Back in 2017, I was lucky one to meet Airbnb and become one of the hosts in Kyiv. It was a happy time for all of us. Gradually, Airbnb replaced other platforms and became a top priority for me. The support service resolved any issues instantly.
On February 24, at 5 am, the first rocket exploded near my house in Kyiv. I will not describe what happened next. None of us were ready for war. We were confused and scared. And it was at this moment that Airbnb extended a helping hand to us. It was so unexpected, such colossal support, at such a terrible time when it seemed no one cared about us.
Thanks to this, we were able to help those who found themselves in a critical situation. You helped not only the owners, you helped all Ukrainians, and I will always remember this.
But what happened next? At the moment we have a completely opposite picture. Ukrainian hosts stopped receiving payments for guests' accommodation. Since the end of May, a small lump of lies has turned into a huge ball, which is gaining momentum every day. What happened to you people? It is Ukraine! We desperately need money! Not replies that include routine phrases like this: We are sorry that you are in this situation, but we cannot give you more information... I do not want sympathy, I do not want to hear everyday lies, I'm tired of begging you to pay my own money.
Why do you need a support service if it doesn't work? Can you tell me what's going on? It seems to me that if you had initially explained to us what the reason was, would have given detailed information, then there would not have been that flurry of calls and appeals. When I hear that someone is tired of Ukrainian hosts and their calls, the Ukrainian war, when they make me understand that I am no longer interested as a partner, I want to ask, seriously? You're tired? From what? At the moment, you just have not yet realized that you are immensely happy!
At the moment, the support service is a team of absolute inattentive and indifferent non-professionals. From June 3, they stopped contacting me. New disputes are easily closed and sent to the one who stopped answering me on June 3rd. Now in that correspondence, if you can call it that, there is only my diary, in which I sometimes write, but do not receive an answer.
They lie to my guests that I receive all payments and my information is not true. The next day, when I asked for help in a new dispute about what to do with a new guest if I did not receive payments for old bookings, I was waiting for advice and asked for at least some guarantees for payments - I received a tough answer that on my behalf the guest's booking gets cancelled, and a bunch of information that I'm violating the code of conduct, I get a fine for this, a corresponding note in my account, and a warning that if this happens again, then Airbnb will take appropriate action against me. Are you seriously? How is it possible for a site with such a name and such a reputation to solve problems in this way? When I asked for an explanation, I was sent by reference, and the dispute was closed again. I had to contact support again, to which I received a response that there would be an INVESTIGATION! Well, investigate, of course, because that's what you're there for. Some time later, they wrote to me that the previous manager made a mistake by pressing the wrong button and resolved the issue. Can this be called a professional approach?
I will of course accept all guests who managed to book my accommodation before I closed all calendars. At the moment, the site's debt is almost $1,000, not counting those guests who are still coming. This is a huge amount for my family (my mother is disabled and my daughter is 14 years old). Ukraine will stand and we will receive millions of guests in our new beautiful cities, but never again, you hear-NEVER I will go through these humiliations that your managers forced me to go through this month.
This is my last post. I won't write or call again. I'm tired of Airbnb's endless lies. I wish you to return your old team of professionals and start providing real support to everyone who needs it.