A story about Airbnb, bedbugs and a lack of accountability:
My now-wife and I used Airbnb in Berlin and the mattress in our otherwise clean apartment was badly infested with bedbugs. I took a video (see below) and posted it to YouTube so that Airbnb would have the evidence needed to make what I assumed would be a quick decision in our favor.
Instead, they were completely unhelpful. I was an American traveling in Europe so I didn't have a phone number where I could be reached, which they insisted was the only way they could communicate with me about the issue in real time. They demanded photos of the bedbugs, which I didn't take, because I assumed the video would be more helpful and my wife and I got out of the apartment as quickly as possible. (after frantically checking to make sure our clothes and luggage were bedbug-free)
Finally, they took the host's word that there were no bedbugs, besides the obvious conflict of interest on his part to not report the visible bugs and blood stains on his mattress. (below a clean topsheet!)
After much complaining on social media and repeated Skype calls from WiFi hotspots they finally agreed to cancel our remaining few nights and pay for a hotel for us instead. This might sound generous, but it came after losing a night to bedbugs and the better part of a day to dealing with their terrible customer service--one full day lost out of a 7 day trip.
Like many of the complaints people are describing ITT, the problems that arise with Airbnb can happen in any hotel, too. The difference is that a hotel can quickly make you whole by giving you a new room or, if need be, putting you up in another location across town.
With platforms like Airbnb it's simply too easy for them to ignore you and your pesky complaints or, in the case of OP, ban you from their platform forever. While I'm reluctant to call for more regulation, it's hard to see what else could make them treat you fairly, as a customer and a human being.
My now-wife and I used Airbnb in Berlin and the mattress in our otherwise clean apartment was badly infested with bedbugs. I took a video (see below) and posted it to YouTube so that Airbnb would have the evidence needed to make what I assumed would be a quick decision in our favor.
Instead, they were completely unhelpful. I was an American traveling in Europe so I didn't have a phone number where I could be reached, which they insisted was the only way they could communicate with me about the issue in real time. They demanded photos of the bedbugs, which I didn't take, because I assumed the video would be more helpful and my wife and I got out of the apartment as quickly as possible. (after frantically checking to make sure our clothes and luggage were bedbug-free)
Finally, they took the host's word that there were no bedbugs, besides the obvious conflict of interest on his part to not report the visible bugs and blood stains on his mattress. (below a clean topsheet!)
After much complaining on social media and repeated Skype calls from WiFi hotspots they finally agreed to cancel our remaining few nights and pay for a hotel for us instead. This might sound generous, but it came after losing a night to bedbugs and the better part of a day to dealing with their terrible customer service--one full day lost out of a 7 day trip.
Like many of the complaints people are describing ITT, the problems that arise with Airbnb can happen in any hotel, too. The difference is that a hotel can quickly make you whole by giving you a new room or, if need be, putting you up in another location across town.
With platforms like Airbnb it's simply too easy for them to ignore you and your pesky complaints or, in the case of OP, ban you from their platform forever. While I'm reluctant to call for more regulation, it's hard to see what else could make them treat you fairly, as a customer and a human being.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJHScbdp15s