Ripped off by Airbnb

[Wes428]

So I booked an AIRBNB in Ft. Myers Beach for part of August and September 2022.  I booked directly from the owner for the month of August.  We came to this area to  purchase a home.  We decided t stay after the first 10 days and spoke with the owner.  He indicated he had another property in the same community a little cheaper and we negotiated a good deal.  After spending about 5 days in the new place my wfe was getting eaten at night by unknown creatures as she slept.  We tried everything to get rid of this problem.  The owner offered to let us move back to the original lodging for the same price.  We agreed, but when we re-did the paperwork AIRBNB popped in and took $3000.00 out of my Paypal account.  We tried to get it refunded and they just don't listen.  The owner was absolutely no help here either, he laughed about it and said it would take months.  Owner also claims he did ot get the money????  So AIRBNB not only took my money illegally, the took it and deposited it into a foreign bank!  So if the owner does NOT get the  rental fee who does????  And when??? AIRBNB call center was through a foreign entity that I could not understand half the time and would not provided a stateside contact for this.  I have exhausted their contacts with info they just do not see the problem...along with receipts showing the transactions.  So Caveat Emptor....avoid Ft. Myers Beach, the owner **, and AIRBNB entirely.

** [Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Bes175]

Wes, that you are in a mess is clear. We went your way - didn't work. Tried to make you see our way, it got worse. Lets go back 'to your style' . The fact that you have not said 1 single THANKS to even 1 person helping you - makes me Like you even more. Please don't do it now, or i would invoke the Absolute Privilege from Council of Elders (where I belong as a Level 10 operative) and might even Ban you.

If your problems start on logic & semantics would be half bad...but see how you describe things: After spending about 5 days in the new place my wfe was getting eaten at night by unknown creatures as she slept. The average world citizen [with only 1 Wife] would be terrified - right here! If our wives are 'eaten at night by unknown creatures' we would change Continent. You casually move next door. Add a laughing owner. A full conspiracy later on. And we have a HORROR STORY. I thought at first - Americans are tough, since you deal daily with UFO-s, Zombies, etc. In Europe we forgive each-other even genocide but no Country can hold a sporting event & call it WORLD series!

Now we start.

A quick recap on what has gone on, lets simplify it

.* You went for holiday in Aug-Sept.

* You changed accommodation.

So, you made 2 bookings [not 3] It was the HOST who should have done this, and explained to you. See what Huma says:

"As for transferring the booking, I think you misunderstand.

* host should have sent you an alteration request,

* changing the booking from one listing to another.

* the guest then just has to accept it and it's a done deal.

* No paperwork to file.

* There would also be no additional payment, "

Here is the entire solution/ re-cap to your case.

from Huma a superhost, that's best advice you will ever get here

Re-read it, I broke it in parts to make it even simpler 1-5 steps.

Your host did not do alteration, instead:

- You paid twice,

- for 2 properties [seems in full]

- but for same period of time.

Now who has the money?

~ 100% the HOST.

Airbnb keeps the money 1-2 days

and then goes: guest-airbnb-host.

[1.] did he see that you have no idea [as average new guest] how this is done and took advantage of you? [irrelevant now, you need to get the money and not accuse anyone]

[.2] was he ignorant of this himself? [ he is a superhost, has 2 properties, must have switch ppl before etc...but it can happen] we don't know.

What to do?

Go back to airbnb, with open mind *** and PHONE THEM. No need to keep records [paperwork you call it] There are only two records you need:

* Payments & Dates, they can see them, same as you.

1. Explain this 'alteration Bit' that Host DID NOT DO.

2. Say I paid twice. Despite being '2 properties is = same host = same period.

Ask them to take money back from the Host and refund you. Wait for their reply and pursue this for a while. No extra details, or words anymore. After Airbnb speaks - you may tell VINCENT [the smiling surf-dude] 'you did not do the alteration and can you refund my money' If none does it [I think AIRBNB if you speak in precise way might do it] then you go to:

* Your bank, file a charge-back claim [here big guys fight - airbnb then wont continue with you] show them your paperwork and process, In Aibrnb there are some limits [some say 60 days for refunds some have gotten more, i dont know this well] Chargeback in UK is 120days, in USA i dont know.

* Small Claims Court.

* Both Vincent + Aibrnb - if you want.

do not listen to what you will be told here 'when you joined In you did sing not to take AIBRNB to court' & yes you did...BUT WE do not sign OUR Constitutional & Human Rights away to online platforms...is just their mambo-jumbo [law of sovereign states is always supreme]

How much to ask? Your original $3,000. + 1,000 for time spent [here is when your 'paperwork' comes handy...produce it in court] if it was me I would add another $1,000 - remember unknown creatures? bits they took away/ ate from the Wife? So total =$5.000!

That's all.

***

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[Bes175]

forum does Bleep for simplest things,

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[Fred13]

I initially stopped reading after the first line: "So I booked an AIRBNB in Ft. Myers Beach for part of August and September 2022. I booked directly from the owner for the month of August."

Perhaps the reworked opening salvo should have been considering following posts - "I booked a place directly from the owner, but kept all communication via Airbnb (to keep a record) because he just happens to list the place with them".

[Gillian166]

@Fred13  no, the OP is just a bit confusing, and using the wrong terminology. He has 2 stays with reviews - good reviews, on both sides - so the question is, did he move back to house #1 outside of the abb booking system, but he claims it was another booking. if he was whinging about bugs, and wanted to move, why is the review good? Where is the review for the 3rd stay (or is it still happening?). This is like an escape room mystery, with cryptic and misleading clues. 🙂  

[Fred13]

I know, one big puzzle. The more I read, the more mysterious it became.

[Gillian166]

@Wes428  +1 to @Bes175  it's really easier to understand when you don't write a tirade of stuff. Nothing is clear because you aren't communicating clearly, whilst telling us you've "documented it all clearly". I still can't understand your actual problem. 

if you didn't book and pay via ABB then this is not an ABB booking. I think you are confusing yourself and us with your language. i see you have 2 reviews, for 2 properties, so you did indeed book via the platform. 
 

btw, throwing in the possibility of bed bugs is a 🚩 for hosts, because too many guests use this as a way to get a refund. If I were the host and thought it actually true there is ZERO, I MEAN ZERO chance, I would let you bring your luggage, clothes, shoes etc into another property I owned. How do you think bed bugs get around? It's not via hosts! And if it's just bitey insects  🙄 turn on the a/c, that stops them. The owner has very little control over flying insects, apart from encouraging spiders to build webs in the garden, but guests don't like that.... 

your two reviews are positive, as are the host's. 
You stayed, you paid. 

[Bes175]

I agree @Gillian166  the OP has to be 'easier to understand' & and his confusion reflects in our replies; that's why no one seems able to realise what is going on in full. Without blaming Wes [there can be many factors, age; problems with technology, understanding how this works...up to medical issues] as we all come here 'for same problems [help / advice/ airbnb] I still think presentation matters; this time 'not only of the issue' but tone/conduct and reactions; can't help but compare with a guy few days back [Diego] who came to ask for help [No Bookings - he said] then went under each reply [criticism, tips etc] and said thanks, thanks, thank you and so on.

This problem is important [to OP not Us] so are $3,000 however being a bit kind & formally polite, never hurts. I wish Wes would solve it and I think the point you made about 'insects/ guets and hosts/' to me seems a very valid one.

[Bes175]

Hi Wes and welcome to the forum;  You seem a good guy but you sound a bit confused. Lets start again, with more flexibility & patience then maybe something can be clarified.

[1.] Try to present your situation in a step by step way; or people will presume, read one line or between lines.

[2.] Space paragraphs/ make it easy for Us to read you, all we can do is 'give advice' and nothing more.

[3.] Do understand, THIS IS NOT AIrbnb, but a Community Forum [affiliated with, but not THEM]  ignore all of us if you want but not Bhumika, she might not do much but can accelerate your case and PRESENT it ti Airbnb.

[4.] We are all in your side, or will try to be if you let us; do not ask Forum members terse/ or/ speculative questions [where did the money go, is owner a liar etc etc] up to now no one has any idea. We are like you, hosts/ guests not airbnb shareholders 🙂 ]

[5.] In your profile, reviews left to/from Vincent and You, are with superlatives; he seems an easy going guy [Superhost, 135 reviews, 2 properties Fort Myers etc]  and my guess is 'some S-hosts' grow a bit cynical - as they have been faced with bureaucracy of Airbnb few times [he laughed and said it will take months - your words] Is he hiding something, is this his fault? NO ONE KNOWS HERE. 

[6.] Focus, and then focus more, but in the right way. Airbnb is a worldwide platform - we know this when we sign in & we agree the reply can come 'from any part of the worldwide' that's how it is today. Try few more times, next one might be better... You have only one problem: Not what the Host says, how we reply and what call centres accent might be, the problem is:

HOW TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK. 

A. You paid through Airbnb

[never left the chain host-airbnb-guest

- you are saying. OK]

B. Some problems happens,

changes from property to property.

C. Host claims he doesnt have the money.

Yet, Airbnb took $3,000 from you... .

feel free to explain more if you can, or continue with Airbnb proper.

[Bhumika]

Hello @Wes428 ,

This is strange and it seems you have gone through an ordeal. If possible, can you pass me on your reservation ID with this host in DM. This will help me to know better about your case, so that I can pass it on to the concerned team.

Bhumika

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[Wes428]

This is the unit we were switched into

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, this is the unit we paid for and started in

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, we were charged the full amount for the unit we were switched to instead of using the already paid for unit that we started in, which was the arrangement, since we were already paid up, and since the bugs or whatever were still biting my wife, we were offered the remaining time in our stay at the newer at no charge for the remainder of our stay.  

[Bhumika]

Hello @Wes428 ,

Noted your response and reservation IDs. I will remove them from your reply to abide with the community guidelines. I will also escalate this issue to the concerned teams for you.

Bhumika

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[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428 in the first line of your post you say 'I booked directly from the owner for the month of August. '

This doesn't sound like an Airbnb booking now does it?

[Wes428]

If you had privy to the entire event, you would see that it is...I purposely kept everything on AIRBNB to have a paper record, and I have it solid, it is the runaround as you are attempting to do that stops a real look see into the problem...as I said, stonewalling is a virtue used well....I purposely avoided all phone conversations as well to keep this entire even in a hard record.

[JoandJoe0]

Wow, you are a bit... never mind.   No one is giving you the run-around. Your rantings are literally incoherent.

Your words in your original post do NOT sound like you booked through AirBNB, but rather booked off the platform directly with the guest. YOU did not make that clear since literally everyone who has responded is under the impression you booked off platform. 

Your words.... "So I booked an AIRBNB in Ft. Myers Beach for part of August and September 2022.  I booked directly from the owner for the month of August. "

Maybe take a step back, take a deep breath and then take a Xanax and try again. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428 so you did a deal outside of Airbnb and it came back to bite you. If you have given us the whole story then it should be easy enough to get the money back from Airbnb or even from your bank. I suspect there may be bits of the story we haven't heard.......

[Wes428]

As far as "outside AIRBNB", NO, all the docs and every conversation are recorded on AIRBNB....it was just who got the money....

[Mark116]

@Wes428  "Who got the money" is the crux of whether you booked on Airbnb or booked direct.  If you booked direct, e.g. the owner got the money and not Airbnb, then Airbnb won't and cannot help you.  It doesn't matter whether you used the platform for communication, what matters is whether you paid using Airbnb or some other way.

[Robbie54]

@Wes428 you clearly stated you booked the property directly from the owner. If it was booked through Airbnb you have to either do it via their website or app, and would have received confirmation. It sounds like you didn't do that. 

[Wes428]

COPY OF ANSWER ALREADY POSTED:

"If you had privy to the entire event, you would see that it is...I purposely kept everything on AIRBNB to have a paper record, and I have it solid, it is the runaround as you are attempting to do that stops a real look see into the problem...as I said, stonewalling is a virtue used well....I purposely avoided all phone conversations as well to keep this entire even in a hard record."

[Robbie54]

@Wes428 then why say you booked directly from the owner? All sounds rather odd to me...