Refund

[Toni3690]

I booked two nights at an airbnb for $144. The host lives on the first floor and listed an upstairs apartment on airbnb--the place was listed as private and separate entrance, etc. Completely separate space. It was noted in the listing that she is a health professional concerned about COVID safety, etc. 

My young adult son and I were traveling together, had driven all day + evening; arrived around 10pm the first night/checked in with a code. The host knocked on the door very very early the next morning...and there she was, peering right into the apartment through a window by the door, waving at me. She was without a mask, and proceeded to stand in the doorway and visit at length (knowing we were exhausted from travel). She finally left but then immediately came back for something else. (I've stayed at airbnb's before, am a good guest, etc. She just seemed super needy and lonely...it wasn't like she needed to spy on us because we were suspicious or doing something wrong). I got very creepy vibes from her.

We were out of the house from 10am till 10pm. At 10pm I returned alone to the airbnb, my son was not staying with me that night and the host knew that. 

I returned and it was obvious the host had been in the apartment. Several things were in slightly different places--including my things. And she had left a note and placed it along with a Hershey's kiss on the pillow ("Sweet dreams").  

The listing said "Host is available as needed, otherwise guests have total privacy" and other statements indicating this was a separate, private apartment. Especially with COVID concerns, I was not expecting anyone to be entering the apartment while we still had it rented. 

I was so uncomfortable, I couldn't sleep and ended up just packing up and checking out at 5:30am. I immediately visited the airbnb resolution center and asked for a refund. Although I had paid $144, the app took me through the steps and said I could request $109. Is this because I can not be reimbursed for booking or cleaning fees? I don't understand why it did not give me the option of the full amount.

I communicated my complaints with the host via the airbnb app. She said going in to clean and freshen was "customary" but I suspect it is very much against airbnb standards. She said she goes in to empty trash and clean the bathroom. But...the trash had not been emptied, and the bathroom had not been cleaned. 

And even so, we had landed at 10pm and were out of the house by 10am the next day. It's not like we were there for 5 days or something. She had given me her phone number twice on the airbnb app in case we needed anything, and I told her we did not need anything. 

I was shocked that her listing had such great reviews.

But when she refunded my money, she asked me not to leave her a review, and "in return I will not leave you a review". That sounded like a veiled threat to me--there was nothing bad to say in a review about me. I called her on that and she denied and gas lighted me. 

I did end up writing a negative review of her place, but it does not show up on her listing. Is that because I ended up getting a refund? 

I can't believe this woman is rated as a superhost. 

Her listing notes a double bed and a single bed. I thought a single bed would be a twin bed. But it was like a juvenile sized bed, and not apparent from the photos. The water in the place wasn't even hot for a shower. And the shower was literally made for a 5-foot tall person--the top of the curtain rod was below my chin. The photos for the listing looked nice and did not show the bathroom, and all the great reviews did not mention these things, or that the host had no respect for any kind of boundaries. 

Why can't I get my entire cost refunded?

Why doesn't my review show up to warn other people?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Toni3690Your review should be published at the earlier of when the host reviews you or after 14 days.

Has it been 14 days yet?

By the way your experience sounds weird.

[Toni3690]

@Mike-And-Jane0 Yes, it was really weird and freaky, and after 5 years on airbnb and having stayed at about a dozen different listings....I am ready to not use airbnb ever again. Why didn't airbnb allow me to request a 100% refund?

[Alexandra316 · Accepted solution]

@Toni3690That sounds like a really odd experience. I would never enter my guest's space unless there was an emergency, and I would certainly inform them first: that would also be my expectation as an Airbnb guest.

Did you ask the host for a larger refund? If she is in agreement, she can fully refund you for your stay (minus the Airbnb service fee). If she is not willing to refund and you feel you're due more, you will need to contact Airbnb and ask them to help. 

Regarding the review, the review is only published once she has written her review or after 14 days, whichever comes first. You don't say when this stay took place, but if it was less than 14 days ago, it means she hasn't reviewed you yet. 

[Toni3690]

@Alexandra316 the resolution center walked me through the steps, the only option it gave me was to ask for up to $109. I just got back from that nightmare recently, so no it has not been 14 days. I can't believe she is rated a superhost. 

[Alexandra316]

@Toni3690Maybe you're her first guest post-pandemic , or maybe she's gone slightly stir-crazy. Maybe people didn't mind her entering their space before Covid started. Who can say? Good that you're reviewing her honestly so future guests can make an informed decision on whether or not to stay with her. 

If you can't request the money you feel you're due, I would contact Airbnb and ask for their help. I like contacting them on Twitter @Airbnbhelp. 

[Mark116]

@Toni3690  It maybe that this particular host is still operating under her pre-COVID mode, where chatting with guests, leaving chocolate, etc. would have been perceived as a lovely gesture, of course, guests should always be notified about this in advance, but we also used to go in, after telling guests, when they stayed a week or more and do a light cleaning, straighten up, etc.  but never w/out guest permission.

Your review probably isn't showing because it hasn't been 14 days.  

It sounds like you stayed one night, so I'm not sure why you should be refunded that, but maybe I misunderstood, and the remaining $44 is probably airbnb's booking fee, which good luck getting that back. 

[Ann72]

@Toni3690  Can you let us know the breakdown of the amount you paid when you booked?  You would see a nightly price X the number of nights you stayed, possibly a cleaning fee, an Airbnb service fee, and possibly an occupancy or lodging tax.  Without that breakdown I can't make any more sense of the math that resulted in $109 than you can.

[Sarah977]

@Toni3690  This is a case, it seems to me of a host who simply doesn't "get it". It doesn't sound like she is ill-intentioned, just clueless.  I had a guest who also had stayed in lots of Airbnbs and told me about a place he stayed with his wife and young son which was listed as an entire cabin. When they arrived, he said it was obvious that the host normally lived there and just went to sleep somewhere else when she had a booking. The place looked like she had just walked out the door-she hadn't made any effort to clean up and her stuff was all over the place. the first morning they were there, all in bed together snuggling and talking, the host just walked in the door, didn't even say good morning, walked right into the bedroom and started rifling through the drawers, looking for her clothes. This happened several times during their stay. He said it was evident that she had some mental issues.

Other guests who use Airbnb a lot have told me that they've had good, so-so, and bad stays- all  Airbnb's are unique and hosts, like guests, are just regular people- sometimes you meet a strange or creepy one.

Sometimes hosts do have an arrangement where they go in to clean every few days, empty garbage, etc, but this needs to be stated in the listing, and a suitable time to enter agreed on with the guest. But your space, even if it's only a private room in the host's home, should never be entered when you aren't there, unless that's been worked out beforehand.

Your experience was definitely not acceptable and maybe this host has 5* reviews because other guests didn't mind her intrusions, or because, like she tried with you, she convinced the unhappy guests not to leave a review. Superhost designation is based on several factors- Superhosts can't cancel reservations except for extenuating circumstances (i.e. the host gets ill and has to go to hospital), they have to have a high response rate to guest's messages, they have to have an overall 4.8 rating from guests. 

When a guest uses Airbnb a lot, it's probably inevitable, although unfortunate, that they will eventually encounter one that doesn't live up to its advertising, or the host is decidedly weird. That works the other way, as well- a host who gets a lot of guests eventually gets bad guests at some point. It's odds. If you eat a lot of eggs, you're likely to crack open a bad egg one day.

You say you've had a dozen stays and they've all been fine up to now- I wouldn't let that turn me off f ever booking another Airbnb if I were a guest.

The discrepancy of $35 in the refund is reasonable- the host does have to wash the sheets and towels and clean the place a bit, even if you were hardly there, the service fee has nothing to do with the host, it's Airbnb's booking fee and you'd have to take up any dispute about that with them.

[Terri301]

I don't know what to do. I have tried calling and emailing. I haven't recieved any refund and it has been over a month. It is a lot of money and I am struggling. Where do I go, who can I contact? I need this money

[Lezlee0]

The discrepancy in the refund is most likely the occupancy taxes and Airbnb service fees.   Refer back to your breakdown of charges.  I bet you’ll find $109 was the portion the host received.  It’s rare for Airbnb to refund their service fees for an occupied stay with host disputes.