I want to share my experience because it involves multiple Airbnb policy violations by the host and major mishandling by Airbnb Support.
From the first day of my reservation, the host:
- Switched me to a different unit without notice
- Moved me into an unlisted unit
- Requested off-platform payment and pressured me repeatedly
- Entered or knocked aggressively without proper notice
- Misrepresented charges and contradicted what he told Airbnb
- Contacted non-guests about my stay instead of using the platform
These are all clear violations of Airbnb policy.
Airbnb Support unfortunately made the situation worse. My case was:
- Passed between several agents with no continuity
- Closed multiple times without a resolution
- Delayed for over a week, even though safety was involved
- Mishandled to the point of asking me to disclose private medical information they are not legally allowed to request
- Filled with contradictions between what support confirmed and what the host later claimed
This caused significant financial and emotional harm, and I still have no proper resolution despite following every step correctly.
Here’s what happened in detail with the host:
- I was moved into a different, unlisted unit without warning
- The host pressured me for off-platform payment
- He entered or approached the unit aggressively and without proper notice
- He contacted non-guests about my reservation
- Multiple people, including my partner, witnessed these issues
I reported all of this clearly. Airbnb ignored the actual issue I raised and concluded the case based on a completely separate issue I never even mentioned. For the real violations — the ones every witness saw — they claimed they “saw no issue.”
Their final refund:
- Only 30% of the nightly rate
- No refund of fees or taxes
The refund didn’t include fees or taxes and was based on a separate issue I never mentioned. The real issue I reported, witnessed by my partner and others, was ignored. It took almost a month for them to reach this conclusion. The original calculation would’ve only been $85, but a “senior” rep later decided the impacted nights extended until I moved out.
After nearly a month of back-and-forth, closed cases, contradictory responses, and no accountability, this was their “resolution.”
Because of the mishandling, the host’s policy violations, and the financial and emotional harm caused, I will be pursuing legal action against both the host and Airbnb.
I’m sharing this so other guests are aware of what can happen when policies aren’t enforced and so Airbnb can see the real impact of failing to protect guests who report violations in good faith.
