A Disabled Host is being harassed by Airbnb about accessibility features in their home

[Seth80]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRfPU672/

There are a LOT of videos about this host's current struggle with Airbnb. 

She's being asked by customer service to REMOVE ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES from her home. She's being asked to remove a handicap accessible door bell, she's being asked to justify HAND RAILS IN THE SHOWERS. And so much more.

A guest complained ABOUT HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE FEATURES IN THE HOME and Airbnb is requiring the host to REFUND THEM AND REMOVE THE FEATURES. 

This is INCREDIBLY ABLEST AND INVALIDATING to a disabled Airbnb Host.

And NO ONE FROM AIRBNB IS TAKING CONTROL TO FIX THE IGNORANCE that is causing this public relations nightmare! What in the world is happening at Airbnb that THIS can happen?

Airbnb needs to ADDRESS THIS INTERNALLY as well as with the host, apologize PROFUSELY, and reimburse the host!

The customer service policy handbook needs to be updated also to to make sure this never ever happens again, no matter how much a guest complains.

I look forward to Airbnb's public response on this matter!

[Gillian166]

yes i watched all this play out a few weeks ago. she should have millions of views by now, it's outrageous. 

she has a postcard project running if you'd like to participate
https://www.1820things.com/tell-airbnb

[Helen744]

.@seth80 It sounds unbelievable . Really . We are constantly asked to update our listings to provide acessibility so how on earth could anyone from Airbnb possibly side with this guest on this issue. I have not seen it before. H

[Stephanie365]

I would like to say, "Unfreakingbelievable", but... I can't. 
I am absolutely not surprised by anything that Air does when it comes to persecuting hosts.

With everything I've read about on Social Media platforms from fellow hosts regarding being delisted or suspended with no warning because of a GUEST's bad behavior, I am absolutely not surprised.

Just remember, guests can fraudulently claim they have a service dog and AirBNB says they don't have to let us know. But heaven forbid a HOST is disabled and doesn't let the guest know.... Just. Wow.

[M199]

@Catherine-Powell 

FYI

[Gwen386]

@M199 I was just getting ready to tag her. I just don’t understand how this is happening in 2022!

[Gillian166]

she actually was warned by CS that if she complained to the guest and asked them to leave, they would suspend her listing. CS also asked her if she'd leave her home and go stay elsewhere for the night.......!!!  ah yes, the "professional, well trained" CS. It was a disaster from the start, not sure how they could fix this and they are SO lucky the media hasn't found this story yet. 

the guests complained to airbnb that she has "disabled items" in her home, like a fire extinguisher and even the ikea glassware was, according to them, "for disabled people", the glassware in question i think we've all seen in cafes anywhere in the world.  Yes, many people, myself included, tagged ikea on tiktok hoping they'd jump in on that one.  the sweet host will not name and shame the guests, they don't speak english so we can make assumptions all we like (and trust me, that rabbit hole is an unpleasant journey. don't do it, cos either way it's the same result: humans are awful)

The guest promised her they'd leave a bad review, and it's been nearly 2 months but i think the whole situation is still in limbo so no reviews have been posted.  I personally hope she lets the bad review be published, and then just respond politely. it will make her even more famous IMHO, and she deserves it, she is such a sweetheart. ABB could have jumped in quickly and created a wonderful marketing story out of it, but it's too late now, not without a grand gesture from ABB. 

[Lorna170]

@Catherine-Powell   This situation is a PRIME example of why AirBnB needs to bring their Customer Service teams back IN HOUSE and TRAINED directly by the company.  What a horrible thing to have publicized on social media.  

The disabled host is asked to leave her own home?  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Just when I thought I've heard it all....

@Lorna170  exactly my thoughts. By outsourcing CS, ABB has no control over it and has put itself (not just hosts and guests) in a vulnerable position. ABB cannot be sure if that outsourced company will hire someone with an IQ below 80 or on drugs or someone who simply hate his job and the entire world

[Huma0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

---

@Branka-and-Silvia0 wrote:

or someone who simply hate his job and the entire world

---

I work primarily for fashion magazines. Years ago, there was a well publicised case where an intern at a high profile fashion brand was assigned the duty of completely handling the company's Twitter. This was back in the day I guess when companies didn't quite understand the power of social media and this is also an industry where unpaid and poorly treated labour is common. Plus, Twitter was at the time the main or one of the main platforms for brand promotion (Instagram either didn't exist or was still very small).

So, the brand had no idea for a while that the intern was using the Twitter page to completely rant and rail about the company and how totally sh*tty it was. It was quite a while before his superiors even realised because no one else bothered to read what he was putting out to the world!

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for sharing this with us here in the Community Center. I wanted to post a quick message to let you all know that we are aware and our team is investigating.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Bethany195]

There is no profile posted for the woman in the tick tock from what I can see. Did anyone ever find out what happened? 

[Annie1372]

@Seth80 

All those story are incredibly sad.

Where the great spirit of AirBNB has gone ?

i’m disgusted by this type of management that allows that kind of situation from happening.

Why is those story not yet arrived in the large media?

[Stephanie365]

If this doesn't demonstrate beyond a shadow of ANY doubt exactly how guest-centric AirBNB has become, I don't know what does.

Hosts can't charge a security deposit to reduce the odds of bad guests damaging our homes. Unless you pay for a channel manager service, which discriminates against small, single property hosts. So clearly the issue isn't security deposits, but catering to larger entities and screwing the little ones.

Guests don't have to disclose their fake "service" dogs (aka pets) to hosts. But this woman should disclose her disability to guests?

Hosts getting delisted and suspended because a guest throws a party? How is this the host's fault? Why are they being punished?

Guests complaining to scam refunds and getting hosts delisted without AirBNB even speaking to the hosts to find out what the situation really is?

AirBNB instructing this woman to vacate her OWN home to placate these psychotic guests?
AirBNB instructing this woman to refund their money AND let them stay for free because they were offended by her disability? (As long as AirBNB still gets their cut, it's all good!)
AirBNB NOT giving these guests the boot after verbally assaulting this woman over her handicap?

But guests who violate extortion policies, throw parties, abuse hosts, trash people's homes are not held accountable nor are they booted from the platform. Literally the only way a guest gets booted is if AirBNB doesn't get their service fees because the guest paid with a fraudulent credit card. 

@Airbnbare you listening? @Catherine-Powell ? 

[Laurelle3]

@Seth80 we have a saying downunder that " everyone should have a fair go" and I would call this out as discrimination towards the host. It can go before the courts here with equal opportunity for all. Those that have a disability have a voice and they are being encouraged to speak out. We have another saying " if  you never have a go you will never never know". This host is trying to have a go but is beinging knocked down by a complaint. Airbnb keeps sending messages to take a photo of a  - No step to front door, measure the front door and take a photo with a tape measure. To add if you have handrail with photo. My question is where do stand with this if we have a handrail in the shower.