We recently stayed in an AirBnB listing in the Jordan in Amsterdam which, when reserved, stated no refunds and a 100 Euro cash deposit upon arrival. When we arrived at the 'B&B,' we discovered several differences from the photo on the website. To make a long story short, we had numerous problems which included 7 people, one bathroom, one large dog, rodents (she said 'mice,' I say 'rats'), a double bed that was not a double bed, no hot water, and no lights in the hall. I took photos of our main complaint, a broken door knob, but I also took photos of the horrible linens and the broken headboard. Our proprietress, Agnes, refused to repair the door knob and said she would have to charge us for it. At this point, with Agnes present, I called AirBnB and said I had photos which I immediately emailed to them at their request. We said we would not stay unless the door knob was repaired. Agnes then said she had already applied to AirBnB for insurance reimbursement for several repairs and she refused to fix the door knob. AirBnB then spoke with Agnes to verify our situation and AirBnB agreed to cancel our remaining reservation and reimburse us. The bottom line is, if you need a refund, get AirBnB on the phone before checking out. We did find another accommodation, (from the Rick Steves book) which was only 10 Euros more, included breakfast, and was so much nicer that there is no comparison. Most people seem to have had good experiences with AirBnB, but this is how we handled our problem.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Thanks for your detailed report. Sounds like good advice.
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3941 posts
Wow - what kind of reviews did they have? You think people would be a little down on this place with all that going on.
Glad airbnb resolved it for you ASAP. We've had great luck with our stays so far...
Posted by
OP
38 posts
This AirBnB listing has 3 stars on average for this place. However, if I had translated the reviews I didn't see, I would have gotten that the place might have rats. You never know, sometimes people post things just to be spiteful. There's an AirBnB article that came out in the NYTimes AFTER I made my reservations that highlights the importance of reading the reviews. I have tried to get AirBnB to remove this listing just based on the fact that much of what is pictured is not in the room. Then, she splits hairs. For example, she lists a TV but it can only be viewed if you stand on the bed. At any rate, look for that 'translate' button and get those reviews! Almost everyone else I have spoken with has had decent experiences with AirBnB.
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3941 posts
Wow - well, hopefully they keep track of complaints and maybe will do something if more roll in. It's so funny when I read reviews on a listing, I tend to scan the positive quickly and really look at the negatives. If it seems like someone is being pissy, I'll overlook it...but if I notice 3-4 people complaining about the same thing, I'll be off to the next listing. I try to go with listings that have at least 4 stars for cleanliness and whatnot...if it's under that, forget it.
Hope your future airbnb stays are better!