No WiFi in Airbnb

[EatingRipeCamembert]

How much refund would you request if there was no WiFi in your Airbnb?

We're here for six nights, four of us, phone signal barely works in the area.

Having no WiFi is having a big impact on our holiday, teen & young adult DC are cut off from contacting friends and we can't watch TV or films in the evenings.

We can't do the things we'd usually do in between going out.

I'd never have chosen somewhere without WiFi, the property is listed as having it and the host has been very casual about it not working. I asked for it to be fixed but the host says she can't give me any assurances. I've asked for a partial refund and she's said she'll need to ask her brother, but hasn't got back to me.

I've seen that Airbnb has a facility to request a partial refund, I have to suggest the amount.

We paid around £1700 for 6 nights, what's a reasonable amount to request for a partial refund?

If I was the host when I messaged to say about the WiFi I would have offered compensation then because I’d want my guests to be happy and leave me a good review. You need to escalate it, they didn’t provide a service they were supposed to and if they were interested in sorting it they could have came back with a lower offer. They are just hoping to get away with it.

WIFI isn't some new thangled thing where it might go on and off without the owners knowing. I live in a house with dodgy WiFi. No way would I advertise this as a house with WiFi . It is like saying you have three bedrooms when there are only two. Worse really. It is such an essential part of life today. It doesn't matter what you would use it for, even if you never used it. I'd be starting at a full refund for a fraudulent advert.

Air b and b cannot take down a negative review or bad publicty that isn't on their platform.

As it’s in an area with poor mobile coverage then you should get a good refund. You chose the property for the wifi rather than all the others cheaper saying intermittent or no wifi. You can leave a review to explain the situation.

Yes true. But where are you going to leave the review? Many small places are only listed on Air bnb.

As per my PP they should be able to secure a partial refund at least directly through Air bnb. I'm a super host myself and interact with lots of other hosts so hear about this a lot. Air bnb tend to side on the guest's side.

IMO it's a major deal if there's no WiFi and it's listed.

The rest of the Internet.

Twitter, local Facebook pages for the area, tripadvisor, any social media you care to think of really. Even a link on AIBU could get thousands of views. It's happened before!

Well the OP wants to get a partial refund and none of what you suggested helps her cause. If the OP wants Air bnb to help secure money back they will do it, but not if she threatens the host with a negative review. Her best bet is to go through the customer service channel to achieve the outcome she wants.

Twitter doesn't exist anymore... but also I just don't think hosts will care if you shout into the void of social media and most aren't listed on TripAdvisor. They care about the reviews on the Air bnb platform as that's what gets bookings.

Exactly, @Bunny44 - the only time I might Google a place I found on Airbnb would be if it was a new place AND a new owner so there were absolutely no other reviews. Otherwise, I skim the first few Airbnb comments.

I wouldn’t go read the local Facebook page for a village I’m going to for a week.

Agree with others - escalate to Airbnb. This wasn't a scenario where you arrived and something was broken. The host knew before you arrived that the wifi was broken before you arrived as they messaged you to tell you.

They are advertising a property with something it doesn't have and that's not on. Whether it's the wifi, a washing machine, extra parking space... whatever it is, some of these factors are critically important to a customer and it;s very disappointing to not get what you've booked and paid for.

If as the host upthread says that 30% is what Airbnb will refund for something like this not working then you are not far off with your £600 request. Keep at it. Which country are you in?

You're saying it won't, but that doesn't mean anything much (and neither does barrel scraping over what Twitter is called). Threatening Air B and B hosts with negative publicity absolutely can help get money back, and I know this because I assisted a loved one in doing so.

It isn't an either/or with threats and the customer service channels either, especially if like many hosts they've provided a phone number. Not sure why you would assume that, especially as I posted that I agreed with OPs decision to escalate to Air B and B. You misunderstood initially and then doubled down.

Exactly, - the only time I might Google a place I found on Airbnb would be if it was a new place AND a new owner so there were absolutely no other reviews. Otherwise, I skim the first few Airbnb comments. I wouldn’t go read the local Facebook page for a village I’m going to for a week.

Funny how you left out the other ideas @SheilaFentiman. Especially as you're on one of them! If you do no research beyond looking at the first few comments on a platform that has an, erm, patchy reputation for customer service then that's up to you, but you are not the default.

I pressed the button to get Airbnb involved, they contacted me and I asked them if it was ok to pick this up after I've left the property and they said yes.

@Bunny44 do you know if I can still get a partial refund if I pursue this after I leave?

I would feel a bit vulnerable if I escalated to Airbnb while in the property as the hosts could get angry and kick us out, or come round to shout at us!

There are two, possibly three hosts.

Hopefully it works out for you.

In what way did I leave out the other ideas, @Peakpeakpeak ? I started by saying that I don’t typically google a place - Google would catch your other suggestions like MN posts or Twitter/X comments.

I don’t know whether I’m the norm to only look at Airbnb, or you are the norm to do lots of googling, and honestly, I don’t really care. I’ve probably stayed at 30 in the last 10 years and my approach has served me well.

For me, a holiday includes having access to wifi. I like to stream movies, download kindle books, play games on my phone, all part of my relaxing down time.

So you are in the country side !!! ???
we are and have regular power cuts constantly having issues with wifi
trees falling on the lanes , wind is so much stronger than before climate change
if you want reliable Wi-Fi holiday in a city

We're in a port in France, not the countryside! The WiFi box is broken.

The host has messaged me this morning with this message:

Bonjour
If not having internet is a vital problem!!! Just buy an e SIM card With the data for the duration of the stay with us for a week….
I would like to refund the amount of this SIM and it does not cost 700 euros!!!
I feel blackmail on the amount of my rental and it is very unpleasant.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards

Wow that's quite a rude response.

Is she offering to pay for a SIM for each guest?

I really hope you manage to sort this through Airbnb. The host is being incredibly dismissive and rude.

Very rude. And as others have said you might want to download a movie to watch together or whatever and esims do not solve the problem.

She's also making it your problem to solve when it's not. It's her problem.

I have an Airbnb. I'd be mortified if the wifi failed.

I'd immediately be offering you at least 20%.

Are all of your phones linking to the same French provider? Just wondering if the lack of signal is universal in the area ( which she would know if that's the case )

She could have fixed this by getting a new router in the first 24-48 hours I assume

@EatingRipeCamembert i think you are totally right in chasing refunds after your stay...we've only ever stayed in airbnbs in this country and all apart form 2 were good experiences but I would be v.nervous about antagonising an owner as it puts you in a vulnerable position. We've just got back from 1 in london where it seems more common to put properties in bad condition up for air bnb and it had a number of problems, some owners really let the side down for all the really helpful owners out there who offer a fab alternative to hotels.

I know it's a novel concept, but how about you consider that some people have different views to you and don't see that as a holiday or how about you take your holier than thou attitude and shove it up your arse. If OP wanted no wifi, she'd have booked a place with no WiFi and wouldn't post a thread about it!

OP, you won't get much but I'd be pushing it (30% and hoping for the best) and complaining to Airbnb about false advertising.

If the router is broken, surely it will be still broken for the next guests, she should buy a new one or get one off the internet provider