Bad Host and bad experience, can I get compensation?

[Valerie166]

Hi everyone,

I booked a nights stay at a London apartment that seemed to have good reviews. The host took a while to accept my booking but then on the day of my travels to London, I received check in info and well wishes for my stay. As my flight was delayed, my initial plans of dropping my luggage off at the apartment and freshening up before dinner were scrapped and I headed straight to the restaurant.

On getting to the apartment at just after midnight, I accessed the secure box for the keys to find that there wasn't any there!! I called the telephone number provided for questions and emergencies, of which I thought this was the latter, and it was an automated voicemail. When I eventually got through to someone, he said he couldn't find my booking, and then he could but there was nothing he could do at this time!!

A young woman, alone, in the rain, at almost 1am, with luggage, on an unfamiliar street and there was nothing he could do until the morning? I immediatley requested a refund which I qualified for in full, £175, however, I then had to cab it to a hotel, £25 and then pay £240 for room at a hotel.

When I messaged the host the next morning to ask what happened, he replied that the reservation had been refunded and that was that. I had to spend almost £100 over what I should have done, not to mention I won't get the initial fee back for a week! Am I not entitled to some sort of compensation??

May I add, as I cancelled the booking immediatley on realising I could not enter the apartment, I don't even get to leave a review which seems a little unfair!

Thanks in advance

Val

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Hello @Valerie166,

I am sorry this happened to you!

Both as a host and a guest I know that Airbnb sides especially with the guest and almost never with the host. 

If your host had a check-in time limit (maybe midnight?) then that would get you in trouble; did you send a message to your host to make sure he/she knew that you were not able to arrive before your dinner and would then be arriving late at night? It's really important that you always have evidence of communicating with your host through the chat.

You should not have cancelled the booking, the moment you did Airbnb was released from helping you. If your host is unavailable then you CALL Airbnb and request for their assistance, they will in turn try to locate the host and if it fails then they will book a place for you, either with Airbnb or at a hotel. (I had a similar experience as a guest in NYC and ended up staying at the Hampton Inn all expenses paid by Airbnb).

You can try to use the resolution center to request for the additional expenses (the taxi cab at least) but I wouldn't get my hopes up. If the guest does not reply you can involve Airbnb and it's up to them if they side with you, the host or no one.

I hope this helps.