Double booked property

[Cynthia814]

On our recent trip to Oregon we found our property double booked after a 10 hour drive. The people already there had booked after us on VRBO. Not knowing what the proper course to follow was, I called the owner. They contacted a friend who had a property there and she was willing to let us stay. We did not have a king bed, unobstructed ocean view, fireplace or hot water, all which we paid the original owners for. They ended up having to pay her extra money, even though it was not as nice. I called Airbnb on our return home and we will not be refunded our stay since we did not call them when we first figured out the situation. I keep getting emails to leave a review for first property. We didn’t stay but part of me wants to say that in a review and that the property was double booked. Anyone else have an issue with a double booked reservation?

[Mikki0]

@Cynthia814 

Not much you can do about it now. You should always communicate through the app, so there is a record of what went on. That host should have cancelled your booking, and refunded you your money. It was nice of them to offer a solution, but it sounds like it was not an equivalent solution. If your booking was never cancelled, you can request money from the host. And yes, I would write a review so future guests will know to call and confirm before arrival. 

[Jennifer1897]

@Cynthia814  I am sorry for what sounds like a disappointing and frustrating experience. If a host double books, whether an accident or an error on their part, if they are offering alternate accommodations they should be comparable. If they cannot, they should consider other solutions, such as a discount or the ability to cancel and receive a refund. 

That being said, if you accepted the other property and stayed the entire duration without bringing forth your concerns, it might be difficult to acquire any form of refund at this point.  In the future, if something ever arrises, such as this, make sure you document it through airbnb, whether on messenger or by calling. This gives you ground to stand on later if you do feel you are entitled to some form of compensation. 

As for the review, I would leave one. Although you didn't have a direct experience staying on the property, you did have an experience. I would say something along the lines of "Upon our arrival we found the home already occupied as a result of a double booking. Unfortunately this resulted in us being moved to another accommodation, and we did not get to stay at this property." This is short and sweet but highlights the issue. Just a note though,  I would be careful in stating that the alternate accommodation wasn't up to par, because if you didn't bring up these concerns to the host,  they were not given the chance to rectify it, making it a bit unfair to mention. 

Hope your airbnb experiences go better moving forward. 

[Gordon0]

I'd have been spitting with rage after that journey to have found myself in that situation, @Cynthia814. It's a real car crash of Airbnb experiences. You've been told what you should have done, so I won't repeat that, but I absolutely agree you should leave a review. You're effectively reviewing the host, so it should stick.

Better luck in your future Airbnb experiences - this one was a horror, and I hope you can put it behind you.

[Patricia2834]

I am a host and have been having trouble with the booking system double booking requests for days already blocked. Also a lot of requests for large groups to book a property clearly listed for single occupancy. Are any other hosts having the same problem. 

Of course I have sent feedback to ABnB but as usual not much help. I will have to exit the Instant Booking option which will hurt my business.