Customer service

[Joe2413]

I don’t know if this controversial to some or if I’m in the wrong but this is just my opinion / most recent experience with airbnb.

If a guest is halfway across the country from their home and their room is no longer available 15 minutes before check in they do not need a refund, they need a place to stay. When a guest has an issue where a room becomes unlivable, they do not need a refund, they need a new place to stay. This isn’t rocket science it’s actually very simple. Offering my money back while also telling me I have no where to sleep or stay doesn’t fix a thing. If it were a hotel would they refund me and kick me out of the hotel? Or would they issue me a new room even if it was at a different hotel?  

My most recent stay was in Miami in the middle of summer. 15 minutes before my check in the host contacted me about power outages. I contacted airbnb to try and get a new room but was only offered a refund. Hours later after waiting to be transferred to “a specialist” the host had messaged me saying the power was back. The power and AC had gone out multiple times since I arrived but didn’t really cause a problem until it was out for hours during the hottest part of the day. A power outage is something which a host or airbnb doesn’t have control over which I understand. What I don’t understand is being offered the same refund over and over again while I continue to tell airbnb I need a room not money. The room I was in reached WELL above 80° and I became very very irritated. It wasn’t until I became irritated and raised my voice on the phone I was offered for the company to even LOOK for a new room for me. Before hearing anything back from airbnb the host had already came by and fixed the ac/power issues. My stay was more than unpleasant due to the negligence of airbnb. Billion dollar company, flee market customer service.

[Anonymous]

@Joe2413   I completely understand your point about what we feel our needs are when travelling. It's happened to me a few times that a reservation has gone wrong at the last minute and I've been stuck scrambling to rearrange plans - I agree, it's an unpleasant experience.

But if you're choosing to use Airbnb instead of a chain hotel, one fundamental thing you have to grasp is that Airbnb does not own any properties. They don't have the authority to force another host within the network to accept a last-minute booking from a guest who's been let down by a different host. And they can't magically conjure up a perfect option to move you into, if it doesn't already exist in your location and happen to be available. 

Fundamentally, Airbnb is a peer-to-peer system; that comes with many benefits and savings, but it also means that if the peer you've transacted with doesn't work out, you're both back to square one. If you don't feel that you have enough of an independent mindset to make new arrangements on your own after getting your money back, I can recommend two things:  1) purchasing a high-end travel insurance plan, and 2)  using big-brand hotels instead of Airbnb.  

[Joe2413]

@Anonymous I understand where you are coming from to an extent. While you are correct air bnb doesn’t own any properties they do have the option to reallocate the money I’ve already sent them. Maybe a hotel wasn’t the best example so let me reiterate. Uber doesn’t own a single vehicle. If you were told your ride was canceled last minute they actively search for a new driver immediately. The next driver still has the option to decline your ride but Uber will continue to look through drivers until you get a ride not simply refund your money and leave you stranded. Uber’s do move around so it’s not 100% the same thing but I’m definitely not far from hundreds of other places to stay through airbnb. This is in Miami Florida not some small town. 

The issue isn’t my “independent mindset.” I’m more than capable of arranging a new room on my own. If the company policy is to just hand out a refund whenever something goes wrong I find that incredibly irresponsible and every host should be alarmed even more so than guests.

I could have taken the refund, payed for a one night stay somewhere, and left Miami with more money that I came with. While I can assure you I’m not, I also could have been lying. Which would have resulted in 3 nights free stay. In my opinion the system is flawed top to bottom leaving guests and hosts at risk.