Airbnb Host Desperately Need Help

Hadrian1
Level 7
Los Angeles, CA

Airbnb Host Desperately Need Help

Hi. I am a super host with over 4000 reviews.

 

I am a professional host and I make a living by managing Airbnb rentals.

It has been a hard year for everyone, especially when you make a living from Airbnb.

 

The worst part is, Airbnb supposed to be your ally and assist you. But Airbnb reps only listen to the guest and never even gave me the opportunity for a fair trial. I have requested to speak to my supervisor many times, and never got replied.

 

I give you few examples:

1. A guest claimed that he got bit by bed bugs in my home. The guest submitted a doctor's note to Airbnb showing that the guest got bit by an insect. Without consulting me, the guest was awarded a full refund and my listing was deactivated. I had to call the pest control company to provide an inspection (at my cost) and show that my property is clear from bed bugs and insects. But regardless, the guest has been fully refunded. The guest could have gotten bit by anything. An insect bite can be fleas, ticks, mosquitos, and the guest can bit anywhere, in the park, on the grass, etc. It is unfair that the guest got a full refund by this allegation.

 

2. A guest book a room for his son. The son used drugs in our home and invite homeless people to the house. We got threatened by the homeless/criminal that he does not want to leave. We called the mother who is in another country. The mother apologized and admitted on the AIRBNB APP that the son has a substance abuse problem. We had to call the police and change all the locks in the house. We submit a resolution request for damages two days later which the mother refused to pay. We escalate the matter to Airbnb and Airbnb replied: because we accepted other guests in the house it was hard to determine who invited the homeless. For that reason, the reps say it is against Airbnb policy to claim the insurance. The rep then closed the case. Once your case is closed, you can not even communicate with the rep anymore. It is unfair and the denial excuse does not make any sense. The mother admitted all fault that was done by her son on the Airbnb app.

 

3. A trans woman booked to stay in our home. This person invited unauthorized guest, smokes marijuana inside the room and smell the whole house, get drunk, pee on the floor, and start being hostile, and much more. We called the police but the police will not remove the guest until the reservation got canceled. We called Airbnb and I was put on hold for over one hour and thirty minutes and the call got disconnected. We called Airbnb again, and the support ambassador could not help unless putting us on hold again until a case manager or someone from trust and safety team picks up the phone. The immediate action that the support ambassador could do is to do cancellation by host. Because the situation with the guest escalated and the police could not act until the reservation got cancelled, we had no choice to agree. We prioritized our safety and the other guest's safety. The guest was refunded in full and our calendar was blocked. To put more salts to the wound, the Airbnb rep contacted us because we call the guest with the pronoun "he", we discriminated against a Trans Woman and my account is being noted for violation. This person has a male gender name, masculine look, and in the heat of argument we call her by "he".  I tried to explain to the rep that I am a gay man and we don't have any intention to discriminate. I ask the Airbnb rep to consider the whole situation and he replied essentially say it does not matter what the guest did nor how she behaved in the house, but the fact that we mistakenly call him by a he was enough for us to be penalized. 

 

4. A guest claimed that our room has an odor. The guest contacted the Airbnb rep asking for a full refund after 5 night stays and the Rep immediately sent us an email saying that we are in violation for not providing a cleanroom. I told the rep why did the guest had to wait for 5 nights and then ask for a refund? We asked if we can go to the room to check the source of the odor and the guest refused. We have 5 stars average rating in cleanliness. The guest has 0 reviews. I asked the rep to be fair to us and to our reputation history. The rep replied cockily that we are in violation and that his decision was final. I told the rep if the room truly has an odor why are we not allowed to check the room? The rep then added a new allegation saying that we lied about our amenity and that we did not provide internet service. I said that is not true. I sent a screenshot of our internet speed. I also ask the rep to contact our other Airbnb guests in the same property to see if they can connect to our wifi. No one has an issue connecting to our wifi. We offered to help the guest connect to the wifi in which the guest refused. If the guest truly has a wifi issue, why are we not allowed to help? But regardless, Airbnb noted our account again for violation in cleanliness and no internet. I requested to speak to a supervisor, and until today, no replied.

 

I have much much more stories where we, the host, with over 4000 reviews and have hosted 6000 guests treated like garbage by Airbnb reps. Every week a new insult and humiliation by Airbnb reps. Airbnb rep continues to become our prosecutors and the judge. The host is not given a chance for a fair trial. Airbnb reps can simply close the case and your communication stop. I have advocated for Airbnb. We are a responsible host that follow the law, respect our neighbors, and only try to make a living. I don't understand why Airbnb treated us so poorly.

 

I am desperate. I have multiple jobs, and my primary income is doing Airbnb. But there is only so much more I can take from Airbnb reps. Thank you for reading my post. Please if you know anyone that can provide justice to me, please let me know. Thank you.

 

85 Replies 85
Rhonda226
Level 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands

I too feel the sting of how unfair Airbnb is to hosts. I really do not know how to handle bad guests as there is no support or back up from Airbnb. I will have to consider very carefully who to accept in future.

@Rhonda226 I certainly hope you don't have experience as I do.

 

I do everything I can to filter the bad guests, from reading past reviews and asked verification questions.

I do this for a living so the volume of guests I handled is more than a normal host. I must say the majority of guests are good and kind. But that 1% of people that cause the problems make all your hard work become nothing.  

 

 

Pat271
Level 10
Greenville, SC

I’m so sorry you have had these experiences.

 

I looked at your profile, and you have 2 properties, both with a perfect 5.0 average.

 

I’m actually rather surprised you have gone through the experiences above, and not one guest has left a less-than-perfect review, even out of retaliation!

@Pat271 Hadrian has 66 properties but still very good overall ratings. He's bound to have some regulatory review stories though I'm sure.

Ahh, I didn’t see the scrollbar on the page. Time for an eye exam.🙄

@Emilia42 @Pat271  Hi. Yes, I manage Airbnb properties for the landlord.  I have to pay out of my pocket to the landlord if the cancellation is done as if it was my mistake. So all the examples above, Airbnb treated me unfairly and I have to pay the lost compensation to the landlord.

 

For most cases, we have good guests. If there are issues, guests are often reasonable. But all I ask is a fair chance of trial when impartial Airbnb reps can review the case and made an objective decision of what is being reasonable. It is a luck of the draw every time you contact Airbnb reps. Some are not trained and don't know what to do, some are ignorant, and some are very cocky. But ultimately, we the host always pay for the consequences and mistakes done by the Airbnb reps.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Hadrian1  Sorry you've been treated so poorly, but don't feel special. Happens to almost all hosts who have issues with guests and honestly the number of guests someone has hosted shouldn't be a factor at all- all hosts should be treated with respect whether they host a single room in their home or manage lots of properties, as you do.

 

There is no excuse for Airbnb's dismissive attitude towards issues hosts contact them about. Obviously hosts would prefer not to have to involve Airbnb, we have better things to do with our time, and would only do so if really necessary, but Airbnb doesn't seem to realize this or care.

 

Worst customer service I've ever encountered, and I'm probably twice your age.

 

@Sarah977 Yes, I think you encapsulated what I am trying to say. It is the attitude I received from the Airbnb reps that are very dismissive. They don't bother to check the facts and their decision is final and they are the law. At one point, I have an agreement with Airbnb reps over Airbnb policy and how it should be interpreted, and the rep responded with "because you have a disagreement with me, I will give you a second warning of violation in your account." I really don't make this up. I beg for a different agent to contact a supervisor and listen to the recording. But again, no supervisor ever called me.

 

I hope someone higher up from Airbnb will read this post and can do something to help us, the host. 

 

@Hadrian1 

 

 "because you have a disagreement with me, I will give you a second warning of violation in your account."

 

Really?? WOW. It's just beyond comprehension that any host would be spoken to that way by Airbnb CS, never mind treated the way you have been. Hopefully, the new Host Advisory Board will be addressing the disrespect and disorder that is rampant in CS these days. That is, if they are not too busy creating communities focussed on "sustainability, diversity and belonging" or whatever yada yada we've been hearing a lot of lately. 

 

@Bez8 @Till-and-Jutta0 .

 

 

 

@Colleen253 @Hadrian1 An Airbnb agent should lose their job over a remark and decision like that. They aren't allowed to apply penalties or black marks on a host's account because a host disagrees with them. That's just outrageous. 

@Sarah977 The Airbnb reps have an internal note about our account that we can not see. It is not very transparent and unfair the Airbnb reps can write anything on my account based on their own opinions and not facts. 

 

An Airbnb rep that has a bad day can write that I am discriminatory and every other Airbnb rep will have a preconceived notion about me negatively every time I call.

Mike-And-Jane0
Top Contributor
England, United Kingdom

@Colleen253 Sadly important issues like this are not even on the list for the HAB. 

@Mike-And-Jane0 I know. Can any of us honestly say we are surprised by that? What a sham.