Air BnB question

It’s a no brainer, leave a factual and bad review.

Just because you’ve had a partial refund doesn’t mean you should be silenced.

Eh - that sounds rubbish. 30% back for a far less nice place to the one you booked isn't nearly enough. But if you're happy with it then so be it.

Clearly you didn't get the lodging you were expecting and paid for - so they breached their part of the deal. You could have rejected their "alternative" right there and then and gotten a full refund - but understandably that's tricky late in the day with no where else to stay! A similar thing happened to my sister when she went to Dublin for a trip - they arrived to find the place they'd booked was utterly unfit for purpose, and curiously the owner immediately offered them something else...My sister rejected that offer (over great howls of outrage from the host) and got somewhere else to stay. AirBnB were helpful with a refund, and because my sister also had some travel insurance via her credit card she was able to get some money back too for having to arrange alternative accommodation at late notice.

It's worth double checking whether your credit card/normal holiday insurance covers AirBnB snafus within the country you live in - sometimes people forget to claim because they assume it's only for out-of-country mishaps. It can mean the difference between being able to get your money back, or getting some compensation for "cancellation" (which is what happened here through no fault of your own). It would have meant, for example, that you could have booked a nice last minute hotel and not had to worry about the difference in cost, which is super important for somewhere like London where last minute can = pricey (though it can also = awesome deal - have a search about next time or even call some hotels and see what deal they will offer you - don't tell them you are desperate of course lol! Just say you are pondering a last minute trip into the city and looking for a good deal to make it worth while going - I've done that in the past and gotten some awesome last minute hotel deals from it if you're talking to the right person on the front desk.

Sorry you had to go through all this bother - what a disappointment it must have been when you'd put all the effort into finding a cool place to stay only to have it all changed about for something much less nice that you wouldn't normally have chosen - and of course now you're having to waste your time sorting it out. I'd start by demanding a refund and saying you'll be writing a suitably rubbish review/asking AirBnB to review the situation if you don't get one. Then take it from there if they say no. Remember, if you booked with a debit/credit card you also have that option (chargeback or fraud claim for example - you certainly didn't get what you paid for) if you get no help from AirBnB.

Great news, but you are very kind. I would have been complaining to AirBnB straight away, asking them to find me something more suitable/

30 pct back seems fair.. Limehouse is a better area than excel tbh!! ( I know it’s less convenient for your event thought)

Glad you got something back and you're happy with it. Shocking response from Airbnb though, you should've got a full refund especially if the Property Manager didn't respond. Thanks for the heads up, let that be a warning to us all!

As said it's pretty rare for something to go wrong so people shouldn't be extreme and refuse to use Airbnbs ever again or put others off doing it, it just means future travellers and hosts miss out for something that the vast majority of hosts by far don't do! As said read the traveller reviews to spot any past issues.

I know... We were just REALLY lucky that they let us know on our way there. I think they were banking on us arriving late and tired too. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I really think Regulations need to be far tighter. I haven't used that type of accommodation since. I just use Travelodges now.

No... It's a bait and switch. I had this with something I booked and refused the swap. I ended up just finding something else... On the day of travel! They had to give me a full refund.

I would definitely complain and give them a stinking review. I wonder how many other people were due to stay in this alleged AirBnB?

A hint I would give about using Airbnb is to click through the reviews and look to see if there are any reviews that are not reviews but instead show "host cancelled booking" - if you are seeing that popping up then it could be a red flag.

Agree with this, happens a lot and they just hope people suck up the far inferior apartment to what they booked and paid for.

NYC is a tricky one because they started making it illegal to have Airbnbs in certain areas which leads to situations like yours where you are suddenly asked to switch location or pretend you aren't a tourist renting the place.

I would expect a refund (somewhere around 50-75%) and I would leave between a 1-3* review (depending on how it was managed)

I once stayed somewhere which hadn’t been cleaned when we arrived. She had a cleaner there in a hour and 1.5 hours later it was spotless. But it completely disregulated our asd son as he couldn’t do his routines as normal which unfortunately set a tone for the weekend.

I left a 4* review because the women was great, quick communication, sorted the issue promptly and gave us a partial refund. But it had spoilt our stay.

Definite bait and switch, although the only nagging doubt is that it’s bizarre to think they could get away with it. I mean if you’re running an AirBnb, who would even check the boiler on the morning of the check in and also know definitively it can’t be fixed quickly. Even if you need a part, most boiler issues can be fixed same day. And then you just happen to have another apartment available (was it listed under the same person / company?)

1. Ask for refund (doesn’t need to be a full one, you did get some accommodation, but a minimum of 50%). And, if they refuse, leave a 1-star review. If they agree, you can leave a “better” review to the effect that there was a problem but they found you alternative accommodation and offered a refund. Enough to warn others.
2. Complain to AirBnb, in either case.

Definitely sounds like a bait and switch to me. I had the same thing happen in NYC - it was flood damage apparently. The apartment they tried to switch me to was not in the area I wanted at all but they assume you don’t know as a visitor. When I refused they agreed to me having a ‘different’ apartment apparently in the same building. They contacted me before I arrived to say if that if I was asked
or approached, I needed to say that I was a family member of the owner. It was 💯 time to cancel …

Agree with most posters here. Go right back at Airbnb and get a resolution, which means some of your money back, you were not provided with what you bought, and although you may have accepted something else under duress, it was fair of you to do so, and it still does not change the fact that you were not provided with what you contracted for. This happened to me, 4 young children flying to Budapest, had a booking which we paid in advance, 3 bedroom apartment near the metro. On the flight over, there was suddenly "boiler problems" and we were left late at night trying to take anything we could get whilst in the airport. Took it (we had no choice) but was far from suitable (not enough bedrooms, rough area, no transport). I got 50% back. I was OK with that - we managed and had a nice time, but defo complain, and set out what you feel you have lost in monetary terms as a minimum. Sounds like they are click and bait too if others on here are saying so. Best of luck, but do push it, otherwise others will suffer the same fate. xx

Hmm sounds to me they've done thus before, especially in London. Wha did reviews say?

Defo ask for some money back as thus smacks of scam. Xxx

It’s a well known scam -I’d report to Air BNB & leave a terrible review to warn others

We had this in London. Booked Fri, Sat, Sun with booking etc etc. Fri morning got message to say flat not available due to a plumbing issue. Offered us somewhere miles out. We said no, cancel.

He was quite pushy and said "OK YOU have to do the cancelling and then you get your refund". But we had booked at a non-refundable rate. Daughter, whose name was on the booking, said "no! YOU cancelled us" and he got a bit nasty in a phone call and said "don't you want your money back? You don't understand how this works". She stood her ground and got her refund from booking etc etc. And luckily got an Airbnb within an hour. But it was awful

Absolutely not good enough. I would complain and demand a refund. They did not provide what was advertised and paid for. Therefore they broke the contract and should be held responsible.

My partner and I have used Airbnb multiple times a year for a good few years now and never had an issue so it's not too common for things like this to happen. It's not about Instagram either! I've had a two bedroomed apartment in a complex with a pool and balcony overlooking Copacabana beach in Rio for about £40 a night! The thing about Airbnbs are that you get the comfort of a full apartment and perhaps other add ons like gardens, roof terraces, hot tubs, parking space etc for a fraction of the price of a hotel room.
My partner and I travel to Macedonia soon, we have an Airbnb overlooking a big lake and right on the banks of it and close to bars and restaurants, the hotel rooms were a lot more expensive and just not in as a nice location.
You pay the price a local person would pay to rent somewhere rather than what a travel agent in your home country would sting you.