Mistakenly booked one month in a HOSTEL, not a HOUSE...is there any recourse for me?

Monica207
Level 2
Houston, TX

Mistakenly booked one month in a HOSTEL, not a HOUSE...is there any recourse for me?

I am planning to stay for a month in Oaxaca during mid December to mid January, and therefore, earlier today, I requested a one month reservation for a place that was listed as a "House" under property type, and the word "casa" is in the title of the listing, not "hostal". No where in the listing does it state, hint, or indicate that it is a hostel. In fact, in the description section, "The house" is a phrase that is used twice in reference to the property. I thought I was reserving a bedroom in a private home.

 

 When the reservation was accepted by the host, and I was able to view the location, I googled the location, as I always do with my airbnb reservations, just to get as clear of an idea as possible on where I will be staying and where I am bringing my child. The street view of the place on google maps showed a commercial street, rather than residential, and then as I further rotated the 360 view of the street, I see the a building with the name "_______ Hostel", which is apparently where my reservation is. I am traveling with my 4 year old daughter, and I am personally not comfortable with staying in a hostel for one night, let alone one month.

 

Unfortunately for me, the long term cancellation policy entitles me to $0 if I cancel the reservation. Does anyone know if there is any recourse for me in this situation? Would this be considered false or misleading advertisement? And if so, is there anything that I, as the potential guest, can do to get a full refund for a cancellation? Is it simply up to the host whether or not they will refund me? With a refund, Airbnb will keep my money for the service charge for the month? Will the host be penalized if they cancel? Will the host likely make me eat the money that they will be charged by Airbnb for cancelling? 

 

I contacted the host a few hours ago to attempt to resolve the issue, and I am eagerly awaiting her response. In the meantime, I am posting here to see if anyone has any insight on how this type of situation is usually resolved. Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for advice and solutions.

8 Replies 8
Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

If the listing is indeed incorrect you should contact airbnb and have your reservation cancelled.  

Dean31
Level 1
Los Angeles, CA

I would contact and explain the situation to the Host - We are all human and I think your request and the error are both understandable - DONT FRET!     ALSO AS A HOST I CAN TELL YOU I NEVER WANT A GUEST THAT DOESNT WANT TO BE IN MY LOCATION - Happy Guests Make Happy Hosts its a partnership and trade of equal if done correct.    Good luck - im sure it work itself out.

The host would not want to cancel and face a series of penalties.  

David-and-Fiona0
Level 10
Panglao, Philippines

This sounds like blatant misleading advertising. Contact Airbnb and get alternate accommodation 

Monica207
Level 2
Houston, TX

Thank you all for your feedback.

 

This morning, due to your suggestions, I cancelled the reservation, then I contacted Airbnb customer support (I had to create a twitter account in order to do so). I received a call a short time later from one of the case managers, and he told me that he looked at the listing and agreed that it was misleading. All of my money was refunded, and he said that he would contact the host and let her know that her listing does need to be more transparent and clear about the category of the property.

 

This is such a relief for me. I am happy that this was resolved so quickly, easily, and fairly. The whole verbiage of the "long term cancellation" policy really had me worried, and I felt stuck. I'm glad that that didn't turn out to be the case.

 

Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend.

City-Limits-Ranch0
Level 10
Watsonville, CA

If AirBnb and the host both refuse to help you, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company, claiming that the ad was fraudulent and that you are not going to be delivered the service/goods you paid for.

 

Immediately screen shot/save every page of the listing in case the host changes something so that it looks like you are at fault for not reading the information.  Email the pages to yourself to capture the date, and print them out with the date on them.

 

It might be worth making contact with your credit card company now and sending the information to them so that the date the information was obtained is not in question.  You would have to get a supervisor and make personal contact with them so that the information you send does not get mislaid in case you decide to dispute the charge.

 

 

I think you and I were posting simultaneously 🙂

 

Your advice is very thorough and very helpful. If my situation hadn't already been resolved, it would be extremely helpful for me. Hopefully, it will be able to help anyone else who may find themselves in this situation and searching for answers.

 

And the advice about the screenshots is good. I took screenshots of the ad last night, and I was able to upload them and include them in my message to the Airbnb staff. I was thinking along the same lines as you, in that the host could potentially change the wording on the ad before my case had been resolved.

You can request an alteration to the booking and the host can agree and no pays or is penalized....the option is at the bottom of the section of message history that verifies fees and charges.   If she doesnt agree screen shot the ad and post your problem on the Facebook page of Abnb.  The phones are useless.