Refund for cancelation

[Nuriza0]

Hi all, I am in very strange situation which I never thought Airbnb will put me into. I booked an apartment at Hollywood Beach, Miami. It was listed as a beautiful oceanfront apartment with everything we needed for vacation. We arrived at night and when we walked in, it appeared to be everything but beautiful.  Well, the view was there. But other furniture,  kitchen, bathroom was disgusting. I thought I will close my eyes on the kitchen and bathroom, but the bedsheets were stained too. The dust was in every corner. I didn't wanted to spend my 3 day vacation trip in this place. So I requested a cancelation and left immediately.  I tried to call to host, the concierge of the building called him 3 times, he saw us leaving.  The host never called me back, until airbnb got involved, and he texted me next day saying the issues I complained about could've been fixed in minutes. Thought it was 14 hours later after I contacted him. 

The other thing, the Airbnb support. My service ambassador Lance, asked me for documentation or any proof, which I immediately sent him. I even managed to send him a detailed video on email, that I got through calling to airbnb customer support. Well,  it has been 2 days, he never responded nor email or app messages. I called to customer support again,  saying that I haven't heard from my ambassador,  they said he is online and working on the case. Why not just answer me with updates? I feel like they just ignore me.  What can I do now? Am I just going to loose 1000$ for not staying in a place that was advertised as nice and clean, but in reality wasn't any of it at all?

[Emiel1]

@Nuriza0 

"So I requested a cancelation and left immediately"

Did you requested cancel from the host or did you cancel yourself ?

Useally you first have to inform the host about the issues

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/544/canceling-during-your-stay

[Nuriza0]

Yes, I sent the request to host ( it is not clear in my post though ). Also, since my phone battery died we asked the concierge to call him. He called 3 times and left voice messages. Well it was middle of the night,  and my host later responded me that he is not available 24 hours. The most stressful part for us was that we had to look for a place to sleep at 2am with two little kids. And all the hotels around were already booked or closed the day. We ended up finding hotel at 5am. I believe it is ridiculous,  I even texted the host that we can pay for one night, since it us who checked in at 12am instead of 4pm. But he didn't respond

[Mark116]

@Nuriza0  If you have photos and video that the place was so unclean as to be a safety issue, I would guess you will eventually get your money back, certainly  you will get 2 of 3 days back, but be warned, it will take a lot of time and effort.  It appears that one of Airbnb's tactics with hosts and guests is to drag the process out so much and so long that people give up.  Good luck.

[Nuriza0]

Thanks for your response @Mark116, yes it seems like the customer support is in no rush. But I still have hope I'll get my money back, because otherwise I am just throwing away 1000$ 

[Sarah977]

@Nuriza0  The protocol in these situations, which is stated in Airbnb policy, is to first notify the host as to the issues, to give them a chance to rectify whatever is wrong, and if they are unable or unwilling to do anything about it, you then contact Airbnb to explain the problems, and request a cancellation. You don't ask the host to cancel. If the booking doesn't get cancelled, those dates are still blocked, the host has no opportunity to rerent them, so that lessens your chances of being refunded.

Now this host didn't respond when you called him, but you can't expect a host to be taking and answering calls in the middle of the night. Airbnbs are not like hotels with 24 hour reception. So you offering to pay the first night is quite reasonable of you.

I don't know how much communication you had with this host between when you booked and when you arrived, but it's always a good idea to message with the host a day or two prior to check-in to make sure all is onboard for your arrival. If the host doesn't respond in a timely way, or ignores your message completely, that's a big red flag and you might want to contact Airbnb about it. If Airbnb can't reach the host, either, it will not be so hard to cancel, rather than just show up to find the place unacceptable and the host non-responsive.

How were the reviews for this property? Did you read them? Or was it a new listing with no reviews yet? 

As others have pointed out, Airbnb resolutions can move at the speed of a herd of tortoises, so you can't expect to have it dealt with instantly. Just don't let them forget about you- message or call every couple of days to say you are still waiting.

[Nuriza0]

Thank you @Sarah977 you have made a good points, I wish I knew such details before. This is the first time I am facing such unpleasant experience. All my previous experience with airbnb was more than satisfying.  Thank you for your advice, I will keep messaging and calling. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Nuriza0  I am sorry it happened to you, but,  why did you plan your trip in such a way so you arrive at the destination at 2 AM?  Especially with the kids? Just curious bc I would never do that, and your situation is one of the reasons why.