Airbnb customer is disgusted after paying £2,750 to stay for seven nights in ‘shabby and dirty’ apartment
A tourist visiting her daughter in Edinburgh has been left disgusted after she was charged £2,750 to stay for seven nights in a ‘shabby and dirty’ Airbnb which was advertised as a ‘beautiful’ large apartment.
Upon arrival at the downtown apartment, the guest said she was shocked to find urine around the toilet, black dirt and dust in every room and even mold on the fridge.
The mother and daughter paid £2,745.19 for the week of August 20-27 and have now received a £750 and £150 voucher from Airbnb.
While visiting the capital for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, they said it would have been impossible to find new accommodation on such short notice, so they decided to spend the week in the dingy flat.
Mother and daughter said they discovered mold on the fridge
The furious mum said she wondered if the property had ever been used as a student sublet because it was so filthy.
She decided to file a complaint on her way home to avoid confrontation with the host.
But, she later found out that the landlord simply dismissed the complaint she sent him.
The visitor escalated her complaint through the company but was unable to get a refund or even leave a review as it was over 72 hours after the stay.
Eventually a token of £750 was donated as a goodwill gesture and she received a partial refund, but the woman said AirBnb should go further and remove the listing.
The apartment, which is managed by a ‘Superhost’ and has received high ratings from previous guests, is still visible on the site. All dates for the next two years are blocked.
Visitors reported finding black dirt and dust in every room
The disgruntled guest, who wanted to remain anonymous, said EdinburghLive: ‘When I found out how shabby and dirty the apartment was, I decided to file a complaint on my way home.
“It wasn’t just a quick tidy up that was needed, it needed a thorough cleaning and more to call it a ‘great apartment’.
“I was there with my daughter, for the Fringe, and I couldn’t have found any other accommodation, so because we would be spending a lot of our time away from the apartment, and we could eat outside, and we would just use the apartment for sleeping, we decided to put up with it.
‘We are wondering if this is a sublet student apartment. The photographs show how dirty and run down the apartment was.
The apartment was getting worse and worse as they examined each room.
The guest described the “black earth” in the property. “In the kitchen there were cupboards and drawers that had not been cleaned”
She explained: ‘When we arrived we found there was urine and a wipe in the toilet which didn’t bode well. Since it was the festival, we just dropped our bags and left and went straight to bed when we got back.
“The middle part of my bedroom shutter was missing so there was no blackout as advertised in the details and so I woke up early every day.
“On the second day we started noticing that the apartment was not clean and there were parts of the apartment that were in desperate need of repair. The living room door handle fell off as there were no screws to hold it in place.
“The bathroom door handle was held in place with tape, as if wired to the floor at the entrance to the bathroom.
“The exposed wood floor also looked very rough, maybe the tape covered some splintered wood as well.
“In the kitchen there were cupboards and drawers that had not been cleaned, a very dirty oven, chipped dishes and a fridge that had not seen a cleaning cloth on the outside and the dispenser of water was mouldy.”
“It wasn’t just a quick tidy up that was needed, it needed a thorough cleaning and more to call it a ‘great apartment,'” the woman said.
“In the living room, lifting any cushion revealed dust, debris and hair, possibly even pet hair.”
The tourists were completely in disbelief at the state of the house.
She continues: “In the bedrooms there was a broken wardrobe, again held together with tape, and more dust everywhere: under my bed there was an accumulation of lint and dust and someone’s comb. ‘a !
“There was dust and screws strewn around the window sills under the shutters. Around the edge of the fire, there was a stain from a cup.
“The bathroom was also in desperate need of cleaning: the toilet and sink bases were dirty and there was a disgusting toilet brush holder, we didn’t want to touch the brush.
“The trash can also needed disinfectant. When I closed the shutter, there were clumps of black dirt and dust on the edge.
“It was clear that the bathroom had been wiped down very quickly, but had not been cleaned properly for a very long time. The apartment was also shabby: it had not been decorated to a reasonable standard.
“Under my bed was an accumulation of lint and dust and someone’s comb!” said the Airbnb guest
Upon returning home, the mother sent a long letter to the host regarding the deplorable state of the apartment and was in disbelief when he ignored her.
She said: “I originally sent a long, detailed letter to the host and waited a few days for a response. He ignored it, so I contacted Airbnb.
“Through phone calls and messages it became clear that as I did not complain within 72 hours of arriving I had no right to support my complaint. I did not know; it wasn’t in any of the emails I received, but of course it’s in Airbnb’s terms and conditions when looking for how to complain. Who watches this when they go on vacation?
Tourists were in complete disbelief at the condition of the house, which had been listed as ‘stunning’ and had positive reviews
Finally, she explained, “However, I was informed that I could file a complaint through the resolution center. So I filled out the form, uploading all the photos and the letter I had sent to the host, not realizing until it was completed that this complaint and refund request was going again to the host and not to a referee as the name suggests.
“It had not been explained to me. The host simply refused the request. I think it was that easy for him because I had missed the 72 hour deadline.
“I asked Airbnb what their responsibility was in allowing this process to support hosts who rent properties in this state. I have nowhere. Eventually, after much hassling to speak with a supervisor, I received a message from someone claiming to be a supervisor.
The woman said the dishes in the Airbnb were chipped
“She reiterated that they cannot issue refunds without the support of the host.
The final message, before Airbnb was contacted by EdinburghLive, read: “We have already made a report and our team of specialists will investigate further.
“Once we confirm that the host is violating our hosting standard, we will remove the listing.”
An Airbnb spokesperson said: ‘We were disappointed to learn of this experience and have contacted the guest to provide a partial refund – worth £750 – and a voucher as a gesture of goodwill .
They added: “All of our customers are protected by AirCover free of charge on every booking and in the rare event that something does not go as planned, we will assist you immediately when contacted within 72 hours of check-in.”
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