I just had a terrible experience with an AirBnb host. I called AirBnb mid way through the stay after the water was cut off, and Airbnb said I had no recourse with them since their "policy" states that refunds are only eligible 24 hours following checking in.
Do I have any recourses other than leaving a bad review? I was hoping for a refund or a partial discount as a sign of empathy from the host for the terrible experience, but they have been uncooperative throughout the stay.
In summary, the host did not provide the listing I had booked, assured us the alternative would be livable, but it wasn't. Here are some of the main issues that arose during the 10 night stay:
The unit was not fit for living (the staircase wasn't done, there were multiple sockets that weren't complete, a washroom faucet wasn't installed, the laundry wasn't installed until three days before the end of the stay, there was little in terms of dishes or anything to cook with, no toiletries were provided).
Someone walked into the bedroom on the first night through the security door unannounced, the host later said they had forgotten to lock the security door.
There was no water in the unit for three days, the host claiming the city had not notified them, which I since found out is not true and that notices had been sent out in July about water cut-offs the week I was there. On the second day without water, the only help from the host was to drop a jug of water after I asked when the water would be back on. We ended up going to a nearby gym twice daily to use the showers.
The drain in the shower did not work for the two last days of our stay.
The host threatened to call the cops on us without warning during a friendly gathering that ended around 10PM on a Friday (the rules simply said no loud noise after 11PM). This seemed like some type of retaliation for us having complained via Airbnb.
The host also repeatedly communicated by SMS and calls rather than on Airbnb, though I have a good history on Airbnb on SMS.
I called AirBnb mid way through the stay after the water was cut off, and Airbnb said I had no recourse with them since their "policy" states that refunds are only eligible 24 hours following checking in and that I need to resolve any issues with the host directly.
As a side not, I'm a Super Host and I've also been using Airbnb as a guest for 6 years. I'm also a recent shareholder of the company. This is making me question maintaining any type of contact with the company given the lack of support during this stay.
Thank you for your help!