Terrible Customer Service, Unprofessional, Double Charged

[Elaine234]

Hey all!

Did you guys also have crappy customer service?! Terrible follow through? Rude agents? No solutions?! 

Has anyone had the same crappy service? Any success? I haven't read any positive customer service reviews of this company. As someone who travels internationally for weeks at a time, multiple times a year, you would think they would want my business. This is why I hesitated using them before and why I won't make the same choice again. So frustrated and I will spread the word!

1. Thier site was down to paypal and confirmed credit cards for 3 days while trying to book. There was no notification on the site and other travelers posted the same issue on complaint sites. They told me this info only once I contacted them by phone (4 times). Then they promised to contact the host to let them know it was on their end (they didn't) they said they'd call me back twice (they didn't). When I told the hose she thought I had payment issues on my end and we nearly lost the listing. 

2. When their service never accepted my confirmed credit card, and when it finally could accept my paypal account, it would only accept my personal not my business- I have two accounts. I requested that it be refunded to my personal and charged to my business- either my preapproved credit card on file or my alternate paypal. Instead they DOUBLE CHARGED MY ORIGINAL ACCOUNT 4,000 USD. 

3. While calling to deal with this refund (8 separate calls, 2 with promises to call back, 2 HUNG UP ON AFTER AN HOUR ON HOLD waiting for a supervisor, 4 with their automated system call back which NEVER called back) they stalled and hung up and promised to return calls. They didn't. At the end of being on hold over an hour and repeately promised that I would speak to a supervisor, I informed them I would also be recording the call for transcripts to submit for my journalist friends to do a write up on their customer service experience. After 20 more minutes, they hung up. No call back.

4. Emailing, told I was going to hear back May 24th... it's JUNE 15TH, I have three communications like this:

Hi Elaine,

Thank you for your prompt attention to the payment issue. I have confirmed your payment was received. 🙂

If you ever have trouble completing your payment, please contact Airbnb immediately for assistance so we do not cancel your reservation.

If you have any more questions, let us know--We're always happy to help!

Best regards,

Emer
www.airbnb.com/help

Hello Emer, 

Now after 3 days and 4 calls to your company I have been double billed on the wrong account, and not refunded the amount that was discussed with the agent on the phone. This is truly unacceptable. Please let me know how you plan to resolve this. 

Elaine Zivich

Emer K., May 24, 09:32 PDT:

Hi Elaine,

I’ve forwarded your inquiry to a member of my team who can better assist you. Please feel free to add any additional information to this email, and they’ll be in touch with you soon.

Best,

Emer
www.airbnb.com/help

Hello Emer, 

I still have yet to hear from a member of your team for this unresolved issue of double billing  to the wrong account and lack of credit. I have called 8 times with terrible responsiveness and the last call I was on for an hour and while on hold the phone was cut. 

Sincerely, 

Elaine

This was repeated with cut and pasted comments and emails 4 times... never with a response!

5. I requested a refund of the 162.00 USD they were charging me for a service fee as I shouldn't have to spend my free time chasing down an issue they created over 4 wks of communcation. They offered 25$ coupon then a 50$ coupon. Of course I never received them. 

Has anyone had the same crappy service? Any success? I haven't read any positive customer service reviews of this company. As someone who travels internationally for weeks at a time, multiple times a year, you would think they would want my business. This is why I hesitated using them before and why I won't make the same choice again. So frustrated and I will spread the word!

CONTACT INFO BELOW: I saw this on another thread, I also recommend posting on their public pages your frustration- even if just to save others the headache of how they handle clients. 

he corporate number for Airbnb is (415) 800-5959.  That gets you to the company's HQ in SF.

Ask for Chip Conley, who heads up hospitality and strategy. They won't get you to him, but try to work your way toward someone in his group who can help you resolve this, as the support line has been unhelpful. 

I can't find a name for whoever heads up customer service, which also would be a good avenue.

Meanwhile, I have some other suggestions.

1. Try emailing Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Chip Conley directly, and both at the same time (when more than one exec is listed in a disribution, someone is more prone to hit the FORWARD button and tell an underling to take care of it, and that's what you want).  In 2011, Chesky offered his contact address in a contributed article as brian.chesky@airbnb.com  I've also seen his email address cited as brian@airbnb.com.  Try both addresses at once and hopefully one will hit. Go with both formats for Chip Conley: chip@airbnb.com and chip.conley@airbnb.com
2. Tweet directly at Airbnb CEO Brian Cheskey (@bchesky) and the company's head of hospitality and strategy Chip Conley (@ChipConley).
3. Send a summary of your situation to press@airbnb.com and put as the subject of the message "STRANDED by Airbnb -- PLS HELP!."  Ask for help in escalating this. Tell then the last thing you want to do is tell your story to all those journalists just itching to write their own "When Airbnb goes horribly wrong" article.

[Evan-And-Lizzie0]

I feel your pain. I;ve been doing Airbnb for 3 years now, and when it goes well, it's great because it's just between you and other grown ups. But when things go south, there is no online support, no personal customer service, nothing. I hate how time consuming it all is. My latest frutration is simply finding a listing to stay at or finding my own listing to refer potential guests to! If I punch in the title of my listing or someone else's, town, price, dates I know are free, number of beds, type of place, etc., I will get places 30 minutes away, and nothing to do with my filters. Times that we've had guests abuse the number of guests, smoking, and cleaning policies, it's been a nightmare getting in touch and getting resolution. The emails back are always so friendly and kind, but they don't do anything. I feel like I'm being scammed. This might be my last flipping year to deal with this. UGH!

[Elaine234]

Exactly, they repeatedly stalled or responded with a cut and paste answer with no follow through or solution. It’s a complete pass off of accountability or solution. I don’t think they realize how many clients/hosts they alienate with this strategy of placate and ignore. 

[Stefani11]

I completely agree with you! I’ve had horrendous experience with Airbnb’s customer service and haven’t been able to talk to the same human being regarding a claim for reimbursement. I can’t believe this company has as many cutomers as it does. There is absolutely no accountability or consistency in how customer service handles guests and hosts and their policies are a Complete JOKE! Airbnb is misleading in many of their advertisements and policies they say protect hosts and guests. Not in my experience. They give the same ridiculous blanket statement in emails and refuse to call me on the telephone to discuss my urgent matter that is affecting me NOW. Hello?! I need someone to call me back right away to discuss this  bc I’m CURRENTLY being affected in a significant way. It’s beyond an “inconvenience”, so stop saying you’re sorry “for any inconvenience this has caused” 

like a robot. Speaking to an actual human being, and the same one (not spending 15 minutes explaining my situation over and over to a new person who is inexperienced & unknowledgeable ).  And the amount of time I’ve put into trying to get assistance with these issues is insane! It’s almost a full time job & a very redundant process.

Thank you for the email info. It’s nice to 

I’m not the only experiencing the serious flaws in Airbnb’s business model.

[Lisa1413]

I was double charged also.  I sent in my credit card statement to verify that I was charged twice for the same reservation.  No help from Airbnb!!!!!!! They were unprofessional and rude!! Basically said that they would not talk to me anymore.  Turned it over to my credit card company....

[Michal58]

ME TOO! I was asked to resubmit a payment in order to request a reservation but I refused, as my PayPal account showed that my payment to Airbnb was completed... Had to cancel my reservation request and was reassured by a member of the support team that no money will be taken out of my account.

BUT money has been taken out of my account and I have provided Airbnb with a screen shot, showing the transaction... It is now in the hands of PayPal, as I received NO HELP from Airbnb "support team".

WARNING: Entering into discussions with Airbnb support team could be damaging to your wellbeing!

[Abby84]

Were you able to get the refund back from your credit card company?