Absolutely Poor Customer Service

[Kathy121]

I have lost hours after hours attempting to connect with a supervisor at this inept outfit. I've been a host as well as a traveller with Airbnb and the few (2) times I've had problems, it has taken literally months to get a resolution. My case mysteriously gets closed repeatedly even though I respond back to the representative immediately, then I have to hold for 30-45 minutes only to be frequently disconnected.  I finally received a poorly written response by a rep named Jorge F., whose letter is below, minimizing my photographs to the point where he states "normal signs of house degradation" to justify my issues. Several of my photos were clearly safety related, however, he dismissed them.  Every time I request assistance by a supervisor, I get put on hold for 20+ minutes, then disconnected. Hmmmmmm, could this be a pattern??? Not impressed. Here is the accounting of my issues. Feedback? Suggestions?

Still waiting for a response from my dispute on a stay in early December. I cannot understand why your customer service simply drops cases, doesn't respond, and ignores valid requests for intervention. Below is my response from January 4th. What does it take to get someone with some integrity to respond???

Kathy ***

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kathy *** <Subject: Re: Your reservation with Payal - Airbnb
To: Airbnb Customer Service <response@airbnb.com>

This is not resolved. Please refer this to your Resolution Team. Jorge has responded with a rather condescending, insulting and inaccurate interpretation of the facts. His comments attempt to minimize what the photos actually detail, reflecting no acknowledgement of previously documented information conveyed to him as well as to Payal, our host. Several of these issues pictured are safety related and should not have been neglected. Jorge stated that my photos show "normal signs of house degradation", which I disagree with. They show negligence and lack of maintenance, dirty and unsafe conditions. I am reasonable and understanding, but I take issue with Jorge misstating that I requested a refund--I have been very clear that I have asked for a partial refund. He also states, "never expect an Airbnb place to be spotless like a hotel room, because that's not the concept we try to keep within our community" What does that mean??? If this rental is the level of quality I'm to expect, I will gladly return to staying in hotels! By the way, did I even mention I expected a "spotless place"?  Perhaps someone objective with rational abilities should review the list below along with photos. One photo didn't make it in my last email, which I'm including below. It is the broken granite counter with jagged edges, #14 in the list. I will await the response of the Resolution Team and thank you for your attention to this matter.

Here is the list of problems we encountered, obviously, not all require photographs.

1. Bulbs were out in the refrigerator and microwave hood, which also had a very dirty filter that had not been cleaned in a very long time.
2. Blinds were tossed all over the closet floor, making it difficult to access the closet in the front bedroom, see picture.
3. Sheets were not changed on the master bed upon arrival, which was extremely inconveniently discovered at 10:00 p.m.
4. ​We were only supplied with one towel set per person for the entire stay. This was manageable for us, but most people would expect more towels.
5. There were few kitchen utensils and no spatula, which is likely why the non-stick finish on the skillets are badly scraped and worn off.
6. Pots and pans were dirty and had to be cleaned before use, as well as several glasses.
7. Stools were coming apart and wobbly, not safe enough to sit on. We brought food back several times and had to eat standing at the island counter.
8. Thermostat was unresponsive, way too hot and we were unable to cool the space, had no choice but to open windows.
9. Check-in information was poorly conveyed. We had no idea to tap the FOB on the door opener, which caused us huge delays getting in from the garage, arriving tired and late. The security guard had to help us. This information was completely omitted from any instructions from you.
10. The internet code was not written correctly for us and we had to phone for help. There is a big difference between f and F for a password.
11. The leather sofa has not been cleaned and had an odor of perspiration, and pillows were open and zippers broken.
12. There was no dresser with drawers in the master bedroom, which is expected and there is room for. This is necessary for business travelers.
13. Walls and woodwork were badly dinged with dents, scrapes and badly in need of repair.
14. A large chunk out of the kitchen granite counter was sharp and could actually cut someone, need to fill in and refinish.
15. Doors were broken and splitting apart, attempted repair using mailing tape, see photos.
16. There is no table or desk to work on anywhere in the unit. There should be a small table and chairs along the blank wall that is empty near the kitchen and bedroom door. Where can anyone work on a laptop computer?

Clearly, you can see that this condo is not being properly managed. Although we appreciate the refund for the night without clean sheets, we truly feel a  more significant refund is warranted.

​




​

​​

[David126]

Post on Facebook?

[Jess21]

Good luck but from what I can tell, you didn't make any of these complaints until after your stay. And you didn't give the host a chance to rectify. And you didn't call to cancel or ask to be relocated.. so, you didn't do anything Airbnb requires you to do when asking for a refund. 

[Momi0]

@Kathy121 Hi - just wanted to let you know that you posted this in the forum titled "HOSTS".  I think what you need is to post this in the COMMUNITY HELP or TRAVELERS forum room.  Another helpful tip would be to reach out to ABB through Twitter if you have that option..their @Airbnbhelp account is a great option.  or as @David126 mention, Facebook too.

FYI- within your booking confirmation email from Airbnb, there is a customer service phone number to call when you check into a place that is not suitable or find that its not what was shown in photos.  Did you call them within 24 hours?  Did you contact the host too?  Definitely keep that in mind should you stay with via Airbnb again.  Always call immediately.  Hopefully the host can be agreeable toresolve this and refund you, but that must be done by filing a monetary request through the Resolution Center. Have you done that yet?  Good Luck.  Hope this helps.

[Kathy121]

Momi, thanks for your feedback. Yes, I was in contact with host twice within a short time of arrival. I did not complain to Airbnb about other issues, as they were discovered over several days. I have also attempted to resolve with the host from the Resolution Center to no avail. I've received nothing but insults from Airbnb's own customer service reps. Now I'm being accused of having "life skills challenges", because their key fob had to be tapped on a certain box to open an electronic door, with no indication of how it worked! I will likely be discontinuing my involvement with this rude and inept outfit and will no longer use them to travel, and plan to remove my own properties. I went through the same process when I had an issue as a host. It took months and numerous attempts to reach a rational human being who could resolve it.

[Scott80]

@Kathy121 said "We had no idea to tap the FOB on the door opener, which caused us huge delays getting in from the garage, arriving tired and late."

Unfortunately, AirBnB is pretty much a self-service type of situation. If you require guidance in using something like a fob, you would probably be much happier staying in a full-service hotel, where there is a customer service staff and usually at least one person at all hours you can call on to provide instructions and help with the facilities. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that since AirBnB is again self-service, like staying in a friends condo, and not a hotel. It is very common that guests are provided a clean room with one clean set of towels per person and one clean set of linens per bed and supplies such as toilet paper and soap to last long enough until they get situated and if the guest wants they room cleaned, clean towels during their stay or they need more supplies, it is the guest's responsibility to clean themselves, wash their towels and buy additional supplies. Again it is not a hotel and does not try much hotel level of service. AirBnBs are generally clean and comfortable. but since they are individually owned and people generally have less desire to make them like-new and price themselves out-of-the-market, AirBnBs are remodeled and refreshed on a longer schedule so furniture may be scratched, and bed corners scuffed. 

Perhaps one of the reasons AirBnB seems unresponsive to your complaints is that some of the things that you are complaining about, such as not being told how to use a fob or really not deficiencies with the host's property but are actually personal, life-skill challenges and if the host were to enumerate all of the necessary life-skills that are needed to stay independently in an apartment building the host's house manual would be 100 pages long. 

All and all, with AirBnB you are sacrificing level-of-service and frills to save money. You got a 2 bedroom condo with a washer and dryer, and parking, pool and gym for $119US per night According to Booking.com a three-star hotel room in Mississauga is $93US. So you are getting a lot more space and amenities through AirBnB, but you are sacrificing personal service and hotel-level upkeep.

Hope it works out for you, but at the same time, I think a lot of the problem was mismatched expectations.

[Kathy121]

Scott, you obviously are a plant for Airbnb, as your insulting remarks are quite consistent with their behavior. Your rude comments are totally ridiculous. What are you trying to prove??? All you are doing is antagonizing. Yes, I do expect to be told that an electronic door will not open unless the fob is tapped on an unmarked box. And I do not have "life skills challenges" because I have never encountered such a system. I get the entire concept of Airbnb hosting--in fact, I've received enough positive feedback to be considered a Superhost! Stop with your condescending attitude. 

[Andrew400]

POOR SERVICE FROM AIRBNB 

I reported an issue with the calendar some time ago in that you made a booking when there was no availability, I had to sort it out myself and still ended up with being marked down by you. This is the third comment about this issue, one of which was an email to the Dublin office, and the second time this has happened.
If you look at the records you will see that when I was concerned about a guest who did not arrive I spent time pushing for a resolution with you, what a shame you don't do the same for me!

When can I expect an answer from you?
What is the point of having a fancy feedback system when it only works one way?

[Kathy121]

It's time this behemoth of a marketing machine were exposed. I've experienced the poor customer service as well. I still have the photos of the place we stayed in that was a dilapidated, neglected  condo in Toronto, owned by investors pretending to be a caring couple!  When I sent pics to customer service, I was told everything from my expectations were too high to perhaps I should only stay in hotels where I could expect better quality. I was also told (on this site) that because I didn't know to tap a key fob on a black (unmarked) box to gain access to the elevators of a parking garage, I have life skills challenges! The rep from Airbnb said he was refunding me a tiny amount that was never refunded, and nobody cares or will do anything about this. Needless to say, I will not be seeking short-term rental again from this phony platform!

[Gigi74]

Hello, Airbnb is breaking the law in most Countries, Cities and Counties.The Case Managers are a divergent tactic, they will bully you and talk to you condescending.

Then they just stop communicating with you. Bottomline go to the Government website where you live and research the short term rental laws.

There are currently numerous Countries and Cities that have ongoing lawsuits against Airbnb.They refuse to speak with Code Enforcement Officer. Contact the Code Enforcement Office in your local jurisdiction. They will help you because Airbnb breaks the Law and they contributed zero revenue to a City because they break the law.

[Kathy121]

You are so right! I rented a high rise condo in Toronto, Canada, and it was dilapidated, broken furniture, dirty sheets, no instruction on how to get into the locked elevator in parking garage,... I communicated with "customer abuse" numerous times, was promised a partial refund that was never paid, told I was lacking life skills and expected too much from a short term rental property! Pathetic behavior.