is legal. I would also add that getting through to AIRBNB on the telephone is farcical and more than time consuming. I can honestly say we lost at least 3 days of our trip through phone calls, packing, moving to another place as it was impossible to complete our stay in the rental we had chosen.

We also lost money by having to take on a hotel booking due to the issues we encountered at our initial rental. AIRBNB have no interest in this whatsoever and seemingly no policies which actually work to protect the consumer. I would NEVER use AIRBNB again. Any assurances they offer are flimsy at best and non existent in reality at worst. If this property which we rented was a house swap for instance or let’s say a house sit, we might have put up with it and thought, “Well its bad luck on our part but so be it,” but this was a paid for expensive rental with a description on AIRBNB’s own website which bore scant resemblance to the reality when living there and from we can see so far - no safeguarding procedures for the renter.

There are always extenuating circumstances why things don’t work in a property which we understand fully or why external issues might appear unexpectedly but there is no excuse for purposely misleading people and there is certainly no excuse for dirt. This was a property which was described as beautiful, designer etc etc - and AIRBNB have left us high, dry and out of pocket even though we have explained in detail what the problems were. We shall continue to deal with this problem through further legitimate routes and with different support and social information mechanisms as AIRBNB have simply washed their hands of us and our situation and have no care for our problem whatsoever.

All they say is that their decision is final. Well, it may be final for them but we shall exhaust our options to achieve what we believe to be a more fair conclusion to this debacle. We note (as far as we can determine) that this property is currently de-listed from AIRBNB’s site although whilst we were there it was up for rental.

We had to ask for blankets because it was about 20 degrees outside in an unheated appt. I didn't want to make waves and it was basically just a place for us to sleep at night since we were sightseeing during the day. We came home about a week before Christmas and about a week later, I tried logging into Airbnb unsuccessfully. Wouldnt let me log in. A week later, I went to my PC and was able to log in and found a scathing review of how the room smelled so bad they had to throw pillows away. I don't know what they are talking about, it's insane! We never even had pillows! We actually used our coats as pillows as we didn't have any.

The foul smell was there as evidenced by all the Air Wick fresheners they had going. We never ate in the room, we are clean people, literally only slept there since we didn't want to waste any time. The owners were in and out and never said a word about a foul smell. Airbnb would not allow me to respond since my 14 days had expired due to me being able to log in. I was not notified I had a negative review to respond to and now they are not allowing me to do anything. I'm stuck with this review saying we smelled up their room for a month! It's terrible and has made me feel awful and Airbnb will not do a thing about these lies. Awful company. Images I added show the cleanliness of the room when we left. All this and more was sent to Airbnb.

Why can't you just take a credit card, or ask for cash on arrival, or do any of the things that businesses do? Actually, submitting a copy of our tax returns would be easier than jumping through the hoops you set up for your would-be users. I understand you want to protect your profits, and the fees the property holders get for usage of their rooms. But how about protecting me? My blood pressure is going through the roof right now.

We booked another unit, not too far away and we're excited to check-in and start our vacation. As soon as we opened the door, we realized that the place is filthy. Im talking urine on the bathroom floor, bottles and trash everywhere, dirty bed sheets... etc. The unit also smelled like cigarettes. Simply disgusting. Again, we emailed the host right away, but it took him 30 min to respond. We tried calling Airbnb to inform about the situation and to try to get our money back, but again, 30 min later, we were still on hold. Simply unacceptable!!!

Finally, got a hold of the host (it was 7 pm, so around 4 hours after arriving in Montreal) and after 30 min back and forth, we were finally promised full refund. Hungry and upset, we opted for a hotel, which cost us double than what we originally planned on spending. It is 3 days later, and we still haven't received any of the refunds. When talking to the host, he said the refund was issued 2 days ago. He also tried to contact Airbnb 4 times but was put on hold for hours at a time. Now, I have no idea where my money is and how long it will take to receive it.

Tried calling Airbnb and the same thing happened. Was put on hold for at least 30 mins. I dont understand why Airbnb charges in advance when accidents like this happen. I also don't understand why the refunds take that long, but the charge is instant. If we didn't have credit cards and savings our vacation would have been ruined before it even started. We also had to stay 1 day less because we were way over our budget. Extremely disappointing. Never using Airbnb again!!!

After 3 hours of haggling with their call center, they have agreed for only USD225 - discount while I need to pay additional USD1263. The original booking was for USD732 - (new booking USD2217). All my plans have gone upside down. And since I had already booked my flights I am in a big fix. But nothing has changed the mindset of their call center. So eventually I need to cancel my booking, losing lot of money for my flight tickets. :-(

I explained the situation and damages for a 2nd time and the new rep said I would need to fill out the form she would email, but it needed to be completed along with pictures attached BEFORE my next guests arrived. (Mind you, they would arrive in 4 hours). I was on a business trip in Los Angeles and my rental property is in Dallas, Texas. Needless to say, I scrambled to complete their requirements despite the fact that the mistake was on their part in the first place. Once I submitted the form, explaining the damages and attaching links, estimates, etc it was sent to the guest. After 72 hours and no response from the guest, I followed up with Airbnb in which I was assigned 3 separate reps to deal with who once again wanted pictures, estimates, ages of damaged goods and invoices of any completed work for damages. I submitted over $800 worth of expenses for damages. Airbnb requested that I submit everything within 7 days.

I notified them that would be impossible because I travel for work and it was over the Thanksgiving holidays and I would need more time. One rep handled damages to the coffee table and linens, another the sofa and another the bathtub. In the end, I was awarded $77 for the damages by Airbnb, $50 for extra cleaning and $27 for damage to the glass coffee table top. The time it took me to gather all of the estimates and submit all of the information required over several weeks was worth more than $77. I declined their offer, mainly because I disagreed with it and it would also require me to click on a link they sent me and accept their terms and agree to their offer.

I replied and told them to not waste anymore of my time and not to bother sending me anymore emails about lowering my nightly rate because guests had viewed my listing but chose one nearby that was cheaper, then tell me when an incident occurs like this one with damages that I should increase my cleaning fee to cover such damages, that it is contradictory. I also let them know that my listing had been listed in the Business Insider as one of the top listings booked in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex and I was one of their best and most popular hosts in DFW and if this is the way they treat their best hosts, I'm sure Business Insider along with all of its readers would be interested in knowing that as well and that I would search every venue I could find to let it be known this is how they treated their best hosts.

Dana the women who I booked with in Barcelona didn’t answered he emails or sends messages in a timely manner. Then she sent me an email telling me her friend will meet me and I had to call him when my plane landed. When I got the cancellation notice I was stunned and upset. I sent AIRBNB a message. They told me she had a problem and all her bookings were cancelled. I find out later on she had 2 accounts and one was canceled by AIRBNB. Why didn’t they just rebook me in the house instead of canceling?

They kept my money for 2 months and they knew she had an issue. 1. If I canceled the trip I would have lost 50 percent of the booking fee. 2. Why is there no recourse for us when the host cancels? 3. It leads me to think < are some of these listings a hoax and what is AIRBNB doing with our money when they hold it and then the host’s cancels. 4. Why didn’t Airbnb know that she had account issues? And why wouldn’t they just rebook me internally instead of canceling? Airbnb is providing a service, however they need to do more on their part to ensure that hosts are more responsible and reliable.

We just received a notice today from Airbnb that our review would be removed from the Airbnb website because my husband inadvertently included details about an Airbnb investigation into the matter in the review. Furthermore, because the review had been published (and subsequently removed) we were no longer able to post a new or revised review that did not include these so-called details that violated Airbnb's review policies. Why? Because that is Airbnb's policy. To make matters even worse, the owner of the horribly smelling apartment was allowed to leave a review of us that said she could not recommend us to other owners because we left early. Go figure, she did not leave additional details on why we left early, but Airbnb did not seem to have a problem with that.

My husband and I have been traveling outside of the United States for 7 months; using Airbnb for the majority of our lodging. We have 12 other reviews outlining how we are "perfect" guests that take considerable care of the apartments / rooms / houses where we stay. This review from the owner in Catania is the only poor review we have received thus far.

The main reason we are so irritated by this situation is had we read a truthful review - like ours that has been removed - on the Airbnb website we would NOT have booked that place and we could have actually enjoyed the two days we had in Catania rather than searching for a new place and moving across town with my elderly in-laws. In conclusion, when we raised our concerns about the owner being able to submit a review of us and our review being removed without the possibility of submitting another, we were told by the Airbnb customer service rep that this matter was considered closed by Airbnb. End of story. How's that for customer service.

I used your service to rent an apartment in Tel Aviv that was listed on your site as a two-bedroom apartment. I actually canceled a Reservation at Raphael Hotel just down the street because I am a restless sleeper and sometimes snore very loud. It is common for me to move to a second bedroom in the middle of the night so my girlfriend can sleep. That was my major consideration for spending almost twice as much for the apartment I rented on your site rather than the hotel room just down the street. (Ironically I could see the hotel I canceled from the balcony of the apartment I rented from your site) Rubbing salt into the wound.

I called the owner of the apartment and asked to be released from the contract. I gave her a list of the problems. We were having problems getting the air conditioner to work so we had to leave the door to the patio open to get cool evening air to come in. Being at the intersection of two busy streets (noise from Buses, Trucks, scooters and the ever present honking of horns by impatient Israeli drivers made it almost impossible to sleep). The TV in the living room kept freezing making it impossible to watch any movies. The TV in the bedroom did not work at all. BUT my major complaint was the second listed bedroom WAS NOT A BEDROOM. There was no window and no ventilation of any type in the room.

The owner's response was the air conditioner did work and as for the noise I should take a pill or put earplugs in my ears (She told my girlfriend the same thing after I handed her the phone because I got too upset to continue the conversation after hearing that). She also said the Bomb Shelter was a bedroom and I should look at the previous reviews she received on your site. I told her my reviews would not look anything like her last reviews.

I called and spoke with your service representative Mika **. I complained that one of the listed bedrooms was not a bedroom; as it had no window and no ventilation of any type. The door to the room was a steel airtight blast door. The room was a Safe Room or bomb shelter (required in Israel in case of an attack). I sent her pictures and she denied my request to be released from the contract. Mika's response was to tell me the pictures were accurate and that I could leave the apartment forfeiting one day's rent and 50% of the remaining unused days. I couldn't afford to lose that money and pay for another place in Israel. I still owe money for this apartment and I'm not rich. I just couldn't afford that so I suffered with what I had.

A simple search on the Internet International Building Code requirements for a bedroom yielded many results. This is the simplest explanation. 1. ENTRANCE: FAILED A bedroom requires at least TWO METHODS OF EGRESS. The room In question has only ONE. 2. CEILING: PASSES THE TEST. 3. ESCAPE: FAILED only one steel air-tight door (No other window or door). 4. SIZE: FAILED the room should be at least 70 sq. ft. The dimensions of this room were 175 cm (5.74 ft.) by 318 cm (10.43 ft.), which works out to 59.87 sq. ft. That is less than the 70 sq. ft. requirement.

There also an additional requirement I discovered during my research. If the room is to be occupied by more than ONE person the code requires that 50 sq. ft. be allotted for each person. She placed a queen size bed in that room and her listing states that up to 5 people can be accommodated one on the couch two in the main bedroom (king bed) leaving 2 for the queen bed in the BOMB SHELTER making the size requirement for that room 100 sq. ft. DID YOU NOTICE THE DIMENSION 5.74 ft.??? The IRC STATES the room Cannot be less than 7 ft. in any horizontal direction? 5.74 ft. does not satisfy the 7 ft. requirement. I am 5 ft. 10 in. tall and I could reach my arms out and touch both walls at the same time (I have videos showing me measuring the room and touching both walls if you would care to see them).

This room was a concrete coffin. If a fire were to occur in the living area there would be no means of escape. A definite safety issue and one that you would most definitely assume some liability for that should be a concern for you. This fraudulent listing damaged me. I saved for and I am still paying for this vacation. Rather than having another bedroom I could retreat to I was forced to sleep on the couch. The BOMB SHELTER was HOT, CLAUSTROPHOBIC and UNINHABITABLE. It was basically a closet with a bed in it. It became a point of contention between my girlfriend and me as she thought I was basically stupid for not asking more questions to find out what we were actually getting. It turned what should have been peaceful, relaxing time in a new country for the first time into a tense unhappy visit.

I did visit many of the country's sites that were enjoyable, but having to return to that apartment threw a wet towel on the experience. I believe a refund is due not only for the fraudulent listing as to it being two-bedroom apartment but also for the aggravation it caused ruining my vacation. I would request that all prosperities listed by the owner of this property be suspended until this matter is resolved and then only reinstated when her listings descriptions conform to the IRC. You have travelers from many different countries using your service. Using a recognized international standard would be useful to all travelers. I suggest Airbnb adopt the IRC (International Residential Code) as a standard to protect future customers from the aggravation and disappointment I suffered from this fraudulent listing.

I now check door & window frames - often filthy. Charge me for cleaning - but make sure it's clean! I'm not that picky. TVs! If I have to download apps on my PC and register I live for 30 min etc to use the TV: 1. Tell me upfront - it takes forever! 2. Provide written instructions. 10:30 PM after a 12 hr workday is not the time to learn the ** TV doesnt work.

Other: Written info for thermostat, appliances, lighting & other stuff that is not obvious to a new user would be great. Upkeep: 2 recent stays included broken towel racks, TP holders, no trash cans in kitchen, had to supply our own TP & paper towels beyond 1 roll. Thermostat controlled in main house - nobody home so we sweltered 2 nights. Some hosts have never traveled or need a basic hosting checklist. Hope this helps someone. No I didnt do negative reviews - too much controversy there - but will not book any of these again. PS if the place is a guest house hosts should be required to prove it's up to code - One place had bare light bulb in shower, kitchen faucet falling out of the socket, smoke alarm disconnected & hanging from ceiling - obvious electric issues for starters.

Had to have my daughter stay one night - and then got her out next morning to a Hotel and cancelled the next 3 days with Airbnb as the Host had basically said "too bad" and that "Distance" is an opinion and that if we had waited as he would have someone clean the unit. But now would keep all the funds including the cleaning deposits. After 4-5 calls with Airbnb and sending multiple pics and screenshots to show how their site completely misled - They said eventually later "Not sure why/How this happened." That property is at a distant "Bixel Street" address and so Too bad we will side with the host position as she "decided" and they are just 3rd party - all after pretending that they cared if my daughter was Ok from night before.

I was so worried about these people I could not enjoy myself and we left after the first evening. So we told our "host" and he was very belligerent and did not take it on himself to give us any of our money back! He could have at least given us the cleaning deposit as we left everything even the bed that was too small to sleep in as we found it! I left a very honest review and he berated me about it. I will never rent a cabin again that I do not double check on satellite view and read all the reviews carefully. I wish more people would be more honest in the reviews. Some talked about the view not being what they thought and the bed being very small for a double but nothing about the 2 cabins and the short driveway. Very disappointing experience!

I HAD UNTIL 11 TO LEAVE THAT PLACE!!! SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO ASK ME ABOUT IT. Finally, we left and cleaned the condo more than we had to. We took the trash out, organized, and put the unclean dishes on the sink because we paid $100 cleaning fee for them to do it. Who goes to a vacation expecting to clean a PLACE? Nobody!!! That's why we paid for it! Well, next day she writes an extremely unprofessional review about me and my guests! Claiming that I used every single towel she had, eat all her food and left all dirty dishes on the sink!!!

WHO DOES THAT? ON MY AIRBNB PUBLIC PROFILE??? What type of person is This? I paid her $100 to clean the Condo! She didn't have to write such horrible comments about me and my family. I am not able to delete the comment she made and now every time I try to make a reservation all the hosts will look at her crazy review. I have attach her information and message she sent me. I'll like to ask for a full refund of my money for making go through such an embarrassing situation.

They passed me to the manager who tried to help and he said that they were not able to get a hold of the host. In those moments I received an Airbnb notification that the host canceled the reservation. I was very stressed in that moment and confused. I had gotten there on time for the check-in and I still didn't have any contact with the host. Now that Airbnb was not helping to their best capacity, which all they could do was offer me other rooms in Airbnb for that price but what they did not notice and I don't even know how, is that all those private rooms were booked for that night when I checked to book them last minute. How do you send someone links for a place to stay that they say is available but they truly are not available?

I am very disappointed and I made sure that the Airbnb agent knew my discourage with them. He told me could do is give me a refund and when I told him that the links he sent me were all booked he didn't say anything. In that moment last minute in NYC I had to book a hotel very expensive for the quality of it which was a holiday inn express which the elevator didn't even work. I ended up paying $287.04 a night for two nights, a total of $665.76 with taxes and fees included. Airbnb only returned me $150 six days later after my stay in NYC.

I find it amazing how Airbnb will leave their clients stranded on the streets of NYC at almost midnight with no way of resolving this issue with the costumer except giving them a refund. They should have contacted the host before and made sure that she was prepared for her guest. They are extremely lenient with who hosts and this is ruining their reputation. This was an experience from hell with this company. I hope for them to be able to help me solve this issue now after I review them here. I used to love Airbnb when my family and I go to vacations but now after this horrible experience I am terrified of using this company's services. All I want is for them to have covered the hotel stay that I had to last minute alone in NYC reserve due to Airbnb's failed services.

No one wants to go to a place that they have paid hundreds of dollars to find out that your reservation has been canceled. The host said that the clerk typed my name in wrong. I doubt that cos he had my driver's license and if he typed my name in wrong then it wouldn't come up, he even put in the room # so no I will never rent from Airbnb again, I don't trust them now after that experience.

I have since contacted Airbnb support a total of 6 times. On every call I have been told that I need a case manager and that my current case manager is in the wrong department and they will need to transfer my case to the correct department. They then follow that up with "someone will be in contact via phone shortly". This all started on 9/17 (day of checkout) and I have yet to be contacted by anyone via phone. I have received 2 different emails by 2 different people sending me help links that lead me back to the resolution center, none of which are helpful or explain how to get my security deposit.

Airbnb gives you the ability to request a security deposit on your home. This is similar to a hotel asking for a credit card to be on file in case after your departure there are damages. They do not email you and negotiate the fees of the damages. They simply charge them and move on with their day. This is what Airbnb hosts are lead to believe with the security deposit. After all, why would you add the additional security deposit on your home and make it available to your potential guests if it's not enforced.

I have now been on hold for the 7th time with a "supervisor" of one of the customer service teams for an hour and 26 minutes and counting. Majority of which has been spent listening to terrible music. During the actual conversation part the "supervisor" admitted that they are not actually a manager and that if I did not get a callback this time I could call BACK IN and they would escalate it to a manager. This was infuriating considering the last 3 calls I have made I have asked to speak to a manager and was lead to believe that was who I was speaking to. At that point I interrupted the rep and told them how upset and shocked I was that he just admitted that he was in fact not a manager and that I had just wasted an hour of my time for him to tell me exactly what the last 6 reps had said and then rat himself out about his lie of not being a manager. I have now been waiting 27 minutes on hold for an actual manager to pick up.

I am unbelievably shocked, disappointed, and infuriated with the lack of service I have been given. Yes, Airbnb offers a good product. A place for people to list their homes but they also make it seem that they will have your backs and act accordingly when things go wrong, like damages. It is VERY clear to me now that is not the case. I have no idea if I will ever get someone on the phone who can actually assist me but I do know I will be posting this review on every outlet possible.

My plan for the day was to meet with my friend for an early lunch and to do a bit of shopping. When I picked her up, I showed her my arms and also the picture I had taken of my back while still in the cottage. She said she hoped they were only flea bites but I should check for bedbugs. She explained how that should be done. I cut our shopping trip short, because it seemed as if more bites were appearing. I went back to the cottage and asked Dorothy, Heidi's mother and the person who showed me around and got me settled into the cottage the night before, if she could tell me what she thought the bite marks were. She said she had lived in Florida for only two years and didn't have a clue. I went to Urgent Care, and the doctor without examining my body said they were bug bites. Not specifying which bugs.

I returned to the cottage and wanted to satisfy my mind to stay another night, but decided to check the mattress and box springs as my friend had suggested. Well, at the outer corner of the head of the bed, I pulled the piping/cording around the box springs and a full-grown bedbug and a cluster of eggs and nymphs fell onto the top of my shoe. I went back around front and summoned Dorothy to show her she had an infestation. Since I had disturbed them earlier, she didn't see any. I didn't stay around for her to check other areas of the bed. I was almost running to get out of there. She said she would refund my money, her portion. I needed to contact Airbnb about their share.

I contacted Airbnb and the first Customer Care agent said he needed proof, so I spent the next four hours trying to send the picture back to the email address he had used. It kept bouncing back. I finally found a place to send the picture after going to Airbnb's Help Center. He did refund the total $175 I had paid for a three-night stay.

Before I returned home, I went to General Dollar Store and bought bedbug spray and let off bombs in my car. I did not bring my soft side bags with my clothes and medicines in immediately, but I did wear the shoes in that I had on when I examined the box springs at Heidi's. Since I've never experienced anything like this, I thought after the bombing, my belongings could be brought back into my house. I immediately started washing my clothes. But it was soon very evident I had some hitch hikers. I then went to Ace Hardware and bought the most powerful kit they had and started using it. I also turned the furnace on and a small electric heater, hoping to eradicate them with heat. After doing this from August 9-13 with still bites each morning, I called a professional company. I wanted them to come the next day, but it took extensive preparation, and since I had to do it all myself, I did not have them to come until a few days later.

By the time they arrived, I had thrown out nearly all my clothes, bedding, beds and any soft items that could easily provide a nesting place for the bugs or their eggs. The professional returned three times to do both the car and the house. Each morning I still woke up with pinpricks somewhere on my body. After the first time they were there, I returned from the car with bites on both sides of my back just below my arms. My sister sent me over $200 of Say Bye Bug, which I used to spray over all surfaces and I washed all linen each day, sometimes twice each day in the laundry solution. Still pinpricks. I have followed all suggestions. I went and bought a steamer and shop vac and steamed each inch of my bedroom floor and up the baseboards. I finally bought 10-lbs of diatomaceous powder and spread it throughout the house. It looks like it's a bombed-out shelter in a war zone.

To keep from impacting my health further by inhaling fumes and dust, I asked my sister to please come get me. She called me when she was about 30-minutes away from my house. At that time I took a shower, stood in the middle of the living room and waited for her to come to the door to hand me a change of clothes. She gave me the clothes, and I handed her a plastic bag with my medicine in it. I told her to wait for me in the car. I quickly put on the clothes and left with another bag containing the rest of the Say Bye Bug which I sprayed on myself before I got into her car and after I got in. I anticipate being many miles away from my home for at least four months because I read that a bedbug cannot live longer without a blood meal. Since I was their host, I hope they will starve.

As far Airbnb, they are full of hot air. They want the public to think they are concerned and responsive to a guest's problem, but they're not. They had the gall to send me pictures of someone's lovely vacation to comment on. I did. I told about my not so lovely one. The thread had over a hundred responses. Several were from Airbnb personnel who monitor the information. Each one continued to publicly post that they wanted me to contact a Case Manager. Each time I did, it was the same smoke-blowing. Their final compensation offer was to WASH the clothes I had in Heidi's Granny Cottage. At that point I said, What clothes?

Airbnb wants to wash my clothes. I have thrown away most of my possessions, can't use my car or stay in my home, interact with my friends, participate in my social activities or have a normal life and they offer that as a solution. Folks BEWARE. Yes, this could have happened at a hotel, but at least there are inspectors and regulatory agents for them. With Airbnb, you're on your own.

Do not count on Airbnb's reviews because if the guest writes a poor review, the host can also complain about the guest so many people (including myself) are reluctant to write the whole truth. Customer service? AirBnB told me I had to demonstrate to them that there was no air conditioning!!! (I wonder how I am suppose to photograph air temperature???) Meanwhile AirBnB just collects their money... Like many other people who have posted here, accommodations made through AirBnB can be a risky business and can completely ruin your travels!

I think they must get many complaints about their review policy too, because after speaking with 4 different agents about the policy, it seemed they had heard these things before and were quick to get off the phone. They have no power to help you even if you go to a supervisor. They have become robotic in the way they operate their business sort of like the cheap airfare sites and other 3rd party sites that have bad reputations and for the most part are unable to assist. But, they will take their service fee out of the total. So, there's that.

I proceeded to book another property, only to be contacted the following day by the host that their property was also not available and that they had clearly communicated with Airbnb that those dates were not available. This host proceeded to contact Airbnb numerous times to straighten the matter out but I continued to receive confirmations and a guarantee that they had contacted the host and all was OK. If I had believed them I would have been stuck without housing when I arrived in Massachusetts from Texas! I called the host directly, as Airbnb had given me their number in the confirmation, to make sure this information was correct, only to find out that she was very upset with Airbnb and their lack of proper response to her communications. The property was unconditionally not available.

There have been innumerable communications between myself and Airbnb, yet no refund of my money. It has now been 4 days. 2 days ago I was told that they had escalated the situation to a case manager but I only received an anonymous email saying they had contacted the host for a refund after which they would refund me! I told them they were a business and they were responsible for refunding me after 2 false bookings but still no refund. I phoned the host again today to see if that would help and she told me that she had never received any funds for my booking, nor had she been contacted in that regard! I'm out $1,200 with no response from Airbnb!

The website is nothing more than a classified ad service, or eBay in the early days when all it had going for it was a "review system." BUT Airbnb knows you're not likely to look into THEIR PERSONAL REVIEWS and nowhere on their site is a system to review them! You only get to review their hosts, BUT ONLY IF YOU STAY REGARDLESS OF THE CONDITIONS YOU FIND UPON ARRIVAL!

Let's say you arrive, turn on the lights, and OMG, there are literally 50 roaches running for the corners? Or, the bed is unmade with soiled sheets and there is unflushed urine sitting in the toilet? If you cancel your reservation, YOU CANNOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ANYONE ON THEIR SITE and they do nothing to assist you. Or, imagine you rented a place for a week in an area where it is difficult to find lodging last minute, and your host cancels on you upon your arrival? NO REVIEW ALLOWED! Are you getting the picture? Dangerous and unsafe conditions upon your arrival? You are screwed! Airbnb gets a hefty sum in service fees and does nothing for them other than HOSTING THE ADVERTISEMENT ON THEIR SITE and using a review system they intentionally ensure will not reflect poorly on their hosts or their site!

If you get canceled on when you arrive, you are forced to pay outrageous fees for last minute lodging elsewhere, and more than likely much further away than you needed to be! AND they offer people huge incentives to encourage others to use their site -- I'd only do that if I were nasty and wanted to screw someone over. I'll stick to using places guaranteed safe and available and warn everyone I know to stay far, far away from AIRBNB! If you have a problem and contact AIRBNB, nothing, they are nothing more than a classified ad service!

3. With regards to the contract/agreement, both parties must fulfill obligations. You and by extension Airbnb have failed in this matter on several counts prior to the cancellation: (a) substituting a different apartment after I reserved and paid for another one, without my consent in advance or details on the new place. (b) failing to honour the stated time of checkout as per your advertisement which is 12 noon... upon which I had made my plans to arrive in order to, not check in necessarily, but drop off bags as the previous tenants should have been gone. At the last minute you accepted their whim to leave at 2.00, leaving me stranded. With no communication.

(c) providing a key for some other flat entirely, left in a mailbox in another building as the host was unavailable, which did not work when I tried it. No communication after several attempts. Had to go to a hotel. Lost $500. Airbnb cancelled and refused a refund due to strict policy, and I quote, "while disregarding their own rules for the host to responsibly rent and supervise guest experience." Many Airbnb experiences go fine, but when they don't, the company will abandon you and you have no recourse.

When I reported this to Airbnb, they dismissed me out of hand. Ever since then, they have ignored my emails or sent curt, unproductive, and dismissive responses. They have even refused to deal with the Better Business Bureau.

Airbnb makes their money by charging a hefty service fee, so why shouldn't they take as many listings as they can. With vrbo now blowing up with their service fee debacle, the vacation rental business is a mess. Flipkey by traveladvisor is still legitimate where owners pay to list and guests do not pay a service fee. Hopefully they will not start gouging too.

I escalated to Airbnb, where they told me I was out of luck as well. I then utilized my law degree to inform these clowns that 1) No clickwrap agreement is going to bind me to anything; 2) I am legally entitled to try and make myself "whole" by way of assigning the room rented to another individual; 3) Tenancy Law > Terms & Conditions of a corporation.

The law allows for cancellations within a certain time period, regardless of some clickwrap agreement; meaning if you book a place 6 days in advance, when the website claims in its fine print that if you cancel within 7 days, you pay x fee -- it's not contractually binding, as you are not given any grace period to cancel without penalty. After educating a low-level employee who threatened me; a supervisor quickly offered me a full refund. However, days later, I have not seen that amount applied to my paypal balance as they said it "would soon." Soon, to me, means within a week.

Do not deal with Airbnb unless you feel like being strong-armed and ganged up upon by a host and Airbnb customer service. If you do, remember, when it becomes reasonably inferable that the host is an agent of Airbnb, they become vicariously liable for the actions of said agent and are prime targets for litigation. Cheers.

I recently had a slip and fall accident in a filthy apartment where I rented a room through Airbnb. The pictures were completely deceiving, as MOST ARE. The photos are photoshopped to make the rentals look CLEAN/SPOTLESS, larger than they are, and brighter. The photos of this rental did not reveal the filthy bathroom and bathtub, kitchen, etc. I was desperate to find a room, since it is nearly impossible to find one in Chicago in the summer. And hotels are out of the question. I am a world traveler and have been renting rooms on and off for a month.

Regarding this apartment: I told the owner many times the guests (15+) were not cleaning the floors and that there was water on the bathroom floor and kitchen and hallway DAILY. Also, the trash was piling up, and I was not going to keep cleaning up after the short term guests. I did notice she had several bad reviews about the cleanliness of her apartment, particularly the bathroom, and $800 a month, for my porch room and literally wooden box spring 'bed' from a couch was the bed. The host did get an air mattress for me shortly after I arrived and saw the 'bed' was made of wood with sheets covering it. This was the first time the host rented this 'room' so no reviews on the space... I was the first.

I wound up slipping on the bathroom floor and hit my foot on a very dangerous tile step that is permanently cemented to the length of the bathtub. I fell into the porcelain (filthy) bathtub, smashing my wrist and arm and knees on the side of the tub, then fell very hard in the bathtub, breaking my fall with my hands and badly broke and fractured bones in my wrist and arm. I told the host (who was rarely there) again I had slipped on the floor AGAIN, this time breaking my wrist. I went to the emergency room the next morning, and the doctors concluded I had badly broken my wrist and fractured bones in my arm. A cast was put on and follow up visits to an orthopedic surgeon came later.

Immediately after this fall, Airbnb deleted my account without my knowledge and made me move out, but put me up in a hotel costing $3000 A WEEK, but they did not pay the deposit of $250. I almost could not move into the paid room and it took HOURS for me to reconcile this since they had not reimbursed me for the filthy room/apt I just left.

To make matters worse and worse, I had to pack and move with a broken wrist. Get my own transportation to the hotel (they paid for that), and unpack (I have been traveling for 3 years and have several large suitcases), etc. I forfeited 4 interviews since I could not interview with a cast on my arm (I work solely with my hands). After just breaking my wrist and informing Airbnb what happened, they manipulated me to sign the Host Protection Program (DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING FROM AIRBNB!!!), this 'program' protects the host only not the guest.

I wound up nearly homeless after the week at the hotel, since it is nearly impossible to book a room in Chicago during the summer, and my Airbnb closed my account due to MY INJURY that was NOT my fault. By chance, I found a retreat where the host gives priority to women in crisis. She knew I was in crisis (she hates Airbnb as well, and they have owed her money; she no longer uses Airbnb as a host). A sleazy insurance adjuster works with them, and he is dishonest and only protects Airbnb. I met with him unknowingly that he was completely against me; he recorded my conversation, and ALSO acted as if this accident was MY fault, even though when I met with him, I had a cast on my arm! I later wrote him an email stating to DROP everything and told him he is dishonest and I was manipulated into meeting with him, etc.

I am now seeking legal advice from a well known attorney. Airbnb should be sued for this as well as the host. It's about time Airbnb, the money hungry corporate, multi billion dollar company got sued for guests who have pain and suffering, lost wages, due to their false advertising of 'clean' rentals, etc. There are many more details, but you get the picture. WATCH OUT for Airbnb; they are NOT honest or helpful. They have so many employees now who put you on hold to get rid of you. This is a corporation being run by greedy 30 somethings who are just getting rich, no matter what.

The ask commission between 6 to 12 % from the customer and also ask it from the house owner, Be ready for any unusual commission at the end. Also I could not cancel the reservation because they ask you full amount of payment not only the first night.

So the prices are all fake on the site. Think twice before booking.

I spent the next 3-4 hours on the phone with Airbnb, the owner, and the property manager. Airbnb could not get us into another property as it was too late at night. The owner of the property was in Paris and the property manager was not listed on the account so she could not really help us. The property manager tried to amend the situation with unreasonable offers which we declined.

Every time I called Airbnb to discuss the matter I was placed on hold for 5-10 minutes while my representative was located. She would not give her direct number. It was requested I email pictures of the unit but a direct email could not be given. Every time I sent a picture to the original email I received an error message although the representative actually said she could receive them. She would not give her direct email.

I was finally told the reservation should be cancelled but I could not cancel it myself as I would be responsible for the entire balance. I had to wait for the unresponsive property owner in Paris to cancel the reservation.

In the meantime, while their food was spoiling in the car, my friends found a vacation rental company in the same area that was willing to get us in a unit- that exact moment- for cheaper than we had spent on this property. I requested this be paid by Airbnb but this request was declined. Apparently they can only work with their own properties.

Airbnb did nothing to correct this situation. The owner of the unit harassed me throughout the next day to cancel the property but Airbnb could not get ahold of him? I finally heard back via email that my reservation was cancelled. This was the worst customer service Ive ever received. We were truly stranded. My graduation weekend, my familys stay, and our groceries were ruined because they do not have the appropriate backup plan in an emergency situation and they will not accommodate a new plan found by the customer.