Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That this Airbnb host deserves a terrible review

196 replies

Finknottlesnewt · 27/08/2021 17:09

My sister is travelling to my home town for my other sisters' daughters (our niece) wedding . The date has been long known . 6 months ago she booked a cottage nearby for her husband and three children. Paid a large deposit and the balance taken last week. (By Airbnb - it seems the host doesn't get the money until after the first night).
They are going to make a week of it - so a 6 night booking.
Last night - at 10:30 the host sent a message to say that she would have to cancel the booking as she had hurt her arm and couldn't clean the property between guests.
My sister is distraught. Cannot get anywhere else to stay. (We are in a popular holiday area and it's a BH weekend. ) The prices are also 3x what my sister paid - and she paid over £1k for 6 days ! the amount stated at the time of booking.
Obviously we are not going to let my sister and family miss the wedding so will literally put them up on any floor space we can find between my home and my other sister but we all already have other family staying so will be a very tight squeeze.

No my question. Whilst driving to my sisters to drop off some stuff for the wedding I passed the cottage my sister had booked. Only to see a car parked in the drive with a roof box on top and a man and woman obviously unloading suitcases ...

It is also obvious what has happened. The host got a 'better offer' and dumped my sisters booking in favour of this one. With less than 12 hours notice. . and didn't have a single moral issue with screwing up someone else's long made holiday wedding plans for simple greed.

AIBU to say that my sister should write a review of this 'host' to warn others off.. as well as telling Airbnb what she has done. ?

OP posts:
maddening · 28/08/2021 08:20

@Newnameday

What is TP?

MaggieFS · 28/08/2021 08:20

Good detective work OP. I don't think your sister can write a review on AirBNB but she can certainly contact them. And she can write reviews everywhere else!

Newnameday · 28/08/2021 08:21

@maddening toilet paper - throwing it over the house, garden, trees.

Bonus if it rains overnight and it’s all soggy

Original poster
Finknottlesnewt · 28/08/2021 08:23

Newnameday I love your unhinged vendetta scheme. You are talking my language.. with one exception. What is TP ? I need to know this in order to execute your evil plan !

OP posts:
callmeadoctor · 28/08/2021 08:24

TP?

callmeadoctor · 28/08/2021 08:25

Ah toilet paper, never heard of that one Grin

Marni83 · 28/08/2021 08:26

Friend of a friend

It is possible that She really could not clean the property to a sufficient standard and risk a bad review. So instead to a friend of a friend and was able to explain that it wouldn’t be up to usual clean standard.

The reason i suggest this is because exactly my brother did exactly the same. His cleaner had Noro virus. So at last minute the property couldn’t be cleaned (he lives 100 miles away).
He was beside himself with guilt but had to cancel at last minute.
My best friend said she did not care about how clean and was desperate for a break. So she went and stayed with her family

Original poster
Finknottlesnewt · 28/08/2021 08:27

Ahhh Toilet Paper.. that really is unhinged.. I also think I might get spotted doing that as my days of ninja toilet-papering are probably over ... will have to stick to general bad mouthing around the village. It's a small place and all I really need to do is tell my story in the paper shop and the whole sorry saga will be heard far and wide in a couple of hours.

OP posts:
EastWestWhosBest · 28/08/2021 08:30

Certainly give them a bad review.
That’s so underhand.

Marni83 · 28/08/2021 08:31

But would any of those locals rent a air bnb anyway?

Those that visit my brothers are almost never local, ever.

LakieLady · 28/08/2021 08:32

Airbnb sounds like the bloody wild west. I've heard so many shocking stories that it's put me off ever using it.

Oldandcobwebbed · 28/08/2021 08:37

@Finknottlesnewt

I've had this happen when a venue lost their council licence. Make the host cancel the booking, don't cancel it yourselves. It then flags on the system that the changes are coming from the host end not guests.
Other wise theres nothing to flag it if it happens repeatedly and it looks like the guests just changed their minds

It puts you in a better stead for getting support from air bnb. We got a refund plus air bnb credit. I made my complaint to Airbnb that now the acomodation available is x amount more expensive and they gave me credit to make it up to the amount equivilant places were charging (although the difference was much less than yours!)

Obviously worth flagging to air bnb why yours was cancelled

Original poster
Finknottlesnewt · 28/08/2021 08:39

Marnie83
Not the case for this home. The people currently occupying specifically stated how very clean it was..

As for your brother doing the same - I do think it's tremendously bad show to do this to someone. If you have a holiday rental over 100 miles away from where you live - (which I do btw then you need to have a team of people you can rely on for all contingencies. ) I have 4 cleaners to call on. I have also got a cleaning Agency who will come out at short notice but twice as expensive as the individual cleaner. But I suck that up if there is no other choice. I don't cancel people's holidays for fear of a bad review. because it's a pathetic excuse. If for some unfathomable reason it can't be cleaned I would still offer the holiday for a discount and any poor review would be countered with a full explanation of what lead to the situation.

But it seems some people have a moral compass that needs adjustment.

OP posts:
GraceTheCat · 28/08/2021 08:51

AirBNB needs to know all of this. Complain and they will work to rectify it. The cottage owner should have a warning from them.

Marni83 · 28/08/2021 08:55

Oh it was not good op.
He refunded In full and then he offered it to them for 50% for the week he and his family had been meant to be staying there In peak summer. They went and left him the most amazing five star review!

So worked out in the end but was not good.

All I’m saying is - friend of a friend means it is not a definite that sinister!

Newnameday · 28/08/2021 08:55

Fair enough. I was also thinking shaving cream all over.

Maybe just sneak there every changeover day and smear shaving cream (or worse... 😷) under the door handle.

People will soon talk. They'll probably get cctv although I wouldn't want to stay somewhere that the owner was watching me every time I came or went!

fabulouslyglamorousferret · 28/08/2021 09:31

Where is the bloody Daily Mail when we need them - if your sister can't review the cottage on air b&b we could do with them (the Fail) offering a little publicity! Hell op, you could even provide them with a photo of the cottage 😉

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/08/2021 09:42

I am absolutely furious on your behalf OP. The Airbnb host has behaved despicably. I think it is a good idea to try and get some advice the host should not get away with this.

Also, I wonder if the people in there now are aware that another family had their holiday and plans cancelled at the last minute or were they told the cottage had just become available.

I don't know anything about Airbnb but surely if Airbnb knows this has happened the host should get banned?

This definitely needs pursuing, the host should not get away with this type of behaviour.

Hope you all have a lovely wedding.

WestendVBroadway · 28/08/2021 09:44

Your sister may be unable to leave a review if she didn't actually stay there. However she should be able to contact the 'host' and let her know that she is aware of the real situation, and explain that she will be contacting Air B&B and making a formal complaint about her underhand tactics.

lottiegarbanzo · 28/08/2021 09:50

We've stayed in a couple of Air B&Bs this summer, that we booked back in February. Expensive enough but not the silly money that's been talked about during the summer. I discussed the possibility of being gazumped for a better offer and friend who knows more about Air B&B said no, the owners wouldn't risk the bad feedback.

So I'm not sure if that means bad review (whether you can leave one if you didn't stay), or bad feedback to Air B&B itself.

SardineJam · 28/08/2021 10:15

Has your sister contacted Airbnb to report this?

Flyingantday · 28/08/2021 10:28

Placemarking

crosstalk · 28/08/2021 11:07

Enjoy the wedding OP - you'll not be lost for a topic of conversation.

ProfessionalWeirdo · 28/08/2021 12:42

Slightly off-topic, but a few years ago DS1 had a short citybreak with a couple of friends, staying in an AirBnB apartment. They came back one evening to find that the place had been burgled - but with no evidence of forced entry. It turned out that some previous occupants of the apartment had copied the key.

I’ve always been suspicious of AirBnB ever since. The OP’s story reinforces my reluctance to use them.

Original poster
Finknottlesnewt · 28/08/2021 12:46

Thanks everyone. We are heading to the wedding now.. so will let you know what lawyer relative thinks when I'm back .

OP posts: