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I'm never using AirBnb again! Think you have a booking? Guess again. (1 Viewer)

I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.
Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.
Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

If the host is an experienced host it's VERY unlikely this is the case. Again, Airbnb is EXTREMELY punitive for host cancelations without cause like a major home issue that makes the home unlivable. They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want.

They fine the host money and more importantly put them so far down in the search results it makes the place difficult to book again.

If the host canceled just because they wanted to make a few bucks more, in a place like Hawaii with as much revenue as those properties do, they'll probably lose $50,000+ for their trouble.
The owners dont need AirBNB, they can just use another company to show their home in a tight market. It sucks for NE, and it sucks for the other owners who do it right.
 
I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.
Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.
Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

If the host is an experienced host it's VERY unlikely this is the case. Again, Airbnb is EXTREMELY punitive for host cancelations without cause like a major home issue that makes the home unlivable. They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want.

They fine the host money and more importantly put them so far down in the search results it makes the place difficult to book again.

If the host canceled just because they wanted to make a few bucks more, in a place like Hawaii with as much revenue as those properties do, they'll probably lose $50,000+ for their trouble.
The owners dont need AirBNB, they can just use another company to show their home in a tight market. It sucks for NE, and it sucks for the other owners who do it right.
As someone that does an exhausting amount of due diligence, I’ve found “old” listings that tell a story about a place/owner.
The one time that I did get a ****ty place, unsafe, bedbugs, fake pics, etc. I went nuclear on them, while on property. The threat that actually got through to them was that I would spread my story across any and all media platforms known to man. refund Came through right after that.
 
I'm sorry they canceled your room there.

FWIW, I've had nothing but super positive experiences with AirBnB.

But I think I also see it more like a connection service putting me in touch with the person with the room. I see them less as a hotel and more of a matchmaker.

I know you're not asking for advice but if it were me, I'd move on from this. Take the money AirBnB offers and drop it and move on and put 100% of your energy into the fun and positives of having a great vacation. Hawaii is super expensive already (daughter lived in Maui for 5 years). You (and I bet everyone else) will be tons happier if you spend all your time having fun vs sweating how you can make sure you do all you can to ruin a company's reputation. Mahalo.

And of course, feel completely free to ignore.
Regarding the bolded.Yes, Hawaii is very expensive and we don't appreciate an additional $700 bill one week prior to our arrival.
Regarding the second bolded statement, you make it sound far more sinister than it is.
There is already stress in our lives from jobs, families, the holidays, etc. This vacation was supposed to be an escape from all of that. We planned it since August and one week prior to our arrival, they cancel our reservations. This is additional stress we didn't need.
Why did your deal fall thru? Wondering if the owner rented it out for more money?

If the host is an experienced host it's VERY unlikely this is the case. Again, Airbnb is EXTREMELY punitive for host cancelations without cause like a major home issue that makes the home unlivable. They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want.

They fine the host money and more importantly put them so far down in the search results it makes the place difficult to book again.

If the host canceled just because they wanted to make a few bucks more, in a place like Hawaii with as much revenue as those properties do, they'll probably lose $50,000+ for their trouble.
The owners dont need AirBNB, they can just use another company to show their home in a tight market. It sucks for NE, and it sucks for the other owners who do it right.
As someone that does an exhausting amount of due diligence, I’ve found “old” listings that tell a story about a place/owner.
The one time that I did get a ****ty place, unsafe, bedbugs, fake pics, etc. I went nuclear on them, while on property. The threat that actually got through to them was that I would spread my story across any and all media platforms known to man. refund Came through right after that.
It’s unfortunate that it has to come to that. For many, this is their yearly vacation.
 
Its perfect for a solo traveler.
If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!
Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.
Prices have surged outrageously in Sedona the last ten years.
That's what I would've figured but I was pleasantly surprised to find at least a few nice options. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/43620945?source_impression_id=p3_1672230715_8YGk72z8QZXSv9U8. Exactly what I'm looking for; simple room with private entrance, good reviews, good location, good price.
 
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Its perfect for a solo traveler.
If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!
Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.


It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.
I know what you're saying, but personally, I'm just comparing totals on the search results page. Its almost pointless that they also display a per night rate when that's not actually the true per night rate once you factor in fees. So I don't care if someone charges $50 per night and a $300 cleaning fee or charges $100 per night and no cleaning fee; both cost me $600 for 6 nights. While it would be nice if the per night rate factored in all the fees, its certainly not something to get outraged about.
 
Its perfect for a solo traveler.
If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!
Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.


It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.
I know what you're saying, but personally, I'm just comparing totals on the search results page. Its almost pointless that they also display a per night rate when that's not actually the true per night rate once you factor in fees. So I don't care if someone charges $50 per night and a $300 cleaning fee or charges $100 per night and no cleaning fee; both cost me $600 for 6 nights. While it would be nice if the per night rate factored in all the fees, its certainly not something to get outraged about.
No outrage, but it can impact my decisions on who I book with.
 
Its perfect for a solo traveler.
If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!
Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.


It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.

They do show all of this upfront. Everything except taxes, which is the same as every other website, if not better.

Search page with the total price of each property, inclusive of fees

Listing page showing that the total on the previous page included all fees

Checkout page adding only taxes onto what was displayed before
 
Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants were illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

I'm surprised this isn't more common, especially in tourist-type locations where (in theory) you should be able to keep the property booked a large percentage of the time. 7-10 days of bookings would probably cover a month's worth of rent.
 
Good prank to play on any friends who rent their place out. Create a fake profile and inquire about the property and express interest in renting over a holiday week/weekend. Ask ridiculous questions. Even better if you do it while in the same car or room as your friend so you can experience the hilarity in person
 
Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants were illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

I'm surprised this isn't more common, especially in tourist-type locations where (in theory) you should be able to keep the property booked a large percentage of the time. 7-10 days of bookings would probably cover a month's worth of rent.
It does happen quite a bit. Have heard lots of “gig economy” stories over the last 3~4 years of people leasing lots of different properties and legally (but often illegally) subletting them as ABNB’s. Sometimes the owners are in on it under the table in the illegal cases as well. But I also am a real estate investor and you hear these kinds of stories more frequently at investor association meetings and such.

When there’s money to be made, there’s always people that push the envelope or skirt the law. A few years ago here in Denver, the first 2 people to be busted by the city for running illegal ABNB’s were a married couple that were claiming separate addresses from their actual home address so they could rent out these extra properties as ABNB’s (Denver you can only rent out your primary residence.) Both of them were Real Estate Agents and definitely would have known the laws and as a consequence lost their licenses.
 
Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants were illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.
We were talking about our upcoming trip with a neighbor and the Airbnb situation came up. They mentioned this exact situation happened with another neighbor. The home owners were an elderly couple. The wife passed away and the husband was struggling with the upkeep of the home, so his children moved him out. The real estate market was in a downturn, so the children decided not to sell and rent it out. None of the children live in the area, so they had no idea the people that were renting from them were using it as an Airbnb. We had noticed different vehicles and people at the property all the time, but didn't know what was happening. Apparently the children have an ongoing battle with Airbnb to get the listing taken down.
 
So, Airbnb called my wife in the middle of the night (1:30 a.m.) and told her a $200 coupon that could be used towards a future booking was the most they would do.
So, we are going to focus on enjoying our trip now. Once we return, we will insure we share our Airbnb experience with as many people as possible.
ETA- It is also frustrating that Airbnb has over $10k of our$ tied up. We had to pay half of our first booking when we booked it in August and the other half a few weeks ago. When we booked our replacement place we had to pay for it in full then. Airbnb says it can take about 15 business days to get our refund.

Time to think about blue skies, beaches,palm trees, etc.
 
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Its perfect for a solo traveler.
If you want someone's guest room.

If you want your own place, you are looking at $200+ cleaning fee. Why would I do that, pay MORE than a hotel room for a place, when the cleaning is included in the hotel cost? Oh hey, don't forget the service fee!
Depends. In Sedona where things are pricier, I'm fine with a separate bedroom and bath; I just insist on having my own entrance. I'm not the type that wants to go through someone's living room. But in Costa Rica for instance, its just amazing the airbnb options you have. And I never understand the fee outrage. All I care about is the final cost. Break it down however you want. Just tell me what's out of pocket for me and I'll compare that to alternative hotel costs and make my decision. But I'm also a value traveler. Location is important as well as a separate sleeping and showering space, but beyond that, don't really need it. Just give me the place that has great reviews at a good price.


It depends what they choose to charge, and when/where the choose to disclose it. We have used them quite a bit over the past 5-6 years around Lake Tahoe. Show me the fees on the first page, not at "check out." When we have stayed for a week, I can justify the cost. Having the flat fee applied to a long weekend can make it unreasonable.
I know what you're saying, but personally, I'm just comparing totals on the search results page. Its almost pointless that they also display a per night rate when that's not actually the true per night rate once you factor in fees. So I don't care if someone charges $50 per night and a $300 cleaning fee or charges $100 per night and no cleaning fee; both cost me $600 for 6 nights. While it would be nice if the per night rate factored in all the fees, its certainly not something to get outraged about.
No outrage, but it can impact my decisions on who I book with.
Sorry, wasn't referring to you. Just what I'm seeing out there on the web.
 
Thinking about it, I think Airbnb needs to cover the price difference between replacement properties in this scenario. They can just charge the owners the difference if the owners can’t prove they didn’t cancel without a valid reason.

Renters need to take on the risk that acts of god or other things that could make a place unlivable can happen, and if there aren’t any available replacement properties, then there’s nothing that can be done except full refunds. Airbnb can’t pull available properties from their ***.
 
Thinking about it, I think Airbnb needs to cover the price difference between replacement properties in this scenario. They can just charge the owners the difference if the owners can’t prove they didn’t cancel without a valid reason.

Renters need to take on the risk that acts of god or other things that could make a place unlivable can happen, and if there aren’t any available replacement properties, then there’s nothing that can be done except full refunds. Airbnb can’t pull available properties from their ***.
I agree 100% with this. Airbnb Support told me that the Host that canceled our booking would be penalized. I asked "How,financially?" and they said Yes. I asked where does that money go? They got really quiet. I said the fine should go towards the increased cost of our replacement booking. Silence.
Airbnb gets the extra $ from the fine to the host and the increased cost of our replacement booking.
The only party that is negatively impacted by all of this is my family (the stupid people that booked our vacation in August and thought up until a week before our arrival that our Airbnb booking would be honored). How dare us!
 
can you sue them for the difference in small claims in your state they clearly do business there and it would be fun to watch them have to try and retain a lawyer etc take that to the bank brohan
 
Thinking about it, I think Airbnb needs to cover the price difference between replacement properties in this scenario. They can just charge the owners the difference if the owners can’t prove they didn’t cancel without a valid reason.

Renters need to take on the risk that acts of god or other things that could make a place unlivable can happen, and if there aren’t any available replacement properties, then there’s nothing that can be done except full refunds. Airbnb can’t pull available properties from their ***.
I agree 100% with this. Airbnb Support told me that the Host that canceled our booking would be penalized. I asked "How,financially?" and they said Yes. I asked where does that money go? They got really quiet. I said the fine should go towards the increased cost of our replacement booking. Silence.
Airbnb gets the extra $ from the fine to the host and the increased cost of our replacement booking.
The only party that is negatively impacted by all of this is my family (the stupid people that booked our vacation in August and thought up until a week before our arrival that our Airbnb booking would be honored). How dare us!

So if I’m following this correctly:

1) Airbnb fines the seller for the cancellation. They pocket that penalty.

2) Airbnb also comes out ahead on their fee with respect to the replacement reservation since it costs more.

3) Airbnb’s only offer to you for recompense is a $200 “credit.” Meaning you only get the benefit from it if you book with Airbnb again in the future, bringing them additional business and fees. If you choose not to use them in the future because of your dissatisfaction with this situation, well then the credit is worthless and they are out nothing.

So because of 1 and 2 and the potential incremental revenue from 3, they come out ahead if you use the credit and come out ahead if you don’t. I can see why this business model would be wholly unacceptable to someone in your position.
 
Thinking about it, I think Airbnb needs to cover the price difference between replacement properties in this scenario. They can just charge the owners the difference if the owners can’t prove they didn’t cancel without a valid reason.

Renters need to take on the risk that acts of god or other things that could make a place unlivable can happen, and if there aren’t any available replacement properties, then there’s nothing that can be done except full refunds. Airbnb can’t pull available properties from their ***.
I agree 100% with this. Airbnb Support told me that the Host that canceled our booking would be penalized. I asked "How,financially?" and they said Yes. I asked where does that money go? They got really quiet. I said the fine should go towards the increased cost of our replacement booking. Silence.
Airbnb gets the extra $ from the fine to the host and the increased cost of our replacement booking.
The only party that is negatively impacted by all of this is my family (the stupid people that booked our vacation in August and thought up until a week before our arrival that our Airbnb booking would be honored). How dare us!

So if I’m following this correctly:

1) Airbnb fines the seller for the cancellation. They pocket that penalty.

2) Airbnb also comes out ahead on their fee with respect to the replacement reservation since it costs more.

3) Airbnb’s only offer to you for recompense is a $200 “credit.” Meaning you only get the benefit from it if you book with Airbnb again in the future, bringing them additional business and fees. If you choose not to use them in the future because of your dissatisfaction with this situation, well then the credit is worthless and they are out nothing.

So because of 1 and 2 and the potential incremental revenue from 3, they come out ahead if you use the credit and come out ahead if you don’t. I can see why this business model would be wholly unacceptable to someone in your position.
Very well summarized and 100% factually accurate. This guy gets it. 👏
 
can you sue them for the difference in small claims in your state they clearly do business there and it would be fun to watch them have to try and retain a lawyer etc take that to the bank brohan
I live in Canada. I wonder if a class action suit has been filed against Airbnb?
 
Spent an hour on the phone with AirBnB and then submitted paperwork explaining that our tenants were illegally subletting a rental home. Sent them a copy of the lease showing their "host" was a tenant and that gov't records showing the actual owner of record. I explained that the tenant would be evicted and their guests wouldn't be able to use the home they were paying for. All we asked them to do was remove the listing and they declined saying it was between us and the tenant. Tenant has now been evicted and locks changed....hope their guests enjoy their stay in the driveway.

I'm surprised this isn't more common, especially in tourist-type locations where (in theory) you should be able to keep the property booked a large percentage of the time. 7-10 days of bookings would probably cover a month's worth of rent.
It does happen quite a bit. Have heard lots of “gig economy” stories over the last 3~4 years of people leasing lots of different properties and legally (but often illegally) subletting them as ABNB’s. Sometimes the owners are in on it under the table in the illegal cases as well. But I also am a real estate investor and you hear these kinds of stories more frequently at investor association meetings and such.

When there’s money to be made, there’s always people that push the envelope or skirt the law. A few years ago here in Denver, the first 2 people to be busted by the city for running illegal ABNB’s were a married couple that were claiming separate addresses from their actual home address so they could rent out these extra properties as ABNB’s (Denver you can only rent out your primary residence.) Both of them were Real Estate Agents and definitely would have known the laws and as a consequence lost their licenses.
I contacted our real estate commission to see if I could file a complaint. They said AirBnB was a software platform and therefore didn't have t abide by the rule that a host booking themselves would have to. I questioned that on the basis that they were holding money, but they disagreed saying AirBnB was just a pas thru service like a credit card company. I think the work around is that they don't charge a security deposit which has to be held in a trust account in the state that the property is located. They sell a damage waiver instead.
 
You keep defending Airbnb hosts, but the facts don't support your claims. No mention was made that the place was unlivable and that was the reason for the cancelation.
Airbnb support told both my wife and I that the host was being penalized financially for the last minute cancelation. They also told my wife they would be investigating and "blocking his calendar" was the phrase they used. The host is an experienced host because his reviews date back to 2016.
It's unfortunate that this "bad" host's actions reflect badly on Airbnb and may cause trust issues for good hosts like yourself, but that may be the case.

With regard to "They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want."
Airbnb is looking pretty stupid to us at the moment. This is exactly what happened to us. I will never use the service again and, once we return from our vacation, I'm going to insure I broadcast our awful experience to others. I wish someone had warned me about the potential for this last minute host cancelation before it happened.

I didn't mean to imply that it's impossible, just that it is very rare because it doesn't make any sense for a host to do it. So it typically only happens without cause if either the host is a complete idiot, or the host is a total #### that just woke up one day and felt like they wanted to cost themselves tens of thousands of dollars so they could screw over someone they've never met for fun, or there was some major life event that happened to them.

Here is the punishment Airbnb gives to hosts that cancel on a guest without a reasonable/provable cause like an issue with the home, etc.

  1. Host is fined, if the booking is w/in 7 days of check-in then the fine is $1000
  2. Host loses their superhost status
  3. The dates that were canceled are blocked and the host is not allowed to re-book them
  4. Host's listing is de-prioritized in search
  5. If host does this more than once Airbnb can permanently suspend the host's Airbnb account
So when I said airbnb isn't dumb and they know they can't have this kind of thing happening often, I think that stands because they do as much as they can to prevent it. They don't own the property so they can't legally force the host to host you. The stuff above is pretty much the closest thing they can do to that though, making it so stupid and costly for the host to do that no sane person would ever want to do it. That doesn't mean that there aren't hosts out there insane enough to do it. Maybe this guy is just an a-hole. Maybe he just found out he had cancer. Maybe he died in a skydiving accident and his wife doesn't know how to run the place and just canceled all the bookings. Maybe he's fed up with Airbnb and just decided to quit and is enough of a dbag to not at least host the next few months worth of guests so he doesn't screw them over.

Who knows what the reason is, either way it sucks for you and it's understandable that you're upset. None of it is your fault, you did your due diligence, you just unfortunately got unlucky. Just like Southwest travelers booked the airline with the highest customer service rating and lowest amount of delays only to get stranded in an airport for 5 days.

But this notion that some people have presented (that wasn't you, I know) that hosts just go around canceling on guests so they can re-book at higher rates is extremely unlikely. The host isn't even allowed to re-book the dates. They're completely out that money they were set to make for your booking with no replacement for it.

I agree that Airbnb should have re-booked you (it is in their policy that they will attempt to), and that they should have used the money from the host's fine to cover the difference in cost of your re-booking. I'm not sure why they didn't re-book you. Like I said support has gotten much lousier as their growth has blown up. As I mentioned before I hate the direction Airbnb is going now as a public company, desperate to show growth to investor's. It's made things worse for hosts and guests alike. But that's capitalism. The executives get richer, and the user experience gets worse.
 
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Also fwiw, let's not pretend bad travel experiences are limited by platform. We can just hop into the Southwest thread for that and see the thousands getting stranded by them this week. And we can't pretend that there aren't plenty of bad experiences with hotels out there either.

Here's my yelp review on a recent stay of ours with Hilton at Hotel Del Coronado, for a whopping $1200 a night they put us in a double occupancy room for our family of 4. With the sleeping cot in there for the kids you literally couldn't even open the door to the room. Diamond members, paying $1200/nt, and we literally had to climb onto the bed and crawl through a door that would only open 1/4 of the way to get in/out of our room.

I wish they'd canceled on us as we still had to pay for our joke of a stay, and were eventually offered a whopping $100 refund (slap in the face on a $4000+ booking) only AFTER we left the negative review on yelp. AND we're Hilton Diamond members so we're supposed to get the best of their customer service.
 
Also fwiw, let's not pretend bad travel experiences are limited by platform. We can just hop into the Southwest thread for that and see the thousands getting stranded by them this week. And we can't pretend that there aren't plenty of bad experiences with hotels out there either.

Here's my yelp review on a recent stay of ours with Hilton at Hotel Del Coronado, for a whopping $1200 a night they put us in a double occupancy room for our family of 4. With the sleeping cot in there for the kids you literally couldn't even open the door to the room. Diamond members, paying $1200/nt, and we literally had to climb onto the bed and crawl through a door that would only open 1/4 of the way to get in/out of our room.

I wish they'd canceled on us as we still had to pay for our joke of a stay, and were eventually offered a whopping $100 refund (slap in the face on a $4000+ booking) only AFTER we left the negative review on yelp. AND we're Hilton Diamond members so we're supposed to get the best of their customer service.
Sorry, man, but you are taking this thread extremely personally. I didn’t say my experience is exclusive to Airbnb. The thread I started is about my experience with Airbnb. Somebody else started the Southwest thread. If you want to start a hotel nightmare thread, go for it. You can post your Hilton story there.
You said you went public (via a Yelp review) in an effort to remedy the situation and that is what I intend to do too. You were insulted by a $100 refund on a $4000+ booking, now imagine how I felt when Airbnb initially offered me a $20 coupon for a future booking on a $5000 booking.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
 
You keep defending Airbnb hosts, but the facts don't support your claims. No mention was made that the place was unlivable and that was the reason for the cancelation.
Airbnb support told both my wife and I that the host was being penalized financially for the last minute cancelation. They also told my wife they would be investigating and "blocking his calendar" was the phrase they used. The host is an experienced host because his reviews date back to 2016.
It's unfortunate that this "bad" host's actions reflect badly on Airbnb and may cause trust issues for good hosts like yourself, but that may be the case.

With regard to "They're not dumb, they know people won't trust the platform if hosts can just cancel on guests whenever they want."
Airbnb is looking pretty stupid to us at the moment. This is exactly what happened to us. I will never use the service again and, once we return from our vacation, I'm going to insure I broadcast our awful experience to others. I wish someone had warned me about the potential for this last minute host cancelation before it happened.

I didn't mean to imply that it's impossible, just that it is very rare because it doesn't make any sense for a host to do it. So it typically only happens without cause if either the host is a complete idiot, or the host is a total #### that just woke up one day and felt like they wanted to cost themselves tens of thousands of dollars so they could screw over someone they've never met for fun, or there was some major life event that happened to them.

Here is the punishment Airbnb gives to hosts that cancel on a guest without a reasonable/provable cause like an issue with the home, etc.

  1. Host is fined, if the booking is w/in 7 days of check-in then the fine is $1000
  2. Host loses their superhost status
  3. The dates that were canceled are blocked and the host is not allowed to re-book them
  4. Host's listing is de-prioritized in search
  5. If host does this more than once Airbnb can permanently suspend the host's Airbnb account
So when I said airbnb isn't dumb and they know they can't have this kind of thing happening often, I think that stands because they do as much as they can to prevent it. They don't own the property so they can't legally force the host to host you. The stuff above is pretty much the closest thing they can do to that though, making it so stupid and costly for the host to do that no sane person would ever want to do it. That doesn't mean that there aren't hosts out there insane enough to do it. Maybe this guy is just an a-hole. Maybe he just found out he had cancer. Maybe he died in a skydiving accident and his wife doesn't know how to run the place and just canceled all the bookings. Maybe he's fed up with Airbnb and just decided to quit and is enough of a dbag to not at least host the next few months worth of guests so he doesn't screw them over.

Who knows what the reason is, either way it sucks for you and it's understandable that you're upset. None of it is your fault, you did your due diligence, you just unfortunately got unlucky. Just like Southwest travelers booked the airline with the highest customer service rating and lowest amount of delays only to get stranded in an airport for 5 days.

But this notion that some people have presented (that wasn't you, I know) that hosts just go around canceling on guests so they can re-book at higher rates is extremely unlikely. The host isn't even allowed to re-book the dates. They're completely out that money they were set to make for your booking with no replacement for it.

I agree that Airbnb should have re-booked you (it is in their policy that they will attempt to), and that they should have used the money from the host's fine to cover the difference in cost of your re-booking. I'm not sure why they didn't re-book you. Like I said support has gotten much lousier as their growth has blown up. As I mentioned before I hate the direction Airbnb is going now as a public company, desperate to show growth to investor's. It's made things worse for hosts and guests alike. But that's capitalism. The executives get richer, and the user experience gets worse.
My initial anger/frustration was with the Host,but now after the way Airbnb has handled things my fury is 100% directed at them. This host is flying their banner and representing them, so they should do something to rectify the situation.
If your point #1 is correct, then Airbnb is profiting ($1000 + the increased fees they get off our replacement booking) off our misfortune. From a consumer's perspective, that sucks doesn't it?

All companies appear good when they deliver the goods or service to customers as promised. It's when things go awry (for whatever reason) that the great companies reveal themselves by making things right for the customer. Airbnb has shown themselves to be sadly lacking in this area. That sucks for a company that shows revenue of $5.99 Billion in 2021.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
Some of the properties on there can be really nice in really nice locations. Here in Oregon we have a regular Airbnb we go to each year right on the hood river. It’s quiet, luxurious, just a perfect getaway a hotel will never replicate.
 
Also fwiw, let's not pretend bad travel experiences are limited by platform. We can just hop into the Southwest thread for that and see the thousands getting stranded by them this week. And we can't pretend that there aren't plenty of bad experiences with hotels out there either.

Here's my yelp review on a recent stay of ours with Hilton at Hotel Del Coronado, for a whopping $1200 a night they put us in a double occupancy room for our family of 4. With the sleeping cot in there for the kids you literally couldn't even open the door to the room. Diamond members, paying $1200/nt, and we literally had to climb onto the bed and crawl through a door that would only open 1/4 of the way to get in/out of our room.

I wish they'd canceled on us as we still had to pay for our joke of a stay, and were eventually offered a whopping $100 refund (slap in the face on a $4000+ booking) only AFTER we left the negative review on yelp. AND we're Hilton Diamond members so we're supposed to get the best of their customer service.
nominee for “look at me” 2022. A late entry. But there’s a lot of passion from the poster. Don’t doubt this possible winner. 😜
 
It’s really amazing how much customer service has slid - whether it’s AirBNB, Hilton, or SW.
And how much great customer service really stands out from the crowd now.
Trying to keep the politics out of it, but CS has really taken a big hit since covid. It’s stretched far too thin at every level.

hope the vacation works out for you. There will be plenty of opportunity to go after AirBnB when you return.
 
Some of the properties on there can be really nice in really nice locations. Here in Oregon we have a regular Airbnb we go to each year right on the hood river. It’s quiet, luxurious, just a perfect getaway a hotel will never replicate.
Yup, some of the places you can find are nuts. This (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/52043385) is a place we're staying at in costa rica. Even if a hotel existed with such a setup, it would certainly cost a helluva lot more than $150 per night.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
Service fees is the price AirBNB charges so they make money. People I know that rent out do not make any money off the cleaning fee - that is what they pay their cleaner. Nothing bogus about either of them, nor do you have to click through the booking to see either of those charges - they are right there on the first page when you click on a property.

And it has been pointed out, there aren't Motel 6's or Days Inns, or whatever in remote beautiful parts of this country. If you want to stay alongside a highway in a grubby Motel 6 go for it.
 
It’s really amazing how much customer service has slid - whether it’s AirBNB, Hilton, or SW.
Everyone wants to blame the big bad greedy corporations, and they certainly deserve some of it, but as with many things so do we. We don't want to pay for it.
 
It’s really amazing how much customer service has slid - whether it’s AirBNB, Hilton, or SW.
Everyone wants to blame the big bad greedy corporations, and they certainly deserve some of it, but as with many things so do we. We don't want to pay for it.
It’s fair for us to not want to pay more for the same level of service we used to get. Maybe the corporations can make a few less millions instead of cutting customer service.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
Service fees is the price AirBNB charges so they make money. People I know that rent out do not make any money off the cleaning fee - that is what they pay their cleaner. Nothing bogus about either of them, nor do you have to click through the booking to see either of those charges - they are right there on the first page when you click on a property.

And it has been pointed out, there aren't Motel 6's or Days Inns, or whatever in remote beautiful parts of this country. If you want to stay alongside a highway in a grubby Motel 6 go for it.
So basically it’s like Ticketmaster extortion fees. Hard pass for me, but I’m not the target market for these. I hate the corporate nickle-diming to squeeze every last cent from you, but make it looks like it goes to the person renting you the house.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
Service fees is the price AirBNB charges so they make money. People I know that rent out do not make any money off the cleaning fee - that is what they pay their cleaner. Nothing bogus about either of them, nor do you have to click through the booking to see either of those charges - they are right there on the first page when you click on a property.

And it has been pointed out, there aren't Motel 6's or Days Inns, or whatever in remote beautiful parts of this country. If you want to stay alongside a highway in a grubby Motel 6 go for it.
Cleaning fees are usually higher than what is paid to the cleaners . We added like 20 percent extra for supplies like soap, shampoo, etc. And added a little more to cover gas to and from each of the three we use to run. Some of the cleaning fees that are super high that I see nowadays are clearly extra profit.
 
It's one thing if you're renting a vacation house or resort stay, or looking for something fancy. 90% of the listings in my area for budget stays are guest rooms in a house people are living in. Rules like no in/out after 10pm and don't bother us in the kitchen. That'll be $240 with $535 in fees thank you.
 
Bogus "service" and "cleaning" fees that add hundreds to the listed price, I've seen places listed for $200 that end up about $800 once you actually click through to booking.

Customer "service" of a middle man unable to rectify problems, answer questions, or assist in making the situation right or helping with alternatives.

Last minute cancelation possible with no recompense. The "host" might not even be legally allowed to rent out the location.

No one to hold accountable. No real effort to fix any problems. You don't like it? Here's a couple of hundred bucks credit, literally in hopes that you "have better luck next time."



... So how is this preferable to a Marriott or Days Inn? Even a Motel 6 if there's a problem they make it right.
Service fees is the price AirBNB charges so they make money. People I know that rent out do not make any money off the cleaning fee - that is what they pay their cleaner. Nothing bogus about either of them, nor do you have to click through the booking to see either of those charges - they are right there on the first page when you click on a property.

And it has been pointed out, there aren't Motel 6's or Days Inns, or whatever in remote beautiful parts of this country. If you want to stay alongside a highway in a grubby Motel 6 go for it.
Cleaning fees are usually higher than what is paid to the cleaners . We added like 20 percent extra for supplies like soap, shampoo, etc. And added a little more to cover gas to and from each of the three we use to run. Some of the cleaning fees that are super high that I see nowadays are clearly extra profit.
same here. had a condo in HI (too soon?) :lmao: but i never listed with airbnb. i just didn't like them. i knew i was limiting my exposure, but something about them made me uncomfortable. :shrug:
 
It’s really amazing how much customer service has slid - whether it’s AirBNB, Hilton, or SW.
Everyone wants to blame the big bad greedy corporations, and they certainly deserve some of it, but as with many things so do we. We don't want to pay for it.
It’s fair for us to not want to pay more for the same level of service we used to get. Maybe the corporations can make a few less millions instead of cutting customer service.
Except we're actually paying a lot less when factoring in inflation for some things than we used to and profit margins are much lower than they used to be (for air travel, for instance). Costs have skyrocketed, so it's either cut some services or raise prices, and we as a society have made it clear which we'd prefer (until there's a problem, of course).
 
It’s really amazing how much customer service has slid - whether it’s AirBNB, Hilton, or SW.
Everyone wants to blame the big bad greedy corporations, and they certainly deserve some of it, but as with many things so do we. We don't want to pay for it.
It’s fair for us to not want to pay more for the same level of service we used to get. Maybe the corporations can make a few less millions instead of cutting customer service.
Except we're actually paying a lot less when factoring in inflation for some things than we used to and profit margins are much lower than they used to be (for air travel, for instance). Costs have skyrocketed, so it's either cut some services or raise prices, and we as a society have made it clear which we'd prefer (until there's a problem, of course).
That's certainly what I prefer but to be honest, I've found customer service to be really solid. Whether its verizon, amazon, stubhub (to name a few I've used recently), I'm just loving the chat capabilities. Long gone are the days where you need to talk to someone on the phone. Its glorious. I mean typically I'm just working at home chatting with someone about an issue or something I want to get clarified.
 

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