It is disappointing that these few errant AirBnB hosts are giving the whole AirBnB brand a bad name. AirBnB should seriously consider doing something about booking alterations to remain competitive, because hotels and motels are honoring their bookings - no date changes, no price increases.
I guess we have been very privileged to have GREAT HOSTS in various countries so far, until our recent booking in July 2017 for an apartment in LAKE FOREST PARK, WA.
The host claims she has been in the Seattle area for years. So fine, thought we are with an experienced local host. Actually we don't care where the host is from (am OK if you claim to be from Mars), we liked the location and so we booked and she CONFIRMED the deal, more than one month in advance. I also made it clear to her we are traveling with our young children she was OK with that.
TWO WEEKS my trip, when we were in packing/moving hell, she sent a change request for the dates of our stay thru the system. If you are traveling with kids, you will appreciate this is very difficult. I APPEALED for her understanding and she was OK. THAT WAS THE LAST WE HEARD FROM HER.
ONE WEEK before our trip, she sent a price increase thru the system, which would have increased our rental costs by 25%. I am a landlord myself so naturally I would like to know the reasons for this. If the increase is not entirely unreasonable, e.g. surge in summer rates in the area, I would have been <<somewhat willing>> to offer a top up to avoid the inconvenience of finding new lodging. So can we NEGOTIATE?
I made efforts to contact her via long distance calls, emails and messaging (for which I incurred telco fees). NO REPLY. NOTHING. ZLICH. So we do not know if we would show up to a locked apartment, and you would not want to be in that situation with children tired and cranky after a long flight.
Fortunately, AirBnB responded professionally and based on the DOCUMENTED communications, agreed to cancel our booking on our behalf for a full refund, just six hours before our boarding time.
We ended up at a serviced apartment chain for our stay, which was just as competitive in its offerings as an AirBnB home. I am now a somewhat disappointed AirBnB user who will now evaluate my future stays/hosts with more scrutiny, and I would not shell out any extra money for a confirmed booking, just support the hoteling industry, even if it costs more.
Thanks all for sharing your experiences.