Please Airbnb, don't ghost me...

[Silvia470]

So this guy one night decided to leave a hot iron face down on the carpet, leaving a very defined burned mark on it. A cream carpet, to be exact.

The next morning I am already on it, going around carpet shops asking for quotes.

I get a like per like quote of £678 for replacing the carpet of the room (it is a large room, 20 square meters.)

I get back to my guest, aking him £500 as the carpet wasn't new (but still in good conditions and I wasn't looking to replace it anytime soon).

He refuses to pay and I escalate the matter to Airbnb which still hasn't got in touch with me.

Problem also is that this guest left a very long review, saying that everything was fine with the room but that I asked him too much money for the damage he caused, adducing reasons like "I didn't burn the whole carpet, I don't want to pay to replace all of it", which to me is just pure madness; what am I supposed to do? patch it up??? But I am digressing.

Now, when tried to call Airbnb earlier, I have been kept holding on the phone for 66 minutes (why do they offer a call back service that puts you on hold anyway?) and then the line dropped. Great.

I am feeling stressed out and frustrated.

My question to all of you, hosts out there, is: do you think it is fair that this service which is making billions on our houses, private spaces and hard work, just leaves us, hostage of nasty guests that come in, damage our properties, feel entitled to not having to make it good and (cherry on top) also have the power to leave reviews that add long-term damage to our businesses?

Every time I get a review notification, I start shaking. Because I know that even if everything seemed fine, that guest might just be having a bad day and leave you 3 stars because "the bathroom mirror wasn't big enough" or "The host didn't provide courtesy sleepers, you know, like in spas" (this was a real feedbacks I had from my one and only 3 stars review so far and my rooms go for 23/28 per night...so not really spa/hotel prices). 

I think the bar is being set too high: guests have hotel expectations because they don't get what Airbnb is. The user base is now so wide and differentiated that seems impossible to educate every single one of them and having them understand the core Airbnb's concept.

I am talking about the "belonging anywhere", the Belo...This stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMITXMrrVQU

I worked for the studio that rebranded Airbnb, so I know very well what the manifesto of this company is, the principles it's built on. And are these amazing values that made me decide to become a host with no hesitation in the beginning.

But now I feel It just became a cheap hotel service that doesn't care about keeping its genuine hosts happy; It keeps us in fear, with no power over our own guest's tantrums and unable to demand respect for rules or payment for damages without suffering the consequences of the very much feared "bad reviews".

What made this company successful in the first place is being put aside and real hosts are slowly being replaced by faceless agencies, key boxes and cleaning companies that don't mind a bad review or a damaged carpet because it's not their home in the first place.

Distorted music in my ears, playing in a loop, for hours...please Airbnb, call me back, talk to me.

[Zappa0]

When I had an issue after clicking "involve airbnb" and sending the required info, they emailed me after a few days..actually almost a week. Guest lost something of mine (a kayak). This is what the required and I did get my money back from Airbnb.

For any stolen items it is essential that we obtain the following:
- Proof of ownership in the form of original purchase receipts, bank statements, product registration, or photos of you with the item(s)
- Website links to comparable replacements
- A full copy of the police report related to this incident or a video of the guest stealing the items which are being claimed.
- An itemized list of missing items, including their original purchase receipt (if possible) and a replacement link. If you don't have the receipts, indicate the age of the items (in years), and the make and model where relevant.

Please note that we cannot guarantee full reimbursement if both photos and accompanying receipts are unavailable. All invoices, receipts, or estimates must be on official company letterhead, and we cannot accept homemade documents. If you are unable to provide receipts, let us know and we will work toward a fair resolution.

For all property damaged or destroyed due to a criminal act, a police report is required.

Within 7 days of this email, please submit all requested documentation. If you need more time to gather it, please communicate how much time you think you might need.

[Sarah977]

@Just0 curious- how does one "lose" a kayak?

[Fred13]

In my case: guest doesn't pull it up on deck, but instead leaves it tied to the deck during the night, the knot unravels and drifts all the way to Honduras waters; 87 miles, with winds 10mph, traveling about 5 mph = 15 hours. Happy Honduran. 🙂

[Mike340]

@Silvia470

Accidents happen and yes..people are careless. I have had two windows broken,coffee pot tipped all down the wall,hot pan left on a wooden wortop unit to burn a stain, knife cuts in the wooden worktop etc....but each time I have paid out myself to repair.Not one guest has apologised or left a note..nothing. With a carpet the person was careless,thoughtless but I am afraid that is common...in greater or lesser degrees. It looks like in your case you may have to try and buy a match and cut out the damage and make good the best you can. Always buy extra with a new carpet for such repair moments.We live in a world where many adults act like children and children increasingly want to look and act like adults.

[Fred13]

 The day Airbnb drops the 'Host Guarantee' program is the day many things will likely happen, some 'good' and some 'bad', depending on your point of view.

1. Guests and hosts, when it comes to certain financial issues (aka damages being a classic example) will really have to deal with each other.

2. Many hosts will leave if unable to get their own insurance and/or their place has a too-high degree of collective risk built into it: overly delicate places, absentee (or present zombie) owners who are not there watching what is indeed happening or fail to stop what they should be; the ones running a myriad of places  without adding extra eyeballs, and last but not least those co-dependent on Airbnb to solve every little problem for them.

3. No more cases of Airbnb failing to pay for this or that. (Hurray!) Hosts get their own insurance. Or not, up to them. 

4. A true deposit system may finally be allowed, or will have to be allowed, for then it is really needed for those not able to get their own insurance. I think the Host Guarantee program IS the very reason why to date Airbnb doesn't have a true deposit system, it was devised to take its place, and has allowed Airbnb to play 'favorites' (see #5).

5. Guests (Airbnb's present sacred cow) will be held more responsible (see #4). 

6. The pressure on host fees will be lessen, and maybe they will stay where they are now (which I am afraid they will not).  Everytime I read 'Airbnb' paid for it I cringe; for not really, every other guest & host payed for it, that money didn't come from thin air. It is how insurance works.

   I detest this program, yes on economic grounds; but really more so on moral grounds, the way it is selectively applied now it is oftentimes ruthless and at best it is really a marketing 'lie'.

/Hands podium back to the audience and getting a 2nd cup of morning cafe feeling a lot better. 😉

[Ned-And-Laura0]

how old is the carpet?  Regardless of condition, the law (in California anyway) is that the "life" of carpet in rental property is 5 years (I think, it may even be 4).  After that you cannot charge a tenant anything for damage to the carpet.  

[Christina395]

You can't charge for "normal wear and tear" but you can definitely charge for damage. 

[Christina395]

What about the Host guarantee of $1,000,000.00?

This should be a simple solution, no? 

You followed the rules in asking the guest to pay (he isn't denying it) & now you escalate to the resolution department.

If Airbnb is not truly fulfilling their promises to Hosts then this needs to be a highlighted conversation. I certainly will not Host if I know that Airbnb will stiff me if a guest destroys my property and refuses to pay. Small claims court? 

[Fred13]

@Christina395 Taking a wild guess, there must be at least 20 threads on this subject in the last few months. Interesting reading. After reading a few, you may come to the conclution that there is nothing simple about this nebulous policy. 

[Virginia184]

It’s an insurance issue. Too easy! 

[Nirvana1]

I am also being gosted, by Airbnb, instant booking, ha ha ha, they say they have your back, but I had a guests for 1 night and he even tried to con me and have his girlfriend arrive when he did not book for 2 people. But he made the mistake by asking if "THEY" can drop their luggue and I was on it, told him to rectify the booking before they arrive. Unfortunatly, Airbnb now nearly TWO WEEKS,  I still am not paid, and I get no reply from Airbnb. This morning I posted all conversations on all Social Media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Well I got a message to say a case worker in going to contact me. this is 3 hours ago. well, I suggest you put as much as you can on social media. I also had a guest braking my back door by forcing it open, I can now not lock it. I spend hours on international calls and our country mobile rates are the worst in the world. I am totally running at a lost

I dont think this thing is working as well as they advertise and promote anymore, This is not for home owners, or the avarage person having an extra room. They are afte bigger fish, they dont care about US

Nirvana

[Steve2743]

Not sure how to resolve your issue. I've never had any luck getting Airbnb to honour their "insurance" policy on the two times I've needed it. But what I can suggest is getting one of those irons with an accelerometer that automatically shuts off if it's face down, and not being moved .

[Sarah977]

@Steve2743  Unfortunately even if the iron shuts itself off when face down and not moving, it wouldn't cool down fast enough not to burn the carpet if it was left there.

[Michele511]

How much deposit did he have to put down? I require a $600 deposit. That is supposed to be for just this type of thing. 

[Fred13]

   Keep in mind @Michele511, regardless of what you put down and which is not collected up front, the ultimate judge is still Airbnb, whose main interest nowadays is not to anger the guest. I think a lot of these cases, when they are 'settled' and any money is indeed awarded to the host is not coming from the guest, but from 'Airbnb' (aka anyone that contributes to their coffers).

    Upon further thought, a deposit (something I always took as 'silly to even bother'), may be a good idea to include, for it makes the guest at least 'aware' that there could be a subsequent claim to address their mis-actions, and gives Airbnb a good starting point to even try to collect 'something' from the guest.