I booked an Airbnb in Charlotte, NC after my original accommodation plans fell through.
I made the booking the same day I checked in. Unfortunately, due to the rush in finding a place to stay I didn't research the neighborhood. When I drove to the house I noticed that it was in a run down area full of dilapidated houses and boarded up businesses. I looked up the address on the Internet and the house happened to be in the worst area of Charlotte in terms of violent crime (9 times higher than the national average and rated F for violent crime). The neighborhood has been rated as the most dangerous area in Charlotte by several reputable newspapers.
Long story short, I canceled the reservation because I didn't feel safe, and notified the host in very polite terms that there was nothing wrong with the house, but that the neighborhood was not what I was expecting. She answered back refusing to refund the $2,200 dollars that I had paid for a 13 day stay that turned into a less than 1 hour stay.
If I had made the reservation weeks in advance I would have understood the host's position, because I would have prevented her from renting the place to somebody else, but the total time span between booking and canceling was less than 3 hours. I would have expected any other host to do the right thing and refund the money instead of sticking to the fine print given the particularities of this situation.
I'm writing here to see if any of you have had a similar experience, and if you can suggest a way to get my money back. I have also notified Airbnb, who has been very sympathetic but hasn't been able to convince the host to refund my money.
I appreciate any insights you can give me.