Has a company treated you unfairly? Our Consumer Champion is here to assist you. Click here to find out how to get in touch.
Dear Katie,
In May, my wife, two children, and I booked an Airbnb for a trip to London in July. We haven’t been to London in quite some time and thought it would be a fantastic getaway to see the sights.
Before making the booking, I reached out to the host who was “Airbnb approved.” I specifically asked whether the living area was shared with other tenants in the building or if it was exclusive to the apartment.
The host responded, stating that the bathroom is shared between the two bedrooms. This reassured me, and I proceeded to pay £1,400 to secure the room, which was non-refundable.
Shortly after booking, I received a message from the host asking for the best number to contact me. I provided my number, and he proceeded to call me, unaware that this violated Airbnb policy.
During our conversation, the host revealed that the communal area was, in fact, shared with other tenants. He offered to cancel the booking if I preferred.
Considering the safety of my young children, I decided to cancel the reservation. The host assured me that he had another inquiry from a Spanish couple for the same dates and that cancelation would not be an issue.
He promised to call me back within 20 minutes to confirm the cancellation. True to his word, he called back claiming to have “good news.” The other couple wanted to book the same dates, but I needed to undertake certain steps while he was on the line to facilitate a quick booking for them.
Following his instructions, I agreed to vacate the booking dates and accepted a date change request he sent through. He then asked me to cancel the booking myself and request a refund for the full amount via Airbnb’s “resolution center,” which I promptly did.
The host expressed gratitude and assured me that he would accept the refund request within 24 hours. I thanked him for his understanding but started to feel uneasy about the situation, so I contacted Airbnb for advice.
Despite the seemingly smooth process, I felt it was essential to inform Airbnb about a potential scam. Airbnb advised me to wait for the refund’s acceptance.
However, I never heard from the host again, and the refund never arrived. I reached out to Airbnb, but they maintained that the host did not violate their policy and criticized me for communicating outside their official platform.
– AB, Cheshire
Dear reader,
I understand how devastated and disillusioned you and your wife feel about this situation. Losing £1,400 is a significant amount of money.
Considering your two young children, I completely empathize with your aversion to staying in a room with a shared lounge.
You specifically asked the host to clarify the living arrangements before booking, and although he evaded your question, he confirmed the presence of a Jack and Jill style bathroom, which you were fine with.
You discovered that there was no other booking from a Spanish couple, debunking the host’s lie. It seems that the host deliberately misled you with the intention of defrauding you.
Furthermore, Airbnb should not have blamed you for the host’s improper phone call, as it is against their rules for hosts to communicate outside the platform. All communication should occur through the official channels.
Given these circumstances, Airbnb’s lack of action against the host was unacceptable. I took it upon myself to contact the company and request a re-evaluation of your case. Fortunately, Airbnb saw things differently this time.
Not only did they agree to refund your lost £1,400, but they also permanently removed the host from their platform.
Your story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of being vigilant when booking accommodations, even through reputable brands like Airbnb. Unfortunately, there are always dishonest individuals waiting to take advantage.
An Airbnb spokesperson stated, “We do not tolerate this type of behavior, and we have removed this host and fully refunded the guest. With over 1.4 billion check-ins on Airbnb to date, such issues are incredibly rare, and our global community support team is available 24/7 to assist.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
