Seeking advice on unfair refund decision from hostile host

[Ro-and-Mo0]

Hello, we would really appreciate your giving us advice on our case.

We had a very unpleasant experience with a host and her co-host. It was a real challenge communicating with them because they would give us conflicting answers between each other and they kept changing their minds.  Here is the background-

Six days before check-in we requested the host for an early check-in or to at least let us leave our luggage in the room. At first,  the main host said it was ok to leave them during cleaning at 12 noon (their regular check-out time) but when the co-host stepped in two days later, he said he would not recommend leaving our luggage because it was not safe and that the earliest we could check in was 2 pm.  This was concerning because we were already scheduled to meet with family for our New Year’s celebration but without a place to store our luggage, we would have had to cancel our plans as we could not lug our suitcases with us while out with them.  After going back and forth with the co-host, telling him we were fine leaving our luggage during cleaning as they have locks and we would know if they were tampered with and if someone were to take our luggage, the guards could look at the CCTV in the building, the co-host finally made it clear that we could leave our luggage in the room at 12 noon.  So, we thought, great, now we’re set.

On the morning of our check-in, we asked the hosts for their check-in procedures. What we got from the main host was a picture of their instructions and rules.  It says we need to pay 200 per hour for early check-in and 200 per hour for late checkout and guests can check in as early as 1pm (this contradicts what the co-host said. He said the earliest we could check in was 2 pm).  It also says that there will be a charge for extra sheets.  We were staying for a month so we would definitely need to change sheets multiple times but we did not know how much it would cost us since the hosts did not state the amount.  It also says that things destroyed or broken during our stay needs to be settled before check out. We asked the host, what if the damages were caused by others such as their cleaners?  

We were very disappointed by what we read on the picture of instructions. The hosts seemed to be changing their minds again and they were being very vague.

Note that all of the above rules were not disclosed on the hosts’ listing. We believe this is against Airbnb’s policy.  If those rules and additional costs were disclosed on their listing, we would have just skipped their listing  because we wouldn’t want to incur more charges.  It is not appropriate for the hosts to conceal the rules and charges and then spring them on the guests when they are about to check in.

This was the message we received from the host when we questioned their rules-

“This is only a general instructions don’t need to  mind the other details. I cannot give you or make another set of instructions. There is no specific things we can do for your instructions as you said you already in the building right? I just sent this picture because this consist of the wifi details and other things details you might need! So 12nn or even now you may leave your luggage already this was pre arranged and already informed my cleaner to mind you guys at 12nn! Now what else are your concerns? You know what, I am also not happy and comfortable hosting you. I am trying my best to accommodate you in a manner and time you’d like but you are too entitled and demanding. Rules of check in are 3pm, you want 12nn as you have your errands. I accepted it already and already make plans ahead, screened and accepted a guest who only checks out early to accommodate you.  No matter what no matter how, I PROMISED TO LET YOU LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE AT 12 NOON. IT WILL NOT CHANGE BECAUSE THAT WAS ALREADY BEING TALKED ABOUT. SO PLEASE STOP YOUR LONG MESSAGES AND COMPLAINTS BECAUSE I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND  ACCOMMODATE YOU ANYMORE.  I HOE THIS IS THE LAST COMPLAINTS I WILL BE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS BECAUSE I AM ALSO ONLY A HUMAN. I cannot promise I can always control my feelings when you guys are always like this.”

We have hosted and have been guests for many years using Airbnb but this is the first time we’ve encountered this kind of treatment.  Such aggression towards a fellow Airbnb community member (especially paying guests) is not a normal behavior.  We feared for our safety and we did not know what they were capable of doing given that we were in a foreign country. We could not stay with someone who showed so much anger.  She called us entitled and demanding when all we were asking was firm confirmation that we could leave our luggage.  She also cannot fault us for questioning the house rules because they dd not disclose them on their listing.  She told us not to mind them and that she only sent the instructions because of the WiFi details and other details that we might need.  Still, those details she was referring to such as charging us for extra bed sheets and her rules on damages should have been disclosed on their listing.  Had we checked in, we would have been bound by those house rules.  Besides, she made it clear that she was not happy hosting us.

Being hosted by them for one month would have made us feel uneasy and unsafe because of the hostility the main host displayed even before we could check in. 

We contacted Airbnb multiple times on the platform to get help but all we got were generic messages from them.  We decided not to check in at all and just left with our luggage because we felt it was not right that the hosts sprung the rules on us at the last moment before check-in and they were being hostile.  

We finally were able to talk to Airbnb by phone and the agent recommended that we canceled the reservation and said she would contact the host and talk to her about getting a refund for us.  However, she cancelled before we could get another place and the hosts kept all the funds and continued accepting bookings for all of the 31 days that we already paid for,  because of their cancellation policy.  We felt we were misguided by the agent by telling us to cancel the reservation because we would have had a better chance to get a refund from the hosts had the agent contacted them first to resolve the issue.

Another agent with Airbnb wanted us to contact the host for the refund but we had already done that on the platform prior to asking for Airbnb’s help.  The host just ignored our request.  And then another agent recommended that we contact the Resolution Center on the platform to ask for a refund.  The instruction was to first contact the host and if she did not give a refund after 72 hours, we could ask Airbnb to get involved, which we did.  Thereafter, we received  the usual generic messages from different agents.  We then asked for our case to be escalated to a supervisor in the U.S. because we felt every agent was only focused on the host’s cancellation policy, without taking into consideration that we were mistreated and that the hosts might have possibly violated Airbnb’s policies for not disclosing their rules on the listing and subjecting us to harassment which also goes against Airbnb’s policies.

Hopefully, we finally got it escalated to a Resolution Supervisor in the United States but we are still waiting for them to contact us.

Do we have any recourse for getting back all or some of our payment?  Have the hosts violated Airbnb’s policies by not disclosing their special rules on their listing  and subjecting us to such form of harassment?

Thank you for any helpful advice you may have.  Any little bit of advice on how to deal with the Resolution Center to get our refund would help.