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?

[Sarah977]

@Arta1289  While I certainly would like to see scammers eliminated from the platform, this really sounds like a guest error in that the person who booked this listing didn't do their due diligence and actually read the booking receipt and directions, or communicate with the host to ascertain exactly where this listing is. All that information should have been available to read and if the person who booked it didn't bother to check, that really isn't Airbnb's or the host's fault. (Do post the link to this listing so we can check if the host was remiss in stating the location). If you say the place has great reviews, then obviously other guests were aware of what island it was on.

It's a source of frustration to many hosts the way Airbnb displays listings in a search, as they often lump entire areas together that are actually quite a distance apart. For instance, they show listings in Puerto Vallarta, which is an hour from my town, when guests do a search for my town of Sayulita. But guests who are looking to book in Sayulita, a small touristy beach town, aren't looking to book a place in Puerto Vallarta, which is a city, or vice-versa. However, my listing itself clearly states it is in Sayulita- if a guest doesn't bother to read that, whose fault is it?

Yes, the exact location is very often not shown until after the booking is paid for and confirmed. This is for security reasons, so guests can't just show up at the listing and pressure the host to make a deal outside the platform, and there are also thieves who target Airbnb listings. But if a guest sees that the location isn't where they thought it was, you have 48 hours to cancel for a full refund.

[Arta1289]

We booked it a day before and were never advised of 48h policy. Were are located in greece and all we get is ignore. However, I will sort it with my bank.

[Sarah977]

@Arta1289  If you booked it only a day before check-in date, then depending on the cancellation policy of the listing, the 48 hour refund may not be applicable. 

But guests aren't "advised" of the cancellation policy. The cancellation policy for any listing is there near the bottom of the listing page for all guests to read.

It really sounds like the person who actually booked this simply didn't bother to read a lot of the listing info. Perhaps if you had been the one to make the booking, you would have been more thorough in reading all the info provided.

[Arta1289]

As I already said there were jo anyvissues within a decade of travelling, only with airbnb, I dont have to spend lots time ont his and I see you are just so you defend your pocket now. You cant list your property in 1 place and it appears 50km from this location, it is fault of airbnb  algorithm and host. Period. I dont have to "do extensive due diligence " AFTER I PAID ALREADY.  I asked for opinion of people who had similar problem, if you cant advice anything scroll further

[Emiel1]

@Arta1289 

Repeated request:

Please post the direct link to the listing here, so we can see if there is any confusing about the location. 

[Sarah977]

@Arta1289  No, Arta, it isn't the fault of the host where their listing appears in search. That is Airbnb's doing and hosts have no say in that whatsoever. Do you honestly think hosts like Airbnb displaying their property somewhere that could confuse guests? 

And just because you don't like the answers you've gotten doesn't mean anyone is "defending their pocket."  I don't eve know what you mean by that. All the hosts who have responded here have plenty of issues with the way Airbnb does things,  and voice that displeasure loud and clear.

What is very telling is that you refuse to even consider the possibility that the location info was clear in the listing (and refuse to post a link to the listing so we can check whether the host was remiss) and your group just didn't read that part.

[Ann72]

@Arta1289  So after booking you did not get directions from the host, nor did you look at your booking and find the directions yourself.  You just went to where you thought it was going to be?  And no one in your whole group said, Does anyone know where we're going?  It sounds kind of fun, devil-may-care and all that.  I suppose if you had succeeded in finding it that way you wouldn't think Airbnb was a scam.

[Anonymous]

@Arta1289  The host does not have any influence over how their listing displays in Search and which islands' search results it appears in. But it would be very unusual for a host to fail to mention the name of the island their listing is located on.

I notice that several of us have asked you to supply a link to the listing that you're screaming "fraud" about, and you have steadfastly refused to do so. I wonder if that is because, on closer inspection, you realized that it was actually your fault for failing to read properly.