BAD experience

[Sorina2]

So this guy books my place for  about a month and a half and he books it far in advance.

The day of check-in, he doesn't show up or answer my messages and calls. The next day, he texts me saying " i know this is unsual but i won't have to check in until next weekend" I said ok just let me know when because you reserved and paid for the condo.

Next Sunday, i go and freshen up the place and start to message him early to see when he plans to check in. He says he isn't checkinf in until " later" and doesn't give me a time. I go there and wait and wait...and no answer AGAIN. Finally, he answers his phone and says "of i fly in late and probably will just stay at a hotel at the airport and will check in the morning". This guy doesn't ask me if and when i'm available to check him in, he just CHANGES HIS DAYS AND TIMES AS HE PLEASES. So i said uhmm ok..in this case i will leave the key somewhere and leave directions because i live more than an hour away and already drove here twice and you didn't show up. He says "ok cool". 

So i leave the key and directions, finally the next day in the evenings, he texts me that he arrives and that he needs a more advanced tv package with more channels. Note  i had the 200 channels package. I said fine so i upgraded it right away from my phone so he can get the requested channels , the 360 channels.

Then, about an hour or so later he texts me saying that the vinyl on my balcony split open, he thinks from the wind. So i ask him to send me a picture. He sends a video that shows the vinyl had opened in one corner so a little air was coming in the condo. I ask, is it cold or is that something urgent? He says the temprature is fine. So i offered to go with a handyman the next day to fix it or told him that i have tape at the condo and he can tape it himself if he doesn't mind. Tape would have been sufficient and that's how the company i used told me to fix it, NO BIG DEAL. So, my guest says ok thats fine. Well guess what, in the middle of the night i get messages from AirBnb that i need to fix the issue ASAP or my guest will cancel the reservation. I called my guest and told him i will go the next day to fix but that he needs to be there because i need the fob to get in the building. He doesn't answer all day again then finally ansewrs and says oh it's no big deal. So i thought ok everything is good. Well guess what again!! He calls AirBnb and says i didn't fix the issue and that he wants to cancel the reservation. Airbnb NEVER called me to ask what happened, they canceled the reservation and REFUNDED THIS GUY EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE WEEK THAT HE DIDN'T SHOW UP to check in. I have tried and tried to call AirBnb to talk to a case manager and all i'm getting is " Someone will get back to you" and it's been almost a month and it seems like they closed the case, they even sent me an email to review customer service, yet NOBODY HAS CALLED ME STILL!!

THIS IS ABSOLUTELT UNNACEPTABLE!!! Now i'm showing a negative balance saying i owe a month's rent! 

How can i talk to someone with a higer job since customer service is totally ignoring me??? Anyone know how i can escalate this ??

[Irina70]

Very sorry for your experience, I also had a very bad experience in communicating with AirBnb and I don't think it's possible "to rise a hell" with them as some hosts suggest here  - they only give you smoothing answers and don't solve the problem. I rang and  I wrote but nothing was done and I am still in "risky" category. I was very happy when I began doing AirBnb. For a while everything was fine, I had lovely references. Then I had to block some days in my calendar as I was going away, which I did. Suddenly I received the message that two couples booked - one straight a day before my blocked days, another  in the middle of them. The site somehow meddled with the blocked days. I had to cancel, but not before I politely wrote to the people and explained them what happened. I even suggested some options but they preferred me to cancel. Air Bnb immediately moved me into the "risky" status and nearly halved my next booking earnings (i.e. instead of $880 I only got $502). I rang and wrote to AirBnb but apart from promises and calming words nothing was done. I feel let down completely as it was no my fault in that. Keep a very  close look at your calendar, it can miraculously change! Going to switch to Booking.com or Bed&Breakfast.  Irina ***, NZ

[Joao265]

 Airbnb just has no respect for host whatsoever. I have a strict cancelation policy, the gust wrote to me she was not going to travel cause she no longer feel in a travelling mood, I said OK, but you'll loose half you money and, to my surprise, airbnb totally ignores what she said several times (the true reason for cancelling) and  "informs" me that a total, refund was issued. So forget about what airbnb says in the strict cancellation policy (only covid cases are an acceptable reason for cancelling), as they will do what they want, no justification at all. Petty thieves that describe themselves as a "community". Booking is much better and much more professional. And the price tag is the same, so I would advise you all to prefer booking dot com.

[Laura2592]

Very sorry for this experience but its clearly a scam guest.  He  knows how to work the system. 

I'll advise once again about accepting long term stays. This leaves you legally unprotected as you become a  landlord officially after 30 days without alease , and Airbnb will only  collect or guarantee the first half of a 30 day stay payment. If you get a squatter this will cost you thousands.  Id advise switching to 15 days or less and get a cohost in the area if you are remote. Review the guest honestly and consider it a lesson learned.

Shorter stays are more work to turnover so price accordingly.  But the positive is that bad guests will be in and out quickly.  If you really need stable income and don't want to drive back and forth consider leasing this as a regular old long term rental and talk to some experienced landlords/an attorney about getting a good lease in place.