Warning airbnb doesn't protect you from new hosts who are rogue

[Anna851]

saw a bargain, grabbed, it, host has only 2 verifications so it wasnt super safe, but ... i need a cheap place.

and i suffered dearly for needing a cheap place, i dont even want to write down anything, no crime happened but i felt very unsafe constantly and very targeted

the host seem to have issues against me from the moment i set foot in his place, right in he said my money(my payment to airbnb on instant booking) isnt going to be through until 3 weeks later as airbnb told him,a nd he asked me ''why are you paying me weeks after you stay at my place"', as more exprienced airbnb user i tried to calm him down and he did so for a while, until he started repeating im a cheapskate cause i paid a bargain (well im the first guest? ) and when i told him more about me he started saying things like ''you love charging other ppl's wallets dont you'' or ''you like living on other people's money dont you''.... which escalated in far more serious stuff that i dont want to mention. He also had a huge frown when i politely mentioned he could have a key on the door of the bedroom as some guests might book his place more (i was trying to help as someone who is more experienced both as host and guest)

Now the host will be able to leave me review even though i stay 3 days and cancelled remaining 3 days. He said he will write a bad review and that he expects a bad review from me.

What can i do?

[Rebecca160]

@Anna851 I would leave a very detailed review, emphasizing why you felt unsafe and why you canceled. Then, I would contact Airbnb with your concerns. You cannot change what the host will write about you, but you can respond to it. Copy your review to the host’s response. That will help you out on future bookings. Just be clear in your review. And so sorry that this happened to you.

[Matthew285]

@Anna851 I am sorry you had such an unpleasant experience.

I think your title saying "Airbnb doesn't protect you from new hosts" should really say "Airbnb *can't* protect you from new hosts".

As you mentioned, no one has stayed with this host before... how would Airbnb (or anyone) know that there is any reason to do any "protecting" if no one knows what this host is like?

The "protecting" that the Airbnb system does is this:

When you write your review, you will warn future guests about this host.

*That* is how the system protects guests from bad hosts.

But it can't work if there are no reviews yet.

[Anna851]

Hi I wrote an answer here but now I dont see it so i will try to write again.

I notified airbnb, via the automatic cancel system where I am asked anyways, whe i do the cancelling, why I cancel. so airbnb knows. The future guests, don't know indeed. But he said he has already a hell lot of bookings and i assume, if another person has the same experience with me, he will get a bad review plus internally via cancelling. But these are tourists as he told me whereas im a local living 30 minutes away from him by car. Being that he was extremely judgemental of me and my lifestyle, I do not wish to leave him a bad review in which i know for sure he will use to ''get back to me'' as he already was argumental with me about my payment that will go through to his bank after my stay and so on.

[Cormac0]

@Anna851

The host got upset because he was not paid, he's probable read the Airbnb terms and conditions that state that the contract is between Guest and Host and surmised that you had not paid him.

It must be hard to see someone every day in your home for the duration of the stay, that has not paid for the privilege. While I’m not condoning His/her behaviour it might have been a better approach to help him solve the payment issue before you offered helpful advice about your bedroom door.

Airbnb keep accepting new hosts without even a preliminary test as to their understanding of the systems, properties, and methods.

Having usually received payment a few days after the guest arrived, I’m wondering had the Host set up his banking details correctly?

Only once I had difficulty being paid, when the Guest apparently had no money in her account due to a banking issue, the guest paid me cash and the issue was resolved three weeks later by Airbnb when I received payment again, I duly returned the cash to the guest and everybody was happy.

Contacting Airbnb is a nightmare and one of the most frustrating experience you’ll encounter on this platform add into the mix inexperience and kaboom you got a stressed out Host.

You did not mention how much a bargain in monetary terms it was. My first guests (a party of four) stayed in my Apartment for four night for the price of one due to my mis understanding of Airbnb currency set up, they were the most high maintenance guests I had, but they assured me that they'd give a good review.

[Ange2]

Cormac: 

I have read that Airbnb doesn't pay a new host until 30 days after the guest has arrived.

[Niel3 · Accepted solution]

No that's not true, I have recently started on AirBNB and so far have received the confirmation payment email from all my guests 1 or 2 days after their check in date with the money hitting my bank account a few days after that.

However I did ensure I verified everything about myself before actually making my rooms available on the site so it could be a verification issue as previously summised.

[Ange2]

Neil:    As per Airbnb policy:  They say confirmed not arrived. Although, could be arrived, if the reservation starts the day after it is confirmed.

"If you're a new host, we may hold your payouts for 30 days after your first reservation is confirmed."

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/425/when-will-i-get-my-payout

Although not sure what "confirmed" means. Is it when the guest pays, or payment is verifed, or when the host sees it as a confirmed booking,  or given the strict /freebie policy, 48 hours after booking, or when they there is confirmation that the guest did in fact stay,  or given that a confirmed booking can be canceled  at any point before or during the stay ...  Airbnb is never clear about the terms they use, there's a lot of interpretation and often hosts only experience the nebulous nature of the words when they have a problem and are stone-walled.

[Anna851]

When I had my first guest in airbnb i also was paid not more than 3-4 working days later.... and i got notifed that my money is ''on the way'' the day the guest checked in anyways. But even if airbnb told me i will wait 30 days to be paid,I wouldnt go nasty on my FIRST GUEST about this as its not HER fault isit?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Anna851

It goes both ways......ABB doesn't protect hosts from rogue guests either. We are all on our own and ABB is only a booking site. 

[Ange2]

Jessica & Henry: How did you manage to tag I keep getting an error message and the tagged name is deleted?

[Matthew285]

@Ange0,

You can manually type the name with the '@' sign, but there is no guarantee it will point to the correct person.

But it does become green and look like the proper kind of tag.