A Windsor woman plans to sue Airbnb for more than $ 7,500 after discovering several issues with an apartment she booked in Dubai for the March vacation.
Rama Almasri, 23, booked an apartment in Dubai for the week of March 8 for $ 1,534.10, which included a fee for Airbnb and a cleaning fee.
She was traveling with her parents, three brothers and two sisters. She had to postpone their arrival until March 10 due to an illness in the family, but when they arrived at 9:30 am on the evening of the 10th, she says they immediately smelled a chemical pesticide.
“[The host] told us not to cook in the apartment because there were cockroaches, ”Almasri said.
Upon further investigation, Almasri found what she said was cockroach droppings in cupboards, dead cockroaches, two water faucets that were not working and a shattered railing glass on the balcony.
“The fridge was really, really disgusting. There was some leftover food in there. The fridge was sticky and sticky. [the host] also announced [the rental] because there was a beach but there was a flat construction area. There was no beach to see, ”Almasri said.
Almasri and his family moved as soon as the sun rose at 4 a.m. the next day. She said they tried to get a refund from the host but said he refused.
They ended up staying in a suite in a hotel that cost them about $ 6,000.
Almasri said after complaining to the Dubai tourism office, she found out that the host did not comply with local laws and was not allowed to put the apartment on the tourist list. .
Almasri complained via email to Airbnb, but she was told that she had not informed them within 24 hours of arrival, so she was not entitled to a refund.
“If a traveler experiences a travel issue that prevents them from making a trip, they must notify Airbnb within 24 hours of the recorded check-in date, although we will take into account extenuating circumstances. In rare cases where a traveler has a problem, we’re working to make things right and in this case we’ve offered the guest a refund for two nights of their stay, ”said Lindsey Scully, communications manager for Airbnb Canada, adding that Almasri had taken three days to complain.
This was based on the initial check-in date of March 8, but Almasri chatted online through the Airbnb site confirming with the host that they would be late and in subsequent correspondence with an Airbnb customer service representative, he said. confirmed seeing the thread. Almasri maintains that this constitutes confirmation with Airbnb that the registration date has been changed.
Almasri called and corresponded with Airbnb customer service on several occasions to no avail.
“There does not appear to be a clear line of cleanliness issues or that he was misclassified,” wrote a woman who identifies as Evelyn, senior case manager at Airbnb in an April 1 correspondence with Almasri.
“I recognize this trip was not what you expected, and due to this expectation you believe a full refund is appropriate. We will stand by the final ruling on this matter and we will disengage,” said Evelyn.
Evelyn then offers a courtesy refund of two nights and a cleaning fee, but Almasri declined and is now asking for a refund of all the money she and her family paid for the trip.
“It was just a bad situation to be in,” Almasri said.
Airbnb’s refund policy
According to the policy provided to CBC News by Airbnb, there are a number of conditions that must be met to submit a claim for a travel issue.
- You must be the guest who booked the accommodation
- You must bring the matter to Airbnb’s attention in writing or by phone and provide us with information (including photographs or other evidence) about the accommodation and the circumstances of the travel problem within 24 hours of the trip. later than the following dates: (i) the start of your booking or (ii) you discover the existence of the travel problem and must respond to any request from us for additional information or cooperation on the travel problem;
- You must not have directly or indirectly caused the problem of the trip (by your action, omission or negligence); and
- Unless Airbnb advises you that the travel issue cannot be resolved, you must have made reasonable efforts to attempt to remedy the circumstances of the travel issue with the host before making a claim for a travel issue. .
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