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I stopped using AirBnb. Their customer service on a number of occasions made it apparent they are not going to deal with hosts who have fake and outdated pictur

by vizzah 7y ago

I stopped using AirBnb. Their customer service on a number of occasions made it apparent they are not going to deal with hosts who have fake and outdated pictures and ruin other guest's stays. It seems hosts are the only side of the equation AirBnb folks care about. Airbnb let the host write a review on us for the stay which we didn't even take, as when we arrived in the apartment it was in a such appalling state, dirty, broken - we had to spend 4 hours inside while looking for the replacement and trying to convince Airbnb this apartment is inhabitable based on their T&Cs. Yes, we managed that but couldn't find an adequate replacement for the same money and had to move into the hotel. At the same time, Airbnb let the host write a super-negative review about us for not taking this apartment and never sent an invitation to myself to write my own review. I could not even image it is possible to write reviews for cancelled stays! I was left with negative review and ruined stay just because the host could care less and because Airbnb protects hosts first and foremost. Guess what? Most of non-scam non-inhabitable properties listed on Airbnb are almost always available on other sites, including a well-known booking site. Where you pay and receive service and have means to complain or at least write a review without the fear of being reviewed back for something you are not even at fault. I had 23 positive reviews and that one last negative. When I later tried to book an apartment and started asking a few questions to host (have to be fastidious with the choice as I often stay for 2-3 weeks, so need to ensure there is no construction works around..etc) - the host has referred to my last negative review and told me I won't be welcome. And that was that proverbial straw.

ilikehurdles 7y ago
I still browse AirBnb's listings on occasion, but the last few trips have ended up booking directly with hotels, Lodges/Inns/BnBs, or vacation rental companies. When taking a look at the true prices, inclusive of fees, and what level of property I get for them today, Airbnb often comes out much more expensive for comparative properties. I might still have better experiences in less touristy locations than the ones I travel to. Not to mention the ridiculously strict long-term cancellation policies Airbnb allows hosts to apply that wouldn't fly in any other style of vacation housing. I loved the service back in the early twenty-teens, but I had a strikingly bad experience with a home I tried to book in Boston. The owner found out her home listing had rats a few days prior to check-in, and admitted to not being able to get rid of them fully before the date, leaving the possibility of rats getting poisoned/killed by the traps she set up. All of the communication was via @airbnb.com emails I had responded to, but Airbnb's support couldn't find any records of these messages. It took multiple calls and entirely too much effort to get an eventual refund plus a tiny credit on their site -- not nearly enough to book a replacement property that close to the date anywhere within city limits. Meanwhile, like I mentioned, the prices of properly licensed and managed vacation options have become competitive with Airbnb while offering more reliable and flexible wrt date changes and cancellations.
- 01010001 7y ago
  This is also my experience, I find Airbnb to be more expensive and not cheaper than booking through their competition and often times the same property will be listed on Airbnb but 15% cheaper on HomeAway. This summer I made a trip to Spain where we ended up staying on a 4 star hotel with breakfast on the beach we wanted for what would have costed to rent a house of similar feel.

by vizzah 7y ago

ilikehurdles 7y ago

I still browse AirBnb's listings on occasion, but the last few trips have ended up booking directly with hotels, Lodges/Inns/BnBs, or vacation rental companies. When taking a look at the true prices, inclusive of fees, and what level of property I get for them today, Airbnb often comes out much more expensive for comparative properties. I might still have better experiences in less touristy locations than the ones I travel to. Not to mention the ridiculously strict long-term cancellation policies Airbnb allows hosts to apply that wouldn't fly in any other style of vacation housing. I loved the service back in the early twenty-teens, but I had a strikingly bad experience with a home I tried to book in Boston. The owner found out her home listing had rats a few days prior to check-in, and admitted to not being able to get rid of them fully before the date, leaving the possibility of rats getting poisoned/killed by the traps she set up. All of the communication was via @airbnb.com emails I had responded to, but Airbnb's support couldn't find any records of these messages. It took multiple calls and entirely too much effort to get an eventual refund plus a tiny credit on their site -- not nearly enough to book a replacement property that close to the date anywhere within city limits. Meanwhile, like I mentioned, the prices of properly licensed and managed vacation options have become competitive with Airbnb while offering more reliable and flexible wrt date changes and cancellations.

01010001 7y ago
This is also my experience, I find Airbnb to be more expensive and not cheaper than booking through their competition and often times the same property will be listed on Airbnb but 15% cheaper on HomeAway. This summer I made a trip to Spain where we ended up staying on a 4 star hotel with breakfast on the beach we wanted for what would have costed to rent a house of similar feel.