Problem with a host

[Tseguenette0]

Hello, 

I'm currently having an issue with one host and I don't know what to do. 

I made a reservation last month and the host made an alteration request explaining to me that I would not be able to stay in the apartment that I paid for.  She asked me to stay in another apartment of her. The problem is I didn't agree with the switch because of the location of the apartment she offered me to go to. 

So I asked her if she had another apartment that would be closer to my chosen location. I told her that if she doesn't have another apartment that suits me I will have to ask her to cancel and refund me so that I would be able to find another place to stay myself. To which she will replied "ok let me check".

Not getting an answer from her I sent her another message telling her that I found another apartment and that, for that reason, I would like her to cancel our reservation and refund me. 

However when I asked her to cancel the reservation because I didn't agree with the switch she told me that I could in fact stay in the initial apartment I paid for (which seems a bit fishy to me). Obviously I had already booked another apartment and asked her to cancel our reservation prior to that. And according to airbnb's policy, that's what I should have done. (You can find their policy in the link below) 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/250/what-if-a-host-informs-me-that-the-listing-i-already-paid-fo...

However she basically told me that I would need to cancel it myself and follow the refund policy.  find this incredibly dishonest of her, that she would try to make me cancel it myself and lose 50% despite the fact that she knows the policy. So i sent her the above link to show her that I'm aware that she is to cancel my reservation according to the policy and after that message, she disappeared from the surface of the earth. (I'm thinking she's trying to test my patience thinking I would eventually cancel it myself) 

I would like to find a common ground with her but it's hard doing anything if you get ignored. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think that I'm in the right and I am to receive a full refund. What should I do in that situation? 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

[Marit-Anne0]

@Tseguenette0

If your conversations are covered in the airbnb message system, I think you have a strong case.

Contact airbnb with the issue and let them cancel for you for a full refund.

Hosts get penalised when they cancel at their end, so obviously this host is trying to avoid that. Host is likely double booked and clumsily trying to find a solution.

[Tseguenette0]

Hello, 

Fortunately we only contacted through the airbnb message system. And I also had a suspicion that she might be avoiding cancellation in order not to get penalized. Dishonest hosts who try to make their guests pay for their own mistakes shouldn't be allowed to host on Airbnb in the first place.. I will give her one more day to reply and if she doesn't reply then I'll try to contact Airbnb.

Thank you for your reply and have a wonderful evening!

[Helen3]

Your host has behaved appallingly.

Call Airbnb now. They will be able to see that the host told you the place you wanted was unavailable and offer you something else (against Airbnb terms).

Airbnb should cancel the booking at no cost to you.

Do tell us what happens.

Best of luck.

[Tseguenette0]

Hello,

I would definitely have to agree with you on that. I just find her behaviour to be incredibly deplorable. Thankfully, I automatically checked Airbnb terms to see if I was right or wrong...but I find it deplorable that some airbnb hosts can't be trusted. From now on, I'll definitely be reluctant to book another place on this website and everyone else should. 

I'm still hoping to get her reply. However if she refuses to cooperate then I will have to call Airbnb.  

I'll make sure I tell you what happened so that anyone that is unlucky enough to encounter such a host can see this.

Thanks for your reply and have a nice evening!

[Matthew285]

@Tseguenette0, I am very glad that you did your research, know your rights, and are standing up for yourself.

Your host is trying to pull a scam on you and AirBnB both. The host has an AirBnB listing that gets good bookings. After a guest makes a booking, the host tries to shove the guest into a different property altogether. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I hope you get your money back, and I hope AirBnB cracks down on this horrible host.

[Tseguenette0]

Hello, 

The host finally replied. Only this time she is trying to deny that she ever requested me to change the apartment. And while denying that she removed her alteration request -how ironic-. Thankfully I’ve got a screenshot to prove that she did in fact ask me to switch places. 

She had the nerve to tell me that the new listing was more expensive than the first one and tried to remind me that I would’ve gotten a discount. To which I replied that as a customer I have the choice to get what I want because I’m the one paying for it. Therefore the fact that the second apartment was supposedly more expensive is completely irrelevant.

She was incredibly rude about the whole thing, telling me that I didn’t know the meaning of “asking”, therefore questioning my intelligence when she is clearly the one in the wrong. She told me that she simply asked for the “possibility” to change (even though I have proof of her alteration request). The problem is: she only told me that there was a possibility for me to stay in the apartment I paid for AFTER I told her I had found another place and asked her to cancel. Wouldn’t that be convenient...

(She told me there was some gas issue in the place I paid for and for that reason she asked me to switch places. Unsurprisingly, after we asked her to cancel she said she “ just contacted the gas company” and there was no problem anymore and we could stay in the initial apartment, which is of course irrelevant since I had already booked another apartment in the meantime) 

Anyways, so i proceeded to send her a screenshot to show her own request and when faced with the evidence she simply said that she doesn’t have time for this and doesn’t have time to argue. It still amazes me how dishonest people can be.