I’m stranded at midnight, host won’t give me the address to the apartment to book a taxi!

Theodore101
Level 2
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I’m stranded at midnight, host won’t give me the address to the apartment to book a taxi!

I'm in New Cairo, Egypt. I booked the stay for the next 11 nights. 

 

The address listed in Airbnb is simply "North Teseen Street, New Cairo, Egypt". This is a very long street, about 20 km.

 

Yesterday, my first taxi took me to the middle of that street, we couldn't find the host any where, and the taxi left me stranded with all of my suitcases on the side of the street in 38 C / 100 F desert heat. Finally, after 20 minutes, the host responded and talked to a new taxi driver for a good 20 minutes and we were able to arrive.

 

Last night, I got stranded at a restaurant I frequented. I talked to the host for over 30 minutes trying to get him to give me the address. I asked, y ou know, for the mailing address, or the address for food delivery apps. He tells me "this place doesn't have an address". So, the staff got very concerned. At midnight, they started talking to him. By 1 AM, 6 men had spoken to him in Arabic and while they  understood the location, they couldn't give an address to two taxis and both taxis refused service.

 

The owner of the restaurant at 1 AM took me on the back of his motorcyle through the crazy and scary Egyptian traffic, and it was quite ... scary for me. But we arrived.

 

Now, it's basically 15 hours later. I have no food because there is no address for food apps, Google Maps won't list any building names or non-Arabic street names. The closest grocery store seems to be 3.2 km away. So I haven't eaten anything and I'm very hungry.

 

Airbnb support has been non-existant.

 

SHouldn't an address that taxi drivers, Google Maps and DiDi understand be a REQUIREMENT For any host on this website??? I live in Airbnbs exclusively all over the world and this is the worst experience like this I've ever had in years and years.

 

I need help. I need either Airbnb to refund the $700 i spent (I accept it in teh form of booking credits) or I need an address I can use in DiDi or Careem. I cannot use Uber because they closed my account last month for unknown reasons.

 

The Host tells me "everyone just uses the Pin in WhatsApp" but then told me that this is the first time he's hosted on Airbnb. So I'm the first guinea pig.

2 Replies 2
Helen3
Top Contributor
Bristol, United Kingdom

If you got into the property you obviously have the address @Theodore101 

 

as you had checked into the listing it makes no sense that you could not  give the taxi an address when returning from the restaurant.  I'm sorry the staff at the restaurant had to spend time and effort sorting this out for you. 

 

If you want to get takeaway food then just meet delivery companies outside the apartment . 

I agree if you can't use a pin on Google maps to find your location and the host can't provide the name of the block/street number then ask Airbnb to cancel your stay so you can be refunded to find somewhere else for the rest of your stay. You can't expect to be refunded in full when you chose to stay there for two nights . 

Theodore101
Level 2
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I knocked on every door. Only 2 people are there. a guy who speaks only french and his wife who speaks some English. She said that the place has no address, and it makes deliveries and food deliveris very challenging.  She told me that she is unable to use Uber and has a personal driver who knows the place and lives in the same area.