I'm absolutely furious!
My mother and I checked into an Airbnb in Granada after a long trip from Chicago, through London & Malaga, to Granada. We were eager to check in and get settled and relax. However, I noticed water on the floor of the kitchenette (and the bed wasn't far from there -- it was a one-room place), and I looked under the sink to see if there was a problem with the pipes, and I found BLACK MOLD all over the back wall where there had clearly been water damage. We had smelled something musty when we had first entered the place, but figured it was just an old building -- it was the mold!
Worried that we'd be left homeless for the night, I immediately booked another AirBnB nearby (one that had "instant booking"), and we left. Once checked into the new AirBnB down the street, I sent the first place's host a polite message saying what we had found, and told him that unfortunately, we would not be able to stay there, and would like a refund. Well, the guy put up a fight!
He said I wasn't behaving "correctly," and that I was trying to find things to complain about! WHY would I want to have to worry about finding another place last-minute like that, if there was no SERIOUS problem with his place? It makes no sense! I had taken photos of the water on the floor and the water damage and BLACK MOLD on the wall, and I sent him the photos. He said, "That's burn." LOL!!!
So, he fought me over it, and I told him that if he wouldn't grant the refund for an uninhabitable place, I would involve AirBnB. So I did. And after seeing the photos and hearing the description of the premises, THEY REFUSE TO REFUND ME!!! They said that I didn't abide by the policy of contacting the host and letting him try to resolve the situation! AS IF YOU COULD RESOLVE BLACK MOLD IN AN HOUR!!! Black mold is a toxic, serious problem that affects the air quality -- especially for people with asthma like me, which I also told AirBnB -- and it needs to be professionally eradicated, which takes at least a few days. I told AirBnB that it's not a typical "spill" or something that the host can clean up in a few minutes. It's a serious problem that would take DAYS to resolve, and my mother and I were only in Granada for a few days!
And what was I supposed to do, leave us HOMELESS for those 3 days that the host would be resolving his home's MOLD issue???!?!??! It's so unfair, and I'm absolutely FURIOUS about this. I tried writing to customer service again, and after a few days, I've received the same response. I'm incredulous.
Does anyone have any suggestions of how to get through to higher-ups at AirBnB to get this refunded? And to get this guy reported for renting out MOLDY premises? I can't believe that they even saw PHOTOS of the mold, and did nothing about it! I'M SO MAD!