What prevents a host from charging upgrades on replacement furniture using Resolution Center?

Amanda953
Level 2
Somerville, NJ

What prevents a host from charging upgrades on replacement furniture using Resolution Center?

I was a guest of a host that put in for a claim that a mirror was cracked on a sliding closet door during my stay. The closet was too shallow for the hangers (that the host provides) and therefore the hangers continuously need to be readjusted and get caught in the closet door. I told the host this small crack most likely occured because of the wear and tear of the improper pressure applied on the doors with every single open and close. I recalled there being a small crack but the host claims it was so much larger...it doesn't matter...I declined the host's request to contribute the the $375 estimate he recieved so it went to the Resolution Center. The Resolution Center found me at fault and told me that the actual receipt came to $700 and therefore that is what they charged! I would like anyone to find me aluminium mirrored sliding glass doors that cost $700 to replace. I continueously have asked Airbnb to show me proof, an itemized receipt...anything that will show that the host only replaced the mirror/door that was cracked with exactly the same or similar doors (the host claims the doors were a year old - not that I beleive that since the whole place needed a little TLC - so they shouldn't be hard to replace!). Yet, they do not reply to my request. I was charged for these replacements and by law if you take money out of a security deposit the tenant is owed an itemized receipt which Airbnb refuses to give me.

 

What prevents a host from purchasing upgraded doors or tracking system (since these had a hard time staying on track in the first place) and then sending the receipt to the resolution center that then charges me that upgrade instead of replacing the orginal!?! In addition the host asked me to "contibute" to the replacement...therefore I assume he understands this is partially due to the fact the doors did not fit right or the closet was not appropriate for these doors, and yet this has no consideration on the Resolution Center's decision.

2 Replies 2
Jonathan6
Level 10
Mamaroneck, NY

What you are finding is that the policy at ABB does not seem to be applied equally or always fairly, you will see a lot of posts like this and it is true of both host and guest losses.  You should only have been charged the depreciated value of the item damaged, not the full replacement value.

 

ABB Host Guarantee Terms and Conditions state:

 

Actual Cash Value” means the amount it would cost to repair or replace damaged or destroyed Covered Property as a result of a Covered Loss, measured on the date of occurrence of such Covered Loss, with material of like kind and quality, with proper deduction for obsolescence and physical depreciation.

 

I have had several damage claims (mostly early 20 somethings that throw a party and trash the place and break a few things) and I have always resolved it through the resolution center with the guest and with the support of ABB (ABB has never been out of pocket).  You should have been given the ability to work it out with the host, but the rep didn't seem to take it far enough.  BTW: ABB usually sides with guests.

 

You do have recourse, you could make a claim with your credit card company and they may charge back ABB if they feel ABB has violated the terms with them.  You also can escalate this with ABB and force them to take it to binding arbitration that is required under their terms of service or take the chance and go to small claims.  Note that going to small claims is in violation of the terms of service, but the host would need to know that.

 

In the end what's fair is fair, if a guest damages something they should pay for the depreciated value and the host should accept that some level of damage is a cost of doing business.  Unfortunatly many hosts are renting out "their" homes so there is an emotional attachment with any loss.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Amanda953  That sounds excessive but of course I have no way of knowing if you actually were responsible for breaking it or it was due to the poor hangar/closet arrangement. 

One thing it's smart to do as a guest is right away when you check in, to message the host about anything you find broken on check-in, and take a photo. Like the crack in the mirror door. If there was already a small crack there, that would have eventually spread whether anyone did anything to it or not.

I had a guest who was an experienced Airbnber. As soon as she got settled in her room, she called me up to show me that the shelf in the closet was loose. She wasn't complaining, she just didn't want to get blamed for any damage. I actually knew it was loose and had just forgotten to tighten up the screws before she arrived.