Terrible experience with AIRBNB host as well as AIRBNB with regards to a REFUND

[Dee1063]

My first time booking with AIRBNB has been absolute disaster. I will not be using them in the future. 

I booked an accommodation for a family reunion consisting of 16 adults, the amenities advertised were non-existent. 

The place didnt have basic necessities such as water and electricity, no WIFI and was extremely unsanitary my guests had to clean the place themselves, which was extremely unfair. The host plainly told me i wasnt staying in a condo in the city i had booked a farm lodge but that is no excuse for not having electricity, water or wifi , I was also told by the farm manager of the hosting that there were just not ready for our stay. I provided all of the information to airbnb only to get told i didnt log an issue in the first 24 hours as per the refund policy so the refund will be declined. 

AIRBNB clearly has no idea how the internet works and what you need to use in order to get onto the internet, there was no cell phone service whatsoever. I assume airbnb wanted me to send letter with pigeons. 

A part from the wifi i had relevant issues with the basic necessities which was not even considered. The host in question is a "super host" she didnt care about the issues i was facing, she didnt show any remorse for all the issues i had she had an excuse for everything. 

AIRBNB service to consumers is absolutely disgusting - i understand their refund policy and i am well aware of the 24 hours in which you have to log a claim but how was I suppose to do that? They failure to understand that I couldnt communicate with them is absolutely astounding. My circumstances was completely different to the claims of other people who have wifi!!!!

I have ton and tons of evidence about this horrible listing but AIRBNB didnt consider any of this, they have no way of protecting the consumer from poor listing and horrible services from hosts. 

What was suppose to be a relaxing reunion holiday after the year we just had left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. 

AIRBNB PATHETIC AS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nanxing0]

This is unfortunate but apparently you did not follow the proper procedure to handle an issue. Specifically upon check in you should notify the host about the situation and ask the host to offer solutions, and/or contact Airbnb to have the issue logged. That you didn't report to anyone in the first 24 hours means you basically accepted the condition of the listing. 

My suggestion is to discuss with the host. The cleaning and utility issue should qualify you for a partial refund. I personally don't think it's appropriate to demand full refund in this case since you stayed in the house although there's something you are not satisfied.

[Sarah977]

@Nanxing0  The guest said she did talk to the host and the host dismissed her concerns. She also said the manager told her they weren't expecting that many people, but that even though the guest did input all 16 guests when she booked and even messaged with host to make sure 16 could accommodated, it doesn't sound like the host was prepared at all.

Yes, the guest didn't follow proper procedure for getting refunded, but it really sounds like this host and her listing are something that never should have been open for business.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  And by all indications they are not currently open for business, for reasons that remain a mystery.

I don't know what actually happened here, but anyone in this situation can benefit from knowing a few basics about how to negotiate. After the first day of a booking, the guest's leverage declines like a new car going off the lot. There's not a reckoning process at the end of a booking where a jury hears your case and decides whether you paid too much; the only card you have in your hand to either fix the problems or get out of the contract is your ability to walk away from it while that's still an option.

Since the listing is shut down, I can't tell whether the guests' expectations matched the offer. But what I can see is how the actions match the outcome. 

Goodness, I feel like Grandpa now.

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  Yeah, I get that. Wish the listing had been available to read (yes, I did google it, but of course there was no Airbnb listing anymore)- since the OP said there was water and electricity in the main lodge, I wondered if it might have been stated in the listing that the individual cabins had none.

If I had been in that situation, with 16 people impacted (which is a scenario I wouldn't have considered during a pandemic, duh), I sure would have driven the 40 minutes to where I could get a cell signal or Wifi. And looked for another place to move everyone to, if possible. It looked like there are a lot of places in that area to stay.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  I don't know anything about that area, except that it looks really beautiful and does not currently fit any logical definition of "Covid-free" (a distinction that might only apply to space tourism at the moment).

I think I would have done the same as you, but admittedly it's hard to put myself in this very specific situation. Getting a big bunch of relatives together in the middle of a pandemic that's killing people is a little too potentially homicidal for my taste, and since until recently I made a living as an event manager, it would be a pretty bad look to have a huge fail in location scouting. Maybe killing Grandma is of course the bigger fail, but still.

[Nanxing0]

@Sarah977 I'm absolutely not defending the host. I totally agree that the listing is seriously flawed and should not be open for business. I'm just pointing out that if the guest has followed the proper procedure to make a claim it should end up with a better result and easier life.

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Anonymous 

@Sarah977 

If it’s a lodge in South Africa in the wild, the camp may have restrictions of electricity and water.

The main house has facilities but not the tents/cottages.

Tourists go there generally to visit wildlife parks around to see elephants.

We stayed 3 days in such a camp and it was great.
As any camp in the wild, do not expect to have the same facilities as in town.

But your are right @Anonymous , some SA towns have real security problems when it is dark.

As long as we cannot see the listing, it is hard to know if it is a problem in the listing or expectations or both.

[Anonymous]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0  That's a fair point. Even "luxury" properties in wilderness areas are limited by the quality of public infrastructure in how reliably they can supply electricity, water, and internet. 

Traditional hosts in some rural areas and developing countries might be alarmed at the assumptions that guests from the city make about the amount of resources they can use. Airbnb, being run entirely out of urban offices, doesn't seem to be good at communicating this.