From other posts on this forum, it is obvious that I am not ...
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From other posts on this forum, it is obvious that I am not the only host who has been scammed by someone saying they are fro...
Latest reply
Below is a review that I just wrote.
If there's anyone who has time and cares to read this long review, please do and I'd appreciate any comments.
If I was the one who made trouble then I'll accept it.
And do you think there's a chance that this review could be deleted if the host request it?
I tried very much to be unbiased but not sure.
FYI, it was $1660 for a 3-night stay in Stowe, VT (10 mins from the Stowe Mountain Resort).
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This is quite a long review so if you don’t care to read it, please check out the conclusion at the bottom.
We went on a ski trip to Stowe mountain resort and stayed in this house 2/5-2/7. I’m about to share the experience we had with this property and the host and give you guys some tips before you book it.
First, let me introduce myself. I’m originally from South Korea and have been living in Atlanta, Georgia for a couple of years. We planned this trip about 3 months ahead and booked this Airbnb property and a rental car (minivan) in Boston airport. We didn’t go to Burlington airport simply because it was much cheaper to go to Boston and drive up.
Since we were going on a ski trip, I checked the weather frequently and got excited because it said it was going to snow which is good for skiing.
1. Issue 1 - Hill and blocked gate
The problem happened while we drove up to Stowe. It was originally 3h 30m driving distance, so we left Boston right after dinner, ETA was about 10 pm but the snowstorm started in the middle and ETA was getting delayed. It was really really tough driving but we eventually made it! Almost made it. That’s what we thought when we saw the navigation showed it was 2 minutes left.
But then we found a long hill that was not plowed and our car couldn’t climb up. We tried and struggled a lot for a long time and finally gave up, left the car at the side of the road, and walked 0.6 miles to the house. If it wasn’t for the snowstorm it wouldn’t be a problem at all to walk 0.6 miles, but in that snowstorm, it was rough.
The problem didn’t end there. We walked about 10 mins and finally reached the gate of the property and saw a should-height pile of snow blocking the gate, which turned out to be made by neighbor's plow service. So even if there was no hill, we had to stop there and walk anyway. (This property has a long driveway so it took about 5-10 mins to walk from the gate to the house. And yeah it might have been a beautiful long walk if it wasn’t the snowstorm at 2:00 am)
So this was our horrible first impression we got and here’s how the communication went with the host from the beginning.
First, I sent a message and called him when we met the hill and stuck but the host wasn’t reachable, call directly went to the voicemail since it was over 1 AM, yeah the host should sleep. The next morning, the plow service came, and then we drove to the house. And called him, explained what happened that night. He blamed us that we didn’t rent a car with snow tires and also mentioned that he didn’t expect us to actually come in this snowstorm. (I think he believes that a van with snow tires can pass through a should-height snow pile.)
I strongly believe that he should have informed us about the snowstorm and the hill, and asked us during his work hours if we were really going to come. Maybe it’s not the host’s obligation to inform and double-check such things but he could have done it, which would have been really nice.
Regarding the pile of snow blocking the gate, he said sorry it shouldn’t have happened but that was it. No partial refund or anything. Look like this was not a good reason for a partial refund since the Airbnb dispute center could not do anything about it.
2. Issue 2 - No plow service
So on the morning of our first day, the plow service came and cleared all the paths. And that was it. There was heavy snow for 1-2 days more but no plow service came after that. I contacted the host and asked for the plow service but didn’t come until we left the property after 2 days. We had to call towing service at our own expense because we were stuck in the snow again. A new pile of snow was blocking the gate again by the neighbor’s plow car. and it was all clean and clear outside of his property - we had no problem at all driving around once we escaped his property.
3. Issue 3 - Heater
We were 5 people from Georgia so pretty sensitive to cold and it was extremely cold outside. We were staying in the house all day since our car was stuck in the snow and felt cold (the thermostat shows the temperature inside was 72). We asked the host if he could unlock the thermostat since the max temperature was set to 72 and didn’t get a response maybe because it was 7:39 pm and it was over his work hours? That night, we woke up in the middle of the night due to coldness and check the thermostat again - it was down to 66 (max thermostat went down further).
And in the morning, he sent me a message saying that the temperature inside the house is 78 degrees. I had no idea which house he was looking at.
Anyway, we all got frustrated with all these situations so checked out 1 day earlier than the scheduled checkout date hoping Airbnb could get us some refund. It failed though.
Conclusion.
Please do not book this property if:
1. There will be snow because there’s a good chance that the gate will be blocked with a pile of snow and no plow service is received.
2. You are more sensitive to cold than the average person because the host wouldn’t let you unlock the thermostat from max 72 for the day and 66 for the night.
3. You expect to get help from the host when there's trouble because he's not around the property which I think it's quite common for many hosts.
From this experience, we decided to no longer use Airbnb since we are tired of all the disputes and stuff. Hope you guys have fun in this house since it’s actually a very beautiful property.
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Thank you for reading it!
@Minjun4 First of all, that isn't a review. It's a novelette. No one reading reviews is interested in a blow by blow account of your experience.
Reviews should just give a brief account of your experience. All your lengthy details aren't relevant. Where you come from isn't relevant. When you booked isn't relevant. There is no reason to "introduce" the fact that you are reviewing. The entire first part could all have been condensed to "Property was inaccessible by car due to road not having been plowed".
No, it is not a host's responsibility to inform you of things which would be common sense to most people- i.e. there are snowstorms in the winter in ski locations. And that you don't try to drive in mountainous terrain in the dead of winter without 4 wheel drive or tire chains. It isn't a host's job to give guests basic life education.
And hosts are not in charge of snow plows. If the snow plow came by and pushed a pile of snow up blocking the driveway, that's a drag, but you say the host did apologize for that inconvenience- why you think it is worthy of a refund, when it isn't the host's fault you arrived in the middle of the night in a snowstorm, when obviously nothing could be done about it, and without bothering to check any weather reports before setting off "after dinner". It would never occur to me to set off on what supposedly was an over 3 hour journey to an unfamiliar snowy location in the dark, to arrive iin the dark.
I find it hard to believe the host didn't have any information in his listing re the need for 4 wheel drive or plowing. Are you sure you read all the listing info and any messages the host sent you?
Indoor temperatures of 72 during the day and 66 overnight are totally reasonable. Did you really expect to walk around in t-shirts in the dead of winter in a ski hill location? It isn't a host's responsibilty to allow guests to recreate whatever temperatures they are accustomed to wherever they happen to normally live. Did you even look for extra blankets? If a host regulates a lower temp at night, yet doesn't provide enough bedding to stay warm enough, other guests would have mentioned that in their reviews, I'm sure.
It's probably best that you don't book Airbnbs in the future if you want to blame others for your lack of common sense planning.
@Minjun4 It sounds like an unfortunate trip, but it is really not the host's responsibility to make sure you are able to drive through a snow storm and that you continue to get your car stuck in the snow. I can understand that a Vermont winter would make someone from Georgia feel that 72F is 'cold' but that is a completely reasonable temperature, and again, it is not the host's fault that you got your stuck in the snow twice. I can't see any reason why you should get a refund. It sounds like your host could have been more diplomatic about the snow plow, etc. but I don't see that he did anything inappropriate.
It is also kind of a common sense thing that if you choose to start on a trip to Vermont ski area during a huge snow storm, that travel is going to be difficult and that since the storm is happening all around you, roads, walks and drives may still be blocked. Legally, home owners do not have to shovel their properties until after it stops snowing, so again, your host was not really at fault here.
We had a similar experience in the Italian alps one December. Had to hike out with our luggage after a foot of snowfall overnight and couldn’t get the car up the driveway the previous night. We made great memories and had great pictures! Gave the host 5 stars across the board and this was before I ever thought I’d be a host!
@Amanda1775 Love it. Life is so much more pleasurable when the unexpected is experienced as an adventure rather than a horrible inconvenience.
@Amanda1775 That's certainly admirable! I guess the host was lucky to have you.
People like you are the ones who can truly enjoy Airbnb. Not me. I'd just rather use hotels for an expected and comfortable trip.
@Sarah977 @Mark116 Thank you for the comments. I guess it was my fault for expecting too much since $500 per day was a super expensive stay for me. And all the previous Airbnb hosts were kind enough to inform me what was necessary for the trip and were nice overall. I guess those were special and this one was ordinary.
@Minjun4 The thing is, that a host advising what is necessary for a trip is not unusual, but some things are assumed to be a guest's responsibility to research.
For instance, I advise my guests to bring a flashlight, comfortable walking shoes, and a hat, as it is a 20 minute walk down a not-well-lit dirt road from my house into town. That information is specific to them staying at my listing.
But I don't feel it's my responsibilty as a host to tell them it's hot and humid in this area of the world from April through October, or that there are lots of insects in tropical locations. Those are things I would expect guests to inform themselves of before deciding to travel to this area.
Ski hills are covered in snow because it snows a lot there- it's normal winter weather. In tropical locations it rains pretty much every day during monsoon season.
It's easy and advisable common sense to check weather reports when travelling somewhere. And guests are free to ask hosts questions about anything they want to know.