Being charged extra for Wifi consumption when it was included?

Alberto1574
Level 1
Guate, Guatemala

Being charged extra for Wifi consumption when it was included?

Hello fellow travelers,  I have a question. I'm new to Airbnb. I recently stayed for 2 nights at a very nice house, the hosts where very nice too.  The Airbnb I chose was a private room in a condo, it included a shared bathroom and free wifi. I looked for any restrictions in regard to the wifi but couldn't find any on the listing all. (I use a lot of internet as I download games and movies) I forgot to ask I admit, but I thought it was unlimited since there was no restriction. As I was getting ready to checkout today I was informed by one of the hosts that she had been contacted by her internet company, and that I had used all of their data for the month, that hey had given her extra GB and that I had consumed that too. The company charged her $100 and she asked that I paid that. I really don't know what's the policy on this by Airbnb but as I didn't want any trouble I paid the request for $100 that was sent to me within the app. 

 

Who is in the right here? Should I have not paid? Should I have paid a percentage of the $100? Any opinions will be greatly appreciated.

4 Replies 4
Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Alberto1574 

 

I think you did the right thing and good for you.

 

As in even high end hotels, “free WiFi” doesn’t mean “free unlimited  WiFi.”

 

Many of them charge extra for WiFi which is fast enough to be at all useful.

 

I would agree that the host should make it clear that there are limits and that if guests exceed them they will be charged for it.

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Alberto1574 You didn't need to pay the additional money but it was entirely fair that you did. The host will hopefully update their listing to explain that wifi is expensive (and limited). 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Alberto1574  If there is a restriction on how much data guests can use, that should be stated on the listing, however, it's probably the case that this never occurred to the host, as none of her past guests have ever used more than some average amount. A guest motoring through an average month's worth of GBs in 2 days was I'm sure rather shocking, and had the host had to pay for that, would likely have meant she ended up providing you with what amounted to free accommodation.

 

Just because a host includes something  in their listing doesn't necessarily mean that guests can just freely use up as much as they like. For example, a host may offer a washing machine and dryer, but that doesn't mean it's okay for a guest to do 3 loads of laundry a day. And while all hosts provide a place to bathe, that doesn't mean it's acceptable to run up a huge electricity bill by taking two hour long hot showers every day. Hosts provide heat and AC, but that doesn't mean it's okay to go out all day and leave those utilities turned up to the max, heating or cooling an empty space.

 

Airbnb is often a learning experience for the hosts and the guests. I think you did the right thing by paying up, and I would bet that the host will add some clarification to her listing re average internet use going forward.

 

And as a guest who uses vast amounts of internet data streaming and gaming, it would be wise and respectful of you to make this known to a host before you commit to a booking so you ensure that your needs can be met, or if the host would want to charge an additional fee for anything over a base amount of GBs, and how much.

 

I also offer free internet, but my internet is metered and expensive, so I do make that clear in my ad- fine to check and write emails, surf the web a bit, but definitely no streaming, gaming or uploading or downloading large files. But I was well aware of my internet capabilities and costs before I started hosting, so I was able to make that clear in my listing from the start.

 

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Alberto1574  are you sure nothing is mentioned about it in ADDITIONAL HOUSE RULES?  i ask because 99% of guests don't find it or don't even know it exists. On desktop, Airbnb hides it on the bottom of the page and below basic House rules where they have to be expanded by using the "show more" link.  On smartphones is under "Additional house rules"