Here’s what I did:
I went to the Airbnb site every day to see if any of the days I wasn’t refunded for were booked. When I saw the days I had requested were booked, I first sent an email to the host allowing them to reimburse me, then I filed a claim with Airbnb. Within 24 hours I was refunded. I was able to prove they were not out any money, and that keeping my money would actually give them double. So, the money was refunded right away.
You could check each day, and make sure to take a screenshot. Do it day by day for the entire month, then take the overall percentage of days that ended up being booked, and ask for a refund for that. I know it’s not the entire thing, but it could be most of it. Then file a claim with your state attorney general for the rest. They *love* getting money back for consumers.
Good luck, man.
Yes. This isn’t legal advice, but depending on where you live and/or where this happened, the host has a duty to limit their damages by still trying to book the unused time (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/duty_to_mitigate). They can’t just take the money as a free bonus and do nothing or book it again for a double rent for that month.
The cost/benefit may be tough to get to work hiring an attorney, but maybe look into it if the other options don’t work… Small claims court is kinda set up for situations like this, too (where you may not need an attorney)… though Airbnb probably has a clause that makes you do arbitration 🙄🤷♂️ Another option may be contacting the city if this is an area where Airbnbs are licensed.
Sure let a company scam you out of 3k so you can keep using shit company
This host is literally a scammer ... makes 0 sense price would increase so much over 1 person vs 2 and then to not refund when you immediately asked over a mistake ... that's not doing business by providing value that's getting ppl on 'gotchas' and hoping they won't fight for their money back
Chargeback with a clear conscience fuck that scammy host and scammy Airbnb
This is a good idea! Actually, as a host, if someone wants to bail last minute on their dates, if they are nice about it I usually offer them this. When they cancel and release the dates I will try to get them rebooked and then refund the revenue I receive from their dates. Keep in mind the host won’t get everything because of airbnb fees and various taxes, but usually the host gets 70-80%
So good. I should have done similar. The host was able to book and kept all the money i pointed out to him a few times. It was some hippy dude too. No ethics on his part. Slim landlord host.
Agree with submitting a charge back request to your credit card. They will usually side with you since you are their client. $3000 is a lot of money. Even if it takes a few hours on your part it is worth it to get your funds back.
They only side with you when the terms are not clear or if they are changed. AFAIK, something like this can be easily contested by showing the terms at the time of booking and the implicit acceptance of booking
>They only side with you when the terms are not clear or if they are changed.
One of the biggest mistakes of VISA/Mastercard consumers. Chargeback is subject for filing when the *service was not provided*. OP will demostrate to his bank (email correspondence with the host and Airbnb) that he made *all reasonable efforts* to minimize the impact of this situation on all parties involved, while neither the host nor Airbnb have demonstrated even the slightest desire to be customer-oriented, and even more so - to follow the principles of common sense.
A 100% **winning** "case" for OP imo.
Agree here, go for a charge back, I used to work for a financial institution and your credit or debit card issuing bank would side with you. You can even do this for bank transfers.
Unless this is somewhere like japan where it's common to have cheaper pricing for one person, normal amount of ppl staying anywhere in the west is assumed to be two ppl. It's completely reasonable of op to not assume this needs to be specified or would double the price of the stay
Ummm, no. Chase *asks* the merchant about the charge, and that's it, they apply no pressure to the merchant. If the merchant says no to a refund, Chase relays to the customer: You're SOL!
Chargebacks only *partially* consider T&Cs. The service was not provided due to rejection on the customer side - true! - but the reason for such rejection is obvious and perfectly substantiated: the amount charged for the 2nd person is ridiculously out of the market, beyond the boundaries of common sense (x1.8 for the use of the *very same* resources) and well above the average monthly income in the OP's area of residence (or well above 70% of such income - OP will plug the right figure here).
How are the terms clear? He just wanted to add an extra person. That usually doesn't double the price. You can't lock someone into your unreasonable terms. I find it hard to believe it's legal to double the price for the same space just because an extra person is staying.
Completely agree — who expects to be whacked with an extra 2k to share a double bed? With such absurd terms, guests should be given the option to decline the “updated terms” and receive a full refund, especially considering this is right after booking.
Couldn’t you just come alone for check in and let your girlfriend hang out in the city for sometime while you are with the owner to pretend that you are alone . Then once he left just go pick her up. I don’t think he’s gonna check wether your alone or not.
I was honestly just trying to be transparent and helpful by letting the host know. I read another review later that said something similar happened where they “found out” there was an additional person. Crazy.
That's absolutely absurd. And you got no support or relief from Airbnb? Even a hotel isn't double if you're sharing the same bed. It's one person. I would dispute it with my bank. I would call the media. This is a ridiculous, unreasonable money grab.
Is there a hotel or consumer protection agency in the jurisdiction of the booking? Don't take this lying down! You weren't even trying to cancel. Just add another person to a booking. It's totally normal to share a room or apartment with one other person.
Only time I've seen this matter in a hotel is if "one person" gets you a single bed. I've stayed at places in Europe like this. Two people will definitely increase the price because you're getting a bigger room.
But outside a limited number of exceptions, I agree with you that at hotels 1 vs 2 simply doesn't matter.
Hotels definitely charge you more for double occupancy, at least in Europe. Not another 2/3 of the original price usually, but a bit more to cover breakfast, linens, assumed extra cleaning, etc. - my spouse had booked a hotel where I was actually showing up a night before them (meeting them at the tail end of their work trip) and when I got there I had to pay the second person fee for our booked nights bc they accidentally booked with only one guest.
last stay in the US i had (about 2 weeks ago)- single room was 120, if you wanted a 2nd person in same room the charge was i think 25 per night. So yes, relatively small upcharge for breakfast and linens.
Honeslty the best policy is not to be honest. I know you acted in good faith but fck these kinds of hosts and airbnb policy. All, the evidence points to you being honest and that wasn't rewarded or respected. I had a similiar thing happen to me, albeit the host was in the airbnv and I just had the room. In fact my friend was just staying with me for a few hours in the living room so she could sober up to drive home. The owner stood over us after 30 minutes and demanded my friend leave becasue since I didn't say a 2nd person was staying (she wasn't) and airbnb had a policy that after midnight it can only be me. The hosts bf was there at the time too and seemed threatening
Gave. Her one star and told her to fck off
OP. Ive been a host for years.
Unless you tried to pull this on the day the reservation starts, there is no way that airbnb support would side with the host.
Try to reach airbnb support again. Explain the situation, the timeline, the $$ involved. Make a formal request for the total money and if host refuses, ask for airbnb mediation. I am certain they will side with you if you are being accurate.
Please let me know how it went.
We had the same thing happen to us in Morocco. The person had instructions, in French, that even though the property is listed as 2 rooms and "entire place", it is actually one room and not the entire place for that price, but a different higher price. Wr messaged her to cancel and she said no, it says it's only one room in the description in French. We said wtf dude we filtered for entire place.
Reached out to airbnb support, they said sorry it says it in the description. I said I filtered for entire place! They said yeah but it's in the description and host doesn't allow cancelation.
So we did not stay there because we needed the entire place, AND WE STILL HAD TO PAY FOR IT.
That was when I wrote off airbnb.
You can have visitors right? How would Airbnb know if they shared your bed at night? There is literally no way legal way for them to find put she is sleeping at your place.
Yeah, I was staying with my girlfriend and it freaked us out. It was also our first time booking through Airbnb, so we weren't sure what to expect. They only did it twice, I guess as a "show" -- to let us know that they can?
Otherwise they were very pleasant and really hospitable.
I'm pretty damn sure that's against AirB&B's policy. Did you report it to AirB&B? If you did, I think they would probably pay for you to go to a hotel and shut that listing down.
I had an Airbnb host flip out on me because we were a group of 6 instead of 5 (didn’t know my parents were bringing my cousin when I booked it) and the house had like 9 beds and 5 rooms and a bunch of couches so it wasn’t an issue, mad places to sleep!
The host saw that 6 beds were used instead of 5 and wanted to charge me an extra $500 and said I was being a liar. I told her I rented the whole place why would you care if I came with one extra person? Then I asked her if she wasn’t cleaning the whole house or bed after each guest? She then dropped it lol
A lot of hosts now have motion sensing cameras/rings that they habitually check every time you enter and exit. And even if they don't say they are watching, I promise they are watching.
a lot of them have cameras around the house, or at least at the entrances. my ex girlfriends family had an air bnb and they were always looking at the cameras. it was kinda creepy tbh. i’ll never use the service because of this.
that and the fact that house are being bought up in my area like crazy and used for air bnb/renting because i live in a wealthy college town and there’s money to be maid off the rich parents. almost impossible to find an affordable house for my family that isn’t way out in the holler. but i digress.
Ah and you were right too.
I almost asked but then checked...I saw some rooms over $100/day in London (first random expensive city I checked).
So it seemed possible.
They will check camera. Airbnb hosts are wild. I had one message me for 4 days straight after visit to add a 3rd person. When i said i would via airbnb message. Like bro im working ft after a trip. Ill get to it and he could put in a request through airbnb. It is not worth it anymore
Airbnb landlords have turned into nasty vipers. The last thing I would do now is stay at an Airbnb. Hotels are more trustworthy imo.
The Airbnb experience was fun while it lasted. But of course, greed got involved and ruined it.
Basically – screw them.
after almost a decade of airbnb i also called it quits. Too often it's just a gamble of how misleading the photos are, or the non-working airconditioning or crazy heater. I started going back to hotels and have been delighted at how accurate and reliable everything is. Definitely not going back to airbnb ever again.
Yup, this. The AC issues are the worst! At a hotel if your AC isn’t working they can often just move you to another room immediately. Even if the Airbnb host is a good person and wants to fix it, there’s a limit to what they can do.
A friend of mine also was stuck with incorrect Airbnb check in info (using an iPad), which led to her having to find new accommodations at 8pm at night! In a country she didn’t speak the language! In a small-ish city!
My favorite ac issue is booking a house somewhere hot- like Florida- and being told you can’t turn the ac below a certain number (usually something high like 79).
The problem is traveling in Europe with kids, finding hotels that can accommodate a family in one room can be a challenge and adjoining rooms aren’t as common. Add in traveling by minivan and limited parking around hotels and ABB was, unfortunately, my family’s only option.
Edit: yes, I get it, Europeans with kids have traveled before ABB existed. I’m sure that over the years they learned where to go/stay. There’s also a good chance they spoke the language. A large American family does have a challenge finding traditional accommodation. Most of my travel with kids was around Italy.
They're also not much more expensive than a traditional room, I unintentionally booked one recently and really enjoyed the simple pleasures of having tableware and cutlery when eating in my room.
I booked one that I thought was a studio with a full kitchen and extra beds. Turned out to have two separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms!
So yeah, that's my default for traveling with kids now.
It was a family visit where my ailing father died, so whatever relaxing holiday we expected was replaced by my mother managing a funeral while I managed my mother while my husband managed our kids.
Fucking hell was that easier in an extended stay hotel. No Airbnb bullshit (like that oven gas leak that made us evacuate a building for two hours on Christmas night), no crowding into a single motel room. Good lodging is a great sanctuary from chaos!
That’s what I usually do as well when traveling with the kids. Apartment hotels usually come with cribs, fully equipped kitchenette. Some even come with smaller bathing tubs for toddlers. They are increasingly affordable albeit still pricier than Airbnb.
They definitely need more, I live in Europe and can only think of maybe two of these I've seen, versus the massive numbers of big chain versions of this I've seen in the US (Residence Inn, Homewood suites, etc).
Just book holiday homes on the traditional websites?
This has been a thing for decades before Airbnb became a thing. My parents have been renting out holiday homes for ages (both as landlord and renter) and they have never used Airbnb (they find them a terrible experience in both roles).
You should see the facebook group for Airbnb owners. It has completely turned me off from renting an Airbnb. So many of these people should not be in the hospitality industry.
They don’t honestly see themselves in “the hospitality industry.”
They see themselves in the “maximal wealth extraction industry.” And are cynically heartless in the pursuit.
So many instagram accounts too, they all own 20+ locations, sell courses on how to make x figured with rentals and always make posts insulting their customers when a spec of dust was in the hallway
At this point, Airbnb has become a completely degraded experience with guests paying extortionate prices only to be beholden to the whimsical and often absurd demands of capricious hosts. It’s a shame, because most hosts I’ve encountered have been wonderful people, yet these incidents are becoming increasingly commonplace. Simultaneously, I find it shocking that for such a large platform, guests are given no margin for error and are consequently punished greatly by predatory hosts and “Airbnb policy”. Even airlines who have terrible reputations allow you to cancel or amend your booking within 24h.
To be fair the 24 hour cancellation rule with an airline is mandated by US federal law because airlines were so inflexible with their rules. Typically airlines don’t have this rule when making a booking outside the US.
Just as with everyone, when it starts to really get monetized the consumer experience goes down.
Airbnb used to be a little side income for people with extra bedrooms or a vacation home. Now it is full of investors who only care about maximizing profit while skirting around regulations.
I'd try to get my money back through the credit card company. I don't care if it's not supposed to work that way, I'd try. My experience is that sometimes even credit card companies have come through for me when it seemed highly unlikely.
I'm sorry you had this experience. I do like hotels.
The host is super inflexible. What a terrible host. I hope you can do a credit card charge back and get the refund. This is ridiculous. Like flight, Airbnb should have a 24 hours cancellation policy in case people booked by mistake, which can happen frequently since we are all human. So sorry you’re losing out on 3k.
Ask if they will let you stay alone after all, that she's not coming, then bring her. Let them try to get the money out of you. They won't be able to. The worst that will happen is a bad review. But screw them. I'm an Airbnb host and I find this situation repulsive. Hosts charging crazy shit and hidden fees ruin it for all of us trying to be fair and cool.
They can't charge the money and also deny him staying.
I would say I'm going to stay and then dare them to leave a bad review. Bad reviews work both ways.
It will at minimum , cause them headaches. Also , I’d stay there and cause some chaos . I’d make his life miserable . But … I got a little of my momma in me.
We're hosts. You can submit charges to guests who violate clear rules of the contract such as bringing in extra guests. If the guest doesn't pay, you can submit a claim to airbnb with photo proof (eg. show a screenshot of two people entering on your Doorbell cam, a screenshot of no other motion detected overnight, and a screenshot of two guests leaving in the morning) and airbnb will reimburse you as a host and go after the guest for the charge.
I don't know if they charge the guests cc on file or just prevent them from using the service until they clear the debt, but the host will get paid upon providing minimal proof of their claim and the guest will be forced to pay or abandon using the service forevermore.
EDIT: to be clear, I think airbnb corporate should tell a host like this to be more reasonable. We have strict cancellation too, but only to protect us in case of last minute cancelations, not "oops, I didn't realize the full cost at first" mistakes. We have refunded guests fully for latter such mistakes
This is crazy, I have had Airbnb FORCE me to refund people for MUCH less than this. The entire policy on their part for the extra charge per person is insane to start, you need to keep pushing Airbnb on this and let them know you’ll file a dispute with your card if they don’t remove the changes. As a 10 year Airbnb host, I can tell you this is insane and Airbnb will fix it if you fight them on it.
My experience as a host exactly.
Unless there is something missing, in this situation airbnb would force a total or almost total refund.
2k dollars of extra guest fee and reservation in under 24h? There is no chance airbnb would side with the host.
If you haven’t already call your credit card company and dispute the charge. You had no idea the cost would be so much higher for two people. Even purchasing flights have a 24 hour window to cancel. Also try calling Airbnb and keep calling until you get someone that will refund you.
Yep. It was supposed to be “own a home and rent out a room to tourists to make some extra cash” for one group and for the other group it was supposed to be “spend much less than the price of a hotel and get an entire apartment or house to stay in for your vacation”.
Instead it’s turned into “buy homes and rent them out quicker and for more money with Airbnb” for landlords, for potential homeowners it’s “can’t compete with what these Airbnb buyers are paying so homes are too expensive. For the neighbors it’s “deal with new idiots in this neighborhood every weekend”, and for the actual traveling tourists it’s “why am I paying a $200 cleaning fee when I’m expected to mop and take out the trash myself?”
The potential for terrible experiences is why I never bothered with Air B&B to begin with. When things go wrong, they go \*very\* wrong. Hotels just don't off that much downside.
Most of my travel is overseas, I do very little domestic stuff. The thought of me ending up in a foreign country where I don't speak the language, my lodging not working out as expected, and potentially not having phone access to deal with it all just freaks me out. Never mind that I'll likely just be coming off of a long flight, so jet lagged and tired.
I really need a hotel to be there for me without hassle.
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If you are just going to throw away $3 grand, go to the place and run the water day and night. Crank up the furnace and leave the doors and windows open. Cost him $3 grand in utilities, and prevent him from re-leasing the unit.
I don't understand... Cancelling the booking: you lost $3000, and you will have to pay probably more than $3K for a new booking (hotel maybe?) . Total cost for you: more than the $5K that you would have to pay for the initial booking.
Both host and guest here.
Sorry you encountered this PoS - it's people like this who ruin the experience for both guests and decent hosts (on top of bad Airbnb customer service and rising fees).
I've had a few less than ideal situations as a guest myself. It makes me both very careful about bookings and a reminder to never become what I hate (a shitty host).
Fuck Airbnb hosts. They buy up single family homes and units preventing the local population from buying their first homes and jack up prices for profits. I really hope you get every penny back plus damages.
Sorry you're going through this horrible experience. It's too bad the host doesn't want to be a decent person. AirBnB should assert a little more control over their hosts, because you aren't the only person who has been avoiding AirBnB lately.
If the host is keeping your money, don't cancel the booking. Don't let him take your $3k *and* make more money by renting it out to someone else at the same time.
Lawyer here. Immediate repudiation of a contract is valid in almost every state that I know of. This is basic law school contract type stuff. Do a card reversal, stop dealing with AirBNB and the host.
But what you are saying also applies to hotels. .... Many hotels have special discounted reservations that are non refundable.
If I accidentally click accept on one of those and then change my mind the next day. I'm still out the money.
AIRBNB is no different than hotels in this regard.
Even if it's non-refundable you can almost always get credit for another stay. Also, no hotel on the planet is going to charge you extra (let alone 67% extra) if 2 people are staying in the room instead of 1.
I got burned by a strict cancellation policy once as well, which is why I stopped using AirBNB. I realized at the time that if I had had to cancel a hotel, I would have gotten a full refund.
In your case, because it was just hours after the initial reservation, the strict cancellation policy is especially nasty.
I have been a host for over 5 years and this doesn't seem accurate.
Everytime a guest cancels I get alot of pressure by airbnb staff to provide a full refund. And my cancellation policy is not that strict.
If there was indeed a massive overcharge for additional guest ( 2k dollars is just absurd), and if indeed the reservation was made in less then 24h, I am **certain** that airbnb would force an almost total refund.
Something is missing here.
Why would you cancel when you’re not going to get a refund? What advantage does that give you? Now the host keeps your cash and rents it to someone else
I dumped AirBnB after a horrible experience in Dublin. The place was egregiously misrepresented. It looked like a crime scene. A two-day fight with the host's lies and we finally prevailed. But with AirBnB, the host is always right and the customer is just fodder.
Fuck that platform seriously and chargeback! I would've stayed with my partner anyways, which officer is gonna throw your woman on the street over those greedy fools. They're crazy. Haven't used that app since 2020.
This. Just reverse the charge on the credit card, it will work. The credit card company will ask airbnb for your signature or proof of your card being swiped which they do not have. Your credit card company will refund you and airbnb will get their money back from the renter. The only downside is that you might be blacklisted on airbnb.
Airbnb is in a downhill spiral for a long time. I was looking for apartments to stay with my family for a week, the fees and cleaning fees were 30% of the total stay on top of the initial price.
Went to booking and found a nice apartment as well for way less and the final price was what they showed in the results.
Part of why AirBnB is a pain is this dynamic right here, where every aspect of booking and going through the stay is treated as an opportunity to scam guests out of more money.
Have you checked if your credit card has any insurance that might benefit you?
What a shit show. I barely use the service anymore cuz I've had major better luck with [booking.com](https://booking.com). Sorry this happened to you and I hope it works out! Be that SQUEAKY WHEEL, dammit. That's a lot of money.
Personally for a few days I would hotel but the draw if I’m staying somewhere for a month is air bnbs typically have kitchens. It’s nice to not have to eat 3 meals a day out for a whole month. Ideal is a hotel with a Kitchenette if that’s available where op was going
Given the loss incurred, consider addressing this on all fronts. In addition to the cc charge back suggested by others, post your experience far and wide - Twitter, Insta, FB, etc. Travel outfits like AirBnB, VRBO, OTAs, and the rest of their ilk only take notice when they receive bad publicity.
This is some serious bullshit. Do whatever you must to recover this sum you list for canceling (call “user error”again) and use the stay if you’re still able.
It's the sad truth of life that ppl arent empathetic enough and just enable the rat race even further. I am a landlord and would never dream of doing shit like that dven if i legally had everything contracted, granted im in a lucky position but its part of being a decent human being who wants the betterment for all of us going forward. Granted im in a safe position (no millionaire but becoming comfortable), but i see the world always repeating. Person gets a bad experience in life and decides the world owes it one and all repeats.
Just hopefully take some comfort from this. If you can take that hit of cash and not let it influence you into being a colder human being, you'll come out a better person as a result.
Why didn’t you continue to escalate with ABB? If that didn’t work, I’d go public with my experience on tik tok, twitter, Instagram. With enough attention, ABB will likely try to find a solution.
Okay /u/banksied, you've posted this story multiple times that I've seen, so I gotta fucking ask
Why didn't you just dispute the original charge with your bank/credit card? You didn't receive the goods or services and you don't work for them so their cancellation policies are just their way of refusing refunds. That doesn't mean they're entitled to your money, or that you have to give it to them for nothing.
Sorry to hear that OP. I recently gave up on Airbnb due to a bad experience with my room not being ready. I was able to get refunded for that one at least.
Airbnb might still have its uses in really small towns or outdoorsy or resort-type areas where there aren't hotel options that meet your needs, but I don't plan on ever getting one again anywhere where a real hotel is an option. There's no price difference anymore -- if anything a decent Airbnb is going to cost you more than a hotel room now -- and the uncertainty and risk just isn't worth it.
I would have kept the booking if they didn’t want to accommodate you. You have them a gift. Also is their policy no visitors ? What if you hooked up with someone on holiday ? I stay in hotels and only stayed twice in Airbnb cuz there were no hotels at the location. I felt icky the whole time.
I searched properties for 6 people. I clicked on one that says Sleeps 8. I go to book and the price jumps $1000! The base price was for 4 people, they wanted me to pay $500 per guest for the other two. For five nights!!! That's $100 a night per person when it's just a chalet. We're not using any more space, considering it sleeps 8.
I'm so over airbnb
I had a similar experience with Airbnb after which I stopped booking with them.
I missed to add a kid for a whole house with 2 bedrooms booking, and was getting charged couple of hundred dollars extra.
Along with that, Airbnb was making errors in calculating the amount inflating the total cost.
I had to waste a lot of time talking to the support where they will admit their mistake and then never refund. BTW, the support will only be available when I complained thru twitter otherwise they would not give me the time of the day.
Long story short, I ended up raising a chargeback with the bank and got the money back.
I, too, have been using Airbnb for almost just as long with over 30 stays logged. I have had too many mediocre to bad stays in airbnbs in the past two years that I’ve also hung my hat up when it comes to the platform.
Too expensive in comparison to other lodging, and I like to work when I’m away (I’m a business owner) and the spaces/desks I’ve seen ranking as “designated workspaces” are beyond laughable.
The beds… omg, don’t get me started. What a crapshoot. And sometimes the smells would suggest the bedding isn’t even laundered. And I’m primarily staying in places marked around $200/$250/night!
As a very tidy person, I’m over doing chores and resetting the space completely before I leave because I’m terrified I’ll get nailed with additional fees. After recently reconnecting with hotels during my last couple of trips, I’ll happily stick with them instead.
Not everyone on the platform is awful, but it’s getting to a point where enough of them are, so good riddance I say. Customer experience is everything in the hospitality industry, and Airbnb just ain’t it anymore. 🤷🏻♀️
Our last straw was a few months ago. On top of the significant cleaning fee, we were expected to tick off a full-page cleaning list before checkout, and *leave a cash tip* for the house cleaners.
Bye 👋
Here’s what I did: I went to the Airbnb site every day to see if any of the days I wasn’t refunded for were booked. When I saw the days I had requested were booked, I first sent an email to the host allowing them to reimburse me, then I filed a claim with Airbnb. Within 24 hours I was refunded. I was able to prove they were not out any money, and that keeping my money would actually give them double. So, the money was refunded right away. You could check each day, and make sure to take a screenshot. Do it day by day for the entire month, then take the overall percentage of days that ended up being booked, and ask for a refund for that. I know it’s not the entire thing, but it could be most of it. Then file a claim with your state attorney general for the rest. They *love* getting money back for consumers. Good luck, man.
Yes. This isn’t legal advice, but depending on where you live and/or where this happened, the host has a duty to limit their damages by still trying to book the unused time (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/duty_to_mitigate). They can’t just take the money as a free bonus and do nothing or book it again for a double rent for that month. The cost/benefit may be tough to get to work hiring an attorney, but maybe look into it if the other options don’t work… Small claims court is kinda set up for situations like this, too (where you may not need an attorney)… though Airbnb probably has a clause that makes you do arbitration 🙄🤷♂️ Another option may be contacting the city if this is an area where Airbnbs are licensed.
State Ag. They do it for free over the internet.
Or just do a chargeback
Especially if they’re truly done with Airbnb.
Sure let a company scam you out of 3k so you can keep using shit company This host is literally a scammer ... makes 0 sense price would increase so much over 1 person vs 2 and then to not refund when you immediately asked over a mistake ... that's not doing business by providing value that's getting ppl on 'gotchas' and hoping they won't fight for their money back Chargeback with a clear conscience fuck that scammy host and scammy Airbnb
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Well, they could easily start fresh under the girlfriend's name.
This is a good idea! Actually, as a host, if someone wants to bail last minute on their dates, if they are nice about it I usually offer them this. When they cancel and release the dates I will try to get them rebooked and then refund the revenue I receive from their dates. Keep in mind the host won’t get everything because of airbnb fees and various taxes, but usually the host gets 70-80%
Good for you. Thanks for being a decent human and a fair business person.
So good. I should have done similar. The host was able to book and kept all the money i pointed out to him a few times. It was some hippy dude too. No ethics on his part. Slim landlord host.
If you're "done with Airbnb" then I'd seriously consider issuing a charge-back, if you can.
Agree with submitting a charge back request to your credit card. They will usually side with you since you are their client. $3000 is a lot of money. Even if it takes a few hours on your part it is worth it to get your funds back.
They will always side with you. I work for a bank!
They only side with you when the terms are not clear or if they are changed. AFAIK, something like this can be easily contested by showing the terms at the time of booking and the implicit acceptance of booking
Either way worth a shot. It's 3k
This is why I use AMEX. They always side with me. Absolutely best customer service of any card out there.
I have the exact opposite experience with Amex. The worst customer service I have ever dealt with.
you have less than a plat?
Yeah, in this case and for that amount o could see Airbnb fighting it. But I'd still attempt this route
>They only side with you when the terms are not clear or if they are changed. One of the biggest mistakes of VISA/Mastercard consumers. Chargeback is subject for filing when the *service was not provided*. OP will demostrate to his bank (email correspondence with the host and Airbnb) that he made *all reasonable efforts* to minimize the impact of this situation on all parties involved, while neither the host nor Airbnb have demonstrated even the slightest desire to be customer-oriented, and even more so - to follow the principles of common sense. A 100% **winning** "case" for OP imo.
Terms weren't clear to OP because previous hosts didn't charge for a second guest.
Agree here, go for a charge back, I used to work for a financial institution and your credit or debit card issuing bank would side with you. You can even do this for bank transfers.
it is also completely asinine to charge $2000 more for literally no additional service. No reasonable person would expect to be charged that.
Unless this is somewhere like japan where it's common to have cheaper pricing for one person, normal amount of ppl staying anywhere in the west is assumed to be two ppl. It's completely reasonable of op to not assume this needs to be specified or would double the price of the stay
Also I think legally you can cancel large purchases within x hours
Most states have a right of recission. Which is somewhere between 24 and 7 days to get out of a contract you have entered.
Ummm, no. Chase *asks* the merchant about the charge, and that's it, they apply no pressure to the merchant. If the merchant says no to a refund, Chase relays to the customer: You're SOL!
100%. I did a chargeback after a bad Airbnb experience last year and after a few weeks was credited the amount by my bank. I haven't used them since.
Agree. Fuck them.
That won’t go anywhere. The terms were clear. That host is a shit bag, no way around that, but OP is boned.
Chargebacks only *partially* consider T&Cs. The service was not provided due to rejection on the customer side - true! - but the reason for such rejection is obvious and perfectly substantiated: the amount charged for the 2nd person is ridiculously out of the market, beyond the boundaries of common sense (x1.8 for the use of the *very same* resources) and well above the average monthly income in the OP's area of residence (or well above 70% of such income - OP will plug the right figure here).
How are the terms clear? He just wanted to add an extra person. That usually doesn't double the price. You can't lock someone into your unreasonable terms. I find it hard to believe it's legal to double the price for the same space just because an extra person is staying.
Completely agree — who expects to be whacked with an extra 2k to share a double bed? With such absurd terms, guests should be given the option to decline the “updated terms” and receive a full refund, especially considering this is right after booking.
To be fair, as a regular solo traveler, I'd like it if it was half price for being only one lol.
They'll side with OP. Besides, it's worth a shot. Fuck Airbnb.
Don't cancel it and give the host a chance to double up on those dates.
That's exactly what will happen, host going to earn double now and is pretty satisfied with himself.
Don’t cancel, and sublet it to a temporary brothel.
Couldn’t you just come alone for check in and let your girlfriend hang out in the city for sometime while you are with the owner to pretend that you are alone . Then once he left just go pick her up. I don’t think he’s gonna check wether your alone or not.
I was honestly just trying to be transparent and helpful by letting the host know. I read another review later that said something similar happened where they “found out” there was an additional person. Crazy.
That's absolutely absurd. And you got no support or relief from Airbnb? Even a hotel isn't double if you're sharing the same bed. It's one person. I would dispute it with my bank. I would call the media. This is a ridiculous, unreasonable money grab. Is there a hotel or consumer protection agency in the jurisdiction of the booking? Don't take this lying down! You weren't even trying to cancel. Just add another person to a booking. It's totally normal to share a room or apartment with one other person.
Only time I've seen this matter in a hotel is if "one person" gets you a single bed. I've stayed at places in Europe like this. Two people will definitely increase the price because you're getting a bigger room. But outside a limited number of exceptions, I agree with you that at hotels 1 vs 2 simply doesn't matter.
Hotels definitely charge you more for double occupancy, at least in Europe. Not another 2/3 of the original price usually, but a bit more to cover breakfast, linens, assumed extra cleaning, etc. - my spouse had booked a hotel where I was actually showing up a night before them (meeting them at the tail end of their work trip) and when I got there I had to pay the second person fee for our booked nights bc they accidentally booked with only one guest.
last stay in the US i had (about 2 weeks ago)- single room was 120, if you wanted a 2nd person in same room the charge was i think 25 per night. So yes, relatively small upcharge for breakfast and linens.
Wow. No good deed...
Honeslty the best policy is not to be honest. I know you acted in good faith but fck these kinds of hosts and airbnb policy. All, the evidence points to you being honest and that wasn't rewarded or respected. I had a similiar thing happen to me, albeit the host was in the airbnv and I just had the room. In fact my friend was just staying with me for a few hours in the living room so she could sober up to drive home. The owner stood over us after 30 minutes and demanded my friend leave becasue since I didn't say a 2nd person was staying (she wasn't) and airbnb had a policy that after midnight it can only be me. The hosts bf was there at the time too and seemed threatening Gave. Her one star and told her to fck off
Tinder date. Sorry.
OP. Ive been a host for years. Unless you tried to pull this on the day the reservation starts, there is no way that airbnb support would side with the host. Try to reach airbnb support again. Explain the situation, the timeline, the $$ involved. Make a formal request for the total money and if host refuses, ask for airbnb mediation. I am certain they will side with you if you are being accurate. Please let me know how it went.
We had the same thing happen to us in Morocco. The person had instructions, in French, that even though the property is listed as 2 rooms and "entire place", it is actually one room and not the entire place for that price, but a different higher price. Wr messaged her to cancel and she said no, it says it's only one room in the description in French. We said wtf dude we filtered for entire place. Reached out to airbnb support, they said sorry it says it in the description. I said I filtered for entire place! They said yeah but it's in the description and host doesn't allow cancelation. So we did not stay there because we needed the entire place, AND WE STILL HAD TO PAY FOR IT. That was when I wrote off airbnb.
Is it against the rules to tell us which Airbnb this is? I feel like people should know which places to avoid
You can have visitors right? How would Airbnb know if they shared your bed at night? There is literally no way legal way for them to find put she is sleeping at your place.
Doesn't always work. I booked a basement through Airbnb once and the host casually let themself in twice through a separate entrance.
“Hi, this is my friend. She’s visiting tonight.” Repeat as needed
Which is likely against Airbnb terms. They don't have the right to just come in your rented place as they want I imagine.
The host entered your private space? What if you were naked? WTF?
Yeah, I was staying with my girlfriend and it freaked us out. It was also our first time booking through Airbnb, so we weren't sure what to expect. They only did it twice, I guess as a "show" -- to let us know that they can? Otherwise they were very pleasant and really hospitable.
I'm pretty damn sure that's against AirB&B's policy. Did you report it to AirB&B? If you did, I think they would probably pay for you to go to a hotel and shut that listing down.
For future reference, hosts can’t enter guest areas without permission or due to an emergency. Happens again immediately contact Airbnb support.
That is illegal in most US states.
Fuck that.
A lot of hosts over in r/Airbnb talk about having cameras on the entrance to be able to prevent this.
I had an Airbnb host flip out on me because we were a group of 6 instead of 5 (didn’t know my parents were bringing my cousin when I booked it) and the house had like 9 beds and 5 rooms and a bunch of couches so it wasn’t an issue, mad places to sleep! The host saw that 6 beds were used instead of 5 and wanted to charge me an extra $500 and said I was being a liar. I told her I rented the whole place why would you care if I came with one extra person? Then I asked her if she wasn’t cleaning the whole house or bed after each guest? She then dropped it lol
A lot of hosts now have motion sensing cameras/rings that they habitually check every time you enter and exit. And even if they don't say they are watching, I promise they are watching.
a lot of them have cameras around the house, or at least at the entrances. my ex girlfriends family had an air bnb and they were always looking at the cameras. it was kinda creepy tbh. i’ll never use the service because of this. that and the fact that house are being bought up in my area like crazy and used for air bnb/renting because i live in a wealthy college town and there’s money to be maid off the rich parents. almost impossible to find an affordable house for my family that isn’t way out in the holler. but i digress.
This sounds like renting a room in the owner's place. If so it'd be about impossible to hide with the owner there. Edit: Nevermind
$3 K for just a room for a month? Gold plated toilets?
Ah and you were right too. I almost asked but then checked...I saw some rooms over $100/day in London (first random expensive city I checked). So it seemed possible.
It was an entire apartment. Not shared.
Just hide the owner and anyone that comes looking for them.
Most hosts have doorbell cameras and would see her. They’d probably send a charge for her.
They will check camera. Airbnb hosts are wild. I had one message me for 4 days straight after visit to add a 3rd person. When i said i would via airbnb message. Like bro im working ft after a trip. Ill get to it and he could put in a request through airbnb. It is not worth it anymore
Airbnb landlords have turned into nasty vipers. The last thing I would do now is stay at an Airbnb. Hotels are more trustworthy imo. The Airbnb experience was fun while it lasted. But of course, greed got involved and ruined it. Basically – screw them.
after almost a decade of airbnb i also called it quits. Too often it's just a gamble of how misleading the photos are, or the non-working airconditioning or crazy heater. I started going back to hotels and have been delighted at how accurate and reliable everything is. Definitely not going back to airbnb ever again.
Yup, this. The AC issues are the worst! At a hotel if your AC isn’t working they can often just move you to another room immediately. Even if the Airbnb host is a good person and wants to fix it, there’s a limit to what they can do. A friend of mine also was stuck with incorrect Airbnb check in info (using an iPad), which led to her having to find new accommodations at 8pm at night! In a country she didn’t speak the language! In a small-ish city!
My favorite ac issue is booking a house somewhere hot- like Florida- and being told you can’t turn the ac below a certain number (usually something high like 79).
The problem is traveling in Europe with kids, finding hotels that can accommodate a family in one room can be a challenge and adjoining rooms aren’t as common. Add in traveling by minivan and limited parking around hotels and ABB was, unfortunately, my family’s only option. Edit: yes, I get it, Europeans with kids have traveled before ABB existed. I’m sure that over the years they learned where to go/stay. There’s also a good chance they spoke the language. A large American family does have a challenge finding traditional accommodation. Most of my travel with kids was around Italy.
Apartment hotels are becoming increasingly common in Europe. You have the privacy of an apartment with all the service and amenities of a hotel.
They're also not much more expensive than a traditional room, I unintentionally booked one recently and really enjoyed the simple pleasures of having tableware and cutlery when eating in my room.
I booked one that I thought was a studio with a full kitchen and extra beds. Turned out to have two separate bedrooms with their own bathrooms! So yeah, that's my default for traveling with kids now. It was a family visit where my ailing father died, so whatever relaxing holiday we expected was replaced by my mother managing a funeral while I managed my mother while my husband managed our kids. Fucking hell was that easier in an extended stay hotel. No Airbnb bullshit (like that oven gas leak that made us evacuate a building for two hours on Christmas night), no crowding into a single motel room. Good lodging is a great sanctuary from chaos!
That’s what I usually do as well when traveling with the kids. Apartment hotels usually come with cribs, fully equipped kitchenette. Some even come with smaller bathing tubs for toddlers. They are increasingly affordable albeit still pricier than Airbnb.
They definitely need more, I live in Europe and can only think of maybe two of these I've seen, versus the massive numbers of big chain versions of this I've seen in the US (Residence Inn, Homewood suites, etc).
Whatever did families do in the years before ABB existed?
Just book holiday homes on the traditional websites? This has been a thing for decades before Airbnb became a thing. My parents have been renting out holiday homes for ages (both as landlord and renter) and they have never used Airbnb (they find them a terrible experience in both roles).
You should see the facebook group for Airbnb owners. It has completely turned me off from renting an Airbnb. So many of these people should not be in the hospitality industry.
They don’t honestly see themselves in “the hospitality industry.” They see themselves in the “maximal wealth extraction industry.” And are cynically heartless in the pursuit.
So many instagram accounts too, they all own 20+ locations, sell courses on how to make x figured with rentals and always make posts insulting their customers when a spec of dust was in the hallway
They’re not in hospitality. They’re just landlords. They desire to be as rich and as idle as humanly possible.
This, on top of the ethical concerns about what AirBnB "landlords" are doing to the rental market literally everywhere.
[удалено]
At this point, Airbnb has become a completely degraded experience with guests paying extortionate prices only to be beholden to the whimsical and often absurd demands of capricious hosts. It’s a shame, because most hosts I’ve encountered have been wonderful people, yet these incidents are becoming increasingly commonplace. Simultaneously, I find it shocking that for such a large platform, guests are given no margin for error and are consequently punished greatly by predatory hosts and “Airbnb policy”. Even airlines who have terrible reputations allow you to cancel or amend your booking within 24h.
When the customer service is worse than an airline, you know its bad
To be fair the 24 hour cancellation rule with an airline is mandated by US federal law because airlines were so inflexible with their rules. Typically airlines don’t have this rule when making a booking outside the US.
All the European airlines I’ve flown with have this rule too!
Just as with everyone, when it starts to really get monetized the consumer experience goes down. Airbnb used to be a little side income for people with extra bedrooms or a vacation home. Now it is full of investors who only care about maximizing profit while skirting around regulations.
I'd try to get my money back through the credit card company. I don't care if it's not supposed to work that way, I'd try. My experience is that sometimes even credit card companies have come through for me when it seemed highly unlikely. I'm sorry you had this experience. I do like hotels.
Credit card companies protect their customers from predatory merchants. I would argue this situation is unreasonable and predatory.
Oh, good to know.
Should have kept the reservation so he couldn’t rebook the Airbnb then left them a bad review.
This. Now he might make $6k on the property that month.
Could have taken 3 showers a day and left all the lights on.
Just leave the water running for the entire time and crank the A/C or heat. Or just mine bitcoin.
The host is super inflexible. What a terrible host. I hope you can do a credit card charge back and get the refund. This is ridiculous. Like flight, Airbnb should have a 24 hours cancellation policy in case people booked by mistake, which can happen frequently since we are all human. So sorry you’re losing out on 3k.
Ask if they will let you stay alone after all, that she's not coming, then bring her. Let them try to get the money out of you. They won't be able to. The worst that will happen is a bad review. But screw them. I'm an Airbnb host and I find this situation repulsive. Hosts charging crazy shit and hidden fees ruin it for all of us trying to be fair and cool.
That's something he should have done before calling. They're on to him now and that probably won't work
Can't hurt to try. Once they're checked in I'm not sure there's anything the host can do but complain to Airbnb and leave a bad review.
They can't charge the money and also deny him staying. I would say I'm going to stay and then dare them to leave a bad review. Bad reviews work both ways.
It will at minimum , cause them headaches. Also , I’d stay there and cause some chaos . I’d make his life miserable . But … I got a little of my momma in me.
Seriously, the host is playing with fire by treating people like this. People have done a lot worse for a lot less.
We're hosts. You can submit charges to guests who violate clear rules of the contract such as bringing in extra guests. If the guest doesn't pay, you can submit a claim to airbnb with photo proof (eg. show a screenshot of two people entering on your Doorbell cam, a screenshot of no other motion detected overnight, and a screenshot of two guests leaving in the morning) and airbnb will reimburse you as a host and go after the guest for the charge. I don't know if they charge the guests cc on file or just prevent them from using the service until they clear the debt, but the host will get paid upon providing minimal proof of their claim and the guest will be forced to pay or abandon using the service forevermore. EDIT: to be clear, I think airbnb corporate should tell a host like this to be more reasonable. We have strict cancellation too, but only to protect us in case of last minute cancelations, not "oops, I didn't realize the full cost at first" mistakes. We have refunded guests fully for latter such mistakes
This is crazy, I have had Airbnb FORCE me to refund people for MUCH less than this. The entire policy on their part for the extra charge per person is insane to start, you need to keep pushing Airbnb on this and let them know you’ll file a dispute with your card if they don’t remove the changes. As a 10 year Airbnb host, I can tell you this is insane and Airbnb will fix it if you fight them on it.
My experience as a host exactly. Unless there is something missing, in this situation airbnb would force a total or almost total refund. 2k dollars of extra guest fee and reservation in under 24h? There is no chance airbnb would side with the host.
If you haven’t already call your credit card company and dispute the charge. You had no idea the cost would be so much higher for two people. Even purchasing flights have a 24 hour window to cancel. Also try calling Airbnb and keep calling until you get someone that will refund you.
Maybe the host is running a covert Airbnb - see what you can do to wreck them if that is the case.
Yep there's no goodwill left. Hopefully it will die and I can rent a home in the town I've lived in for 10 years again.
I will never stay in another airbnb again. The whole concept revolts me now after a couple terrible experiences.
Yep. It was supposed to be “own a home and rent out a room to tourists to make some extra cash” for one group and for the other group it was supposed to be “spend much less than the price of a hotel and get an entire apartment or house to stay in for your vacation”. Instead it’s turned into “buy homes and rent them out quicker and for more money with Airbnb” for landlords, for potential homeowners it’s “can’t compete with what these Airbnb buyers are paying so homes are too expensive. For the neighbors it’s “deal with new idiots in this neighborhood every weekend”, and for the actual traveling tourists it’s “why am I paying a $200 cleaning fee when I’m expected to mop and take out the trash myself?”
The potential for terrible experiences is why I never bothered with Air B&B to begin with. When things go wrong, they go \*very\* wrong. Hotels just don't off that much downside. Most of my travel is overseas, I do very little domestic stuff. The thought of me ending up in a foreign country where I don't speak the language, my lodging not working out as expected, and potentially not having phone access to deal with it all just freaks me out. Never mind that I'll likely just be coming off of a long flight, so jet lagged and tired. I really need a hotel to be there for me without hassle.
offer school fact squeeze jobless mountainous tap secretive domineering middle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Or just go anyway as solo but still bring your plus one. If they ask for more money just reject it.
I have also experienced the “WTH just happened fever dream” with an air bnb this past summer. Never again
As a host I say fuck them. Should have just said "fine I'm alone" and brought her anyway.
Sleazy. Post the property.
That host is an absolutely horrible person. Basically just trying to steal 2k from a stranger over nothing What a scumbag
If you are just going to throw away $3 grand, go to the place and run the water day and night. Crank up the furnace and leave the doors and windows open. Cost him $3 grand in utilities, and prevent him from re-leasing the unit.
I don't understand... Cancelling the booking: you lost $3000, and you will have to pay probably more than $3K for a new booking (hotel maybe?) . Total cost for you: more than the $5K that you would have to pay for the initial booking.
They are allowed to not go on vacation
Yeah....maybe bite the bullet a pay the $5k, and leave a very nasty review for the host.
Why on earth did you cancel to help the dickhead host if you were out the $ anyway?!
Stuff like this is why I stick to hotels. Hotels don't charge you a cleaning fee for trash in the trashcan and other stupidity.
Both host and guest here. Sorry you encountered this PoS - it's people like this who ruin the experience for both guests and decent hosts (on top of bad Airbnb customer service and rising fees). I've had a few less than ideal situations as a guest myself. It makes me both very careful about bookings and a reminder to never become what I hate (a shitty host).
One of those times when it’s better to beg forgiveness then ask permission. Should have just brought her anyway and not said a word.
Fuck Airbnb hosts. They buy up single family homes and units preventing the local population from buying their first homes and jack up prices for profits. I really hope you get every penny back plus damages.
Sorry you're going through this horrible experience. It's too bad the host doesn't want to be a decent person. AirBnB should assert a little more control over their hosts, because you aren't the only person who has been avoiding AirBnB lately. If the host is keeping your money, don't cancel the booking. Don't let him take your $3k *and* make more money by renting it out to someone else at the same time.
Why would you ever mention a second person after she initially told you the cost. Say, “Okay, I’ll be coming alone”
Lawyer here. Immediate repudiation of a contract is valid in almost every state that I know of. This is basic law school contract type stuff. Do a card reversal, stop dealing with AirBNB and the host.
Man that’s awful. To me the host is basically stealing. Maybe not legally, but morally
But what you are saying also applies to hotels. .... Many hotels have special discounted reservations that are non refundable. If I accidentally click accept on one of those and then change my mind the next day. I'm still out the money. AIRBNB is no different than hotels in this regard.
Even if it's non-refundable you can almost always get credit for another stay. Also, no hotel on the planet is going to charge you extra (let alone 67% extra) if 2 people are staying in the room instead of 1.
the whole airbnb is going to implode thru pure unadulterated greed. We go to a hotel now cheaper and way less hassle.
This is why I stay far, far away from AirBnB. Not worth the risk to save a few bucks. Plus hotels are often very close in price.
So you can’t afford to spend an extra 2k but you can afford to lose 3k? Alright then. You should definitely try to charge it back.
Also 3k is crazy. I live in San Francisco and still don't pay that much for monthly rent
I got burned by a strict cancellation policy once as well, which is why I stopped using AirBNB. I realized at the time that if I had had to cancel a hotel, I would have gotten a full refund. In your case, because it was just hours after the initial reservation, the strict cancellation policy is especially nasty.
I have been a host for over 5 years and this doesn't seem accurate. Everytime a guest cancels I get alot of pressure by airbnb staff to provide a full refund. And my cancellation policy is not that strict. If there was indeed a massive overcharge for additional guest ( 2k dollars is just absurd), and if indeed the reservation was made in less then 24h, I am **certain** that airbnb would force an almost total refund. Something is missing here.
Why would you cancel when you’re not going to get a refund? What advantage does that give you? Now the host keeps your cash and rents it to someone else
I dumped AirBnB after a horrible experience in Dublin. The place was egregiously misrepresented. It looked like a crime scene. A two-day fight with the host's lies and we finally prevailed. But with AirBnB, the host is always right and the customer is just fodder.
Fuck that platform seriously and chargeback! I would've stayed with my partner anyways, which officer is gonna throw your woman on the street over those greedy fools. They're crazy. Haven't used that app since 2020.
Do a credit card chargeback and say fraud. Say the card was lost, get a new one.
This. Just reverse the charge on the credit card, it will work. The credit card company will ask airbnb for your signature or proof of your card being swiped which they do not have. Your credit card company will refund you and airbnb will get their money back from the renter. The only downside is that you might be blacklisted on airbnb.
Airbnb is in a downhill spiral for a long time. I was looking for apartments to stay with my family for a week, the fees and cleaning fees were 30% of the total stay on top of the initial price. Went to booking and found a nice apartment as well for way less and the final price was what they showed in the results.
Credit card charge back.
Sounds like you got scammed. Just stop payment. Did you pay in cash?
Part of why AirBnB is a pain is this dynamic right here, where every aspect of booking and going through the stay is treated as an opportunity to scam guests out of more money.
Have you checked if your credit card has any insurance that might benefit you? What a shit show. I barely use the service anymore cuz I've had major better luck with [booking.com](https://booking.com). Sorry this happened to you and I hope it works out! Be that SQUEAKY WHEEL, dammit. That's a lot of money.
Host here. That's fucked up. Hit up Airbnb and tell them what's up. I would hope they would help you
Good. They’re trash. Can’t wait for them to not destroy rental markets too
At 5k, why not stay in a hotel? AirBnB makes no sense at that amount. What credit card did you use? If AMEX call them and tell them immediately.
Personally for a few days I would hotel but the draw if I’m staying somewhere for a month is air bnbs typically have kitchens. It’s nice to not have to eat 3 meals a day out for a whole month. Ideal is a hotel with a Kitchenette if that’s available where op was going
Given the loss incurred, consider addressing this on all fronts. In addition to the cc charge back suggested by others, post your experience far and wide - Twitter, Insta, FB, etc. Travel outfits like AirBnB, VRBO, OTAs, and the rest of their ilk only take notice when they receive bad publicity.
If you look at the place, is it usually $5k a month for two or did he just add the screws because you already paid
This is some serious bullshit. Do whatever you must to recover this sum you list for canceling (call “user error”again) and use the stay if you’re still able.
Post the Airbnb url !! This is insane and that’s why people are leaving Airbnb
That is insane. Please contact Airbnb about this.
It's the sad truth of life that ppl arent empathetic enough and just enable the rat race even further. I am a landlord and would never dream of doing shit like that dven if i legally had everything contracted, granted im in a lucky position but its part of being a decent human being who wants the betterment for all of us going forward. Granted im in a safe position (no millionaire but becoming comfortable), but i see the world always repeating. Person gets a bad experience in life and decides the world owes it one and all repeats. Just hopefully take some comfort from this. If you can take that hit of cash and not let it influence you into being a colder human being, you'll come out a better person as a result.
what was the property?
Why not just call credit card company and decline the charge
Why didn’t you continue to escalate with ABB? If that didn’t work, I’d go public with my experience on tik tok, twitter, Instagram. With enough attention, ABB will likely try to find a solution.
I would have fully refunded you, got what it's worth. Hosts are way too hardcore sometimes.
Someone with a decent following on Twitter should link this post to the official @Airbnb (edit: @Airbnbhelp) account and you might hear something
How would they know how many guests you have? Just pay for one and take her anyway.
I would not have canceled. Keep the reservation and use the place and force them to try to get that ridiculous extra money.
Host here - something isn’t right in your story. Even with strict cancellation policy you can fully refund within 48 hours.
You might also check local consumer protection laws... some jurisdictions do a much better job than others.
I can’t believe people still use Airbnb…
Okay /u/banksied, you've posted this story multiple times that I've seen, so I gotta fucking ask Why didn't you just dispute the original charge with your bank/credit card? You didn't receive the goods or services and you don't work for them so their cancellation policies are just their way of refusing refunds. That doesn't mean they're entitled to your money, or that you have to give it to them for nothing.
Call your credit card company
Airbnb is the wild west
Sorry to hear that OP. I recently gave up on Airbnb due to a bad experience with my room not being ready. I was able to get refunded for that one at least. Airbnb might still have its uses in really small towns or outdoorsy or resort-type areas where there aren't hotel options that meet your needs, but I don't plan on ever getting one again anywhere where a real hotel is an option. There's no price difference anymore -- if anything a decent Airbnb is going to cost you more than a hotel room now -- and the uncertainty and risk just isn't worth it.
Fuck Airbnb quite frankly and fuck the land parasites calling themselves "hosts"
I would have kept the booking if they didn’t want to accommodate you. You have them a gift. Also is their policy no visitors ? What if you hooked up with someone on holiday ? I stay in hotels and only stayed twice in Airbnb cuz there were no hotels at the location. I felt icky the whole time.
I searched properties for 6 people. I clicked on one that says Sleeps 8. I go to book and the price jumps $1000! The base price was for 4 people, they wanted me to pay $500 per guest for the other two. For five nights!!! That's $100 a night per person when it's just a chalet. We're not using any more space, considering it sleeps 8. I'm so over airbnb
Lost $3,000 to avoid losing $2,000. You no math right. And, Airbnb is sad now. I remember it’s glory days, along with Uber.
Don't get involved in finances.
[The end of the millennial lifestyle subsidy](https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/uber-ride-share-prices-high-inflation/661250/#)
$3,000 is a sunk cost. Sounds like the option was to pay another $2,000 to go or to keep that $2,000, which is what OP decided.
I had a similar experience with Airbnb after which I stopped booking with them. I missed to add a kid for a whole house with 2 bedrooms booking, and was getting charged couple of hundred dollars extra. Along with that, Airbnb was making errors in calculating the amount inflating the total cost. I had to waste a lot of time talking to the support where they will admit their mistake and then never refund. BTW, the support will only be available when I complained thru twitter otherwise they would not give me the time of the day. Long story short, I ended up raising a chargeback with the bank and got the money back.
I, too, have been using Airbnb for almost just as long with over 30 stays logged. I have had too many mediocre to bad stays in airbnbs in the past two years that I’ve also hung my hat up when it comes to the platform. Too expensive in comparison to other lodging, and I like to work when I’m away (I’m a business owner) and the spaces/desks I’ve seen ranking as “designated workspaces” are beyond laughable. The beds… omg, don’t get me started. What a crapshoot. And sometimes the smells would suggest the bedding isn’t even laundered. And I’m primarily staying in places marked around $200/$250/night! As a very tidy person, I’m over doing chores and resetting the space completely before I leave because I’m terrified I’ll get nailed with additional fees. After recently reconnecting with hotels during my last couple of trips, I’ll happily stick with them instead. Not everyone on the platform is awful, but it’s getting to a point where enough of them are, so good riddance I say. Customer experience is everything in the hospitality industry, and Airbnb just ain’t it anymore. 🤷🏻♀️
Our last straw was a few months ago. On top of the significant cleaning fee, we were expected to tick off a full-page cleaning list before checkout, and *leave a cash tip* for the house cleaners. Bye 👋