Owners need to be truthful with their advertisements

Monica1637
Level 1
Glenarden, MD

Owners need to be truthful with their advertisements

My sister, cousin and I went to Turks and Caicos for my birthday in February of 2020. We stayed at the Adorable Affordable Cottage with Pool in Grace Bay and my cousin stayed at another airbnb. The place advertised they had all sorts of renovations, updates, smart TV so we booked. What we found was a cottage that was a box with an awful smell. The blankets on the bed we the same in everyone's review and some were several years old. We could not find the pool which they made sound like it was a private pool it is not. We were told once we got there that we could only use the air conditioner certain times during the day or we would be charged, but could not figure out how to cut on...no remote or wall control. there was a ceiling fan and a stand fan but with the heat you would have to open a window or door...not a good idea because there are no screens and they have plenty of mosquitoes. There was NO TV and we like watching to the news in the morning. I notified the owner of this and they were apologetic but we did not stay one night...OMG the smell of either mold or just old and needed a good disinfecting. I received a partial refund and requested more, the owners waited the 30 or so days so I could not write a bad review to tell me no.

 

My cousin on the other hand stayed at a airbnb and the owner was honest and his place was what was advertised. We stayed with him that night and found us a hotel that was very close to the beach and shopping. My birthday ended up being really enjoyable but I am no so sure of trying airbnb again.

 

Watch out for false advertisements

2 Replies 2
Ocean50
Level 6
Revesby, Australia

@Monica1637 

At the end of the day Airbnb is just a home sharing experience, so a lot of it to be fair will fall under guests to do due diligence. I see why you are confuse because you are first time user. But I already saw 2 -3 red flags about this property base on what you write, you should have recognize this and don't book the place.

 

"The blankets on the bed we the same in everyone's review and some were several years old" I see at least 2 -3 red flags about this property on this statement and somehow you still decide to book?

 

I am sure if you post the listing, I could point out 10 more red flags about this property. But oh well, sometimes we make mistake and learn. Don't let it discourage you to use website 🙂

 

Cheers,

You are correct and I should have done more research on the place. I did not notice the bed coverings until we arrived. I may give the airbnb community another chance but that was a really bad experience. More research would definitely be done if I decide to go that route. Thanks for your reply and be safe.