"Plus" host refused to provide cleaning materials & expect me to wait 8 hours for a repair

[Netta5]

I'm using Airbnb nonstop and I love it. Recently I encounter an uncomfortable experience and I would like to hear your opinion please. Just to note, it's Airbnb plus and I assumed it should be better, but I was wrong. Unfortunately, I booked this place for one month so I can't leave 😞

I arrived at the Airbnb, there were some dysfunctions, I took pictures of them but I thought that I can handle with them, just for the worst-case scenario, and told the host about some of them.

On the first night, I planned to use the dishwasher after I cooked and I noticed that the door cannot be closed because there's an accumulation of calcium beneath (I guess because of the time of the quarantine there were no guests here). In the morning after I send a message to the host, he responded after 6 hours that he'll invite a repairman for the day after that will come between 10:00-14:00. 

I was uncomfortable with that because the host itself told me he didn't come to welcome me because of the COVID-9 issues, and anyway all the time he sent his friend to check things because he's not in the city (So he lied apparently).

On the day after I ruined my plans for the morning and I was waiting. At 13:00 while I was waiting he wrote to me that the repairman canceled so he wants to invite him for the day after in the afternoon (also with a time-frame of 4 hours). He told me that I don't have to be in the apartment but I told him that I don't feel comfortable with that because I want to make sure that his friend and the repairman are using masks and also there's no place here to lock my stuff so I'm a bit concern. 

Anyway, the host wasn't nice at all, he all the time repeated that it's not his fault and when he sent me the message at 13:00 he wrote me "at least you were waiting only 3 hours, and not 4" like he has no respect to my time at all. All the time I tried to contact Airbnb and they replayed after 2 days and were not responsive and feel like they don't care at all. But I wanted to have a dishwasher so I wanted to give it another chance maybe, but then I realized that there is not even one cleaning material in the apartment and thought that of course there's a chance that the repairman or his friend would like to use the toilet and it won't be humane not to let them. So I asked the "Plus" host and he told me that "honestly" he gave me a monthly discount so he doesn't think he should provide me any cleaning materials. I tried to explain to him that it's also for his good to maintain the apartment but he refused. Besides, he sent me a message and wrote that he thinks that it was a "mystery" what happened to the dishwasher because the cleaning team told him they cleaned it but luckily I had a pic I took 1.5 hours after I arrived showed clearly that the door of the dishwasher is open and that there's an accumulation of salt beneath. 

In all my last Airbnbs there were cleaning materials even if it was not written in the amenities. I was surprised that he refused to provide me and more surprised that Airbnb told me that he shouldn't provide me because it wasn't written in the amenities. I saw articles of Airbnb where they wrote clearly that the host should provide cleaning materials because of the COVID-9 situation.

In the meanwhile, I wash the dishes by hand and count my days until check out 😞

I'm doing all I can to be a polite & clean guest, the only reason I want cleaning materials is that I care for the place I stay in and I want to keep it nice & clean.

I'm very disappointed with Airbnb that they don't try to help to find another place. The behavior of the host makes me feel uncomfortable staying here. I understand that people can have financial problems but I don't think that I ask something that isn't basic. I really want to leave 😞

Thanks,

Netta

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  I do much the same in my home share. Under the guest bathroom sink there is cleanser, rubber gloves, a sponge, and a cleaning cloth. There's a broom and dustpan behind the bathroom door. And of course a toilet brush behind the toilet. I point all that out to guests, saying I certainly don't expect them to do any heavy duty cleaning, it's just there for their own convenience. I know many guests make use of it, because many guests leave their space swept, with a clean bathroom counter. Plus I live near the beach and it's impossible not to bring sand home with you. Who wants to get out of bed to go to the bathroom and walk around on a sandy floor in their bare feet?

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

One of the Airbnbs I stayed I last Summer had no cleaning materials other than to do the washing up. I was only there for three nights, so it wasn't a big deal. I did the best I could.

However, there was a really tiny bin in the kitchen and no recycling facilities. Before I left, I asked the host what to do with my rubbish and he said not to worry, it would be taken care of. Still, I really didn't like the idea of leaving unbagged rubbish lying around the kitchen so I made a point of finding out where the local despositries were and took the rubbish and recycling there anyway.

This is not something I would have ever downrated the host on as his theory was not to put the guests to any trouble cleaning up, but I wanted the place to be clean and hygienic during my stay and to leave it in a nice condition and wasn't supplied the means to do so.

It was actually more stress not being able to do any cleaning up, and believe me, I am not that fussy, except when it comes to keeping things clean for my guests and getting those 5 stars. Left to my own devices with no one else using my space to worry about I can get a bit laissez faire. But it kind of stressed me not having the ability to keep things clean and having to leave an Airbnb a mess against my will!

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  I can imagine there are some hosts who just assume that guests wouldn't want to do any cleaning at all during their stay. But they need to realize that there are guests like you and me and @Netta5, who don't like living in a mess and would appreciate having the supplies and equipment to keep the place decent. I'm no OCD person myself- I can overlook a lot of cleaning chores that need to be done if I don't have guests around to see the mess, but I don't like having globs of toothpaste or soap stuck to the bathroom counter or sink, for instance, and wipe the bathroom counter down daily.

[Mark116]

@Huma0  I can relate.  We stayed at an airbnb for 5 days and there was nothing but dish washing liquid and a single bin liner in the very small trash can.  We ended up using shopping bags/take out bags etc. but surely the host must have reasoned that 5 days of 2 people on holiday was going to generate more trash than a tiny grocery bag sized bag could hold.  Also nothing at all for recycling, so like you, we found the  depository on the street and took it out ourselves.  

[Helen350]

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Huma0 

The cleaning facilities at a whole home or rented room accommodation will be two completely different scenarios.  Even whole homes alone can be completely different between listings depending on how they are cleaned, a commercial cleaning company will arrive with all the products with the cleaners and a host cleaned home may have a cupboard of supplies somewhere.  You cannot criticise a host for not providing cleaning materials if they were not obligated to be supplied. 

A dishwasher requires tablets, which I expect would be supplied, and dishwashing liquid with a cloth or cloths would be provided too. A cloth could clean up salt deposits easily enough, and the existence of those items contradict a lack of cleaning materials.

I believe the requirement of sanitising materials are the consequence of the arrival of repairmen to fix a dishwasher and the concern that they will also need to use and contaminate the toilet. Those scenarios were never anything the host would have envisaged, nor any situation which may (ever) occur.

That salt build up is the cause of this situation and it would be an interesting photo to see @Netta5 

Those images of the cleaning routines and "Airbnb guests want the ability to..." and "Consider stocking up on..." are not necessary requirements and neither is actually "Airbnb guests want..." a probable proposition. That was probably just a made up statement or idea based on a deaf listening group session - as we know. I'm sure a full suite of cleaning goods would be desirable for guests although possibly none would be there after the guest departs. You have probably read on this CC already about sanitising equipment going missing?

Our cleaning cupboard in our listing is fully stocked with cleaning products as we would use them, but we're not everybody and there's no requirement for any other host to actually provide any. Nowhere, anywhere in amenities are cleaning products listed.

There are shops, and they do sell cleaning materials if needed, and they can be easily collected when food is bought. Even better, they can be taken on to the next accommodation too.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  She didn't say anything about a salt deposit, she said it was calcium. I have very hard water where I live, lots of calcium that builds up on wet areas. It doesn't come off with a cloth, or even a scrubbie, no way- it requires having cloths soaked in vinegar left on it, or a product like CLR or muriatic acid to remove.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

Vinegar sounds like an easy solution. Problem fixed.

Just check the condiments.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  The vinegar works if it's not a heavy build-up and can take several hours of soaking. Not the guest's responsibility.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

At what point does the insistence on needing cleaning materials NOT transcend into ACTUALLY using them?!

Throughout this thread hosts are insisting that cleaning materials are an essential amenity - when they're not, and then, after suggesting a cleaning product to solve the guests problem, which might actually be there to be used you claim it's not the guest's responsibility !

@Sarah977 

It seems you are making a big deal out of something that is simply a matter of you going out and purchasing some cleanser, some bleach, etc. It's not some huge expense. 

That was a far better suggestion, but it would then be @Netta5 's responsibility to use it.

[Huma0 · Accepted solution]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

Yes, of course I understand that what a guest want and what they need are not the same and that Airbnb does  not 'require' cleaning equipment to be provided. If this was for a short term stay in a regular rental, then perhaps the complaints would seem quite petty and the host was justified in getting annoyed (although I don't think talking to guests like that is okay in general. He could have communicated in a better way).

However, we are talking about a Plus listing here, which a few people on this thread seem to keep forgetting. Think about how Plus is marketed to guests:

"All the comforts of home, plus more"

"Exceptional hosts...known for attention to detail...Airbnb hosts are accommodating and take care of the details that make you feel at home."

"You can expect a consistent set of amenities you need to live like you do at home."

"Well maintained...Airbnb Plus hosts take the extra effort to ensure the home is fully functioning...all appliances are in working order..."

"Premium support. When you book and Airbnb Plus home, you get the focused attention of a highly trained team committed to great service..."

Really, does that sound like what @Netta5 got? No, she got a host who told her that she was not entitled to this or that (and it's not like she's asking for something ridiculous) because she got a discounted rate. We don't even know if she asked for a discount, if it was a standard long-term discount, or if the listing was at a lower rate than normal due to lack of bookings. Whatever, a Plus host shouldn't be able to tell the guest that they won't get this or that because of it. The discount shouldn't be used as the reason.

Yes, sure, the host organised for a repair person and some might think @Netta5 was being overly cautious RE COVID safety but, given that the host made a point of not checking her in because of it, naturally she thought he cared about that, but perhaps he was concerned only for his own safety? Remember also, it's not just about that. She already explained that there was nowhere to lock her stuff so she preferred to be there when strangers were coming in.

Also, how many guests are going from one accommodation to the next with a set of full sized cleaning materials? Are they supposed to carry around a bucket and mop too? I'd be interested to hear how often guests steal cleaning products. I doubt that it's common.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Huma0 

My last two groups of guests turned up with their own cleaning products but didn't need to use them.

Again... Cleaning products are NOT a required amenity, and the issue isn't about cleaning products its about an accumulation of salt at the bottom of a dishwasher door, an easy fix with a slop of vinegar or CLR on a cloth !

Maybe @Netta5 could report back with the photo of how bad the dishwasher was:

luckily I had a pic I took 1.5 hours after I arrived showed clearly that the door of the dishwasher is open and that there's an accumulation of salt beneath. 

Salt highlighted for @Sarah977 's benefit.

And whether she managed a 60% discount off the fees as Airbnb have been suggesting...?

And whether there was a mop or a bucket or a brush - as she mentioned only a lack of 'products' not hardware.

She could test out 'PLUS' by trying this too:

"Premium support. When you book and Airbnb Plus home, you get the focused attention of a highly trained team committed to great service..."

Team. Gone. 

😂😂

[Huma0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

If Plus is gone, as you say, why is it still being advertised on the website and why are guests like @Netta5 still able to book Plus properties? From what I can tell, there's no information anymore for hosts who wish to sign up, but there seems to still be a page for Plus and listings on the site.

[Anonymous]

I haven't done long-term stays for a long time, but I'd expect that during the course of a month-long stay the guest would restock things like paper products, dish soap, and surface cleaners as needed.  Missing sponges or towels seems like a careless oversight, but also a very cheap and easy one to fix on a normal grocery run.

I wouldn't expect the guest to furnish their own hardware such as broom, mop, bucket, and (if carpeted) vacuum cleaner. It wouldn't even make sense to me for those items to be missing from the property. 

It's not clear to me from the OP whether the hardware items were missing, or just the cleaning fluids and soft goods. I think a good host here would be amenable to sending a few things over, but it sounds as though the relationship was poisoned early on by the guest's foul attitude about the dishwasher repair. If your time is too precious to accommodate the waiting time necessary to resolve the issue, you can do without the dishwasher. 

[Netta5]

@Anonymous Why are you talking negatively about my attitude? Are you judging me based on what?

Please take a look at my profile and read my 13 positive reviews and decide then.