Airbnb customer service

[Ilan469]

I'm a 66 yo man with great tenant reviews. I've stayed in 20 long-term situations and had great experiences. Then I booked a room in SF for a month. Within two days I realized the place had too much noise pollution for me to get a good night's sleep. I waited a few more days but couldn't adapt. After 7 uncomfortable days, I informed the host that I was leaving and would like to be refunded for the time I did not live in the room. He declined and said my booking was nonrefundable. I agreed but stated that he misinformed me about the room. That went nowhere. I spent 4 days on the phone with CS and they blocked me on every attempt. No matter my stellar track record and that I paid over 30k to their hosts over 3 years. I've never had an issue or complained. The reason was the Aircover policy, which I knew nothing about. It states that a tenant must inform Airbnb about issues within 72 hours. I was trying to be cordial and tried adapting to the environment. Now my cordiality was used against me. I'm out 1000 bucks. Can anyone please offer me options on how to proceed? I'm blown away by the corporate callousness. I have many great tenant reviews.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ilan469 in what way was the property misrepresented?

[Ilan469]

The host said that my window opened up to the neighbor's patio. Instead, it opened up to a staircase six inches (yes, 6 inches) from my window.  Neighbors rumbled up and down the stairs at all hours. I can provide a pic but not sure how to upload one to this forum. The most important part to justify my complaint is my unblemished track record and all the many positive living situations I've experienced. I'm easy. So if out of 20 situations, one is unacceptable, you'd think I'd get some reprieve from CS. Not so.

[Ilan469]

Is there any info you can provide on how to proceed? I need to bypass CS. Can I pen a letter to an executive, someone higher up the corporate chain who can exercise authority and resolve the issue?  Surely there's a way to exit this labyrinth. Thanks

[Ted307]

@Ilan469 

Hi, we are fellow users of AirBnB like yourself. Some here are guests, others are hosts. I am a host.

It sounds like you have a good point to me, the host was not truthful in his listing. You have a photo. Did the host tell you the location of the window in the AirBnB message app? The customer service rep can read that. You would be better served to send the customer service person your photo with the info you wrote to us above. It does sound like you have already done this, so your review is your last chance at recourse. Be sure to leave a truthful, calm review, "just the facts". You would not want it to be removed for being irrelevant or violating the terms of use. There is a place in the review to say the place is not as advertised in the listing. Re-state that in the written review, too.

Us ethical hosts are all disturbed when this kind of thing happens, it gives all of us a bad name. @Sybe is an admin here, & maybe has more ideas about what to do than I.

[Ilan469]

I appreciate your response. I presented my case including the photo and the quote from the host (in an email thread) that the window faces the patio. The CS rep didn't refute my claims, rather, he used the Airlock clause (must report issues within 72hours) as the reason for refund denial. It's true that I didn't report the issue in 72 hours. For one, I wasn't aware of the clause, for two, I was hoping to adapt to the situation and didn't want to make waves. Placing a negative review won't recoup me the 1000 bucks, which is my primary issue. I don't seek revenge. I want justice. I'm contemplating gathering a few emails and sending letters to executives further up the food chain. Is there any you feel would be appropriate to contact?

[Huma0]

@Ilan469 

I'm not saying you should not pursue this. $1,000 is not a small amount of money. However, I don't think you will get anywhere trying to bypass CS by emailing or sending letters to senior executives. Believe me, if this was effective, many people would be doing it! 

I have heard that posting on Airbnb's social media, Facebook, Twitter etc. can get better results when you are getting nowhere with CS, but it hasn't been my personal experience. The only way I've had any success is by badgering CS over and over until they cave. However, you normally need to have policy on your side and they have the loophole of the 72 hours so you are at a disadvantage unfortunately. 

[Ilan469]

Ha, ha...Kafka is rolling in his grave. Yeah, the citizen being bulldozed by the corporate mechanism. I spent 4 days and spoke with 8 representatives, 7 of which weren't native English speakers. How effective could they possibly be? I could sense their stiffness while reading from the script. Sad. I think I've hit the ceiling with CS.  I'll pen a few letters and see where that takes me. Social Media isn't a strong point of mine. 

[Ted307]

@Ilan469 

I am not sure how much you want to pursue your issue, but it only costs $25.00 (maybe it has inflated since my residency in CA in 2006) to file in Small Claims. You are certainly within the dollar limit. It is not difficult, I used to collect bad checks for small businesses that way. Nolo Press has a great how-to book on the subject. Just the possibility would often produce payment.

[Ilan469]

Thanks. I'll research the option. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ilan469 It is totally irrelevant that the representatives are not native speakers. The Airbnb system is such that no one can get to the upper management - It tends to make people go away!

Have you tried to deal with the host by saying you will cancel if they will refund the rent for any days they manage to re-let?

[Ilan469]

I question if non-native English speakers are as effective. For one, they're hard to understand. I find myself asking them to repeat sentences. Also, they don't assimilate info as quickly as native English speakers. To illustrate my point, I was surprised to receive a call today from a native English woman who said she was an Airbnb mediator. I was actually allowed to state my case and am waiting for her response after she talks with the host. My hopes are still slim but I was impressed that she initiated the follow-up. She scolded me for not knowing the 'proper' procedures but also heralded my spotless tenant record. We shall see 🙂

[Sybe]

@Ted307 Thanks for the tag!

@Ilan469 I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. I know how important a good night sleep is and how frustrating it can be if you're trying to adapt and then find out about this. The time window to report issues to Airbnb has recently changed. We posted an update about this here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Our-recent-change-to-the-guest-refund-policy/m-p/...

If you can't come to an agreement with the Host, the best thing to try is to mediate through Airbnb. I'm glad to hear you're already in touch with someone and please do keep us updated!

[Ilan469]

The mediator is currently in communication with the host. No resolution yet but the level of CS is dramatically improved. Maybe my thread on this forum triggered the escalation of my case. Thanks to all for your support. I'll report back once the issue is resolved one way or another. 

[Ilan469]

I'm happy to share that my issue was amicably settled. The Airbnb mediator was experienced and well-informed. My faith in CS has been rejuvenated. I went through the wringer but when it seemed no options remained, there she was, the light at the end of the tunnel. I suspect that joining this forum served to expedite the case. Thanks for your support. Aside from this incident, Airbnb has been an amazing and revitalizing journey.