To say be VERY careful when booking an Airbnb

[Shineynew]

Just an Airbnb word of warning...
We stayed in one in London lately. Apparently it was ‘newly renovated and chique’ (I think he meant chic).
Anyway - it was neither.It was dirty and mouldy and the sofa bed was broken so I had to sleep on an air bed which kept deflating.
I won’t go into the million and one things that were wrong with this place but fortunately Airbnb refunded us half so we were ok with that...
Ffwd two weeks and the listing is still there. They are still selling this mouldy flat as ‘newly renovated’ and ‘chique’. There is another review after mine saying exactly the same things. I contacted Airbnb who said ‘if we have a number of similar reports we will talk to the lister’. How many people does it take to say the place is a dump before Airbnb will pull it? More than 2 apparently.
And in the meantime, people are still booking it!!
Beware of Airbnb guys especially in London. I’ve attached some photos of this ‘chique’ place for you to judge for yourselves...

@KarmaStar

That sounds awful!

Quick update - literally nothing from airbnb despite me telling them that there is now a second IDENTICAL listing with a different host.

This definitely has to be a scam of some sort. Forgot to mention that there was post delivered with 4 different names on the envelope. Dodgy stuff!!

99% of hotels or bobs have been good

So, what are the perks of staying in an airb&b ?

Why choose airb&b

TBH I always read the reviews. I’ve stayed in loads of Airbnb’s and have never had a bad experience. And London you have to be particularly careful. If you see a place for £30 PN near the centre of London, then you know it’s not going to be half decent. If it sounds too good to be true it generally is - you get what you pay for. I’ve had poor experiences on Booking.com with accommodation so I don’t think the issue you had is solely around Airbnb.

An Airbnb host here so preparing to be shot down. For the record it is not possible to fake reviews, neither is it possible to take down bad reviews. Only Airbnb can do that and they will only do it if there is a very good reason. I agree the review system has its flaws because each party is relying on the other for good comments so possibly aren't as candid as they should be. I don't understand how a place that has a Superhost can be so awful though. Sounds impossible to me.

Unfortunately Air BNBs good reason for removing bad reviews / very specific critical comments is to protect its commission

YABU - put it on their website

@TheDogsMother Then how is it possible for a so called luxury air bnb with 5 star reviews to be a shit hole? It really was.

@alloutoffucks I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience and I'm mystified how it could have had all those great reviews. As a host we are not able to remove or edit them and we can only make a case to Airbnb in very extenuating circumstances.

It's a real shame for you and gives the rest of us a bad name. It would be a shame to paint all Airbnb's as rubbish but I can understand why you might feel that way.

I used booking.com secret deals and had a weekend at the Piccadilly Le Meridien for 90 pounds per night for two. It was a fantastic experience. 150 a night for this air b and b place seems outrageous.

They vary. We've had some good, and more disappointing. Sometimes owners leave unreasonable demands about what you can't use and have barely made any arrangement for guests, just left everything as it is (possessions, food out) with lots of rules. I booked one one for Edinburgh feativalt only to have my booking cancelled when the apparently clueless owner realized the (major festival) was on and then literally doubled the fee. It's a gamble. With hotels you tend to know what you're getting but you loss the ability to self-cater and have the cost of eating out plus you lose the living space to chill out. Generally I've had better ones in Europe. Is you want certainty and some comeback/great customer service you can't beat Premier Inn. We go for Airbnb for groups where it's nice to cook and not be in separate hotel rooms.

AirBnB is really adversely affecting big cities, Edinburgh, Venice etc and New York stopped people renting properties via AirBnB years ago. Landlords see quick,high profits and locals who need long term accommodation miss out. It also affects small accommodation providers, I.e guest houses, b&b, small hotels etc who have to abide by health and safety and environmental health legislation

Yes, Edinburgh is taking a massive hit. So many residents have left the Old Town because it's virtually uninhabitable for ordinary residents. I take the bus up and down Leith Walk regularly and key safes are popping up like ticks. It is a bane on the life of the city which is very heavily flatted where endless anonymous comings and goings are hellish. Think long and hard about what your cheap few days in a flat means for those of us living there.

I’ve only used Air bnb in the US but I only Booked super hosts, and read the reviews v carefully. I know people who’ve come a cropper w cancellations or rubbishy properties though, which is terrible.
Also used booking.com for Dublin which also worked well - same principle, different platform.