Airbnb - refund experience?

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jpoc

1043 posts

Uber Geek

#223914 24-Oct-2017 12:24

Does anyone have any experience of getting a refund out of airbnb for a booking that goes bad?

I booked 2 nights in Hamilton. On arrival the place looked OK but then when I went to bed, I discovered that the mattress had a hollow in the middle and as I rolled over in my sleep my lower back slumped down and I was woken by a bad pain.

I then tried to sleep on the edge of the mattress but soon found another problem. There was a feather filled mattress topper, the cover of which was pretty well threadbare so that the feathers were coming out - sharp broken quill end first.

It being around around two in the morning, there was little for it but to drop the pillows on the floor and try to sleep on the carpet.

Just had to spend some time rounding up the cockroaches first.

I returned the key the next morning and left saying that I would not be back for the second night.

Do I have any chance of getting some sort of refund for that?

Dratsab

3946 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1888488 24-Oct-2017 12:35

What does it say in the T&C's about substandard accommodation or accommodation that isn't as advertised?

alasta

6701 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1888492 24-Oct-2017 12:37

This raises a really interesting question regarding peer-to-peer service like this : Is your contract of supply with AirBnB, or with the owner of the accommodation site?

I would love to know the answer to that.

trig42

5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1888526 24-Oct-2017 13:07

I think it is with AirBnB - not sure though.

Like Uber, I would hope that AirBnB would sort you out, then go after the owner themselves. You do pay AirBnB, so in theory, your contract is with them, and the CGA should apply (they have a presence here in NZ).

Wheelbarrow01

1723 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Chorus

#1888529 24-Oct-2017 13:12

Absolutely contact AirBNB to discuss the situation as your contract was with them.

stinger

628 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1888532 24-Oct-2017 13:14

jpoc:

Does anyone have any experience of getting a refund out of airbnb for a booking that goes bad?

As a guest, I received a full refund for one stay when the listed facilities were not available (the worst one was no blanket on the second bed and it was 6° overnight), but there was no washing machine, no soap and only half a roll of loo paper). Before trying for a refund, did you communicate with the host via the AirBNB platform with your concerns and give them a chance to remedy it? And secondly do you have photos of the problem? If you said yes to both, you should have a pretty good chance of getting a full refund.

As a host, I haven't had a guest that has requested a refund ... yet :)

stinger

628 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1888542 24-Oct-2017 13:31

Wheelbarrow01:

Absolutely contact AirBNB to discuss the situation as your contract was with them.

This is 100% correct. Using AirBNB allows the guest to have "a limited license granted to you by the Host to enter, occupy and use the Accommodation for the duration of your stay..."

BTW. The guest refund policy is stated at https://www.airbnb.co.nz/terms/guest_refund_policy