Airbnb Corporate Office Called In The Middle Of The Night And Said We Had To Leave IMMEDIATELY
“My sister (28F) and her friend (27F) were visiting a small city for one night for an event. They got an Airbnb room in the host’s 2 bedroom apartment. He was nice, a little odd, probably 30 years old. They went to the event, and at about 11 pm they get a call from an American number that turned out to be Airbnb corporate. Here’s the conversation, and apparently the person who called seemed stressed:
Airbnb: ‘Hi, this is AirBnB. We’ve learned of an issue with your host and we need you to leave the apartment right now. We’re going to pay for you to get a hotel tonight because we need to get you out of there.’
Sister: ‘We’re out at an event, but our luggage is there so we have to go back.’
Airbnb: ‘Okay, we’ll pay for you to get a taxi to the apartment and to the hotel, but you have to do it right now, ASAP.’
Sister: ‘Are we in danger?’
Airbnb: ‘I don’t want you to think that, but you really have to get your stuff out of there right now. And don’t tell the host about this call. You have to make up an excuse for why you’re leaving early.’
Sister: ‘It sounds like we are in danger.’
Airbnb: ‘I can’t give more details, it’s just really important that you leave the event and get your stuff now.’
When they got back to the apartment, the host was there but everything seemed normal. They left without running into him again so they didn’t have to make up an excuse.
Airbnb did indeed get them a hotel room for the night, and that’s all we’ve heard. His listing has been taken down since then.”
Got A Bad Review Because I Didn’t Do Laundry
“I’m so over host charging a $200 cleaning fee and expecting guests to clean the apartment. I just stayed in an Airbnb where I was asked to wash towels upon leaving. They didn’t leave any laundry detergent. I asked the host and they said they don’t provide it. So I left the towels in the washing machine and didn’t run it, and told the host. They left me a horrible review because I didn’t ‘follow cleaning instructions.’ I’m not about to go buy laundry detergent for a 4 night stay.”
Host Turns My Son And I Into Her Caregiver
“I have been using Airbnb since 2013. As a guest, I have 121 positive reviews. I became a host in 2018 and have super host status.
Last weekend, my son (17) and I booked a stay in at a house near Big Bear. It was listed as a ‘whole house with a private entrance.’ In the listing, it mentioned that the host lived in a MIL quarter in the back of the house. We arrive and check in at 4 and the host came out to greet us and show us some features. She was very sweet, at this point. Since we had been hiking that day, we showered. We noticed that there was not much toilet paper in the bathroom. I texted the host to ask if there was another roll in the house and she decided my text meant she could enter our area. My son was wearing just a towel and I was getting dressed.
She told us she couldn’t get us more toilet paper because she had surgery last week. She said she ‘knew she should’ve stocked up but forgot and now she can’t drive due to her pain medicine.’
We have empathy so we told her we could pick up some toilet paper on the trip to dinner.
She then said, ‘Oh! Would you mind bringing me back some food, too?’
Reluctantly, I said I would and told her it would have to be a pick-up order because we were going to eat and then sightsee and we could get the toilet paper and food on the way back.
She said she would Venmo me when I returned for the total amount.
While we were at dinner, she texted and said, ‘My pain medication refill is at Rite Aid. Can you pick it up too?’
Since I was going to get her toilet paper there, I said okay.
I got to the pharmacy and the pharmacist demanded my driver’s license and $15 for her copay.
I said I’m uncomfortable signing for a narcotic prescription tied to my driver’s license.
I call the host and she begged.
I get toilet paper, medicine, and her dinner and we head back to the Airbnb. It’s now 9 pm. When we opened the door, she was on the couch in our space.
She said, ‘My apartment was too warm so I thought I would wait here and chat with you guys while I eat.’
I said, I appreciate your pain but my son and I are going to FaceTime his sister and go to bed. She got livid and went to our bathroom. She poked her head out and asked us to bring her a roll.
I gave her the whole package through the door. We waited 20 minutes before she came out sobbing.
My son offered to help her get to her door and I carried her bag of food and medicine. We go to bed and are awakened at 3 am by our angry host who says the dinner we brought gave her food poisoning. She wanted a ride to an ER.
I refused. I told her to call 911 and have an ambulance take her.
The next morning, before we check out, she hands me $5. The total I spent was: $6.79 for toilet paper, $15 for her medicine, and $22 for her meal. I told her we could round it to $40. She screams that I’m hustling her and makes a complaint to Airbnb.
Thankfully, the second person I spoke with from Airbnb processed a refund. The host claimed she doesn’t remember being in our space but she did acknowledge that she must’ve asked me to get her medication since she had her medication. She apologized.”
