Had to leave month airbnb rental after 4 days due to EMFs, wanting a refund

[Lucie421]

We had to leave our Airbnb rental after 4 days due to the reason we have explained to our Airbnb host as shown below, we want a refund due to these unforeseen circumstances that are out of our control.

The Airbnb host told us to post our issue and about us leaving here, we want a refund for the rest of the remaining days, how do we do this?

“Hello, we needed to inform you that we have moved out today.

The reason we left is because the apartment room had an insanely strong EMF frequency being radiated in every room which was causing us a whole host of ill effects, we even had a friend who is an EMF specialist come round with his EMF frequency Meter and it went extremely high.

We have never experienced this anywhere we have lived and we are very health conscious people so we did our best to just be out of the apartment all hours of everyday but this is not how we want to live.

We have moved to a location that has a low EMF frequency so we can feel our best and actually be in the home without feeling we have to escape all of the time from the EMFs.

We have left the apartment how we found it and we would like to get a refund for the remaining days left please.

Our health is our number one priority and even if someone paid us all the money in the world to stay at your place we would refuse due to the issue explained.

I hope you understand.”

[Danielle476]

If the circumstances are out of your control then they’re certainly out of your host’s control too...the world runs on electricity, that’s not their fault. 

You’ve left a long term stay with zero notice, and now your host likely won’t find anyone to book the nights you’ve chosen not to stay. I’m sorry but if I received this message, it would read ‘scam’ to me and I wouldn’t refund you at all. It sounds like you didn’t even reach out to the host before leaving, or give them any opportunity to address the issue or your concerns themselves. 

This is a new one for me.  I think if you’re that concerned about every day/unavoidable EMFs you should perhaps consider staying home or finding rural properties without electricity/WiFi/routers/computers/microwaves/cell phones/appliances. 

[Elena87]

@Lucie421 

Were these really ''unforeseen circumstances''?

Did you tell the host in advance you had known EMF sensitivity? You must have foreseen it could be an issue for you.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Lucie421 I hope you have travel insurance - that way you should be able to claim IF the policy covers EMF levels. I fear it will not and as such if policies don't cover it then why should the Airbnb host?

Any chance you could post the EMF frequencies/levels recorded as well as the equipment used? What were the levels in the surrounding streets? It's unlikely that anything the host supplies unless its the wifi which you could have switched off.

If I were the host I would definitely not refund especially without any detail.

[Gordon0]

What a coincidence you had a EMF specialist at a loose end and in the neighbourhood. Small world.

[Anonymous]

@Lucie421  It may be the case that you are not a con artist, and you genuinely have a health condition that creates heightened EMF sensitivity. But the odds of two people travelling together just happening to share this condition, and also having a friend in their travel destination just happening to have a frequency meter, are so close to improbable that you shouldn't expect anyone to believe your story.

At any rate, whatever your special health needs are, it's your responsibility as a guest to research your destination and verify before you book that the property is suitable for them. It's also your responsibility to be aware of the cancellation policy in place before you book, and either choose a listing that gives you the flexibility to change your mind or back your trip up with travel insurance.

Therefore, even if your tale is true, it still wouldn't merit a special refund. But if you and your partner are experiencing signs of illness, I hope you are receiving professional medical treatment rather than relying on your hypothesis about the causes of your symptoms.

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Lucie421 ,

I appreciate your sharing your story here however in this instance you need to share it with customer support so they can review and work with you on what's next. The forums is for hosts to share tips, advice and support for each other. You can contact CS via this link: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/contact-us/topic

Thanks

[Sarah977]

@Lucie421  If guests have special needs, i.e. allergies to pets, cleaning products, sensitivity to EMFs, etc, it is the guest's responsibility to make sure to make that known to the host before booking to see if there will be any issues for you. Guarding your own health is your responsibility, not the responsibility of others, especially when you haven't even brought it up with them before booking. 

I had a guest with severe EMF sensitivity and she made that known to me before completing the booking, asking what was around me or in my home.

You are trying to make the host responsible for your own failure to communicate- asking for a refund is out-of line.

[Mike323]

@Lucie421 Youre talking to a crowd that believes a fake pandemic is real, and that biological reactivity to various frequencies is made up. Like a lot of things lately; it’s opposite day!

Long term solution to your actual problem so you can travel = faraday netting.

[Sarah977]

@Mike323  Not one host who has responded here has indicated in any way that they think EMF sensitivity is made up. Not one. 

What sounds like it's made up to some of the responders, is coming up with this reason for leaving, because the guests just both happened to have this sensitivity, and they just happened to have a friend nearby who was an EMF specialist. That's what seems suspicious, not the fact that some people are extremely sensitive to EMFs. As we know, guests will sometimes come up with all kinds of reasons, some of which are patently untrue, to leave a place early and demand a refund.

And when a guest has concerns about something, it's incumbent on them to make that known before committing to a booking. 

That you had to work your pandemic conspiracy theories into your post, which has nothing to do with this thread, is indicative of your agenda for posting here.

[Emily487]

@Sarah977 

Man, I  ❤️ you, Sarah. 

[Mike323]

@Sarah977 some “conspiracy” data for ya:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/Provisional-Death-Counts-COVID-19-Pneumonia-and-Influenz...

[Sarah977]

@Mike323  I fail to understand why you think that the Airbnb forum is an appropriate place for you to post your denial theories. And why you think it's okay for you to derail a thread which has nothing to do with this. 

[Mike323]

@Sarah977 As for the topic, future searches for EMF will find the only real-world solution provided thus far as presented by yours truly who had enough grace to step through the mob to be helpful. Don’t let me stop you though, keep attacking the OP and me.

I let the data and documentation speak for itself.

Remember back in March when I said corona would turn out to be less significant than the fear mongers want, and some people would be angry about that? Here’s where you and the high 5ing, self up thumbing, “welcome committee” came out swinging then had my post locked:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/COVID-19-Discussions/Corona-thrival-vs-survival/m-p/1257442#M127...

De ja vu, no?

Another low count poster mobbed by the usual suspects (level 10)

[top contributors]

All discussion welcome until you don’t agree with it?

We are just missing one of your cronies who shouted conspiracy until I started countering his own false allegations with real facts and documentation. I thought he was going to help implement the useful ID-10-T protocol? Does he have a handler? That post can be found here:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Why-can-t-BLM-donations-be-followed-to-their-destination...

Random question: How’d you get to be top poster over night?

[Tom2678]

@Lucie421After some really awful customer service experiences as a host I have been reading through complaints here and it is clear Airbnb has no internal guidelines or policies to deal with bad-faith actors. EMF sensitivity, too noisy, too quiet, too bright, too dark, too drafty, too still. It really doesn't matter what the complaint is, the issue is you have a guest who booked lodging and they decided to cancel early for personal reasons. In a fair and just world, the guest would pay the applicable penalties and you would be right to collect them. But we're on Airbnb's turf, and they are punitive to both guests and hosts with no observable pattern of good faith. I always recommend considering a complaint through the eyes of "would a Marriott refund this guest based on their complaint?" mindset. Because in your case I guarantee you they would not.