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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:
WorriedWishingWell · 28/08/2021 14:55

Your lawyer relative will be delighted to be giving legal advice off the hoof while relaxing and enjoying a family wedding GrinGrin

Marni83 · 28/08/2021 16:51

If I was the op or in fact any member of the family impacted by this

I’d put my phone away and not mention this to anyone

It’s a wedding

Why marr it with this kind of discussion

mrsbitaly · 28/08/2021 16:51

Absolutely awful but just to play devil's advocate are you sure it wasn't her family coming to stay?

midsomermurderess · 28/08/2021 17:44

mrsbitaly, the OP has spoken to the current occupants. They aren't family. If you click on *See all', a blue clickable link that appears beneath an op's posts, you can see where things have got up to, what a poster has come back to say. It's very useful.

Newnameday · 28/08/2021 20:20

@midsomermurderess

mrsbitaly, the OP has spoken to the current occupants. They aren't family. If you click on *See all', a blue clickable link that appears beneath an op's posts, you can see where things have got up to, what a poster has come back to say. It's very useful.
😍

Most frustrating

whynotwhatknot · 28/08/2021 21:18

Hope the wedding went well

i would still report to airbnb they were obviousl after more money

notanothertakeaway · 28/08/2021 21:25

@mygenericusername

Because rocking up and saying “oi Simone, I was supposed to be renting this place this week. How much you payin?” Isn’t exactly going to get the gazumpers to tell the truth is it!
If I stayed in a holiday house and bumped guests turned up to ask, I'd be happy to tell them how I booked and the cost. And I would mention it in my review. I wouldn't feel any loyalty to the owner
Original poster
Finknottlesnewt · 28/08/2021 23:23

Hi everyone. Thank you for the kind wishes. Wedding has been fabulous. Weather stayed perfect and everything just went as planned.

If it helps WorriedWishingWell the lawyer relative is my son so I don't feel too bad asking him about it. However there was no appropriate time to do so - because it was a wedding and not the place for any negative thoughts or plans of revenge. Even affected sister and family managed to put it to one side for the day... however, tomorrow is another day and I am meeting DS for breakfast and will see how the land lies. He now knows what has happened and said in v lawyerish way - let's look at Auntie x 'options' tomorrow.
We will see...

OP posts:
Poppyhopscotch · 28/08/2021 23:56

Nice OP!! Can't wait for the update after hearing what DS says

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 29/08/2021 13:46

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'm not saying they were complicit or even knew anything about it, but I can't imagine many people cancel their holidays like that at the last minute - especially with the worldwide situation this year; so it must have been highly, highly unlikely that the specific place they asked about just happened to have been cancelled - particularly as they realised they were paying over the odds for it.

I'd think most people would put two and two together. Again, not saying they necessarily had any idea of how it came about, but it's quite a bitter situation that they 'need' this holiday, but the people who had already booked it a long time ago don't 'need' a break and can just do without.

Not really the same thing - and I realise they've (presumably) chosen to take the job - but I always think the same when the press go crazy about the royals enjoying their special Christmas, making the most of spending this wondrous, magical time together like millions of other families up and down the country, heartbreak if one of them can't make it there for whatever reason; when it's all facilitated by a load of 'ordinary' folk who've probably also got families and would like to spend Christmas with them too, but they apparently don't matter, as they aren't special.

Iwantcauliflowercheese · 29/08/2021 14:42

Looking forward to your update OP. This has really put me off ever booking an Airbnb.

ClareBlue · 29/08/2021 14:45

If you cancel as a host you can not have the dates rebooked. Plus AirBnB will leave a public post on the site they canceled. If it is rebooked through another site they will be thrown off AirBnB. This happens quite frequently and AirBnB have no sympathy for hosts doing this at all. The terms of contract with them can mean they can sue hosts for this, and they do.
Report it to AirBnB, get your money back from them and let them take action. They won't ignore this.

VickyEadieofThigh · 29/08/2021 14:52

Happened to us 4 years ago when we'd booked via Booking.com for a 2 night stay in Kent (we live in t'North) to attend a wedding.

A week before - and the day after my mother's death - I got an email from Booking.com telling me the host had 'cancelled' for unspecified reasons. Blunt message, refund given, as far as they were concerned, end of story.

We ended up having to pay twice as much to stay in a hotel but (cough) made enquiries to find out if our original rental had been re-let for more money. It had.

Marni83 · 29/08/2021 15:33

@ClareBlue

If you cancel as a host you can not have the dates rebooked. Plus AirBnB will leave a public post on the site they canceled. If it is rebooked through another site they will be thrown off AirBnB. This happens quite frequently and AirBnB have no sympathy for hosts doing this at all. The terms of contract with them can mean they can sue hosts for this, and they do. Report it to AirBnB, get your money back from them and let them take action. They won't ignore this.
Have you read the thread It was a “friend of a friend” Not put on another site Unless Airbnb actively starts questioning the current guests, then nothing can be done
hibbledibble · 29/08/2021 15:40

This is a risk with booking with Airbnb unfortunately. Hosts may cancel for legitimate reasons eg a flood, but also for other reasons.

A hotel provides better security with booking.

ClareBlue · 29/08/2021 15:57

Not quite as straight forward as that. If it was booked through another site they can and do check. We are hosts and the contract you sign is very clear. If the cancelation was done to gain a financial benefit then they do chase it.

Marni83 · 29/08/2021 16:10

Yes
That’s what I’m saying
It wasn’t booked through another site
It was a friend of a friend

ProfessionalWeirdo · 29/08/2021 17:19

@VickyEadieofThigh

Happened to us 4 years ago when we'd booked via Booking.com for a 2 night stay in Kent (we live in t'North) to attend a wedding.

A week before - and the day after my mother's death - I got an email from Booking.com telling me the host had 'cancelled' for unspecified reasons. Blunt message, refund given, as far as they were concerned, end of story.

We ended up having to pay twice as much to stay in a hotel but (cough) made enquiries to find out if our original rental had been re-let for more money. It had.

May I ask how you found out?
newnortherner111 · 29/08/2021 17:34

OP ask your son whether it could be considered a criminal offence of obtaining money by deception. So a private prosecution assuming the police would not be interested.

midsomermurderess · 29/08/2021 17:48

No one takes a private prosecution nowadays. Certainly in the part of the UK I live in, you need to apply to he court for permission and to show exceptional circumstances, I doubt England is any different. The amount of nonsense you read on here is incredible. First you need to seek redress through airbnb, not indulge in revenge fantasies.

Marni83 · 29/08/2021 17:50

@midsomermurderess

No one takes a private prosecution nowadays. Certainly in the part of the UK I live in, you need to apply to he court for permission and to show exceptional circumstances, I doubt England is any different. The amount of nonsense you read on here is incredible. First you need to seek redress through airbnb, not indulge in revenge fantasies.
Agree I went to respond to that post And then thought… what’s the point?!
MyOtherProfile · 29/08/2021 17:55

This really does need to go through air BnB. And the newsagents shop!

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 29/08/2021 18:19

I had it happen to me once when I was on the flight over, got off the plane to find out AirBnb had been cancelled. It cost us a fortune as we then had to find a hotel and we never got a reply from AirBnB or the host

ssd · 29/08/2021 18:53

Am glad your ds is on the case @Finknottlesnewt

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 29/08/2021 21:33

This really does need to go through air BnB. And the newsagents shop!

I completely agree - however, so many people in small/close-knit communities are anti AirBnB and tourists in general (even though this was family visiting a local to attend a local wedding), you might find they unswervingly side with the owner and take the attitude that, if you're going to allow tourists in, you might as well take them for the maximum amount you possibly can.