Bed bug bite

[James4099]

One of the people staying in our Airbnb woke up with bites on her back. She saw a bug crawling and her sleepiness didn’t do a good job of capturing a photo of the bug and then smushed it. The odd thing is AirBnb has been slow to respond after providing the evidence requested and the host has also been slow to respond. At this point, not sure what to do, I can’t afford the money to book another place without knowing we are credited for this one. Not sure what to do at this point

[Lorina14]

@James4099,

Yikes! That is concerning. Did you message them through the app or did you call Airbnb support? I would call again and follow up stressing the importance of this issue being resolved ASAP. It’s important to follow up on issues within 72 hours of incidence. Are you at the beginning of your reservation? Sometimes people complain at the end of a stay to get a discount or refunded and it may not be truthful (I am not saying this is your case but hosts have experienced this tactic so just letting you know this has happened in the past).

I would call them as you will likely get faster support that way. Sometimes when you follow up you will get different customer representatives so you may have to tell your story again. It’s helpful if there is one person who will follow through on your support ticket through their shift or loop in the next rep if their shift is ending (I have no idea on how support is handled so this is a suggestion that would help a and if tickets were prioritized and handed to the next agents it would help). 

If it actually is bed bugs and not a spider or other bug, then this would be a safety issue for health reasons. The host should have been in contact with you about this immediately.

I’ve read that people will put their luggage in the bathtub while they look for evidence of bed bugs. Go to the bed and pull up the sheets and look at the mattress seams, look at furniture crevices or near furniture seams. The bed bugs like to hang out in those areas. It’s difficult to treat bed bug infestations. I’ve read of someone who puts their luggage in a freezer (who has a freezer that big) to kill potential bed bugs. I think there is a website to look up if there are bed bugs in the city or lodging you stay at (self reported). 

[James4099]

We have put as many clothes as possible in the freezer. 
when I book an Airbnb, it’s assumed I’m not in the business of bedbug hunting. What’s horrible is the effort to get Airbnb to take this issue serious. I sent my support request through the app. I called several times as well. Almost six hours after writing a note negotiating resolution with the host he replied that he is working on it. I’m understanding, I’m flexible, but I’m at the point where this is unreasonable

edit ***Burnt from chasing this all day***

[Lorina14]

@James4099,

I wouldn’t have thought to go hunting either but with the horror stories I have read in news articles and sometimes on these boards it may be helpful to do a quick check to prevent potential problems. (That is how I learned about leaving suitcases on tile or in bathtubs and checking out the rooms prior to entering).

@Bhumika @Rebecca @Paula (our community host managers) is there anything you could do to help James out as it seems his situation is not being handled quickly? They can flag and send your comment to the right teams for support, they are not support directly but moderate these boards.

So sorry this is happening to you on your travels, please keep us posted on your resolution.

[James4099]

Thanks. I feel horrible about this whole situation, I know it’s not the hosts fault. But support has just sucked. I believe in AirBnb so much that I bought stock, however that seems to have been a curse…

[James4099]

This is what I wrote to the host “"I wanted to address the unresolved bedbug issue we encountered during our stay. It's important to me to handle this matter constructively, rather than resorting to posting negative reviews, which I understand could significantly impact your future bookings. Unfortunately, the situation has caused considerable discomfort, particularly for my wife and her sister, who suffered from bedbug bites. Despite our efforts to seek a resolution through multiple communications with both you and Airbnb support, there has been no satisfactory action taken. Given these circumstances, we believe a full refund is warranted."

[Rebecca]

Hi there @James4099, 

I'll pop you a DM to get some further information from you. @Lorina14 Thank you for the tag. 😊

Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Hey again @James4099, 

What was the outcome from the situation? 

Looking forward to hearing from you, 

Rebecca 🌟

[James4099 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Rebecca 

i got a full refund from AirBnB but only after some really challenging discussions with support. When I get back to the States I’m going to follow up. It’s impossible to be comfortable, as a loyal user of AirBnB, with the line of questioning, and the disorganized way all of this was conducted. I understand that people have to do their job, but this whole experience calls into question, my 12 year loyalty to AirBnB. Thank you for anything you did on the back end to make things easier for me. I’m now in a flat.

james

[Lorina14]

Hi @James4099 

I’m glad you got a full refund and am sorry for your poor experience with customer service.

Perhaps @Rebecca can forward your thread to the relevant team so they can create better policies to handle complaints like yours effectively and more efficiently. They should have also extended something else other than a full refund for your headache, your guests bites and the poor execution in handling your situation. However I am just another guest and Superhost so I don’t have ranking with the higher ups. I do hope that someone would rectify the poor experience you, a loyal guest and customer of Airbnb had by extending sincere apologies, a courtesy discount or something in addition to the full refund. 

I hope the rest of your travels go smoother and you are able to salvage your trip. 

[Emma2359]

Help! We have had bed bugs in our villa and the host is refusing to give us a full refund.
**[Identifiable listing removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines- Please note that is not allowed to post a listing link unless posted by a listing owner]

[Lorina14]

@Emma2359 

Sorry I didn’t see this earlier. Did you get your situation resolved? @Paula @Bhumika @Rebecca - please assist… thank you!

[Sophia]

Hi @Lorina14, thanks for tagging us. I  just wanted to let you that this has been raised with the relevant team 🙏🏽 hopefully they'll be in touch soon with @Emma2359

[James4099]

I escalted this issue many times, including sending this email ( I knew it wasn't going directly to your CEO) "Dear Mr. Chesky,

As a loyal customer and investor in Airbnb, my experiences with the service have always been a driving force behind my decision to support the company as a user and shareholder.

Recently, I encountered some challenges during my stay, leading to extensive communication with Airbnb support. While I appreciate the effort of the team, the interactions often felt dismissive, leaving me feeling unheard and undervalued. This experience was far from the high standard of customer service I've come to associate with Airbnb, which was disappointing, especially considering the significant portion of my vacation it impacted.

I am reaching out to you directly, not to burden you with the specifics of my experience but in the hope of finding a constructive path forward.

Could you kindly direct me to a member of your team who specializes in customer experience improvement? I am eager to engage in a meaningful dialogue that addresses my recent experiences and explores potential areas for service enhancement."

In response to my email I was redirected to the same representative who had previously been unhelpful, which only compounded my frustration. Despite having booked another property through Airbnb since this incident, I am now considering selling my stake in the company and seeking accommodations through your competitors. This experience has been disheartening, especially for a company in which I believed strongly enough to invest.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

[Courtney-Blair0]

I have been unable to get a full refund despite having over 30 painful bed bug bites which I had to take steroids for so they would heal!

any advice?