Never again I will host through Airbnb and will not even use it as a guest. Airbnb made me feel homeless, rubish.

[Pablo363]

This is my story. Without many guests because of the pandemic I decided to use the coupon Airbnb sent me for being a superhost for 2 years in a roll, and booked a stay in the Canary Islands which I paid with this coupon. My host sent me a warm message saying he was expecting me, which I answered. 

After landing in Gran Canaria last Tuesday morning, still in the airport I checked the app for the address but .. The host cancelled! and I wasn't notified at all! Quickly I sent a message to the host but no answer so took a bus to the center of Gran Canaria where I landed in a square. Found a restaurante with wifi from where I sent another desperate message to the host but yet no answer at all. I felt bad, I was alone and didn't known nobody there. 

Picked my backpack and went back to the square, from under a tree I called Airbnb, I explained what happened, someone apologized and told me would call me back with another place for me, so I did wait... half an hour..  an hour.. an hour and a half.. but nobody called me. I called Airbnb again and again received another apology from another person, but without a solution. 

After 2 hours of feeling homeless, restlees, known to none, I talked with a taxi driver who talked to another taxi driver who finally got a room for me in a family house, from where I am writing now. I was very lucky for landing in the morning, otherwise I could have stay in the square the whole night.

Already in the room, I wrote about this experience to Airbnb. Again someone apologized but that was all, wasn't offered not even the refund of the coupon. 

I was ready to come back home and host again. Which I will do, but not through Airbnb. I will not even use Airbnb as a guest. Never again. 

[Elaine701]

@Pablo363 

I just don't get it. It's surreal. You can't believe this happens. But it does. Along with lots of other absurd things.

Be sure to write an honest review. I assume you still can, because others do it after cancelling at the last minute.

Or maybe it's just another absurdity;  Guests can leave reviews after the >guest< cancels (having never set foot in the place), but not if the >host< cancels at the last minute leaving the guest stranded (?) 

I don't know what to say. Other than sincerely sorry this happened to you. Glad you managed to navigate through it. Enjoy what's left of your holiday! 

[Pablo363]

Hi Elaine, yes having a good time now, thank you for the good vibe. Incredible as it looks, it is what happened. With Airbnb have to be ready for anything!

**

**Sensitive information hidden

[Colleen253]

@Pablo363 @Elaine701  Pablo should be able to leave a review since this seems to have been a very last minute cancellation. Even if not, because the host cancelled, then they will be slapped with the nasty auto review. Sorry for your rough experience Pablo, but sounds like you got into perhaps a better place than the Airbnb and maybe your trip will be a richer experience for it.

@Catherine-Powell  has been promising that CS will improve since early last fall, but if anything, it's getting worse. Why is it always empty words with Airbnb?

Pablo, it really is true that we have to be ready for anything, and we must rely only on ourselves at all times.

[Pablo363]

[Anonymous]

When the guest cancels a booking on or after the check-in date, it's eligible for reviews from both sides. But I think what happens when the host cancels is that an automated review is generated that says "The Host cancelled this reservation 0 days before check-in." There's hardly anything one could write that is worse for the listing than this, as it's every traveler's nightmare to be suddenly stranded in an unfamiliar place.

Coincidentally, this exact thing happened to me with an Airbnb host in the Canary Islands.  I had to change my destination to a totally different town where I could find a last-minute hotel. Luckily, my plans were flexible enough that this didn't impact the trip too much. But still, it's a persistent weakness of traveling with Airbnb - there's no realistic way for them to make last-minute arrangements, since they don't own any inventory and can't place a guest without waiting for a host's approval. This makes it especially risky to use during high season in popular locations. On the rare occasions when I take a trip during peak season, I prefer to be sure to have insurance that can cover the difference if a trip interruption forces me to relocate to more expensive accommodation. 

It's an imperfect solution, to be sure, but we have to keep in mind that despite being a mainstream brand, Airbnb is still the Wild West and as a third-party broker has zero control over the outcome of a booking.

[Pablo363]

Hi Andrew,

Wasn't a last minute cancellation, and still I wasn't notified about it.

And what about my wait in the San Telmo Square for a promised call and promised alternative place which never happened. I was really tired and almost without battery.

And the lost of the coupon without refund, after all the money I gave to Airbnb by being superhost. They are stupid, lost a good host as you can see in my profile.

Luckily was day time and I speak Spanish so could manage the situation but made me feel like nothing as was left to my own luck. The alternative for my trip to Gran Canaria was Morocco landind in the evening, I was very lucky. 

[Anonymous]

@Pablo363   I'm certainly not defending Airbnb here; unfortunately, your experience is a pretty typical for the current state of their customer service. See also:  https://thepointsguy.com/news/airbnb-vrbo-hosts-canceling/

The travel coupon is non-refundable because it has no cash value. Apparently, these vouchers are programmed as discount codes rather than as Stored Value, and they don't survive any changes to a booking. If you're persistent about it, you may insist that they re-issue the coupon, but it's only useful if you plan to book an Airbnb again.

It's never nice when your personal circumstances (being tired and frustrated, low battery) exacerbate a situation someone else stuck you in, but of course we're always at the mercy of our own luck when traveling. All things considered, being able to travel at all is a situation most people would consider very lucky right now.

[Pablo363]

@Anonymous @Colleen253 @Elaine701  if you sell something, as we all do, got to be responsable in case of a mistake, and try to fix it. 

Airbnb doesn't sell games or movies, sell roofs over our heads. It's a big company that left me without a roof for it's own mistake, literally in the street with my staff under a tree after I made a long trip to an unknown place, and didn't even try to fix. It's not about money, is about dignity and a moral way of behaving. What Airbnb did is criminal.

[Penny386]

No valid reason to excuse airbnb for not allowing a review.  Every guest even one cancelled on should have a right to a review.  Period.  So fixable but as others have said - airbnb is just about words not actions.  And honestly about protecting hosts not guests.  Do better airbnb.

[Sarah977]

@Pablo363  No one is suggesting that Airbnb has behaved well here. Leaving travelers stranded when a host cancels, saying they'll get back to you asap and then ghosting you is the opposite of customer service. They cannot be depended on to act promptly and responsibly at all anymore.

Knowing that, both hosts and guests need to try to protect themselves in other ways, like guests taking out travel insurance, or at least realizing that and having a Plan B.

However there is one thing that jumps out at me that possibly could have prevented this situation. You said it wasn't a last minute cancellation, and that you only became aware of it when you arrived and checked the app for the address. 

So it appears that you booked the place, got a nice welcoming message from the host at that point, then had zero further communication with the host nor looked at anything regarding this booking until you were in the airport ready to get in a cab to the accommodation.

That seems like a risky way to travel. I always check on things beforehand, and would have sent this host a message a few days before check-in asking if everything was all good for your arrival in XX days if I hadn't heard from the host again.

I even do that if I've made an appointment with one of my upholstery clients- " Hi XX, just checking that we're still on for that meeting at noon to take the measurements?"

Even though I'm dealing with people in my own town, and it's not a matter of getting stranded somewhere, it has saved me a useless trip across town and an hour of my time on more than one occasion. "Oh, sorry- I totally forgot, had family arrive yesterday and we're booked for a boat trip- can we set it up for tomorrow instead?"

[Pablo363]

Hi @Sarah977    yes, I should have checked the app before departing but the mistake was Airbnb's for not notify me about the cancellation.

A company leaving people homeless for its own mistakes and not even try to fix it when can do it easily, is not a company I want to work with.

[Richard-And-Eileen0]

This is awful Pablo! Hopefully you won’t let that irresponsible host ruin your vacation. The Canary Islands are beautiful and exciting to see! 

[Pablo363]

@Richard-And-Eileen0 yess.. Now having a good time in Puerto de las Nieves, Agaete a hidden gem in the North West of the island😎

[Helen18]

Airbnb is becomming very appauling no support what so ever you cant even get them to slove a rpoblem wich i have one with them and still nothing or no one has contacted me .