Hosts with multiple properties listed as available when they are not.

[John7822]

AirBnB has really gone downhill. According to their "customer service" they allow hosts to list properties as available even though they are not. We spent hours picking out a place only for the host to say it wasn't available. Ok, no worries. The same host had 9 more listed so we reserved another. We were then told none of them are available even though they are listed as such. So why list them that way? It's a waste of our time and rather frustrating. I've been using AirBnB for over a decade and all of my feedbacks are stellar. They literally say how great we are, and that they would love to have us stay again. I've never been denied a stay, much less multiple times. We had a friend with great feedback try to rent one from the this host. They received the same treatment. AirBnB's "customer service" could have cared less.  I'm sorry to say but there is something scammy about AirBnB now. I'll stick to VRBO in the future.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@John7822 I assume you requested a booking rather than actually booking these places. It will damage the host if they continually reject requests and they will be fined if they actually cancel a booking. Perhaps better to use the Instant Book filter as this will remove the need for the host to accept the booking.

My other advice is to stick to the 'non corporate' hosts who actually rent their own places. Mega hosts are loved by Airbnb for the revenue they bring in but they have no real skin in the game and tend to give a lesser more impersonal service.

Given that many hosts also list on VRBO (especially the big ones) your plan to avoid these hosts by using VRBO is somewhat flawed.