Girls Getaway Gone Wrong

[Lissette32]

Hi everyone,

I stayed at a beautiful Airbnb in Connecticut  last weekend, Friday, 8/9-Sunday, 8/11.

I had such a wonderful time.  It’s was a girls weekend getaway.

I left on Sunday very satisfied and was already thinking of returning with my boyfriend and another couple.

This trip was organized and booked solely by one of the ladies in our group of friends.

When I went to the listing I saw right away that for the weekdays the nightly rate is $350 and for weekends it is $375.

The gal who organized this weekend for us (we were a party of 8), told us that for the 2 nights we each had to give her $220.   She told us she would also pay her share of $220 for the weekend.

When the math is done $220 x’s 8 = $1,760.

But, according to the listing a Friday-Sunday stay should be $1,151 including fees.

That’s a HUGE difference!

When she was asked about this matter she stated that she was charged $455 per night on the weekends and the cleaning fee was $300 and the other fees were much higher.

She provided us a blurry invoice via text message which totaled $1,790.40.

She crossed out the reservation # and the travelers name, and it says Thursday-Sunday.  Our stay for the whole group of 8 of us was booked by her from Friday-Sunday.

The invoice she showed us also says $455 x’s 2 nights.  A cleaning fee of $300, a service fee of $300, and a taxes and occupancy fee of $280.

This listing clearly states a one time cleaning fee of $150.

She became super defensive about the whole matter and this has caused quite a riff amongst our circle of friends.

She was already at the property when we arrived on Friday, claiming she had asked the host to let her check in an hour earlier.

So maybe she checked in Thursday a day before the rest of our group?

I reached out to the host  hoping he could have shed some light to this matter as the rest of us in the group are disheartened that the numbers just don’t add up.

We were looking for confirmation that the stay was indeed booked from Thursday, 8/8-Sunday, 8/11.

The host stated they couldn’t provide those details but made it clear that their rates of $350 weekdays and $375 weekends NEVER change.

These types of situations amongst friends are never easy, but it’s the principle.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them?  She claims it was an error on the part of Airbnb and that she will look into it but it’s been almost a week and no updates.

Any advice on how to find out the truth?

[Sarah977]

@Lissette32  If she's really trying to scam you, I'm sorry you considered this person to be a friend, because in that case, she certainly isn't. It sounds like she's trying to get the rest of the group to cover the extra night she stayed. I'd say this is a personal matter between your group and this woman. If she can't show you a clear invoice which makes it clear that the price she is telling you is correct, then I guess she is willing to lose a bunch of friends over it. But perhaps it's actually legit.

As it appears that you have an Airbnb account, you could go to the listing, input the same days of the week for whatever weekend appears available on the calendar, as the host told you the price never changes, the same number of guests as there were, and see what amount comes up.

[Lissette32]

That’s exactly what I did and it comes out to $1,151 including fees.

She is making excuses for not checking into it by saying she is so hurt and upset that a few of us questioned the matter.

The others in our group have been presented with the facts but matters such as these forces one to have to make hard choices regarding the friendship so ignorance is bliss I suppose.  😞

[Sarah977]

@Lissette32  Something doesn't make sense- you say she sent a blurry invoice that says Thursday to Sunday. That would be 3 nights. But then you say the same invoice says $455 x 2 nights. An invoice can't say it's both for 2 nights and 3 nights. There's a couple of possibilities- the invoice was glitchy (believe me, there are many Airbnb glitches), or she altered the invoice and then screenshot it before she texted it to you all. And didn't alter it sufficiently that it doesn't show discrepancies. Unless you all live far apart, why doesn't she just show you the original invoice?

I can see why she'd be upset- either she got caught out being underhanded or she's telling the truth and her friends don't believe her, or she somehow got confused about what was charged, as it seems clear that she stayed on Thursday night, so that was paid for somehow (and the invoice states those days). No matter how you cut it, an uncomfortable situation for all.

I'm not sure why the host wouldn't just give you the info you asked for, that would make it all clear. 

[Lissette32]

I sure wish the host would have provided an answer as well.

The difference in what she stated the cost for the two nights was and what the cost actually is comes out to about $650.  

[Sarah977]

@Lissette32 So the discrepancy would work out to about an extra $81 per person. Seems strange someone would be willing to lose 7 friends for $81/head 🙂

Maybe she's legitimately confused- the reservation could have said Thursday to Sunday because she was in fact staying for 3 nights, but maybe she booked the Thursday separately and it all showed up on the same invoice, because she's the same booker. That would also account for the extra $150 cleaning fee- it would have been charged on the Thursday night booking, and then again on the Friday and Saturday night if she actually made 2 separate bookings. So she may think she was charged separately for the Thursday night, and that the invoice is only for 2 nights. If she's willing to admit it could have been confusion on her part, checking her credit card statement to see if she was charged separately for the Thursday, and then again for the other 2 nights, or it all got charged and invoiced at once, or a call to Airbnb (from her, as she's the booker) could clear it all up.

[Lissette32]

I totally agree, very sad.

[Lissette32]

Even if she’s confused and it was a legitimate mistake she is refusing to take action and call Airbnb because she’s so upset.

Furthermore she is claiming she arrived there Friday before the rest of us.

So many things do not make sense.

It is a terrible shame.  

[Kaylee18]

@Lissette32  Ya sounds like your friend is bad at math and may have been charging you all to pay for the first night she stayed... You should send her the breakdown you and the others found and ask her again how you ended up paying more than that. Good Luck!

[Lissette32]

We have sent her the breakdown of what the cost should have been.

its turned into a horrible mess and she won’t provide clarity whatsoever.

she printed out the invoice and crossed out the travelers name (which should have been her name), and she also crossed out the confirmation #.  

Instead of focusing on the matter at hand all that’s being talked about is how she feels she’s being accused.  

[Mark116]

@Lissette32  I am a skeptic, but her crossing out presumably her name and her confirmation number suggests she's trying to prevent anyone else that was on the reservation from gaining access to the original invoice.  She could also be angry I guess and feels that someone in the group will try to scam her or something, but it's weird, since you are all friends and not work colleagues or something more casual.

[Kat84]

Fishy, super fishy! Crossed the name and confirmation number. What for? Was there additional booking then?

When person is crossing the confirmation number it simply means that you are not given a way to clarify the charges with Airbnb!

If I am confronted by someone, who suspects me in doing something wrong, I will not only circle and bring attention to the confirmation number, but I will ask Airbnb to call you and if possible will meet you personally with Original receipt. And then let's see where we can point our friendship from there. 

And you know, it takes both to dance the tango... Did she ask you how do you feel, even if you are not right? Friends do that even in difficult times and everything else Sarah already said. I really appreciate her wisdom! 

[Sarah977]

@Lissette32  I just edited my post above to say what I think could possibly have happened-check it out.