I booked this healing vacation for my mom and I, to Sedona, AZ. Since we both had heavy cancer treatments for years we needed a break. Instead of taking 7 different pills a day, I use medicinal marijuana and while it's legal in Arizona I let them know my situation and mention that I'll smoke outside. Just because throughout these years the stigma, and misinformation is obvious.

Turns out the location was far from downtown, but host Vanessa says the distance is only hard when "you're handicapped" basically and belittles my 73 y/o Mom. That 30 minutes walk up a steep hill was hard for me as well...but let's move on.

She promised my bed to be comfortable. But the sheets have stains, hard spots and popcorn. Ants all over the kitchen, broken glass and the new sheets (in the closet, sitting on top of a box, paintings and other personal clutter) do not smell fresh. At this point I'm so disappointed. I sit on the bed and see the whole feet part falls down, its broken. So laying on it, your feet fall down.

I text AirBnB and here is where it goes wrong:

Even though I'm paying the host $220/night, AirBnB says that even though I have no bed for a week...and the location is off...it's upto the Host to see what she wants to do.

I forward pictures to the Host and say I'm sorry to be a bother, but the bed is broken...the sheets are dirty...and the other sheets in the closet don't smell clean. Vanessa texts me I can leave now but pay for 4 nights plus cleanings fees, AirBnB fees etc. That hardly leaves me with anything left to find another place. I try regardless because we feel unwelcome.

She wanted us out since I said the bed was broken, and declined repair since that would leave me with another day of not enjoying the town and hiking. Anyway, we made sure we left everything perfect. Did the dishes, took trash out etc. Made a video how well it looked at check out.

The host left me feedback, stating we ruined the cabin, broke dishes, smoked inside and uses marijuana as a tool judge and belittle and goes off like Im a drug addict. I open a case with AirBnB to have the lies removed. They wont do it...not will they look at my video or pictures as proof.

I didn't even ask for a refund. I didn't report a lady coming by the 3rd day and a guy the 4th day. Unannounced. All I wanted was the lies taken down, but they won't do it!

We had been looking forward to this vacation for months, and were sent several emails from host Jenny stating how tranquil, and private the place was, and how she was eager to ensure we had a great experience. Unfortunately, the tiny house looks straight across the driveway to the neighbors place, and they were using power tools during our stay. When we first got to the airbnb rental the lockbox was already open, with the key in it (not secure). The first issue we faced was that the bathroom pocket door was broken. We tried to fix it, but it was not just off the track, it was broken and would take more than a borrowed screwdriver to fix. Even though we could not have privacy in the bathroom, we did not complain, and we were not going to let that impact our holiday. The next morning my partner woke up complaining of itchy bites around his ankles and lower legs. I didn't think much of it and assumed it was mosquitos or biting midges. The second night of our holiday he woke up in the middle of the night from itchiness and many more bites, and tried to sleep on the couch. This was unusual as there were no mosquitos in the tiny home when we went to sleep, and the windows were closed. So I took a close look at his legs and immediately recognized them to be flea bites. Our young son and I had slept in the other loft bed and neither of us had received even one bite. Obviously we could not expect him to go back up in that loft bed another night, and had no choice but to get a hotel in town for the rest of our vacation. I sent Jenny a polite and factual email about the situation, and then she showed her true colours. She refused to believe me, and said there were no fleas in the house (even though it turns out she was on the other side of the country and not at the property during our stay). She said we should have talked to her first before going to a hotel, but logically - what could she have done about it? She said they were no-see-ums bites not flea bites, but no-see-ums do not live in beds, and the other two of us would have been bitten as well if that were the case. I sent her photos of the bites and pointed out that there in fact was dog hair on the dog bed and blankets provided at the house, and that they may have come from there. She denied this and said she had an exterminator to the house (within one day!?) who had checked and reported no fleas. Of course, when I asked to see the report she became defensive, and accused me of "playing games". She tried to paint us as soft city-folk in her emails, saying things like I'm sorry you were so "frightened" and "terrified" by bugs. Actually we are regular campers, hikers, and members of the Four Wheel Drive Assoc. Who have always lived on the west coast of BC, are very familiar with the Squamish area, and have tons of experience with bugs. She did not offer any type of reparations in any of our countless email communications, but instead became combative, then had the nerve to send me several emails asking for a five star review!, warned me not to write about our experience of fleas in the review, and threatened to give me a bad 'guest review' on AirBnB.

The day after we'd had to leave the tiny house and get a hotel room, AirBnB Support started sending me numerous emails. I had not contacted them, but they had three different agents spamming me emails saying they are working to find a solution, not giving one, then asking repeatedly if we would like "any further support". I replied pointing out that they had not actually given us any support yet whatsoever. Their emails barely made any sense and seemed to have been auto-translated or written by someone who does not speak English. I stopped responding, as it was going nowhere and I just wanted to spend time with my family - not deal with endless, pointless emails. In the end the AirBnB Support sent me a notification saying they refunded me $29.70. They didn't ask if I wanted this refund, they just sent it and figured they had made things right. This is a joke, considering the rental cost of Jenny's tiny home was $1672.00, we could only stay for half of the time paid for without enduring more bodily harm, and were forced to pay an additional unforeseen expense of $630.00 for a hotel. It is very sad that all we wanted was a nice, relaxing holiday together, and what we got for our hard-earned money was flea bites, attitude, and the hassle of having to move accommodations in the middle of it. Not to mention the relentless, pointless email communications - I might as well have been at work. If Jenny or AirBnB had made ANY real attempt to compensate for this experience, this review could have had a very different tone. And they were given every opportunity to do so.

I only wish I had researched AirBnB before booking. I did look at the reviews specific to Jenny's property, and they were all positive. Only now after looking into it more did I find out that AirBnB removes the very negative reviews from their site. There are an overwhelming number of extremely negative reviews of AirBnB on Consumer Affairs, TrustPilot, SiteJabber, the Better Business Bureau, etc. Even found these two very revealing articles:

https://www.theinvisibletourist.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-airbnb-issues-you-didnt-know/

Https :// www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/airbnb-terrible#:~:text=A%*******%20study%20of%20more,22%25%20were%20related%20to%20scams

I have no doubt AirBnb will not publish this review, which is why it is going on every other site available. After reading these, we really don't think ANYONE should be using AirBnB. Anyway, as for Jenny's threat to 'blacklist' me from AirBnB...no worries, we would not use this horrible service again even if you paid us.

DO NOT BOOK with this company! I would give them zero stars if possible! Horrible customer service and their business model is GREED! I booked our family vacation at one of the homes that Red-y Vacations host/manage through AirBnB. I booked online, paid with my credit card and received the confirmation. Within an hour -- I received an email that AirBnB cancelled my vacation! When I called I was first told it was cancelled because the house wasn't "ready" for bookings...?! This seemed odd as the house was booked for the week prior to and the week after my dates. With some further investigation, I checked the actual website of "Get Red-y Vacations" (who manage the home that I booked) and they had the house listed-- (for the exact dates I had booked!) -- but for almost THREE (3) times what I had booked it for, so the initial "excuse" given to me for the reason they cancelled -- "the house not being ready" was a blatant LIE! I was then told by AirBnB it was because I booked it for too low of a price and there was a "glitch in the system" that I shouldn't have been able to book it for the price that I did. They said there was nothing they could do because the owner of the house cancelled. AirBnB also advertises "AirCover" on their site -- which they state you are covered against owner cancellations is equivalent to nothing for the customer other than refunding your credit card. I then decided to reach out directly to "Get Red-y Vacations" to inquire further about the cancellation and to appeal to their sense of ethical and principled business practices -- to honor the price as listed, and to do the right thing by the customer. I explained the entire situation to the owner, Chris. After telling her my name, she greeted me with "Oh, YOU'RE the one who's vacation we cancelled". She then specifically told me that she can get more than double the price that I paid for the dates that I had booked-- however it was advertised for a specific price and I had already booked, paid and received confirmation of my vacation. Isn't this false advertising = FRAUD!?! Wouldn't they be expected to honor the price listed and as sold? For example, If you order and pay for an item on Amazon, they don't and can't just cancel the order and email you an hour later telling you the price for your item was listed wrong, and the item is now almost triple what you just bought it for! This would be fraud!
Furthermore, also offered to Chris to pay MORE than the price I had originally booked it for, as a good faith gesture that they might be willing to meet me in the middle and, again, do the right thing for the consumer! Well, a week later and I still hadn't received a call back from Chris. I then called and left a voice mail and also filled out the online form on their website to "be contacted asap". Nothing. And again, a couple days later, called, filled out form to be contacted. She obviously was ghosting me and avoiding coming up with a resolution. Finally, I received a call from a woman, "Sarah" who said that Chris asked her to call me. Not even sure if she worked for the company, could've been Chris's friend whom she coerced into calling me to cowardly get out of calling me back herself. Sarah proceeded to apologize about 20 times but said "her hands are tied" and there was "nothing she could do." I told her she didn't have to keep apologizing, and there were, in fact, things they could do, but they were simply choosing NOT to. They would simply have made less profit on the 4 days that I had the house booked. Simple solution. The profit margins in this business are already so exorbitant, they still would have made money. I explained that as a small business owner myself, that my customers are my number one priority and maintaining reputable business practices in today's climate is of upmost importance -- whereas customer reviews can make or break a small business's reputation. Sarah didn't seem concerned with making things right in my particular situation nor about their unethical business practices or about their reputation. Sadly, "Get Red-y" is ONLY concerned about making a larger profit, no matter what the cost.

Anecdotally, I have a tremendous amount to say about this experience but will limit the review to only statements which can be proven.

THE LOCATION
656 Atlantic Ave, Westerly RI

THE PROCESS

On 2/15/2022 I reserved a listing and paid a 50% deposit; then paid the remaining 50% due for rental on 6/16/2022. Having heard nothing from the owner since 2/16/2022 I reached out using AirBnB's messaging system on 6/29/2022. The owner responded the same day, asked to follow-up via a personal email address, and I received a message later in the day indicating " Attached is our rental agreement with all the house information, details, check-in, check-out, parking, etc."

The "rental agreement" contains new details which were not included in the AirBnb listing, see applicable items copied and pasted from the rental agreement below:

New details - "Automobiles are not allowed to park on the street. Two (2) parking spaces are available for renters. Vehicles parked on the side of road may be towed as these are No Parking zones. Please note that owners use the parking space in between the cottages, please park in this designated "Renter Parking" area only, under the front porch, against the rock foundation:

Note: the Property Owner uses the lawn area for parking at all times, which is the space to the left of Tenant Parking, as well as, the Basement is restricted to the Owner's use only."

THE DECISION

I had already paid for the rental in full upon receipt of the rental agreement. This situation forced me to make a choice; cancel my childrens beach trip at the last minute and plead for my money back, or attempt to cope with new terms in an unexpected situation. I chose the latter.

THE REALITY

With the exception of the two tenant parking spaces the remainder of the property is an active parking lot for not just the owners, but dozens of their friends and family that come and go throughout the day and into the late evening hours; the "owner's only" basement is effectively used as a cabana for this large group. There were points in time where there were up to eleven vehicles on the property, only one of which was mine. Please see the photographs linked below

Street side
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xxr1azh7i5km812/**************784.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sc1ibudovqjmay0/**************.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnqwgoxk16m75xv/**************.jpg?dl=0

Wedged in opposite street side
https://www.dropbox.com/s/06wa0y29j3neuz2/IMG_*******_*******.jpg?dl=0

Front lawn
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmnti5wx39uus4t/IMG_*******_*******.jpg?dl=0

Basement is for owner's use only
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1tirqx802lxm5wu/IMG_*******_*******.jpg?dl=0

THE REACTION

I have three daughters ages 10,8, and 4 who made the following statements while we were on-premise:

8 year old - "Daddy, I thought this was our house, why are there so many people here?"

10 year old - "Daddy, I can't sleep with all the noise and car lights shining through the window"

4 year old - "Daddy, when will it be safe for me to ride my bike?"

THE EXIT

We paid for a week and left two days early. The next day I submitted a request through AirBnB for a partial refund, sharing the statements made by my children (cited above) as the primary reasons. The owner responded this morning with the following message:

<
I am sorry you did not enjoy your stay, it is very unfortunate that you are making these complaints and exited early. To respond to your comments; First, our description on Airbnb (see screenshot) clearly mentions details about the areas owners use (parking and basement). Second, the cars parked in your photos are isolated to solely July 4 holiday which I explained to your wife; for all our rentals, we reserve the right to park our lawn. Next, this house is located on the 'main beach strip' of Atlantic Ave where all Misquamicut beaches are accessed to/from which is told in my airbnb description, therefore I cannot control the level of beach traffic on any day. You should have done more research/ google earth or asked questions about the location of our beach house if you had any doubts prior to booking. The intersecting road we are located on is Breach Dr, that is a long dead end residential road clearly safe for bike riding. Guests enjoy that all the time. Or, just over the Weekapaug bridge are elite quite residential small safe neighborhoods to bike ride, if you did not like Atlantic Avenue sidewalks and designated Bike Lanes that are there. You exited/checked out without my knowledge, prior to your booking date which is not appreciated. This house is enjoyed by so many guests steps to a private beach access, so it is hard to understand justifiable facts regarding your dislikes. Everything about this rental is clearly communicated in this posting.
>

Screenshot
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yyecrhu022wb2sn/ownerScreenShot.JPG?dl=0

AIRBNB RESPONSE 12 DAYS AFTER REPORTING THE INCIDENT

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your reply and sorry for the delay as we are currently experiencing an unusually high volume of requests.

Upholding the policies and standards that protect our community is very important to us. We've given your case and its details careful consideration, and we have determined that we can't offer any further refunds outside of your Host's cancellation policy.

Our review is complete now, and we won't be able to offer additional support on this case at this time.

If you'd like to provide feedback on Airbnb's policies or your experience, you can do so any time at:

airbnb.com/feedback

Accommodation was cancelled with AirBnb by the Host on June 30. AirBnB did not notify me until one hour AFTER scheduled check-in time on July 5. By then I was already at the unit trying to figure out what was wrong with my check-in code. Since I was in a foreign country, I had no Internet or cell service to contact the AirBnb Support Team to find out what happened. Thank God for the friendly property manager who let me use the Internet.

AirBnB support staff provide lots of lip service and apologies but ultimately do not help. After getting nowhere with Customer Support I finally had to find and book new accommodations and pay for a second booking while hoping AirBnb would refund the money for my canceled stay "within 10 business days". Unfortunately, by the time all this was settled, it was almost 9:00pm and too late to check into the NEW listing I just booked. I didn't know that Hosts have 24 hours to confirm and accept even for a reservation paid for on the first day!? (Beware of this if you need quick accommodations through the AirBnB). Also keep in mind that even though their website WILL LET YOU PAY for a booking right up until midnight, it's a gamble as to whether the Host will contact you to provide check- in instructions (I'm still waiting for my refund for the first night). I ended up in a hotel through another service for the first night (additional costs I'll never get back).

Also be aware that the so-called AirCover "protection" listed on the site really does nothing. While the "Booking Protection Guarantee" states that "we'll find you a similar or better home...", what really happens is that the support team just tells you to look in the area and offers you a discount. My discount ended up being 20% off of the ORIGINAL booking price and even that took two hours to "confirm with a supervisor". I had booked the original stay over 6 months prior and now needed immediate weekend accommodations, so I was looking at twice the cost of my original booking in places half as nice - so you can imagine how useless that "20% of original booking" discount was.

In addition to providing no actual help, the Support Team will try to get you off the phone as quickly as possible by promising to call you back. This "call back promise" is a complete lie. I never received a single call back throughout the entire five-hour rebooking nightmare. I had to call back four times and a NEW "specialist" every time. When I complained about no call backs, the support team told me I had to be patient since it was a holiday weekend and they were short staffed: the irony that I was STUCK on a holiday weekend, in a foreign country, and was about pay premium, last-minute prices for new booking was apparently lost on them.

Keep in mind that ALL of this could have been avoided had an AirBnB Specialist simply reached out to me at any time between June 30 (the day they were notified that my booking was cancelled) and morning of July 5 (the check-in day and time that I was still in the States with cell and Internet service and could have found something else).

AirBnB may work for some, but the complete lack of any real Corporate policies to assist customers and the company's willingness to leave people stranded and potentially in danger is not worth the risk in my opinion.

My very first airbnb was at a lakefront home in Butler, TN, known as Sybarite. The place had great reviews and the host was listed as a 'superhost', which I guess means a lot in airbnb world. I can say, there were a couple pros of the place: gorgeous views, and excellent water pressure. Now for the huge cons, that would have been a deal breaker for me had one person left this info in their reviews: the whole place reeked of mothballs and there were mouse droppings in kitchen drawers, throughout kitchen, even in one of the beds. We searched the place for mothballs, as I would've gotten rid of them myself, because I'm not spending days in a place with that horrid odor, but couldn't find them. The host recommended we open the windows and turn on the fan, as apparently, the mothballs were in some crawlspace and not feasible to dispose of. Well, the place was recently painted, and all but two windows were PAINTED SHUT. 24 hours after our complaint, the host came bearing all sorts of chemical compounds, i. E., febreeze, plug-ins, scented candles, to try to cover the mothball odor. Didn't even touch them as I know it would just add chemical smell on top of the impossible-to-get-rid-of mothball stench. He also kind of just shrugged at the fact that they had a mouse problem... something they were 'working on.' I would have left a review myself on their airbnb site, however, unbeknowst to me, you can only do that within 14 days (I'm about 20 days out). Also, the host can review you, (I wouldn't care, since I'm never staying in one again) but I assume that's why there is so many stellar reviews for airbnbs. They also had a 'chore list' for us to do upon departing, to include stripping the beds and starting a load of laundry. Didn't know if this is common practice in airbnbs, but I do know it is OBNOXIOUS. I'm not paying higher than hotel fees to clean your disgusting mouse-ridden, mothball house. Would have loved to have had the opportunity to warn someone else of this place. Oh well. Maybe they'll see it here.

NIGHTMARE SITUATION - WARNING - HOST CANCELLATION HOURS BEFORE CHECK-IN.
RESERVATION HAD BEEN MADE NEARLY A MONTH PRIOR.
I HAD CHATTED WITH CHRISTIAN THE DAY BEFORE AND HE GAVE NO WARNING THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CANCEL OUR RESERVATION HOURS BEFORE WE ARRIVED.

TLDR: My party was left scrambling as everyone flew into Las Vegas. Host cancelled the reservation as I was at the airport flying in. Nightmare situation. Please, please reconsider booking so the same thing doesn't happen to your party.

I really hate to write bad reviews, but this story needs to be told to protect other Airbnb customers. Please consider using another service and definitely consider using another host.

On March 9,2022 I booked a stay at one of the vacation properties that Christian manages. It was a condo in the Wyndham in Las Vegas for a small group of family/friends. The stay was set for 8 guests from April 7 to April 11. We paid the rate and Christian was nice to chat with. We were happy to have a place booked because accommodations in Vegas during spring break can be difficult.

We were set to check in on April 7. One day prior, on April 6,2022, I messaged Christian about who in our party would actually check in the following day. He responded quickly and nicely and even said that the company would not charge us to do a name change for the person checking in. His last message the day before we were set to check in was at 6:32PM EST saying 'You're most welcome, Colton!' after I thanked him for changing the name of the person checking in.

April 7th. Day of travel to Vegas. Everyone in our party is excited and ready to go. We're all flying or driving in from 3 different states and haven't seen each other for nearly a year. Everyone is happy and ready to go. It's going to be a party. We're excited to be staying right next to the strip in this great Airbnb that has been booked for nearly a month.

As I'm preparing to get in the car to go to the airport, I get a phone call from a strange number in Michigan at 12:31 PM EST. I didn't answer the first call because I didn't know the number. The number calls right back, so I answer it. The phone line was echoey and quiet, so I couldn't hear well, and a lady immediately starts talking about how they're so sorry that the reservation is cancelled. Cancelled? I try to get her to confirm what she's saying. She tries to get off the phone as quickly as possible, but I ask her to stop. I ask her to please repeat what is going on. She sounded really nervous and insisted that there was nobody else available for me to speak with (I asked several times). She insists that the reservation has to be cancelled. I beg her not to. I remind her that this trip has been scheduled for a month and that our party is literally on the way to the property. We were set to check in at 4:00pm MST THAT DAY. She goes on about an error in the system, all of their properties booked, they're just a management company, etc. I remind her that it has been booked for a month and they're cancelling hours before the reservation. She again says 'sorry' and the call ends.

Ok. Slight panic mode. I call the Wyndham and they confirm that they are 100% booked and that there is no reservation under our name. Ok. Medium panic mode. I call the number for Christian listed in the booking. No answer. I message Christian and tell him I got a weird call. I'm still hopeful at that point that it was a mistake. Nope. Christian finally messages back 24 minutes later with the following message:

"We are sorry to inform you that we are a management company and our owner client has been non-responsive. Owners, pass away or sell their units sometimes without informing us. A refund will be processed for 100% of your cost. Please be aware that your credit card company may take 3-5 business days before the credit hits your account."

Hard panic mode. I message him back and tell him people are literally flying in right now. I had messaged him THE DAY BEFORE and he hadn't said anything about this at all. Now, hours before we check in, they're cancelling on our party of 8 people? This is his response:

"We understand that these are not the words that you want to hear from us today. We have done our best to accommodate your stay, however, there was an issue with the owner's account that stops us from finalizing your reservation. We will do our best to prevent this from happening again. We truly apologize for the bad experience."

They've done their best? In what way? The issue with the "owner's account" seems to be an issue with THEIR account because they approved the booking! This is quickly turning into an issue with MY account and has the potential to ruin our vacation. I message him this:

"Christian. I don't think you've done your best because it's literally canceling the reservation hours before we arrive. There must be a solution here."

Now his response:

"Cancelling a reservation is the last thing we want to do. We checked with other owners if theres (sic) something we can offer even with neighboring resort. However, there is no availability. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you!"

Nightmare. To be clear, I was out of patience and understanding. Trying and FAILING to get another reservation doesn't win back any points here. At the same time I know that Christian is most likely a messenger, so I don't want to attack him personally, but the company that he represents has created a huge, huge problem for us. This is all taking place as I'm waiting for my flight at the airport. Everyone is counting on me, and I feel that I'm letting my party down. Not a good feeling.

Now our party is on the way to Vegas and we don't have a place to stay. It's spring break and hotel prices are outrageous. Other Airbnbs are charging very high fees (which his understandable, it's literally day-of booking, that's why you create a RESERVATION). Ok. I regroup and speak with my party. Another person in our party books another Airbnb nowhere near as convenient/nice as the one we had "booked" with Christian. We pay over DOUBLE the price for the place, but it's really our only option at that point.

I contact Airbnb. They actually were pretty accessible and I spoke with someone on the phone who said they would contact the owner and see what was going on. They get back to me and tell me that the owners are unresponsive. I refuse to believe that a host with 9,000+ "reviews" is not in constant contact with Airbnb.

Their solution? They offer me $163.00 rebooking coupon (10% of what we had paid Christian's company). You've got to be kidding. That's borderline offensive. Our vacation was derailed HOURS before check-in. This was after booking nearly a month before AND having contact with Christian the day before we were set to arrive. The $163 doesn't even cover the added transportation costs associated with booking the new Airbnb, let alone the cost of a last minute Airbnb house for our party during spring break in Las Vegas. Absolutely wild.

I'm still hopeful to get some resolution, but at this point it has been 6 days since my last contact with Christian. He has not responded to my last message where I asked him to please make this right. So far, Airbnb has again said that all they're willing to do is give us a $163 credit. To me that is unacceptable.

Not that it should matter, but to inform readers about my past history with Airbnb, I've spent over $10,000 (ten thousand) dollars on Airbnb stays the past year due to an employment relocation. I've used Airbnb for maybe 9 stays over the past few years and have only been given excellent reviews by hosts. I've never before had an issue. Christian's and Airbnb's actions have been supremely disappointing. If this is the treatment that I'm given, I have to believe that you can only expect the same or worse treatment if you have a similar issue.

Christian cancelled our booking HOURS BEFORE CHECKING IN. We had booked the reservation nearly a month before. We had communicated the day before and were given absolutely no warning. We were blind-sided. Christian has not at all provided solutions despite any supposed 'efforts' on his part. We were left without a place to stay the day that we arrived in Las Vegas. This type of experience can really ruin a vacation that has been in the works for months. I've found both Christian's actions and Airbnb's actions and responses to be inconsiderate, unethical, and unprofessional. PLEASE CONSIDER BOOKING WITH ANOTHER HOST AND/OR BOOKING SERVICE.

I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ON YOUR END BECAUSE HOSTS LIKE THAT MAKE AIRBNB LOOK BAD. IN A WAY THEY REPRESENT YOUR COMPANY AND I WOULDN'T WANT SOMEONE LIKE THAT REPRESENTING MY COMPANY. I CANCELED BECAUSE I WAS TRULY DISGUSTED AND I HAD ALL THE FAITH IN THE WORLD THAT AIRBNB WOULD MAKE THIS RIGHT BUT I WAS WRONG AND IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING.

PLEASE BEWARE! YOU WILL BE ROBBED! READ DETAILS BELOW!

MY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE WAS WORD FOR WORD AS FOLLOWS:

Hi Giselle,

This is Jenecia from Airbnb, and I will be your dedicated support ambassador for this case.
I am contacting you on behalf of your host Renata in regard to your reservation HMKKQZSWRR. Your host reached out to advise that you would like to cancel the reservation due to the pool being shared at the listing. Your host also indicated that you advised that you did not check in the listing.

Your host confirmed that if you did not check in the listing, she will happily provide you with the refund of the cleaning fee and if she is able to have the night rebooked, she will provide you with the full refund.

That being said, in order to ensure that I am properly assisting you to the best of my abilities, I would greatly appreciate it if you reply to this message with more details regarding the cancellation of your reservation. This will allow me to have a better understanding of the situation, and therefore, may have greater abilities when it comes to the outcome of this case.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please let me know and I will be sure to address them in their fullness. Thank you very much for being a part of the Airbnb community, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
Jenecia

*

Hello Jenecia, the property was listed as a home not apartment or duplex or anything along those lines. Yes there were other guests on the property and what I was looking for was privacy. I booked the airbnb about an hour or so only and we did not stay or use the amenities. The property didn't even resemble the pictures but that doesn't matter regardless it wasn't a private home. It is unethical to charge me any amount for this. If I would have booked well in advance or even this morning I understand but having booked within 1 hour of arrival time does not affect the property renting to someone else.

*

Hi Giselle,

This is Tannesha from Airbnb, and I hope that you are keeping well. Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. We are currently experiencing an unusually high volume of requests.

I can imagine that this is the last thing you would ever want to deal with and I'm so sorry that was your experience. If I'm being honest, I would also be frustrated dealing with that, so I can understand exactly where you are coming from.

I did some checks on the listing description and the host did state that the pool is been shared with other guests on the property and that the some spaces are shared.

I understand you stated the property does not look like what was advertised by any chance do you have any pictures or videos to send to me so I may assist further on the issue.

Best,
Airbnb.

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I wish I had, I was so disgusted and upset I didn't think to take any pictures or videos but I did have people with me that can confirm what I am saying. Honestly it looked like 10 years had passed since the photos that were posted with no upkeep. Honestly I couldn't have stayed there I would have felt miserable the entire time and I really wanted to like it trust me when I say I didn't think I would find anything else so last minute but I was willing to cut the trip short and go home rather than stay there. That's how bad it was. Honestly it's not about the money because I did end up finding another airbnb thankfully which you can see on my account and I paid much more for it than I did for this one.

Again, it is unethical to charge me this especially considering I booked it within 1 hour of arrival time. It really doesn't hurt them because it's very likely it wouldn't have been rented and Renata said that past 8pm she doesn't rent it out anymore because the only people looking at that time are people she wouldn't want there anyway.

Also, if that is the case then it shouldn't be listed as entire residential home because it is misleading. Most people don't read the small print or all the details. It's is not the entire house, it is divided in 2 but with 2 separate entrances but it is 1 building and when someone says entire residential home you think that you have the property to yourself. I was really looking for privacy but I could have dealt with it, I mean I wouldn't have been thrilled but that on top of how the property looked I just couldn't stay there.

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Hi Giselle,

Tannesha here, I am truly sorry that you had that experience with the reservation. In order to get a refund your host will need to agree to the refund because I am unable to provide that refund without their approval. I will reach out to the host to get their approval but the refund is entirely up to the host.

Based on what I am seeing here the time you made the reservation and the check in time and if you had cancelled on the day of check in then would be able to get the full refund or a partial refund based on the host cancellation policy. Never the less I will do my best to get the approval from the host for you.

Best,
Airbnb.

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Thank you so much. On top of it all she said it is not up to her to issue a refund, she said she doesn't have the authority. She said I had to contact airbnb for the refund so she lied to my face, just wow! What a Money hungry person, it's so sad to meet people like that. I don't know if you should mention this to her or not but I am going to leave a very bad review if she does not refund me. If she does I will let it go and move on. Additionally, if she doesn't refund me I will be contacting the bank to dispute the transaction. I am not going to let this go because she is basically robbing me of my hard earned money! For what, she didn't even provide a service and she was false advertising. It was not an ENTIRE residential home and the pictures are extremely outdated. I am sorry for ranting and I am not upset with you, I am upset with Renata and this whole situation. Again, I don't if you should tell her this or not but it is in everyone's best interest to refund me and we move on.

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PS: I CAN'T UPLOAD ATTACHMENTS.

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I don't know if this helps but it's a screenshot of the airbnb guest refund policy. I just found it now. She listed it as entire home and it was not. Also, she falsely represented the listing because like I said the place had no upkeep, it did not resemble the pictures at all. The pool was so dirty that it resembled a swamp more than a pool. It was so disgusting and disappointing because I chose the place because it had a pool but there was no way we would get in that pool the way it looked.

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I also just saw that the listing says there are security cameras. If that's the case and she tries to say I am lying then you should ask her for the footage of that day so you can see what I am talking about. I am not a liar and I am a very fair person unfortunately I can not say the same for Renata. I just really want this resolved and over with because the more I think about it the more anxiety I get. It makes me so sad that people act that way. I just want to move on but she does need to be fair. A business will never be successful if you are unethical. Human kindness should always be the #1 priority when running a business because I can assure you if she were in my shoes she wouldn't want someone doing this to her.

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Hi Giselle,

Tannesha here—I've tried calling you on +1 813-***-**** but was unable to reach you.

Please reply here when you can and let me know when would be good for me to try you again.

This guest refund policy is when there is a violation on the host end and because she did put in her listing description that the space is shared with other guests where on the property is shared it is not considered as violation. I did contact her about the refund, and she stated that she is not willing to provide the refund to you because the has all her details on the platform. I really wish you had documentation like pictures or videos to provide to me because then I would be able to take action because you did contact us within 24hours of check in; because if you did then I could work with the policy that we have.

Best,
Airbnb.

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I don't have good signal at home but if you can please try again. Actually I did reach out within the 24 hours as a matter of fact almost immediately after and I called in about it to follow up at 2:41am and was told I had to allow up to 48 hours for a resolution.

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Hi Giselle,

Tannesha here, yes you did reach out in 24hours but in order for me to take action in relation to a refund I will need documentation of the issue.

Best,
Airbnb.

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Sorry I read that wrong, so you are saying that the only way you could invoke that policy is if I had pictures or videos? I have witnesses and again she has security cameras with footage. My word wouldn't be adequate documentation in writing? I live only 20 minutes away I can go back and take pictures.

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Hi Giselle,

Tannesha here, please don't go back to the listing because the reservation has passed and that is a violation. I will provide you with a call shortly.

Best,
Airbnb.

PS: EVERYONE AT AIRBNB WERE VERY RESPECTFUL AND DID ACTUALLY WANT TO HELP ALTHOUGH I DO DISAGREE ABOUT THEM NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP ME IF I DONT HAVE PICTURES OR VIDEOS. I MEAN IF THIS WERE HAPPENING TO MY MOM SHE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO EITHER, AS SHE STILL USES A FLIP PHONE. SO WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE OUTCOME THEN IF SMART PHONES WEREN'T A THING? REGARDLESS, THE PERSON WHO IS AT FAULT WITH THIS TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE IS THE HOST RENATA. SHE SHOULD BE FIRED! I REALLY HOPE THE OWNERS READ THESE REVIEWS BECAUSE SHE IS BAD FOR BUSINESS.

This is the listing, don't make the same mistake! Do not book with Renata!
https://abnb.me/255a36PEDob

Airbnb says they, "…take cancellations seriously as this may really disrupt our guests plans". They state that they will post an auto review to let potential guests know that a host canceled a reservation. However, in my case they are not posting this auto review after a host canceled my seasonal ski rental just before the season is about to start.

If Airbnb doesn't post these auto reviews then potential guests may be unaware that a host has canceled reservations before, possibly multiple times!

Further, if Airbnb often doesn't apply the penalties they say could be applied if a host cancels, then hosts may be aware that there is very little, if any, penalty for cancelations, and have no real incentive to think twice before ruining your plans.

Why might a host cancel a reservation? I believe in my case the host likely learned that other people will pay them far more than what they listed on Airbnb because of a shortage of available rentals this season.

Read this to learn the complete story of what happened to me and why you should be concerned if you are considering an Airbnb rental https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mxXmvYFiCz8GpFOLWnFFmCIVyfw2jbu7/view

Was heading to Sao Paulo for 2 months. Rented my airbnb for nov 23 2021 in Sao Paulo. Host was trying to make me pay outside the airbnb platform when i made the reservation but it did not happen i paid through airbnb. Arrived on 24th at 3h30am. Next day I'm finding out that I can't lock my room. Message host saying this was insane being in brasil and being a tourist from canada and not being able to lock my own door. Did not have time to argue because i had come to brasil for surgery and already had doctors appointment on the 24th. Coming back from doctors on the 24th i was already trying to cancel with the host but this new to me since in my years of rented airbnb i never had problems with host. The 25th when i took my shower i saw there was live electric wires coming out of shower head. That was it for me and i reached out to airbnb. Provided pictures proving this was extremely unsafe and that i was scared for my safety. They started with that 24h canceling policy! Explain i had arrived in the night and i was already past 24h when i woke up and this was ridiculous because you can't find all the problems that fast! Sometimes they can be exception! Provided proof that host was trying make me pay outside airbnb. Host was saying clearly he had rented over 100 times but had 3 reviews... clearly showed host was scamming airbnb. Proof my own safety was at stakes with shower head and me not being able to lock my door. Toaster not working. Provided proof that the room i had wasn't on the host listing. Airbnb said thay tried reaching to host but was up to the host to decide... hear this again... UP TO THE HOST TO DECIDE if he wanted to issue a refund! COMPLETE NIGHTMARE! I'm realizing customers has no say, customers safety is not important. Host is king even if he's in the wrong! Argued for over 24h and airbnb was hiding behind a 24h policy and not seing the exeption... ended up paying more then half of the 2 months reservations! COMPLETE NIGHTMARE! But i needed to move on for my own safety. 2nd airbnb i rented for 2 weeks in case i was going to get screwed with i did. Dog barking 23h a day, wrong bed sheets... etc etc etc BUT i swallowed my pill and told myself i will endure my 2 weeks there. 3rd airbnb i moved in dec 12. I'm seeing that I'm next to airport and I'mon the last floor of the apartment building, witch is the 12th floor. Addressed my concern to host saying it was not in the listing BUT now i know i have a 24h window so i try. Next morning 6am my apartment is almost shaking and the sound from the jet engines is insane and I can't sleep! Right away i reached to airbnb at 6am! I'm in my first 24h. I take a video of planes going over me and you hear in video that sound is extremely loud! Also talking to airbnb about host that told me they had deleting their old ad to "start fresh". How is this allowed? Obviously ALL host with bad reviews will start fresh how is this allowed? How us the customers are protected in this? Anyways i was positive i was going to get help! No airbnb agrees sound is really loud and tell me they will ask host for refund. Ok... i still have faith. Airbnb takes more then 12hours to give me a decision... their decision; We tried to ask host for refund and host said no so nothing we can do! Have a nice trip and we will now be closing this request! WAIT? WHAT? Yes basically the customers are clowns to airbnb and host are kings! Allowed to lie on their listing, able to "start fresh". I AM GOING NUTS! This company has lost ALL MY TRUST and I'm in disbelief! How can this be? I'm in my 24h and STILL i have NO SUPPORT AND NO UNDERSTANDING!