bedbugs

Jai1
Level 2
D.C., DC

bedbugs

What happens when you get bedbugs from staying at a home?  What is the process to take to be compensated and move to another property?

26 Replies 26
Katie551
Level 1
Tennessee, United States

I'm currently at an Airbnb in Hawaii. We've been itching for a couple days. Called the host, they sent someone to look, and they said there were no bedbugs. We were stupid and believed them. Just turned the mattress over and its infested. Called Airbnb and they wanted photo proof. We sent proof of the bugs and bites. It's been over two hours and they aren't returning our call. It's past midnight, raining, nothing is open. Truly wishing we'd stayed in a hotel because they would be able to solve issues fast. Instead, we are trapped in bed bug hell.

Please be very careful when you go home. NO bags in your own bedroom ; leave them outside or seperate.. Wash your clothes on min 60 degrees in the machine. 

i was a host for 5 years and stopped because of this problem.

Travelers take them everywhere around, the bed bugs.

 

Katie551
Level 1
Tennessee, United States

 Thanks for the message. Yes it's so terrible. We've already washed and dried our clothes and thrown away everything else. Now it's 3AM and no hotel will take us because it's past the booking time. This has really been the worst Airbnb experience. Oh and we're still itching.

Pam315
Level 1
Atlanta, GA

They don’t refund the stay.  I spent 470 and I’m covered in bites.  Airbnb needed 2 forms of evidence: pictures of the bites and a doctors note (if I couldn’t provide a pic of the bugs... I was already home at this point).  I went to the doctor, got the evidence which cost 240 in ficit fee and medicine.  I assumed I was going to at least be refunded my whole 470 for the stay.   But no... they gave me 200, didn’t even cover my medical bills.  So I actually ended up paying them to give me bugs.  Let alone that my body is covered and I have to work like this because I don’t have a job where I can call in.   Their policy is bull**bleep**.  

Airbnb appears to have a different "policy" depending on the circumstance.  My horrible experience with the dubious Airbnb bed bug "policy" began when my companion and I stayed in what was advertised as a "Rustic SW style, Pet Friendly, 1 bedroom Apartment" in Silver City, NM. To our dismay, what we discovered when we arrived was a dusty, musty-smelling, cobweb-covered basement in the Airbnb owner's home.  After less than 35 hours there, when we vacated the premises, it was not yet obvious that bed bugs had bitten me. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), “most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite.” In my case, the bed bug bites began to reveal themselves three days after we vacated the premises. After being diagnosed with bed bug bites, I submitted a detailed refund request to the Airbnb host and included photographs of the bed bug bites. The host angrily refused my refund request, responding in a hostile email peppered with retaliatory, deny-and-deflect statements; clearly, a thinly veiled attempt to discredit me and my complaint about bed bugs. After she ignored my second request to reconsider the evidence and do the right thing for me and future guests, I provided all information via the Airbnb Resolution portal. When I spoke with Airbnb by phone regarding this issue, the Airbnb Support rep specifically stated that Airbnb would immediately take action to prevent these hosts from renting their property to other Airbnb guests until after the bedbug issue was investigated and resolved. Regardless, Airbnb did NOT do what this Airbnb rep said Airbnb would do. What actually happened was that Airbnb Support made a strategic, dubious decision to refrain from responding at all to my detailed dispute resolution documentation — comprising 30+ pages along with several clear photographs of my bedbug bites — which I provided in writing, via the Airbnb Resolution portal, on the same day I had spoken by phone with the Airbnb Support rep. In fact, that Airbnb Support rep delayed her response until AFTER the 14-day guest review period had expired.  (Airbnb seems to make this a practice, as reported in the 8/13/19 CNET article entitled "Bedbugs are giving Airbnb users headaches… and itchy bites.")  Seems to be a surreptitious Airbnb practice to prevent guests from leaving an honest review to warn others about bedbug bites incurred at Airbnb properties. These duplicitous actions on the part of Airbnb Support are consistent with what numerous other bedbug-bitten Airbnb guests have posted on this and other forums about these ongoing bedbug issues. Even though I submitted all documentation as described Airbnb's refund policy and met the legal burden of proof to validate my complaint, Airbnb Support chose to disregard /ignore my response. I ended up having to dispute the charge via Visa. In stark contrast to how Airbnb handled my complaint, Visa took the time and care to review all the documentation I provided — and Visa stood behind me. It took almost three months to resolve this issue via Visa, but I finally won the dispute against Airbnb, and Visa charged the full amount of this stay back to Airbnb. In retrospect, it's despicable that Airbnb chose to pursue the path of corporate greed, rather than doing the right thing for longtime Airbnb guests. But take heart: If Airbnb won’t do the right thing, you do have the option of asking your credit card company to stand behind you.

Thank you, I will be going the credit card dispute route. I was covered head to toe in bites my last day at the air BNB, before check out. And they still refuse to refund me because I stayed all week. I'm considering hiring a lawyer bc this is insane. I even showed them photos of three bed bugs I had captured and the blood stained sheets from them biting me in the middle of the night. I cannot believe air BNB doesn't protect their customers. I am a long time air BNB customer and I will never be using an air BNB after this. They just lost a valuable customer. 

Why is it AIRBNB's fault?  Its the guest who bring these pests into the AIRBNBs.  It's not AIRBNB nor the hosts fault.  If you do find bed bugs, tell the host.  The host should refund you for the days you haven't spent, and then the host will have to deal with the issue.  But who should pay?  The host, who got infected from the guest, or the guest?

Dispute the charges with your credit card company. Even with pictures to prove you have bedbugs and the bites and blood stains on sheets, they refuse to refund me. 

The WORST experience EVER!!!! My 10 year old daughter received 200 plus bed bug bites !some even on her genitalia area!  Thank goodness my 9 month old had her own crib and didn’t get any bites . Air bnb has been the RUDEST and least helpful! Not to mention all of the belongings we have lost . Stay clear from these companies who do not require/ follow certain compliance regulations! I will spread the word about this disgusting misleading company !! 

Yep. Just stayed at an air BNB in Clermont, FL and woke up on the last day being COVERED in huge bites. Turned the flashlight on on my phone and saw a bedbug crawling right next to me. Found 4 more while searching the bed. 3 I was able to capture in a Ziploc bag. Since we discovered the bugs on our last day, they said they cannot refund us. I am going to try disputing the charges with my credit card company. I've also contacted the BBB and Lake County, FL health department. And I am considering contacting a lawyer because this is insane how many customers airBNB hasn't protected. 

Were you able to get at least a partial refund?  This sounds like my situation, it was the afternoon before we left the next morning so we just stayed in a different room, but grossed out none the less

Bed bugs are that pest, which can go out of control. Sometimes, it becomes very difficult to handle the infestation on your own. The best solution to get rid of them is to hire professional pest control services like, City Pest Control, bed bug exterminator NJ , etc., who have lots of experience in eliminating pests.

 

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