I'm a loyal Airbnb guest, and a 5-star host, with years of experience on both sides. Yet my recent experience following €495 in guest damages has left me angry and frustrated.
Guests in my apartment damaged an A/V receiver, and accepted blame. After paying €55 to diagnose it with the manufacturer, I learned it was irreparable, and I was forced to buy a replacement for €440. My claim was forwarded to the "Trust and Safety" team, who - after a lengthy delay - proposed a payout of just over half that amount: €264! The only explanation for that figure was a depreciation rate for my 7-year-old A/V receiver at 0.7% per year.
By my calcuation, €440 depreciated at that rate becomes €418.89 after 7 years. Add to that the €55 diagnosis cost, I expected to be reimbursed €468 of the €495 in total costs - already frustrating. But I was told to accept €264 or nothing!
That means I had would have to pay €231 out of my own pocket. Unacceptable, of course, when as a Host you're lead to believe the "Host Guarantee" should be there to protect you in such situations. And also unacceptable when it's clear that the Trust & Safety person made a calculation error.
The Trust & Safety advisor assigned to my case refused repeated requests of mine to explain how they arrived at €264, and at one point closed the case, offering me no money, by lying and said I had not responded in time.
After almost one month of back-and-forth, in which none of my direct questions are answered, including denying my repeated requests to have a colleague or supervisor assigned to my case, because of the errors made, I'm now left with nowhere to turn. The latest information is that a "mistake" was made, and the depreciation rate is 7% per year (not 0.7%, as I was twice told earlier!), and the diagnosis cost won't be covered.
I host based on the reassurance that Airbnb will step in and help me, through the Host Guarantee, when something bad happens. However in this case I've been let down by calculation errors, unprofessional support, no apparent right to a second opinion, and left with a loss of €231. On top of that, a shocking lack of "goodwill", from a company with whom I've been loyal and generated literally thousands of euros in service fees. Who here can assist me in rectifying this, and see that I'm treated fairly and properly reimbursed? Thank you!