Cockroach infestation in Miami Airbnb

[Anish155]

We booked an Airbnb at Miami Beach. The place was infested with cockroaches when we got there. The roaches were everywhere. Host did not respond. Airbnb Support directed us to get a hotel temporarily and later move to a new Airbnb. We did what they asked. Finding a hotel at 2 am in the morning is not an easy task. After 2 hours of calling every hotel in town, we were finally able to find a room. Airbnb support assured us complete refund for everything. 

3 weeks after the trip, Airbnb support has still not contacted us. Everytime I call them, they give the same answer that someone is looking into it or the issue has been escalated. I am not sure whats taking them so long to resolve this issue and give a refund. Never expected such service from Airbnb!

[Anonymous]

@Anish155   I'm sorry for your troubles, but then again, if cockroaches are this horrifying to you, I'm baffled at why you chose Miami as your destination. Even the most pristine, glamorous properties in Florida will be visited by cockroaches and many other insects, and in a few years most of them will be underwater.

You've posted 4 photos of what appear to be one single insect from several different angles. I almost wonder if you were about to start an OnlyFans account as that roach, it looks that obsessive. I don't know what your final resolution from Airbnb will be, but I hope you share some of the royalties with this harmless insect whom you have shamelessly exploited for personal gain. And if that hotel you tried to move into at your host's expense had bedbugs or a Covid outbreak? Well, the roach gets the last laugh.

[Anish155]

Hey @Anonymous ,

I have shared limited images since there is a size limit on uploading images and videos. This room was heavily infested with roaches. I have shared all images and videos with Airbnb support. Imagine staying in a room with cockroaches in your bed, on the ceiling, in your coffee machine, refrigerator, utensils, not to mention the bathroom. They were everywhere. The host had made zero effort to clean up the place before we entered. 
PS - above images have 3 different roaches. Sorry forgot to ask for their ID's.

[Anish155]

@Anonymous  - here you go. Hope you don't think I was doing a photoshoot in the room with the same cockroach.

[Gianni265]

Come on @Anonymous , do all Miami properties have a lot of cockroaches or are they infested? I was very lucky then. If you see 2/3 of them it means that there are a hundred hidden that go out at night. How disgusting! I don't think Miami hosts would agree, but even if that were the case the owners in that area have to advise how I should do it if I put a property here in the mountains and in the evening guests can be bitten by wolves walking in the garden. Or from tigers in asia. 

In this case, @Anish155 has contacted the assistance who gave her precise instructions, evidently she had given all the information and evidence at that time and it is not necessary in this community to go so deep. We are friends here.

Good luck @Anish155 keep insisting and I hope you will come to a solution soon. I hope it only takes a little time, Airbnb may be working with the host to charge him or having a lot of work has not yet had time to deal with the matter well. 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

Haha @Anonymous did you recognise it?

Mad skillz!

[Anonymous]

@Mike-And-Helen0  Of course! This little guy is actually quite famous in New York, as seen here:

 

I'm pleased to see that since retiring, he's found himself a nice home in Miami Beach, given up smoking, and apparently started a family.

@Anish155   I'm guessing when you booked the place, it had zero reviews. Now there are two, including yours, both mentioning the roach issue, and the listing is no longer active. Jokes aside, I totally believe you when you say it was a full-on infestation, but I can also see what happened here. Maybe you were under the impression that Airbnb or some other vets or inspects new listings before they go live, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. Fact is, if you book an unreviewed listing, you are the inspector. 

It would be a shame if nobody ever booked a new listing - hosts have to get their start somewhere - but the overwhelming majority of horror stories are generated by properties without established reputations. 

[Brian2036]

@Anish155 @Anonymous 

I like the carpet. It looks like there are little roach racetracks woven into it.

Seriously, most people in Miami have a pest control contract. You can never get rid of all the roaches but you can keep the numbers down.

It’s a bigger problem in multi unit buildings if some of the neighbors don’t participate.

[Anish155]

Hey @Brian2036 

I am pretty sure if you have pest control, cockroaches don't appear in your coffee machine, refrigerator, utensils and bed

[Anish155]

Not to mention, the host didn't bother to clean the cockroach poop all over the coffee machine

[Brian2036]

@Anish155 

I would suppose that you will get the refund and I’m surprised it hasn’t been paid yet.

 You might have to keep reminding them.

Some people have mentioned that the Airbnb chat line is a good way to contact them.

[Debra300]

@Anish155,

Airbnb CS is that great.  It's better that you just file a claim with your travel insurance.  Based upon the photos, you should quickly get a refund for what you paid Airbnb, and possibly any difference in cost for the hotel room.

[Jillian115]

@Anish155  @Liv @Quincy

Yeah that is really gross. You can't trust CS they are outsourced and don't always direct customers or host according to Airbnb policy. Possibly Liv or Quincy can assist.  I agree with @Brian2036 as a previous resident of Florida,  pest control is a necessity in the state.