Am I wrong to believe AirBnB should reimburse me for my experience?

[Rodney13]

I am an avid traveler and have made it my mission to ensure that  I see the world. With the creation of AirBnB, it truly enhanced my experiences on an entirely different level until I used them for my stay in Rio 2016. Essentially, I rented the entire place and my host ended up staying there as well (which I ultimately equated to him being confused). When I contacted Airbnb, my host canceled, my friend and I were left homeless and at risk wandering the streets of Rio searching for a hotel with all of our belongings thanks to their mistake. It was my friends first time ever traveling out of the country and I must say they completely ruined our experience. I even had to forfeit tickets to see Usain Bolt win the Gold due to having to pay almost $400 for hotel  expenses that night. 

For some reason, AirBnB believes I should be paying for a horrible experience I had during the games. 

​It seems they won't hear me out, so I'm hoping there is someone who will.​

-Rodney

[David126]

When a Host cancells you should get your booking fee back. Seems they often give you a small bonus and help you find other accomodation.

[Ephraim0]

Rodney this forum is really for hosts. That said, it has been my experience and understanding that airbnb goes above and beyond in situations that are no fault of the guest. Did you call airbnb immediately when the host canceled? Why did you wander aimlessly? It seems there is some part of the story that isnt clear to me or possibly left out. Yes in general I can say as an airbnb customer and host that airbnb will find you accommodations or pay for accommodations when a host leaves you stranded. What has airbnb said to you?

PS Sorry about missing Usain Bolt run thats gotta suck.

[Allison2]

He's posting in the "Travelers" section, which is the best place for this type of issue.

Rodney, you may want to try calling/contacting Airbnb again. You should have been given the option of continuing your stay and I'm surprised the host didn't do more to work with you. If the listing was materially different than advertised (and a host sharing space in a "whole house" listing is definitely NOT what you paid for) you really should receive a refund. What could be complicating things is that it sounds like you stayed for at least one night and Air expects you to raise issues with suitability/accuracy/etc early on in your stay...otherwise hosts would be dealing with all manner of iffy complaints with refund requests after the bulk of the stay was completed.

A lot of us hosts & fellow guests can be sympathetic ears, but not be able to do much, so try getting in touch with Airbnb again.

[Mika5]

.

[Mika5]

If the host canceled, Airbnb refund process starts automatically. Of course it takes a few days for the guest to actually receive the refund, nothing related to Airbnb or the host, it depends on the guest's bank policies to make the refund available.

I believe Rodney believes that it is Airbnb's fault that he was "left homeless and at risk wandering the streets of Rio"and should be compensated (extra $$$/refund for his hotel) for that. I think that is what he means by "reimburse my experience".

Sorry, if that is the thought, I totally disagree.Cancellations may happen for various reasons (even extenuating circunstances) and guests should always have a back up plan.

As for the host, many things could have happened..and even if it was not an honest mistake, the host has always the right to cancel the reservation,a nd he will pay the price for this. He offered to accomodate the guest , with his presence. The guest complained to airbnb, host canceled. You get your money back, fair enough. Rodney, you had a choice. Didn't have to be left homeless or have paid $400 for a hotel, could have only spent some time sharing the space with a Rio native, get some tips and clues about the city.