*DO NOT USE

[Jamie848]

I recently rented a property in Dubai managed by [Host] and the service was abysmal. Didn’t provide an access card to the building and waited for me to complain before they started to look into the matter. I chased numerous times daily — all the while needing to sneak into the building behind others who lived there when they entered and having to argue with the security guards. Each day they begged me to give them just one more day. When I finally threatened to leave and demand a refund, they said if I just stayed they would provide a refund. It is now weeks later and they have just come back (with me chasing constantly) yo say they don’t want to give a refund. 

What’s amazing is that now that I’ve read other reviews, they’ve done the same thing in the past. So they aren’t learning or doing anything to correct past mistakes. 

This is the type of service that will have me booking a hotel stay rather than using Airbnb in the future. 

Anyone know how I can escalate this further through Airbnb? Their overall product is suffering and they need to send a message to businesses like [Host] so that they clean up their act. 

**[Sensitive information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jamie848 the only thing you can do, I am afraid, is leave an honest review. If you do use Airbnb again then please read the reviews carefully and consider only booking with hosts who don't use big management companies as these often seem to cause problems.

[Anonymous]

@Jamie848 No point in posting the host's full name here - that's not allowed, and your post will be censored.

If you call Airbnb while the booking is in progress and say you're unable to access the property, they should cancel the booking and grant you a refund. It's explicit under the terms of the Guest Refund Policy that failure to provide keys or access codes entitles you to an exemption from the cancellation policy.

But the refund generally only applies to nights unstayed. If you don't cancel the booking, and you choose to stay in the property despite access issues, you're pretty much on your own. Airbnb has no way reason to enforce any informal refund deal you might have had with the host, and their refund policy doesn't grant anyone a free stay or apply after the checkout date.

Airbnb does send an automated warning to the host when they get a negative rating from the guest, and they risk being de-listed if the ratings drop too low. But high-volume property managers are their cash cows, so they can get away with pretty much anything. There are some great hosts on Airbnb, but if you don't have the time to research carefully and read past reviews, you're probably better off sticking to your favorite hotel network.

[Jamie848]

Hi @Anonymous, 

Thanks for that. However, the written terms and conditions are different to how things actually work in practice.

Once I was fed up with the host's delays and non-responsiveness (midway through my stay), I put a request through AirBnB for an immediate cancellation and refund. Unfortunately, they only then request confirmation from the host. The host reached out to me and said they would look into the refund but needed time to "escalate the matter". I note that throughout I was said to be speaking directly to the owner of the business -- turns out that is just the name on the account that everyone in the office uses so each day someone new to the matter would log in and start the process again. 

I've never had anything but great AirBnB stays so I'm not well versed in the intricacies of the cancellation/refund policies. I relied on the process through the site. And that process allows for the host to stall for more time to give less of a refund. I had my bags packed and ready to move out, but couldn't risk paying twice for my accommodations. I chased the host continually but they kept asking for more time to process the refund because they needed to escalate the matter. And because the firm all seem to use the same owner's account, it was confusing who they would be escalating the matter to. 

Please remember that during my stay, every time I left the building I was chastised by security on the way back in like I was a criminal. They simply refused to believe (and rightfully so) that anyone would rent an apartment to me but not give me basic access to the building. 

I appreciate that the host seems to know how to abuse the cancellation/refund process through AirBnb, and I will take it as a lesson learned; however, I don't see what my alternative would have been since the host determines whether the refund will ultimately be given and they purposefully stalled  and were non-responsive (by messages and by phone) for days on end. 

[Anonymous]

@Jamie848  Yes, it sure sounds like you were getting the run-around from a dodgy operator - which those management companies seem to be more often than not. In hindsight, you probably would have gotten faster results had you reported on the check-in date that you were unable to access the home  - the further from that date it gets, the harder it is to get a refund. But this isn't explicitly advised in the policy, and it's also really hard to find a customer service operator who has the slightest clue what's going on. 

Believe me, I can definitely understand your frustration here, especially in light of how costly it would have been to find last-minute replacement accommodation in Dubai. But full refunds generally apply only to canceled bookings. When a stay is completed despite the travel issues, any compensation to the guest is basically at the discretion of the host or the whim of whatever service agent handles your ticket. 

[Jamie848]

Good advice. I know the sooner you issue the complaint the better, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt that it was just an initial oversight that they would correct quickly. Like I said, every other host I've ever had has been amazing, so my resting state is to assume any mishaps are accidental and that the host is working hard to make things right. 

[Mary996]

Thats a really nice thing to say @Jamie848  I'm glad your experience has otherwise been good and I appreciate you entirely believed your problem would be corrected and you were willing to be virtuously patient!! The points you make help to educate us all about the fringes of Aibnb and in turn thought can be given to weeding out such rogue operators. In fact you may have some deterent strategies to suggest? 

[Mary996]

Definitely contact Airbnb at the first sign of trouble and ask for a transfer Did you know you can do that?

If you are a Guest feeling uncomfortable or threatened the response is excellent and very swift. Your situation was appalling and I'm very sorry. In the future I would definitely ask  for an immediate transfer and cease dealing with such Agents who may not have the necessary permissions to sublet and who bring @Airbnb into disrepute. 

Likewise from our perspective as Hosts we can request the transfer of a Guest in awkward circumstances. 

[Jamie848]

Thanks @Mary996. As you see from the above message I just posted, I did contact AirBnB immediately and ask for a cancellation and refund. Sadly, the management company acting as host seemed to know the system better than me. I saw similar reviews from people who had the same issues with this provider, so clearly the management company has been through this in the past and is battle-tested and savvy about how to avoid refunds. 

[Mary996]

@Jamie848

My suggestion was for requesting a transfer.

Asking for a refund puts... you... in the dubious category. 

[Mary996]

@Jamie848 in addition I agree its really important that you negatively review. You might suggest in your review that if future Guests have problems the advice you have received is a to request a TRANSFER immediately.