Charged for damages when it was not my fault

[Sophie1844]

I recently stayed at Airbnb for a friends 29th birthday. On the first night we sat around the dining table to play monopoly and the dining chair I was sat on made a cracking noise and suddenly collapsed, leaving me in a heap on the floor. Luckily I was not hurt but we did think what if the guest had been elderly or pregnant? On inspecting the chair it had wooden legs and must have had a vertical crack in the leg as it split in two. We told the airbnb host by text and sent her photos. Her response was not apologetic in the slightest or concerned with my welfare and instead asked how much I weighed! I am 5 foot 7 and average weight the chair should be able to hold a person of my weight. The host requested we paid for a replacement chair but as it must have been broken before I sat on it and the horrible response she sent us we do not want nor feel we should have to pay. She has now approached airbnb to recover the costs and they tried to take money out of my friends account without consent. It appears as though they are trying to side with the host. If anyone has any advice from a host/ or guest on the situation it would be much appreciated. Surely this comes under wear and tear?

[Anonymous]

@Sophie1844  Wow, it sounds like that host is lacking social skills - it's never appropriate to ask a guest how much she weighs. I'm curious, what are the previous reviews for this listing like? I'd be really surprised if this host had a great reputation, considering how this issue was handled. 

For what it's worth, Airbnb doesn't tend to side with hosts on this kind of damage issue. The most they're likely to grant is a claim for a small percentage of the chair's retail value, accounting for depreciation. The person who booked the home can dispute the resolution request, but I don't know a magic trick for evading responsibility if whatever agent Airbnb has outsourced its service operation to approves the claim. 

[M199]

@Sophie1844 

So sorry to hear your story.  I, personally, as a Superhost, would be totally appalled and embarrassed to provide that kind of customer service to my guests.  I would definitely show much more concern for my guests well-being.

[Brian2036]

@Sophie1844 

Wooden chairs are prone to do that. The glue dries out, things begin to shift, and suddenly someone is sitting on the floor.

 I have hand-made oak chairs, very solid, but after a cold dry winter I have to check them.

If one starts to feel wobbly it’s time to reglue and clamp some joints.

 I’ve never had a leg split in half lengthwise but I can see how it could happen, especially if the wood had an internal defect.

 I don’t see how sitting in it would cause that kind of damage.

Normal wear and tear would be an appropriate diagnosis, I suppose, but I would guess that there was a pre-existing defect.