Airbnb is a proper scam

[Arta1289]

I would like to ask how I supposed to get my money  back for incorrectly listed apartment? I'm in greece and airbnb charged me for a place that is not located in our destination, button another island (with different name) so we had surprise late evening on our arrival. Airbnb surely is a proper scam as they do avoid tonreply in messaging center already for a week, phone numbers doesn't exist, and no any option to contact them, only I could open a chathebak. How do I act with this money stealing  from airbnb? How do I get my money back for something I never received and how do I contact this fraudulent business?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Arta1289 

Sorry this has happened to you and it shows that Airbnb need to put more effort into checking on the veracity of certain listings. Did this listing have reviews? 

Call Airbnb using the number in a post pinned to the top of the help section of this forum. Also report the listing as being inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

@Arta1289   I wouldn't go so far as to say that Airbnb itself is a scam - I've had hundreds of legitimate transactions with them in which everything was on the up-and-up. But as a largely unregulated marketplace, many scammers are operating within the site, and Airbnb does no vetting of new accounts to weed them out. 

In this case, it's not entirely clear to me what happened. Does the property you rented have previous reviews? Were you provided directions by the host? Perhaps if you supplied a link to the listing, we could advise about what kind of scam (if any) has been attempted.

[Arta1289]

Hello and thank you for reply.

Yes host has  awesome rating and is verified. Number for Greece is not working like the rest of airbnb channels.

Issue is that apartment that we paid for is located on different island but appears in list of properties on island that we went to. They are total fraud as they charge and not willing to refund  and take responsibility for service they dont deliver. I dont see point why should I leave them my money for what was listed incorrectly,  and the "service" that doesn't exist. I tried to call number in Greece- it is inactive, tried to write them on Twitter and instagram, also here like 5 times obviously I'm getting ignored. @Anonymous @Mike-And-Jane0 

[Anonymous]

@Arta1289 It's normal that search results display listings within a broad radius of your search target, and the algorithm doesn't necessarily account for waterways or land borders. The map display is imprecise, so if the islands are close to each other I can see how that might happen.

But does the text of the listing misidentify the location? Were the host's directions incorrect? These would constitute refundable issues, but it's hard to imagine why a legit host would intentionally lead guests to the wrong island. 

[Helen3]

Sorry to hear your experience @Arta1289 

When your booking was confirmed did the host not share the full address with you helping you understand it was on a different island from the one you  thought you had booked?

And when you received the check in details was the address not apparent at this point?

If you haven't been able to get through to Airbnb - how can you say they are fraudulent in not returning your money?

What has the host said about this issue?

Good luck in getting hold of Airbnb.

If the Greek number isn't working perhaps use the one from your country of origin.

[Arta1289]

Hello, thank you for the reply.  Host said he will refund and then.... crickets.

Also I am emphasising here that Airbnb is not even giving an option to request a refund for their "service".

Another fraudulent example  is that I wrote again to the support without mentioning my booking and refund and they even started to reply. Before that they ghosted me for a week with different request under "refunds" and mention of booking. 

[Ann72]

@Arta1289  It's not clear whether you tried to contact the host directly.

It's beginning to sound as if you booked a place on the island you wanted to visit, but never looked at or received the exact address from the host.  Is it possible you went there without directions from the host?  Even without hearing directly from the host, you can find all of this information in your booking:  go to your "trips," choose the one you want, then scroll down to "get directions."

If you did all of this and still found that you were promised the wrong listing, it's the host who has scammed you.  Airbnb customer support is extremely slow these days but if you're persistent you can get an answer from them eventually.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Arta1289 If the host has excellent reviews it sounds like it isn't their fault but rather the search algorithm showing nearby places albeit on different islands. Was the location mis-represented onto listing? or did you not read the listing carefully?

[Arta1289]

Like in any other booking platform you put location and you get the listing. Like booking.com for example shows the distance from desired place so from there it is possible to understand that there is a mismatch. I didn't chose this apartment myself as I was strictly against use of airbnb, as in the past already had issues with them but as the rest of group found this fine I was dumb enough to book it with my card. Already opened a chargback request too.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Arta1289 Are you saying it was your mistake not to look closely at the listing? If so then why would a chargeback be fair?

[Arta1289]

Are you kidding? Only airbnb displays the exact location AFTER YOU PAY . If you are here to defend this scam tou should be aware if it. Ausing other booking platforms and nothing remotly similar ever happend to any member of our group we have to be paranoid and assume that apartment is somewhere else if the exact location IS DISPLAYED AFTER YOU PAY? 

[Debra300]

@Arta1289,

I am sorry that you have had this unfortunate experience.  I am sure that everyone in your group is disappointed and frustrated.  However, you cannot rely upon the maps on travel platforms, and must confirm the address after booking.  

I also list my guesthouse on Booking.com, and the listing details will reference the distance from landmarks in Martinique, because St. Lucia is just 22 nautical miles away.  I have brought this up with Booking.com, because this can confuse people who are unfamiliar with the region. These islands are two different countries, and each requires passports for travelers to visit the other island.  Although I've not had a guest book on the wrong island, but had they been uncertain, they could have done a Google search to verify the location.

I wish you luck in getting a resolution to your situation.

[Arta1289]

Thank you. I worked close with booking.com in the past as worked in tourism and I never ever heard anything like this happening to people. Indeed the exact location was not provided and non of us could even remotely imagine that the apartment is on another island 40 min away. Also host said it alreadyvhappend 3 times this summer to him, I bet he should have double check with is first too as he was aware of issue. He also said he will issue refund but now disappeared. For me the main disappointment is Airbnb's unwillingness  to reply and collaborate.  They are quick to charge without providing location and then just ignoring any refund related requests. I traveled in the most rural places in SE Asia famous for nonexistent services and scams, and never ever faced anything like this.

[Emiel1]

@Arta1289 

Can you post here the direct link to the listing, so we can see if there is any confusion about the location ?