Stayed in the UK with no-Wi-Fi. Host not offering any partial refund.

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Nic16346
Level 1
New York, NY

Stayed in the UK with no-Wi-Fi. Host not offering any partial refund.

Hello and Happy New Year! I have just returned to NYC after staying at the location in Cardiff. To say it was unpleasant is an understatement. The issue was related to the Wi-Fi access in the apartment. The host is not offering me any reimbursement for this horrible experience and air b&B said there is nothing they can do about it. As a courtesy, they offered me 30% of 3 night's stay ($151), which is ridiculous. I feel so powerless. Is there anything I can do here? 

Here is what I sent air b&b and included so many screen shots of my conversations with the property management company and manager. Any guidance would be so appreciated. -

 

In October, having read the reviews regarding other customer complaints and concerns about internet access I reached out directly to the management company. I stated that I would be working from the apartment for a few days and waned to check that Wi-Fi would be up and running upon my return. Their response was "we always makes sure the dongle is topped up and shouldn't be a problem."

We checked in on 12.21.22 and didn't have Wi-Fi for a few days. I had to 10-year old's who had to log on to their classwork and relied on internet access, and I would be working for 4 days while staying at the location. I sent at least 6 messages to the management company that went unanswered. My sister sent a What's app message to the property manager and she stated that I should be able to "top up the data, and that she was having difficulty connecting to the account from her laptop to access the account." After she was unable to resolve this directly, she told my sister that she would provide a new dongle. I was without Wi-Fi from the 21st until the evening of the 24th. On the 24th when I reached out to her directly since the management company wasn't responding to me, the manager stated that she didn't understand what the issue was, and that most people are able to "top it up without difficulty." I explained that I wasn't the main holder of the account and that they would need to provide direct access. Kellie told me that I was being "rude" in her thread to me. When I checked on the delivery of the dongle at 1.00PM, she said that we would receive it that day. We received the dongle on the evening of the 24th. She said, she would offer a small discount for the inconvenience.

Then the management company sent me a snarky e-mail stating that they were communicating with my sister; It was 2 messages, via my sister and the manager from the 21st-23rd stating that they would be working on it). We had Wi-Fi on and off on the evening of the 24th and the morning -afternoon on the 25th; then I had to contact Kellie on the 26th because it needed to be "topped up."

It was topped up again with data and lasted less than one day.

On the morning of the 27th, I contacted the manager again and told her there was another issue. I sent her a screen shot of what I was receiving "data will restart again in January), yet there was 25-pound credit, which I couldn't click to access. I asked her if there was another way the Wi-Fi (credit) could be applied. She said that it was probably something wrong with the carrier. At this point I told her to forget it and that I would work from my parents' home. I didn't have Wi-Fi, nor did she offer another solution for this issue.

We checked out on the 29th. I was without Wi-Fi my entire time, except for a few hours here and there over 2 days. What's important to note is that I am a psychologist and needed to see my clients via zoom. This is how I make my living, and this was explained in October. I lost out on 2 days of paid work because I didn't have internet access. This would have been close to $1000, that I lost. Of course, I couldn't see patients at my parents' house due to privacy. My kids couldn't complete their schoolwork either and we had to go to the Starbucks on the corner, close to the apartment.

By the end of the stay, it was so bad that I had to stand out on the balcony to make a phone call using my own data. I am terrified that I will be charged international roaming charges by my carrier T-Mobile. If this is the case, I will be submitting my statement to them directly.

Towards the end, I was unable to check my own e-mails, or even reserve an uber from the apartment. I literally had to go down to the street at 3.00am the day we were leaving to order an UBER. This literally took 30 minutes to even connect, using my very low data left.



What is very sad to me is that I have stayed via air B&B in remote areas of the world, with impeccable Wi-Fi access. Yet, I couldn't get Wi-Fi while staying in Cardiff, City center! I am very, very upset at not having access to Wi-Fi in this day and age. I could also mention that the apt had only enough hot water for one shower when there was 3 of us. That the place was unclean, and despite many reviewers mentioning that the door in the kitchen cabinet kept falling off hadn't been resolved shows that they really don't care about the comfort of their guests. 
Many thanks!

1 Best Answer
Till-and-Jutta0
Host Advisory Board Alumni
Stuttgart, Germany

So sorry to hear that you have not been fully happy with your stay, @Nic16346 .

 

According to a verdict from 22 May 2019 (Frankfurt Germany), a traveler received a discount of 15 % due to a malfunctioning Wi-Fi. The 30 % offered to you is the double.

 

Your booking was protected by AirCover, which includes a Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee. You had three days to report any issue to Airbnb, so they could find you a similar or better home, or they would refund you. I guess, by staying there, you have accepted the latter. Expecting more than a 15% discount later on seems a bit excessive to me personally.

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10 Replies 10
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Nic16346 

 

I am sorry but I don't really understand. If good WiFi was as crucial to you as you say it was, why on earth did you book a listing where previous guests had mentioned that it didn't work well? You also say that many reviewers mentioned the kitchen cabinet draw falling off. 

 

I'm not saying that your experience was okay, but reviews are there for a reason. To quote Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." The same theory could be applied to reviews. If previous guests say there are problems at the listing, why choose not to believe them?

 

Also, even though of course it's a generalisation, if you want a caring, responsive service, it's better to book with an individual or small scale host than book a listing run by a management company. 

 

As for the refund, I wonder what you are expecting here. You continued to stay at the property, but you don't think that a 30% refund is sufficient for the WiFi not working? That's not really how it works with refunds on Airbnb. Read the T&Cs. If the issue is so bad that it warrants a full refund, then you need to cancel the booking and leave. You do not get to complete your stay and then get reimbursed. To be frank, I think you were lucky to get 30% back.

Till-and-Jutta0
Host Advisory Board Alumni
Stuttgart, Germany

So sorry to hear that you have not been fully happy with your stay, @Nic16346 .

 

According to a verdict from 22 May 2019 (Frankfurt Germany), a traveler received a discount of 15 % due to a malfunctioning Wi-Fi. The 30 % offered to you is the double.

 

Your booking was protected by AirCover, which includes a Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee. You had three days to report any issue to Airbnb, so they could find you a similar or better home, or they would refund you. I guess, by staying there, you have accepted the latter. Expecting more than a 15% discount later on seems a bit excessive to me personally.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Hello @Nic16346 


I'm sorry you experienced problems with internet access.

 

I'm rather confused though when internet access was so essential to the running of your business why you didn't just pick up a dongle locally so you could continue to work. 

your post is also confusing because it's not clear whether you or your sister booked the listing.

 

getting a third of your  total booking cost returned to you for one missing amenity is more than fair .

 

On what basis do you feel you deserve more compensation than the generous compensation you were offered.

 

your option if the listing wasn't as advertised was to leave and find another listing with internet access .

 

you chose to stay knowing of the internet access issues 

 

personally if I'd seen a number of negative reviews re internet etc /(which only appeared after I had booked) I would have called Airbnb to cancel rather than risk staying there . 

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Nic16346   30% seems extremely generous to me for one missing amenity.  

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Like others have said, IF it was so imperative to have a reliable and constant WiFi then that should have been your #1 concern. Past guests mention it wasn't, so...

 

Whenever a guest comes our place and asks can they depend on the Internet, I tell them they can (direct dish) and that it is unlimited (has to be for what you are needing). They make sure to ask this before booking.

@Fred13 

 

Sometime last year we had a couple stay with us and in the review he said be prepared for the slow internet, There was a problem with it had he have told me while he was here I could have fixed it, I have the number to the engineers who work this area, 

My apartment has it's own connection I dont rely on the project, 

 

If you know the internet is your No1 priority best make sure you have more than one option especially when you travel half way round the world.

 

Alexandra199
Level 10
Gretton, United Kingdom

I have great internet access which has never (so far) gone down but I never tell a guest they can rely on it. Internet is like any other service, it can stop working and often is entirely out of the control of the owner. We always do our best to get things working again but I'm afraid holiday lets are just like anyone's home...nothing is ever perfect 100% of the time. As for a refund...small gesture maybe, but otherwise lots of saying sorry but this is life!

 

Sudsrung0
Level 10
Rawai, Thailand

@Nic16346 

 

That wa a bit long winded all over no internet, Why did you book the place if it had already been mentioned?

I have to be honest you wouldn't have got 30% out of me, I think you should quit while you are ahead,

Do not book with these management companies in the future, book with good host that on the job and you can see from the reviews, Like me.

I think I say in my profile Book Direct with the Owner,

 

Im sure from time to time every host has a problem with the internet we had at home this morning,

 

Cardiff is a big city why did you not just go to the phone shop and buy a internet card?

 

 

 

Pat271
Level 10
Greenville, SC

@Nic16346  To add to what others have said, the fact that you claim you lost work because of the Internet connection gives your case less merit, not to mention “glomming on” to that by saying the place was unclean, not enough hot water, etc.

 

No one in this day and age has 0 options for Internet in most cities. You could use your phone carrier, set your phone up as a hotspot, or find a cafe, library, etc. to do your work. I have done that a multitude of times when my internet went out and I had an important meeting or deadline. Mentioning that you were helpless gives your case less credence.

 

This is not to say you aren’t ethically entitled to some restitution. I had a situation in which the cable TV went out in the area for a few hours, just as my guests were settling down to watch the big soccer game. Even though it was completely out of my control, and even though they didn’t ask for compensation, I treated them to a free dinner at a nearby restaurant. But, honestly, in your case, your presentation of this issue would have dissuaded me from offering anything.

"glomming on", now there is a new one. Very cool Pat.

 

Come to think of it, it is indeed amazing that what starts with one contention oftentimes gains friends with more along the way, like cockroaches appear, molding is discovered, etc. 

I wonder if there is a direct correlation between the internet and cockroaches, maybe they tend to appear when the internet signal stops.  Do not laugh, in the hosting business anything is possible.