Hi there,
I'd be interested to learn from the community (particularly from hosts perhaps) what is a reasonable expectation in the following circumstances:
- Two families (inc 5 kids) checked into a stay in France
- Turns out the property is not as described (specifically not a secure/safe garden, but also not modern fittings etc)
- There is broken glass all over the place, and I get cut foot
- There is new sheep poo around the pool that needs cleaning every day
- The kids room has mice in (wan't sure whether to believe the kids the first time they saw them overnight, then we found mice in their day bags later on - all video'd)
- The kitchen is filthy, with dirt and mice/rat poo on baking trays
- Bedrooms have cockroaches
- The pool has loose and broken coping stones all round, and cover mechanism and clips are broken
- Warned not to use part of oven and some doors as they are broken
- Unsafe electrics (bare wires/broken lights)
- A variety of other issues
- General dirtiness and broken things all round
We contacted the host and then airbnb within the first 24 hours to complain. We have photos/videos of lots of the issues. The host wasn't sympathetic and said we should contact airbnb to resolve.
We have had a few messages back and forwards with airbnb, but they haven't taken any steps to help resolve the situation and we are back home again now, a week later. Airbnb hasn't responded to the most recent message (48 hours ago) since quoting their policy about finding equal/better accommodation or a full refund.
The issues caused a lot of stress due to the environment and uncertainty about whether we should move elsewhere or not, and we had to manage the children in a very different way to if we knew the place was safe and secure. Is it reasonable to expect a refund? Can anyone advise the best way to get airbnb to respond to messages, or do we need to escalate in the public domain to get them to pay attention?
All the best,
Chris