Airbnb Customer Support Horror Story

[Charlie179]

Long story short, I'm out thousands in damages, cleaning fees, and replacement goods after a nightmare guest stay. Airbnb has denied my claim, even went as far to lie about the next guest's arrival time to effectively void my claim. Skip this list of offenses if you just want to read about how Airbnb screwed me over.

1. The whole house smelled like smoke, booze, and sex
2. Four sets of bed linens soiled beyond salvation
3. Countless towels and blankets soiled beyond salvation
4. Broken kitchen cabinet
5. Human feces in a bed (like a lot!)
6. Urine soaked pants in a bathroom
7. Slept in off limits areas
8. Arrived with 15 guests (limit is eight)
9. Only paid for two guests
10. Cigarette smoke in every room in the house
11. Ashes and butts in every room in the house

My cleaning crew arrived at 10:30 AM on August 23, 2020. Unfortunately, they didn't take any worthwhile photos or call me right away. They were too panicked because the house was trashed and the next check in was at 4:00 PM (at least that's soonest guests are allowed). They called me after finishing up, and I immediately filed a claim in the Airbnb resolution center at 4:06 PM.

After weeks of back and forth, my claim has been denied because Airbnb claims that the next guest checked in at 3:00 PM (this is the lie). Per the host guarantee policy, I filed my claim 66 minutes too late.

In reality, the guest's flight didn't land until 7:00 PM and she didn't check in until after 8:00 PM! The guest and I have messaged about this fact within the Airbnb app, and she has even shared a photo of her flight plan. Airbnb's response to this has been...crickets...

I'm a super host with 40+ stays. I have never asked for anything back, except now, after my house was certifiably trashed! In the midst of a global pandemic, when all hosts are struggling, my claim is denied because of a baseless lie.

SHAME!

[Neil452]

That is really ridiculous. Im sorry about that man. Hopefully you won't have to switch apps before something is implemented for these situations.

[Justin1122]

Wow, that sounds like a nightmare. I hope Airbnb does the right thing here -- you're entitled to cover your losses.

[Margaret963]

I hope Airbnb realizes how absurd their explanation is.

[Kunal25]

AirBnb needs to step up to the plate and do something in this COVID-19 era of support for the local renter. Human feces? Come on, that should be self-explanatory. 

[Frederick99]

Air B&B really needs to respond to the guest’s submission of flight info.  The position you describe is not 21st century business practice at all...

[Paul119]

I had something similar but not quite as bad happen last weekend. Airbnb did nothing to help and discouraged me from calling the police for a party of 20+ people during covid restrictions  (3 were booked). They smoked pot and cigs in my space, made a huge mess and broke bottles on the front lawn. Airbnb keep sending me reminders to leave the guest a review but the links are broken so I can’t even warn other hosts. Such a nightmare, glad I have good friends who came over and helped me steam clean everything and pick up the pieces. I’ve been a super host for 5 and a half years and this was by far my worst guest. Really thinking of hanging it up or switching platforms since it’s clear that Airbnb does not care about hosts at all. 

[Jennifer1351]

@Paul119 Did you have this happen while you were there? It looks like you live on the property. Sounds scary. What were you able to do while this was happening?

[Paul119]

I type out a long explanation but Airbnb said there was an error (or maybe I’m being censored)

[Charlie179]

Airbnb just offered me $50. What a joke!

My losses:

$1400 cleaning fees (hazard pay, extra staff, steam cleaning, etc)

$480 lost guest fees

$80 cabinet repair

$50 grocery delivery stolen

??? replacement cost of towels and linens 

[Anna9170]

@Charlie179   Unfortunately (or not), there are rules. Claim for damages can be filed BEFORE the check-in of the next guest. Your cleaning staff should not have been afraid, it's emotions. They should take photos of the damage and send them to you. While they are cleaning, you should file a claim in Airbnb. This is a business, nothing personal. (с). Given the size of the house, it may make sense to pause between check in and check out to calmly formulate complaints and have time to send them in support.

[Charlie179]

The claim was filed before the next guest checked in. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

just to let all of you know - you can contact Airbnb immediately and say your guest did damage but you will not be able to give an estimate or a bill before your next guest arrives. ABB rep will get in touch with you and give you a contact to submit the rest in a day or two when you will be able to.

At least that's what I did... before this Covid mess

[Charlie179]

I did contact them immediately. Since then, I’ve been rerouted and have corresponded with Roberto, Marianne, Angus and one other person. It’s impossible to keep track of. 

[Paul119]

I can’t even get a reply back!  I feel so done and now I’m turning down bookings from guests if they seem even a little bit off or don’t have reviews. My faith in Airbnb is shattered. I can’t believe how they treat hosts that have been around for years