Major sanitary issues

[Gwen407]

We recently stayed in Paris and had bedbugs on the sofa.

The shower curtain had mould and the listing lied about the bed, it was a standard bad, but they advertised a queen.

I have all the proof and pictures but they still now refuse to refund us.

I have proof of the bug, proof of insecticide we bought with receipt, sent proof of bites pictures.

They now, a WEEK later, ask for a medical certificate from a doctor that the bites are bedbugs bites. My boyfriend had over 25 bites all over his body, I had a few less. I wasn't mosquitos, Paris is not a tropical countries.

Any advice please to try to get our money back? 

I am in contact with guestreadynow (do not book with them) and help support from airbb but they are not helpful and refuse point blank to refund. This is a serious health issues. 

We only stayed 3 days thank good but it was so stressful when it was supposed to be a nice relaxing Bank holiday for my birthday.

[Emiel1]

@Gwen407 

If you encounter a "travel issue", then follow the procedures as mentioned here:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3028/travel-issues-eligible-for-refunds

[Helen744]

Gwen407 mosquitos are all over the world but you cannot get a refund without some type of proof , as in photos and you stayed the whole three day , If you had notified Airbnb when you arrived it may be different but you stayed . H

[Gwen407]

I mentioned beg bugs actually, not mosquitos. Additionally 25 + bites over one night is not mosquitos led. Paris isn't some hot humid country 

[Anonymous]

@Gwen407   A bedbug infestation is a serious issue that typically results in a listing being suspended and upcoming bookings being cancelled at the host's expense. So I think it's reasonable that Airbnb would insist on some certified evidence that there genuinely were bedbugs before taking this action against the host.

Mosquitoes and other biting insects do exist in France and throughout northern Europe, certainly not limited to the tropics. And bedbugs, awful as they are, can invade a well-sanitized room just as easily as a dirty one.

If you had to cut your stay short due to the issues you mentioned, you might be eligible for a refund of the unused nights. But if you chose to complete the stay despite the problems, I'm afraid you are out of luck - no complaint merits a free stay.

[Gwen407]

It is indeed the fact that, in a way we were luck to only stay for 3 nights. My partner woke up on the Sunday w so many bites over him, we were leaving that day, so he would have been bitten over the course not 24/48h. The bites don't show immediately, but after a couple of days. We still suffered hugely after that. It's not the length of stay the problem. It's that Airbnb shows no acknowledgement of responsibility. At this point, I really don't care about the money any more. 

I felt I owed to be reimbursed for the distressed it created to both of us, for what should have been a nice relaxing Bank holiday weekend ony birthday.

I am astonished that companies like Airbnb get away by subletting to management companies (guest ready)and decline all responsibilities when it comes to health and sanitary conditions. Perhaps in the future things might change.  My bf had a really bad reaction to the bites. It's a real shame that there is such poor trust in customers. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I believe if I had booked private, directly with a particular individual, the outcome might have been different.

[Huma0]

@Gwen407 

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It's a real shame that there is such poor trust in customers. 

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There are websites dedicated to instructing guests how to scam free stays on Airbnb and this includes how to gather false evidence, doctor photos etc. It's not a rare occurrence and, one of the most popular scams involves claiming there were bed bugs  (or other pests) or mould or hidden cameras or a gas leak. If successful, the scammer gets a free stay, but the consequences for a host can be much more severe than having to provide a refund (as @Anonymous has mentioned above). 

I am not saying that you were doing this at all and I don't doubt you had a bad experience (I was once attacked by bed bugs whilst staying in a hostel and it was really horrendous), but of course, when a guest only reports the problem after the stay is completed, without having given the host a chance to address the issue, it can be a sign of someone scamming for a free stay. The timings of this made it difficult for both you and the host.

To say that Airbnb doesn't take these reports seriously is simply not true. You just have to browse this forum to see that they often have an extreme and knee-jerk reaction, suspending high standing hosts based on a claim from one guest without giving the host any chance to challenge that claim.

However, it is only natural that there should be some timescales and procedures in place for guests to report issues, just as there are procedures and timescales for hosts to report damages caused by guests and evidence needs to be provided. Otherwise, it would just be a free for all for scammers from both sides. There is no reason for Airbnb to simply take your word for it.

Also, considering the host doesn't have other reviews mentioning bedbugs, it's likely the previous guests introduced them to the apartment, something that was beyond his control. I'm not saying that's your problem, but I also don't see other reviewers mentioning mould or cleanliness issues or the other complaints in your review. It seems to me that the host has been punished enough as it looks like you really tanked his ratings.

[Helen3]

If you want a refund you should have gone to your GP when you returned to confirm it was bed bugs @Gwen407 

I'm sorry you got bitten but bites don't always equal bed bugs . 

And of course you can get mosquitoes in Paris just as you can get them in the UK. 

why you would have chosen to stay somewhere you say had bed bugs for three days - I'm not sure 

[Gwen407]

In high insight, ofc, it's always easy we should have or could have. 

Again it's not about the length of the stay. It's about the fact the place is infested by bed bugs. It could be mosquitos or cockroaches it would be the same. It's unacceptable. 

No one should have to go through what we did over. 

To your last point - bites don't appear straight away. So actually, tye bites appeared Sunday when we left. We stayed in on tg sofa Friday night which fits within teh time frame of the bites appearing.

But the point is nowhere near or there the point is there should not be any types of bugs anywhere in any flats that airbnb is listing on their website whether it is through an individual or a sub management companies, like guest ready.