Bedbugs!!

[Tricia3030]

Bedbugs ?

[Sarah977]

Is that a question or a comment? Some elaboration would be helpful.

[Tricia3030]

Sorry. I'm just disgusted. I had a stay and was bitten by and found live bedbugs crawling in the bed that I rented thru Airbnb. I had photos of bites and of the bugs but given a very difficult time by the Host and I was misled by customer support. I wondered if anyone has insight and into managing this experience to account for all of these the belongings that I had to throw away and related time trouble due to the bugs. Everything is documented on the App.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tricia3030 How long was your stay and when did you report the bugs?

[Tricia3030]

I stayed 2 out of 11 paid nights. I reported on the 2nd day after finding the bugs and bites.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tricia3030 Then once Airbnb get to your case they should refund the remainder of your stay. I suggest your travel insurance for your belongings that you have discarded.

[Tricia3030]

Thank you 

[Ann72]

@Tricia3030 - I'm sorry you're stressed.  But I have to ask, if you encountered them on the 2nd night, how do you know you didn't bring them with you?  They're notorious for hitchhiking.

[Anonymous]

@Tricia3030 Bedbugs!! Bedbugs?? Bedbugs.

Airbnb has been notoriously hard to squeeze any customer support out of over the last few months, but their usual course of action under these circumstances would be to cancel and refund the remainder of your booking and suspend the affected listing until the bugs have been eradicated. Hopefully you have not taken the bugs with you to another property.

Don't expect any compensation from Airbnb for the belongings that you threw away. You might be able to get reimbursed through your travel insurance provider, depending on the extent of your package. 

[Tricia3030]

That is not acceptable. It is the responsibility of the Host to provide a safe and clean environment free of vermin. State licensing guidelines regulate the hotel industry and Airbnb is responsible under those regulations to adhere to those guidelines. The law holds business and individuals accountable for failure to follow the guidelines. 

[Anonymous]

@Tricia3030  Nobody here said bedbugs were "acceptable." But it's an unfortunate fact of life that bedbugs often hitch a ride with guests' belongings, and their presence might not be detectable until an infestation like the one you experienced. There are no "guidelines"that an accommodation can follow to absolutely prevent bedbugs - that would entail requiring every guest to fully disrobe and abandon their belongings before entering the building, which only happens at very specialist resorts.

But if you believe yourself to be a victim of a legal violation in your locality, I don't know why you're here on an online forum instead of on the phone with your lawyer.

[Tricia3030]

I was looking on a community forum to seek fellow travelers who may have had a similar experience and what steps they may have taken toward a peaceful resolution to the problem before considering litigation. Is that a bad thing?

[Anonymous]

@Tricia3030  As a fellow traveller, I make sure my insurance plan covers loss and destruction of personal belongings. There are limitations to the value, but of course I don't travel with anything expensive or irreplaceable. 

I'm no legal expert, but I would point out that if you choose litigation, you have a very weak case if you can't demonstrate that the bedbug infestation was caused by negligence; I doubt you can do this unless the guests before you mentioned bedbugs in their review. If the prior guests encountered no problems, the host could counter with the claim that you brought the bedbugs with you, which would make your legal misadventure much more expensive than your vacation. Either way, as a  the host will be bearing the cost of fumigation, lost earnings, and possibly replacing furniture - something to consider while mourning the loss of your suitcase.

[Tricia3030]

I wonder if you are experienced in bedbug case law? There is no way that I brought bedbugs with me. I've lived in a condo that has mandatory pest control on regular basis and no history of pests. In any case, I did not arrive with luggage. Unfortunately, I left in an unsettling hurry and could only grab a trash bag and my laundry which I threw in my car and washed in a laundromat before bringing into the rental. I have stellar Airbnb reviews. I'm not mourning the loss of my luggage. I traveled locally to get to a clean and safe place. If I were hosting a guest in my home who encountered a traumatic experience with bedbugs resulting in itchy bites, loss of sleep, anxiety and financial and emotional loss, I would do whatever necessary to make it right. I travel with art supplies and pieces. Pastels, paper, watercolors and brushes and other items that needed to be disposed of are expensive. The host blamed me for bringing the bugs in and it is absolutely not possible. She did unavailable and did not respond to messages and when she finally did , she judged the photos of the bites on my skin to say that they did not look like they were from bedbugs. Medical experts are noted to say that individuals may react differently to bites. Some immediately others react after days. It depends on the immune response. She had photos of the bugs in the bed that I slept in but refused to refund me. 
I am familiar with the protocol to eliminate risk of bedbugs as I used to oversee residential facilities. I'm not new. So your cynical and critical synopsis of my situation is extremely biased toward Airbnb. Do you get a paycheck from them?

[Anonymous]

@Tricia3030  Oh, if only!  Maybe I should actually seek a paycheck from The Bedbug Society, as you seem to believe that I find them acceptable bedfollows.

If I have any bias here, it's toward being realistic about how you can resolve your problem, rather than making it worse for yourself by chasing unicorns. But I don't personally care what you do - I have no doubt that in Florida you'll have no trouble finding a lawyer who's itching for your money as much as you're itching from the bedbugs.

And I do strongly recommend consulting a lawyer if you require an expert legal opinion. Nobody in their right mind would be giving you one for free.