Listing did not exist – Airbnb refusing refund + host running multiple fake listings

[Laura8492]

Hi everyone,

I’m posting here because I have been unable to get proper support through Airbnb support channels, and I’m hoping someone within the community or moderation team can advise on the correct escalation route.

I booked a property recently for myself and my children. When we arrived, it became clear the listing does not exist. This was not a misunderstanding or a small location error, the property itself is fake.

Key issues:

• The listing photos do not match any building in the pinned location.
• The address provided does not exist.
• The host gave me multiple different buildings and street numbers (first “4”, then “6A”, then “Y4A”, then “4th Street”), all of which do not exist in that area.
• I also confirmed with local residents and businesses that the property address does not exist.
• There are other reviews on the host’s other listings across different countries reporting similar experiences, which suggests this may be a pattern and not a one-off mistake

What has happened so far:

• My case has been repeatedly closed without my consent.
• I was offered $300 as a “goodwill gesture”, which I declined because this is not a goodwill situation  it is fraud/misrepresentation and qualifies for a full refund.
• Each time I request escalation, the case gets passed around or closed.

I have been using Airbnb for 11 years without any issues, and this experience has genuinely shaken my confidence in the platform. I don’t want any other families to be in this situation.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to deal with this?

Laura

[Helen3]

Try posting publicly across all their social media channels @Laura8492 

[Joan2709]

@Laura8492 

So sorry this happened. 

@Rebecca @Bhumika can you forward this situation to the appropriate Team at Airbnb?

[Emilie]

Thank you Joan for highlighting this issue to our team 🙂

@Laura8492 I've sent you a Direct Message to follow-up a bit, you will be able to access it by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner of the page and going into your Messages.

[Laura8492 · Accepted solution]

Resolved — thank you

Hi everyone, I wanted to update this thread to confirm the issue is now resolved. Thank you to those who pointed me toward the correct escalation path, and especially to the Airbnb Community team for stepping in. I’ve reported the listing so other families don’t experience this. 
Laura 

[Emilie]

Thank you for coming back to let us know the outcome, @Laura8492 😃