Host keeps on changing Check in time on check in date

[Saas1]

Hi Air bnb community, 

I just came a cross with weird issue with host and i really need help with it. My house was getting refurb and unliveable condition so i desperately needed place so i booked air bnb. On check in date My host keeps on changing check in time. they mentioned 3pm check in time while promoting their air bnb. then they messaged and changed to 5. Then they changed to 6.30. which i agrees all above but they didnt show up while i reach accommodations. I got message saying they can make it to 7pm. which i was not happy and didnt agreed. So i called air bnb and asked them if they can refund me. while calling them which tooks 20 min and at that point i literally wanted to cancel and doesn’t even wanted to deal with host. so i requested refund to airbnb now airbnb is saying they cannot do anything since host appeared at 6.50. I didnt wanted to deal with host so I left property.

so my question is are we not eligible for full refund since i literally wasted 4 hours waiting and he didn’t keep the promised time. isn’t host should be more professional. Isn’t guest should have control over refund without getting approval when host is not professional .  he also kept my deposit now i literally stuck with full amount and deposit and not getting any help. 

airbnb booked me 1st day but they are saying i have to return to same booked airbnb and i dont want to go back since its already awakard. I have full time job and its really affecting me and my family. can someone help me with this situation please??

[Pat271 · Accepted solution]

@Saas1  No, you are not entitled to a full refund. There would be very few situations in which a full refund would be warranted, and this is not one of them.

I sympathize with you and agree that the host was responsible for the mishap. If you don’t see this kind of thing mentioned in the reviews (you did read the reviews, right?) then it might have just been an unlucky occurrence in which the host had something legitimate causing her to be late. Life happens, sometimes.

The few times I’ve had something like this happen, I have given the guest a free lunch or dinner at a local restaurant nearby. Another time, I gave the guest a free pass at a nearby attraction. But very, very rarely do hospitality businesses give free refunds unless something has broken down (furnace, plumbing, etc.) or other mishap involving the loss of a major, promised amenity and causing extreme inconvenience. Do you think a hotel would give you a free refund if somehow a room wasn’t ready upon arrival? I can tell you no, they wouldn’t, because it’s happened to me several times. I was just told that I would have to return later.

Again, a refund isn’t warranted, but most good hosts would offer some form of nominal, non-monetary recompense to maintain good will.

[Fred13]

There is always a way the host could lessen the disappointment of you having to wait until 7pm (!!) to enter the accommodation, which of course is a bit absurd.  Entitlement to a full refund is a bit extreme however, especially if there is a good reason for such a delay. Any reason given for such an unusual delay?