Safety & Cleanliness

[Jennifer4604]

During my recent stay in Eastvale. I stayed in a downstairs bedroom with a shared bathroom in a home.  The listing states Private room in guest house.  Not correct.  Private room in their house is more accurate.  My room was Hosted Min who is a Superhost with 10 months of listing.  I felt that I was misled by the previous reviews my stay created a lot of anxiety because the door did not work most of the time on first try. There was constantly loud communication between the existing residence within the home. Quiet hours did not necessarily abide to the residence with dishes being done Early in the morning the microwave constantly slamming I’m sorry I would not recommend the space if you want a quiet time there is way too much commotion going on. Unfortunately it is all that I could afford for my trip, so I had no other options. 

This is definitely not a quiet space. You can tell that you are staying with a family which is fine. However, after a day of traveling with different time zones, I just wanted to come back to my room and relax.  There were piano lessons which is listed in the ad and that’s fine, I felt that with guests arriving this would have been completed earlier in the day and not multiple times after arrival.  One session was for 90 mins the second was 15 min. There was also yelling between family members And loud communication via speaker phones as well as yelling to each other from one floor to another.

Based on the pictures within the ad, it is definitely not as it was described. I understand that I am a guest in somebody’s home however, I am thankful that I was on the first floor and not on the second floor where the other AirBNB is listed. I was able to use laundry services while there.  There were no notes as to where laundry soap was, had to open every cabinet in order to find it, there was laundry from previous usage in the dryer, that I did place in a basket. 

The toilet seat needed to be cleaned there was a droplet of urine on the seat.  The shower door was filthy, covered in grime and soap scum.  Shampoo, conditioner & bodywash was provided.  Mold spores on ceiling. Hair all over the bathroom.  The window sill in the bathroom was so dirty I clean a small portion just for viewing.  

The bedroom bedding was nice looked fresh out of the package.  The bed was not new as listed in the add.  It had clear signs of ware and dust.  The sheets & blankets appeared clean. Mirrors in bedroom were dirty.  The track of the closet doors were compacted with mud.  The bed frame was covered in dust. I had to wipe the bed and tables down with wipes to ensure cleanliness, as well as use LYSOL on the bedding and other surfaces. The smoke detector in my room was open and missing a battery. The bedroom window did open however, it was blocked by a large shed. So in case of emergency, I would’ve been forced to walk out the bedroom door and exposed to a potential fire, because I would not have been able to exit the bedroom window.   I had to wear slippers my entire visit because the floors were so dirty.  The tiles on the floor were uneven with several edges exposed.  I am not sure if this house had been flooded but based on the level of mud that was in the grooves and the stains on the baseboards it did look like it.  As previously stated I wore slippers the entire time in fear that if I did cut my foot on the unevenness of the floor I would for sure get an infection.

The were 2 smoke detectors that beeped entire trip. Thankfully, there was a small fan in my room (That the Host provided) that I was able to put up next to my door to block the sound of the beeping smoke detectors.

Packages in the hallway made it an obstacle when arriving/departure with luggage. As well as a hazard in case of an emergency. 

The lock on the front door is definitely not user-friendly. There were multiple times when I had to re-enter the code on two separate occasions once upon arrival and once in the middle of my trip where I had to knock on the door to have somebody open it because I could not get in This became frustrating and worrisome that I might not be able to get into my location.  The 1st time I had to knock on the door a man in a bathrobe opened the door the second was a child.   

There is also no communication as far as to where you are supposed to get rid of your trash. I had to walk through the garage and out to the backyard to dispose of it. I feel like communication could’ve been better overall with the little things during the stay as well as with the overall cleanliness of the space that was used.  MOLD SPORES IN BATHROOMDIRTY BASEBOARDS & MUDSHED BLOCKING WINDOWMUD & UNEVEN FLOORDIALYSIS POSSIBLY?OBSTACLENO BATTERYTRIPPING HAZARDSHED

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jennifer4604 I don't think Min liked you as a guest either. Anyway can I just ask what the point of your post is? Are you still looking for a refund?

[Jennifer4604]

The point of my post was for the safety of future guests.  

Unfortunately with her comment in regards to me that is false I did not bring an appliance with me. I used a fan that was in the room that she provided

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jennifer4604 well that will have almost zero effect then as I doubt many people on here are planning a stay with Min. As you have left a review there is little more to be done.

[Helen3]

Hello @Jennifer4604 

sorry you had a difficult experience. It sounds like it wasn't a good fit from either side. 

Did you follow Airbnb's advice on your booking confirmation and contact the host soon after your arrival and raise all the issues you mentioned around breaking of house rules around quiet time, not being able to access the property, the fire alarm not working properly, cleanliness issues etc?

if the host wasn't able to resolve the issues you mention Airbnb would have cancelled the booking rather than you being unhappy for the duration of your stay. And they would have helped you find alternative accommodation.

it clearly says in the listing that there are children at the listing and there will be noise during the day. 

the piano lesson as they were mentioned in the listing wouldn't be an issue to raise 

the reviews you mention are guests personal opinion of their stay. 

the time to raise issues is at the start of your stay rather than once you have left.

perhaps going forward self contained accommodation would be a better fit for you? 

[Jennifer4604]

I did not discuss these concerns with the HOST during my stay. I was 1,510 miles away from home with no where else to stay and was concerned that if the conversation was not received positively that it could adversely affect my accommodations This is also something that I would not expect to need to be addressed with a Super Host.

[Jennifer4604]

Yes that is true. It is my personal opinion.  However, I do have photographs that back up my claims.  Fire 🔥 safety is no joke and not being safe with guests in your home needs to be reported.  Last thing I want on my mind is seeing someone burned alive in this home because they could not get out.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jennifer4604 it would take 1 minute to change a bleeping smoke alarm battery but only if you tell the host its needed.

Anyway with your 1 star review I doubt Min will be a superhost for long. I am confused though why you left 5 stars for cleanliness and most other categories and yet 1 star overall. Was this really a true reflection of your stay?

[Jennifer4604]

I believe that the only 5 star I left her was for her Communication before I stayed.  This trip was already stressful and this just added to it...I agree with you regarding a beeping smoke alarm.  However, I should not have to tell a Superhost to replace a battery or add a battery to something that you can clear see and hear that needs to be replaced.  

Regardless of right or wrong in this situation.  Both could have handled things differently of course.  

I appreciate your feedback as I can see that you have been a host for a while this is my second time using AirBNB and I'm not sure I will ever do this again.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jennifer4604 Strange then because when I look at the reviews for her room there is only category that isn't 5 stars. 

In terms of using Airbnb again then perhaps choose a host with a greater number of reviews. That way you are more likely to get a good place to stay. A 100 review host averaging 4.9 will possibly be better than a 5 review host averaging 5.0.

[Jennifer4604]

I completely agree with you.  I know better now.  I read the reviews and saw that she was a super host and felt I was good to stay here.   I am still learning the in/outs of this platform.   I  would possibly consider that in the future with staying with someone who has a more tenured record. 

[Lorina14 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jennifer4604,

Sorry to hear that your stay was stressful and not ideal. In the future, it’s best to stay with hosts have more reviews and read each review carefully to make sure it’s a good fit for you and your needs.

In the future, if you have any issues, please bring it up with the host so they have a chance to address it. If they don’t in a timely manner or you are unable to reach them, call the Airbnb support line for concerns or help. This is what the guest fee is for that you pay when booking with Airbnb, to be able to have 24/7 support via chat or phone call.

Safety or cleanliness issues should be brought up within the first 24 hours of arrival (or as soon as they show up). In this manner, you could have gotten compensated for the cleaning fee, got a discount if the accommodations were misrepresented (or something was broken or not in working order), or got assistance to rebook a more suitable accommodation, or have it addressed to your liking. 

The beeping of the smoke detector should have been told to the host so they could have put a battery in it.

We have a listing and the detector battery went out in the middle of the night for our guests so we proactively gave them a discount for the inconvenience of waking them up. It happens and we can’t determine when batteries may go out. We also leave a spare in the unit for our guests just in case. 

Let me know if you have any other questions. Most of my stays with Airbnb have been good or great, there have been two bad experiences but I raised it to customer service and addressed some issues privately or in a public review to let other potential guests know. 

[Jennifer4604]

Thank you for this answer.. I really appreciate your feedback. I have learned so much regarding this trip.  Like I said in earlier posts this was the only thing that I could afford and I was 1,500 miles from home.  I was worried that I would be asked to leave and I would have no accommodations.  

I felt that even though there were not a lot of reviews I felt good about the space that I was about to stay out... As well as previously stated.. I know a battery is an easy fix, the resident had been living with them.  Therefore, it not like they didn't know that the battery needed to be replaced.  

Again I thank you for your feedback.  Yours was the most helpful comment.