I found lodging on Google Maps with a 5 star rating. The host told you to message him on WhatsApp to book. Turns out he has a couple rooms listed on Airbnb an

I found lodging on Google Maps with a 5 star rating. The host told you to message him on WhatsApp to book. Turns out he has a couple rooms listed on Airbnb and a couple only available directly. On checkin day, I carried my cumbersome luggage for like a mile from the ferry terminal to his building, and no one was there to greet me. He had misunderstood the days I requested, and was now full for the night I requested. I ended up sitting in that hallway for hours trying to find another place to stay with immediate checkin. I ended up walking across town at midnight to pay twice as much money to stay at a shitty hotel above the train tracks in the shittiest part of town. It was perhaps literally the last room available in the whole city. Airbnb's fees are expensive (and poorly presented in the UI), but there's certainly value in having a formal booking system and an external complaints/support process.