7 ms·

Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh,

Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. In this situation, what do you do? She's travelling alone and in her 50s and as you can imagine, she's pretty upset. I decided to get her a hotel and called her an Uber. I then called Airbnb and they said they will attempt to contact the host and they will get back to us. She wouldn't know what to do without me and if I weren't available, she'd probably end up wandering the streets at night looking for a hotel because she'd be too upset to return to the Airbnb place. I think for now, I will stop recommending Airbnb.

antr 11y ago
Back in May I went to Barcelona with a friend. We booked the apartment with Airbnb. Among other issues (the address Airbnb gave us was wrong, and had to wonder the streets for a couple of hours with no response from the host, then the host turns out to be a real estate broker of some sort)... once we found the place at 10pm, it turns out that the beds had no sheets, and the broker asked us for €15 for "fresh" sheets. I found this to be a real abuse... and the real problem with Airbnb: lack of quality control of product and service.
- matwood 11y ago
  So none of the reviews mentioned the 15 euro sheets charge? Did you leave a review stating that it was a dumb charge and rate accordingly? After booking did you contact the host through AirBnB ahead of time and ask them to verify the address and give you the quickest directions to the apt? It would be nice if all of this would be automatic, but you are dealing with individuals that may or may not understand how to be a host yet.
- scottmcdot 11y ago
  The reviews were all very positive, so I think this may have been because the host has been caught up somewhere or has been busy with something. But it's still very irresponsible. I managed to find the host's Facebook and I would say he is around 24 years' old and studying at a university in Vienna. Had I known this, I probably would have told my mother to look elsewhere.
  - archagon 11y ago
    Yeah, the problem is that people review based on their expectations. A beautiful vacation home and a ratty student flat can both get 5 stars, depending on who's visiting.
    - ap3 11y ago
      You don't think the price would make a difference between the two places? I recently used airbnb for the first time and I specifically looked for reviews that said the place matched the pictures, google street view, did a google search on the condo name, vrbo, emailed the host and even got direct phone numbers in return
      - deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]
    - scottmcdot 11y ago
      Many of the reviews were from middle-aged people so I thought this was a good sign.
the_mitsuhiko 11y ago
> Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. AirBnB is getting an abysmal reputation in Vienna because what seems to be happening is that lots of people who are not even from Vienna put their rentals on AirBnB. We had someone in our house who did exactly that with all the nice side effects you get from that (strangers in your corridors etc.). I'm pretty sure AirBnB will have to do something actively there because regulation of that space could instantly kill AirBnB in Austria.
mikeash 11y ago
Not defending the host's actions or AirBnB in any way here, but if you're not capable of getting a hotel on your own, then you probably shouldn't be traveling to foreign countries alone. Edit: well, that was unpopular. Am I wrong, or just saying it inartfully?
- ghaff 11y ago
  You're being inartful :-) but, yes, when I read that comment my reaction was that, at the very least, a conventional business hotel would have been a far more sensible choice.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    I tried to mitigate that with the leading phrase, but this would be far from the first time I was an insensitive jerk.
- brazzledazzle 11y ago
  You're right, but it's still something they should account for. Some people just fall apart under stress and have no interest in resolving that before doing things they have no business doing. At the end of the day, right or wrong, those people are going to speak badly of your service.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    Yes, totally agreed there. A service like AirBnB should be able to handle all sorts of people, even those who aren't prepared to seek new lodging at a moment's notice in a strange city.
- josefresco 11y ago
  I'm 34, capable as the next guy and would probably have difficulty re-booking a room, in a foreign country while also being "homeless". In fact, during summer months I'd have difficulty booking a room 5 min from my house last minute.
gaius 11y ago
Wait, you had a problem with AirBnB so you called Uber? Why not you know, an actual taxi to take her to an actual hotel??
- scottmcdot 11y ago
  Uber allows me to see where she's being taken and I've always had good Uber experiences in Vienna.
- tdylan 11y ago
  Uber has far more control and safety with their supply than Airbnb does, even more so compared to Taxis in foreign countries.
  - 59nadir 11y ago
    There are plenty of countries where taxis work well and are perfectly fine. Uber was specifically founded to adress a broken taxi market in certain US cities. It's almost completely useless in a lot of countries where the same problem with taxis simply didn't exist. In those countries, Uber is an unregulated, not cheaper alternative that isn't as tried and true.
subpixel 11y ago
Here's a recipe for having AirBnB experiences that don't suck: 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. Nobody is renting out their place in order to save you money. You get what you pay for. 2. Book early. The good hosts in prime cities book up months out. You don't want to be in a situation where you have limited choices and have to lower your standards. 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. See above, and never break this rule. 4. Try to stay at least a week. It's business. When you represent a grand or more to your hosts, they treat you accordingly. But when the hassle inherent to renting to you is barely worth the $200 or so you're paying, service will suffer. Any time I've broken any of these tenets I've wished I'd just booked a hotel.
- mfringel 11y ago
  So, if you're not saving money, why would you go with AirBnB at all?
  - dragonwriter 11y ago
    Better experience? I'm not saying that's actually something you get with AirBnB, but thinking something different than the typical hotel-style experience might be better is certainly one of the reasons that has driven users to alternative rental systems in roughly the same space, like VRBO.
    - letstryagain 11y ago
      Better experience than a hotel or serviced apartment? Good luck with that! Hotels and serviced apartments are literally designed from the ground up for a great customer experience. Some random person's house or apartment is just not going to be able to compete on customer experience.
      - snowwrestler 11y ago
        Sometimes it is just a better experience staying a real apartment or home instead of a hotel. For example, you can pick up local ingredients and cook your own food. You can get a private space with multiple separate bedrooms. You say "serviced apartment"--is that a European thing? I've never heard of it. If I was traveling I would look to AirBnB or VRBO to find places that are not hotels.
lotsofcows 11y ago
This is hilarious! You were bitten by one unregulated system and then, to fix the issue, you called another unregulated system! Your poor mother.
scottmcdot 11y ago
UPDATE: This is part of a response from Airbnb customer service, which has no apologies for the situation and sounds like they're leaning towards defending the host. "We got the news from [host] that the place is clean and ready to welcome you. In order to claim a refund we will need to receive documentation regarding the cleanliness issues. At this point there is no confirmed hosting standards violation therefore we will not be able to penalise our host and refund you."

antr 11y ago

Back in May I went to Barcelona with a friend. We booked the apartment with Airbnb. Among other issues (the address Airbnb gave us was wrong, and had to wonder the streets for a couple of hours with no response from the host, then the host turns out to be a real estate broker of some sort)... once we found the place at 10pm, it turns out that the beds had no sheets, and the broker asked us for €15 for "fresh" sheets. I found this to be a real abuse... and the real problem with Airbnb: lack of quality control of product and service.

matwood 11y ago
So none of the reviews mentioned the 15 euro sheets charge? Did you leave a review stating that it was a dumb charge and rate accordingly? After booking did you contact the host through AirBnB ahead of time and ask them to verify the address and give you the quickest directions to the apt? It would be nice if all of this would be automatic, but you are dealing with individuals that may or may not understand how to be a host yet.
scottmcdot 11y ago
The reviews were all very positive, so I think this may have been because the host has been caught up somewhere or has been busy with something. But it's still very irresponsible. I managed to find the host's Facebook and I would say he is around 24 years' old and studying at a university in Vienna. Had I known this, I probably would have told my mother to look elsewhere.
- archagon 11y ago
  Yeah, the problem is that people review based on their expectations. A beautiful vacation home and a ratty student flat can both get 5 stars, depending on who's visiting.
  - ap3 11y ago
    You don't think the price would make a difference between the two places? I recently used airbnb for the first time and I specifically looked for reviews that said the place matched the pictures, google street view, did a google search on the condo name, vrbo, emailed the host and even got direct phone numbers in return
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]
  - scottmcdot 11y ago
    Many of the reviews were from middle-aged people so I thought this was a good sign.

the_mitsuhiko 11y ago

> Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. AirBnB is getting an abysmal reputation in Vienna because what seems to be happening is that lots of people who are not even from Vienna put their rentals on AirBnB. We had someone in our house who did exactly that with all the nice side effects you get from that (strangers in your corridors etc.). I'm pretty sure AirBnB will have to do something actively there because regulation of that space could instantly kill AirBnB in Austria.

mikeash 11y ago

Not defending the host's actions or AirBnB in any way here, but if you're not capable of getting a hotel on your own, then you probably shouldn't be traveling to foreign countries alone. Edit: well, that was unpopular. Am I wrong, or just saying it inartfully?

ghaff 11y ago
You're being inartful :-) but, yes, when I read that comment my reaction was that, at the very least, a conventional business hotel would have been a far more sensible choice.
- mikeash 11y ago
  I tried to mitigate that with the leading phrase, but this would be far from the first time I was an insensitive jerk.
brazzledazzle 11y ago
You're right, but it's still something they should account for. Some people just fall apart under stress and have no interest in resolving that before doing things they have no business doing. At the end of the day, right or wrong, those people are going to speak badly of your service.
- mikeash 11y ago
  Yes, totally agreed there. A service like AirBnB should be able to handle all sorts of people, even those who aren't prepared to seek new lodging at a moment's notice in a strange city.
josefresco 11y ago
I'm 34, capable as the next guy and would probably have difficulty re-booking a room, in a foreign country while also being "homeless". In fact, during summer months I'd have difficulty booking a room 5 min from my house last minute.

gaius 11y ago

Wait, you had a problem with AirBnB so you called Uber? Why not you know, an actual taxi to take her to an actual hotel??

scottmcdot 11y ago
Uber allows me to see where she's being taken and I've always had good Uber experiences in Vienna.
tdylan 11y ago
Uber has far more control and safety with their supply than Airbnb does, even more so compared to Taxis in foreign countries.
- 59nadir 11y ago
  There are plenty of countries where taxis work well and are perfectly fine. Uber was specifically founded to adress a broken taxi market in certain US cities. It's almost completely useless in a lot of countries where the same problem with taxis simply didn't exist. In those countries, Uber is an unregulated, not cheaper alternative that isn't as tried and true.

subpixel 11y ago

Here's a recipe for having AirBnB experiences that don't suck: 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. Nobody is renting out their place in order to save you money. You get what you pay for. 2. Book early. The good hosts in prime cities book up months out. You don't want to be in a situation where you have limited choices and have to lower your standards. 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. See above, and never break this rule. 4. Try to stay at least a week. It's business. When you represent a grand or more to your hosts, they treat you accordingly. But when the hassle inherent to renting to you is barely worth the $200 or so you're paying, service will suffer. Any time I've broken any of these tenets I've wished I'd just booked a hotel.

mfringel 11y ago
So, if you're not saving money, why would you go with AirBnB at all?
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  Better experience? I'm not saying that's actually something you get with AirBnB, but thinking something different than the typical hotel-style experience might be better is certainly one of the reasons that has driven users to alternative rental systems in roughly the same space, like VRBO.
  - letstryagain 11y ago
    Better experience than a hotel or serviced apartment? Good luck with that! Hotels and serviced apartments are literally designed from the ground up for a great customer experience. Some random person's house or apartment is just not going to be able to compete on customer experience.
    - snowwrestler 11y ago
      Sometimes it is just a better experience staying a real apartment or home instead of a hotel. For example, you can pick up local ingredients and cook your own food. You can get a private space with multiple separate bedrooms. You say "serviced apartment"--is that a European thing? I've never heard of it. If I was traveling I would look to AirBnB or VRBO to find places that are not hotels.

lotsofcows 11y ago

This is hilarious! You were bitten by one unregulated system and then, to fix the issue, you called another unregulated system! Your poor mother.

scottmcdot 11y ago

UPDATE: This is part of a response from Airbnb customer service, which has no apologies for the situation and sounds like they're leaning towards defending the host. "We got the news from [host] that the place is clean and ready to welcome you. In order to claim a refund we will need to receive documentation regarding the cleanliness issues. At this point there is no confirmed hosting standards violation therefore we will not be able to penalise our host and refund you."