So I get a call this afternoon and let it go to voicemail. It was a number from Tennessee. I believe the AirBNB company is out of San Francisco, CA? So I call "Bob" back at the number he called from, he had a very think ** accent, and was in what sounded like a call center, that was VERY noisy. He knew my first and last name, the dates and the property I'd booked, and even the total amount for the reservation. He said my reservation I made on the dates ( ) to ( ) was cancelled, and they needed to credit me back the $400+ that I was charged, and that I could re-book from him again. *Note, I'd only paid a partial payment, the remainder wasn't due to be paid for several more weeks. So I wasn't due anything close to $400. 🤔
I told "Bob", "No, I don't think so, I'm going to call the property owner directly", and I hung up on him. I did call the property owner. But at the same time, I messaged the owner of the property, through the AirBNB App, as we've been instructed to always use when contacting an owner. So this was my conversation on the messaging app word for word.
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While on this app's online messaging , I was talking on the phone to the owner, Mark, the name on the listing for the property. I asked Mark, "Are you messaging me on the app RIGHT NOW"? I could see the 3 dots that shows someone on the other end is typing. He said "no, I'm talking to you on the phone". I could tell he was an older gentleman, and was very confused. He asked if he could call me back in a half hour so he could try to see what was going on. Mark, the real owner called me back in about 5 minutes and said, Message or call that guy back, and tell him I have a Hungry Tiger in a cage that is hungry, I'd like to feed guys like that to it". Haha. And I did! And THAT person didn't reply back, instead I got the box that says, "Reservation confirmed" and the normal option to ask Mark any questions, and 2 boxes to click on to either "Show Itinerary", or "Change or Cancel". Anyway, I promptly changed my AirBNB password, and tried to call the toll free number for AirBNB to tell them I don't feel my account or information is safe with them, and HOW can a scammer hack into their system, so they could view my personal reservation information, and have access to the AirBNB messaging app? I just hung up, it was another call center with foreign voices answering the phone. I'd still like to speak to a real person at the San Francisco office.
**[Private conversation removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]
