Resolution Center

[Sumana7]

Welcome some guidance from the Airbnb community. On December 31st, we came back to our Paris Airbnb after lunch only to find the lock on the door had failed - key went in keyhole without issue, but didn’t unlock the door. We had to pay 1,590 EUR to a locksmith hired by the host to access the apartment and gather our belongings. The host had the opportunity to pay, but refused, saying it was too expensive. We provided Airbnb with proof (both written and video) from the locksmith that this was not our fault - mechanical failure with an old lock in an old building, it happens. All Airbnb is willing to do is provide us with a 50% reimbursement, stating there is not much else they can do given the host is unwilling to pay. We are still out ~$850 USD on an Airbnb where we spent one night. Meanwhile, the host walks away with a new lock funded by us and no financial responsibility whatsoever. The Resolutions Ambassador we have been working with refuses to escalate our case, stating it has been discussed by supervisors already. I tweeted AirbnbHelp, but they simply re-routed me to our open ticket with Resolutions. Disappointing on so many levels. Would love to get from advice from others who have been in this or a similar situation.

[Sudsrung0]

@Sumana7 

So where was the host? operating remotely 

Thats disgusting on all levels but Im not sure Airbnb are at fault for the lock,

Im guessing you paid by Credit Card? then put in a charge back,

[Sumana7]

The host was vacationing elsewhere, so she was not (based on what she claimed) physically in Paris. It may not be Airbnb's *fault* the lock broke, but I do feel it is their responsibility to find a way to make us whole given it's definitely not *our* fault. I don't want to dispute the locksmith credit card charge - he did his job. I want our money back, but not at his expense.

[Debra300]

@Sumana7,

I really sympathize with you about this horrible incident.   This is a long-shot, but if you had travel insurance for the trip I'd suggest that you inquire with them to see if you could possibly be reimbursed under trip interruption coverage.

[Sumana7]

Thank you, I appreciate it. Unfortunately (and somewhat bizarrely) this isn't covered by the Amex travel policy, so we will continue to work with Airbnb.

[Martin3344]

@Sumana7,

I am really shocked to hear of your terrible experience. Doubtless the large unexpected call out charge was very unpleasant for the host, but as hosts we are fully responsible for the maintenance and repair of our properties.and the well-being of our guests. Hosts are all sometimes faced with nasty unexpected repair bills and that just has to be part and parcel of what we do.

I see from the above messages that Jenny is escalating this now within Airbnb. I am confident that when this gets to the right levels you will be fully compensated and the appropriate steps taken with the host concerned. I'm really sorry that your Paris trip and your New Year's Eve were spoiled in this way, and hopefully this awful experience will not deter you from staying with Airbnb again in the future.

[Clara116]

@Sumana7 This is such a bizarre post as I read it. So do I understand it correctly - you rented and Airbnb, came back and the lock was broken ...THE HOST hired a locksmith you were allowed in to get your belongings and YOU gave your credit card??? Sorry but something is missing - what did you do that caused you to be forced out by a host?? In a normal setting when a lock is broken, the host sends a locksmith and you are allowed back in with new keys or new code but NEVER would you suddenly be thrown out or forced to gather your belongings as you write because the lock was broken. There is a reason that the host wanted you out of the place??  But that piece of info you didn't send to us. And that you were forced to pay the locksmith, gather your belongings and OUT.  So if you give us the rest of the story we can better assist you - sounds like check out was past and you came back from lunch and were forced to leave??? We can't know what happened, but the fact that Airbnb is not on your side tells me there is more in your story. Certainly curious about the lock...

p.s. if someone else hires someone to do anything they CAN NOT charge it to your credit card without your permission - if the host hired them, the host would be the responsible party, UNLESS there is some factor we don't know.  good luck, Clara

[Sumana7]

Happy to share additional context. Here is the timeline we shared with Airbnb when we first sought reimbursement. The host did not ask us to leave. After her disgraceful behavior handling the lock situation, we did not feel comfortable that, should anything else go wrong, we would be able to access our belongings.

12/30: We arrived and checked into the unit without incident (note, this was a day after our reservation started, our trip was delayed by a day due to flight disruptions in the US).

12/31 at 16:00: After a day spent walking around the city, we returned to the unit and discovered that the key we were given no longer worked. The key fit into the lock and turned freely, but the lock was not responsive.

16:12: We messaged our host Julia via Whatsapp and asked for help. She responded and contacted a handyman.

18:10: The handyman arrived and attempted to open the door, but was unsuccessful.

18:35: The handyman left, and Julia, our host, contacted a locksmith.

19:30: A locksmith arrived at the apartment. He gave us a quote for €1,590 to replace the lock. The locksmith gave Julia the opportunity to give her card number over the phone to take care of the bill. Julia refused to pay. We paid the locksmith the first installment of €1,000 and asked him to replace the lock on the door.

20:08: The locksmith removed the broken lock and opened the unit. He then left in order to obtain a new lock.

22:15: The locksmith returned with a new lock and replaced it. We paid him the second installment of €590.

~01:10: Per the instructions of the AirBnB representative we spoke with, I attempted to formally request reimbursement of $1697.80 (the total locksmith charge in USD) from our host via the AirBnB Resolution Center, which has thus far resulting in recovering 50%.

Also note that is 1:10 a.m. on New Years Day - we spent the last 8 hours of 2022 project managing this mess, only to now be given the runaround by Airbnb.

We have invoices and videos to support our claim.

[Jenny]

Hi @Sumana7 

I'm so sorry to hear about this concerning situation.

We've escalated this with Airbnb to have the situation reviewed and resolved.

Hopefully you'll hear from someone soon.

Jenny

[Sumana7]

Thank you, Jenny.

[Sumana7]

Hi Jenny,

While I am getting closer to being made whole, there now seem to be some glitches related to the payout. Airbnb confirmed we will get paid the full ~$1,701.30, which is great, however we have only received confirmation of the first half of the payment. It's been several days now, with no confirmation of the second half. I have asked Escalations to keep our case open until the full amount hits our account. Separately, I noticed that our review has not been posted to the host's place. We wrote a very balanced review, giving 4 and 5 stars where it was due. Is there a reason for this? I would absolutely want guests to understand our experience before making the decision to stay there, and would be disappointed if Airbnb screened this review for some reason.

Sumana

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sumana7 If the host hired the locksmith then the host is liable to pay the locksmith. Taking the host to court would be easy if you lived in France but may be awkward from California. Given that Airbnb has paid half it is really unfair that the host isn't picking up the other half.

I trust you left an honest review.

[Sumana7]

Thank you - we are exploring if we can take action from abroad, but TBD if that yields any results. We did leave an honest review - hasn't been posted yet.

[Seçkin2]

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[Christine615]

So sorry this happened. And glad the moderator escalated your issue.

Aircover should have taken care of this and it would have been possible to reimburse you and deduct from the hosts future revenue if they don’t pay.

We had the opposite happen. Guests waited until after checking out to say the were “robbed” and lost the keys. I was suspicious since they were able to come and go during their stay. As a precaution we hired an emergency locksmith and rekeyed all the exterior doors. When the guest wouldn’t pay Airbnb reimburse us.

But the cost didn’t come close to what you were charged. I also had an old lock rebuilt at my own house ( it was ancient) and the charge was a fraction of what you were charged, So I wonder if the locksmith inflated his fees because you were foreign,

Airbnb should remove the host for calling a locksmith and refusing to pay him.  😡

Make sure you keep copies of all the communication with the host as proof. There are a lot of hosts who “claim” to live in properties they actually don’t, wonder if it’s a front for an absentee investor.