A woman travels to an Airbnb she reserved and finds a series of security issues, which leaves her stranded in her vehicle arguing with customer support until past 4 a.m. Here’s a breakdown of what happened.
TikTok creator Ashley (@abravesfan27) posted a video about her situation on Oct. 30. In the video, she is sitting inside her vehicle on the phone with Airbnb. “I would’ve never driven this far, if it wasn’t for the Air Cover Guarantee,” she says. “So you’re telling me that on top of over $3,000 and this house being … the locks not working, the water shut off. You want me to pay more money to Airbnb during the same time frame to book another Airbnb?”
The person on the other end of the call says, “We understand your concern on this one.” Ashley explains that it’s now 4:30 a.m. in the morning, it’s cold outside, and she can’t stay in the Airbnb because it doesn’t have functioning locks. She appears to be requesting Airbnb provide alternate accommodations, but the agent says he isn’t able to provide direct support at the moment.
“I didn’t mishear that, it’s the truth,” Ashley says. “This isn’t like a dystopian nightmare, this is true. You’re just going to send me a link to spend more money on Airbnb? That’s the best you all do? Even though this is all covered under the ‘Air Travel Guarantee’? Why is this situation not covered?”
The customer service agent replies, “We will be helping you find a place you can stay while we are fixing the concern that you have with the original reservation that you had. You need to book this one on your end. We don’t have the option to book this here on our end.”
Ashley asks, “You don’t have the option or you’re not willing to? Because it says it’s covered under the air travel thing.”
The agent says, “I want to help you, however, this is a limitation here on our end.” Ashley asks, “What type of limitation?” The video cuts out as the man is about to respond.
In the caption, Ashley writes, “I tried one time to use Airbnb and never again. Over $3K and the locks didn’t work, the water was shut off, and there were trees blocking the driveway. Their support offered zero assistance. Uhh no. Hotel me until forever.”
Ashley is referring to Airbnb’s AirCover protection service, which helps customers in the case of serious safety issues with the reserved property. According to this help article, Airbnb will assist customers in this situation in finding a similar listing “at comparable pricing.”
Additionally, the company says it will offer full or partial refunds in the event that there isn’t a similarly priced listing available.The policy is underwritten by Generali travel insurance and generally covers host cancellations before check-in, serious security issues, and false advertisement. This shouldn’t be confused with Airbnb’s travel insurance, which covers general travel-related occurrences.
Airbnb says that it “may” pay for or contribute to the cost of a new reservation, but it also offers travel credits in some cases. The rebooking assistance may vary based on the specifics issue reported and documentation.
In a follow-up video, Ashley shows viewers a screenshot from a conversation with Airbnb support during which the agent tells her the documentation she provided doesn’t include enough details to prove her check-in time or when she notified the host. That’s likely why Airbnb isn’t providing her credit.
In the comments section, viewers unloaded on the state of Airbnb. Many said they don’t recognize the platform they once knew.
“Airbnb has 100% lost the plot,” wrote one person.
“Airbnb is horrible,” said a second person. “Horrible.”
“Airbnb did the same thing to me and I never booked with them again,” wrote a third viewer.
All Hip Hop contacted Ashley and AirBnB via email for comment.
@abravesfan27 I tried ONE time to use @airbnb NEVER again. Over 3k and the locks didn’t work, the water was shut off, there were trees blocking the driveway. Their support offered ZERO assistance. In THIS economy? Uhh no. Hotel me until forever #airbnbscams #scam #airbnbhost ♬ original sound – |Ashley|
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