Hi All!
I'm writing to seek your advice - hosts and fellow travellers who have experienced the same issue.
I booked an Airbnb for myself and 4 friends in Chiang Mai (08 - 15 Dec) on 04 Nov, with an introductory messgae to the host. It was instantly accepted, and the host asked if we needed help with transport from the airport. I replied immediately to decline nicely. No subsequent reply by the host thereafter - but I felt a reply wasn't necessary anyway.
Subsequently, I asked about the check-in time (listed as "Flexible" in my itinerary), and the check-in procedure since the Airbnb is in a gated community, but did not get a response. I still felt ok about it - I presumed she only wanted to get back closer to our check-in date.
I send her a follow-up message two weeks ago, but did not get a response. I presumed she was busy, as she described herself as a career mum and being a similar field of work as she was, I understood this is indeed a rather busy time. On 28 Nov, I followed-up, but again, no response.
It was rather strange as she had 200+ excellent reviews, with almost everyone mentioning how communicative she had been.
With that in mind, I became very worried about her safety, or wondered if something had happened to her. I tried emailing her, and calling her number. It was invalid. I contact Airbnb support. They tried contacting her, and gave her 48 hours to respond. Still, nothing.
I asked Airbnb for a follow-up, but did not receive a response either. Out of frustration, I googled her company (which was listed in her Airbnb Host profile) and sent her an email to her work email. She responded the next day saying she was in Australia and had limited connectivity. Fair enough, though it seemed weird that it was for a month. Unfortunately, she did not answer my question about check-in procedures/timing again.
Finally, I called their help line and was told that according to their notes, their case manager could not reach my host either, and she did not get in touch within 48 hours.
It's now 3 days till my trip, and options are fast running out since it's now 'high' season in Chiang Mai.
What would you guys do in my situation? I want to cancel my reservation, but I do not want to lose the $ already paid for the service fee.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and for any advice!
- R
