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Airbnb's reputation is significantly marred by persistent complaints regarding its customer service and the quality of listings. Customers frequently express frustration over inadequate support, particularly in resolving issues related to cleanliness and safety at properties. Many report feeling unsafe or misled by inaccurate listings, leading to financial losses and dissatisfaction. Conversely, some users have had positive experiences with Airbnb Luxe, highlighting exceptional service and quality accommodations. Overall, while there are isolated instances of satisfaction, the overarching sentiment reflects a concerning trend of unreliable service and a lack of accountability towards both guests and hosts.
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The worst company ever. Even though I cancelled my booking 3 weeks before the checkin because of my visa issue, they didn't refunded me more than $500. Also, for those days, the host found new guests. They made money by doing nothing.
I had a problem with a host who was unresponsive, not answering messages. Finally, he responded the day before the booking. He was completely disorganized; he wasn't going to be at home the day I was arriving. He said he would talk to his friends and try to get someone else to be there. I complained about this to Airbnb. It took hours and hours to get through to them, and they generally unhelpful. But finally I spoke to a case manager, telling that I wanted to cancel. She talked to the host and then phoned me to say that he had agreed to the cancellation and she promised me a full refund. I was so relieved, but this turned out to be just a lie. I received an email later saying that my request for cancellation had been denied. I only received a 20% refund. The people that work at Airbnb will say anything to you. They sound sincere, but they're not. You're just a jerk at the end of a phone line to them. You can't trust a word they say.
We just came from Europe trip and booked all reservation from Airbnb and had a issue with host in Belgium, notify the same day to Airbnb about the issue and they promised to refund me the reservation amount, but still not refunded calling many time and sending emails even updated chat messages but still not responding, called yesterday and talking over one hour they transferred to three different departments but still not resolved the problem.
Beware. They are masters at obfuscation. There customer service people are trained to deceive. They owe money and won't pay. If a listing is inaccurate let the buyer beware. This company sucks.
If you're taking the risk of listing your property on airbnb, PLEASE be very careful and always TAKE deposit from guests especially if they don't have good reviews or a large group.
I've been listing properties on airbnb since 2016. Earlier, they used to take good care of hosts but lately, their TRUST and SAFETY assurance is of no use. They want you to make police complains and harass you so much for paperwork that its impossible to get them to settle any claims if the guest doesn't respond.
I booked a room on Airbnb. It looked lovely and clean. I get there, the host decides on a 10pm curfew, demands that we wear slippers all the time. The place was dirty, small and in a trashy part of town. Then, 2 weeks later, the host posts a public horrible review of me, telling lies and outright defaming me.
Shameful Airbnb.
Dirty, mold, wobbly furniture, leaking water, nonfunctional toilet! Airbnb spoke to host and had her refund 400 out of the 2G I paid. Issues from day one, allergy and asthma attacks, falls from sitting on bad furniture. This is unacceptable! They never posted my review of the host! Never again, lesson learned!
I just discovered that a negative review I wrote about a recent guest was not showing up on the guest's profile when I logged out and accessed the guest reviews indirectly through another listing of mine. However, the negative rating and review from this guest were fully impacted my host profile. I am absolutely disgusted by this unfair and discriminatory practice by Airbnb.
Simply great for a consumer. I only had a positive experience with airbnb so far. I love the variety of homes and apartments for every budget.
In short, everything is very convenient. Three times I rented a house on the Canaries, through this service and all the times I was very pleased. It is much cheaper than staying in a hotel, and you can rent a really big house and choose any option that suits you. The only difficulty was in payment - I did not have PayPal - I had to register it.
I recently cancelled a Christmas stay in Kihei Hawaii due to family financial issues. I gave four months notice. I was only refunded half of my $1200 deposit due the hosts (Joe) strict cancellation police which is backed by Air bnb. Also the host had the time period we had rented within two days from the date of cancellation. I feel violated and ripped off. If you are silly enough to use this convoluted travel site be sure to find and read their cancellation policy's to avoid any disappointment and aggravations
First, communication with airbnb is a real nightmare. Direct email is best, but messages seem to be flying about in some ethernet and I have no confidence that all messages are being received, read, and responded to.
Second, I have multiple times stated the basis for my displeasure with the property and the way airbnb has handled things. Airbnb is misleading from the get go. The "Hosts" are not Stephan and Stephanie. The property is owned by someone else, and airbnb gives the impression that these two lovely individuals who love their property will be the hosts. Not true, and it is impossible to ever communicate with them.
Third, it is very misleading to include one little sentence in the listing that the property is "not ADA accessible", and leave out that the main living floor requires 20 steep stairs and then another 15 steep stairs to the third floor or that the room containing the pool table requires the guests to go up and down the 20 steep stairs and go outside and around the house to another room! It is also misleading to list the property for 12 guests but not inform the guests that they can't sit together for meals when the only eating tables provide 4 chairs and two of the tables are in a separate room! This doesn't provide for group (in our case, a family of 10) togetherness. It is also misleading to indicate two TVs but that there is only seating for 3-4 people for one of the TVs and the second TV is on the third level with no seating!
Fourth, this is a very old property that has been added to in a piece-meal fashion by non-professionals. For example, access to the third floor bedroom is through the kitchen and there is no bathroom on the third level. Also, light switches are placed in bizarre locations. The hot tub is outside under very large pine trees where they drop their "needles" onto and into the hot tub. It is weird at best.
Fifth, there is no way this property should rent out at $850 a night! At best, it should rent for no more than $250/night!
You cancelled on my 30 day stay with zero notice. The "help" I was given was a $200 credit and a link to other "options" that were nothing like what I had booked. If I had cancelled on you the day before my stay, I'm certain it would have been a lot more than $200 cost to me. That's unfair and you've broken trust with me.
Frankly, a terrible customer experience, and one I'm telling everyone I know about. If you'd like my business in the future - and that of customers like me - you need to fix how you handle cancellations. I don't want to hear "We didn't cancel on you - the host did." And I don't want the cop-out that Uber uses of "we're a technology company, not an accommodations provider." If you're trying to disrupt the hotel industry, guess what? That de facto makes you part of that industry. When Westin cancels on me - which they don't - they re-accommodate me (at their own expense), and fast.
I'm now a professional adult having to ask friends if I can use their spare guest rooms for longer than anyone would want a house guest. It's embarrassing and was entirely preventable.
I get it, there is strict cancellation guidelines to Airbnb's. However, if you cancel and give them over a months notice due to family illness, I would think that they could give you a full refund. However, that is not the case after my experience. The problem is they refused to even talk with me about it and told me it was against guidelines. I could not even get the host "Gary" to get me a "full"refund as he pointed the finger at them. I will never purchase from them again and hope people take in consideration of how much sticklers they truly are. This was to Vegas at the Wyndam and I should have really known.
This is where it was at and the host Gary:
Sep 6-8 ยท 2 BR Lockoff Wyndham Grand Desert Las Vegas
Gary
Clearwater, Florida, United States
On Airbnb since 2016
You should receive this money in your account for this reservation within 5-7 business days.
AIrbnb customer service is Horrible Horrible Horrific! They don't give a damn about Hosts property. You are taking all the risk. If you have a problem with a guest you have to call and talk to a foreign call center then wait for a response. Whenever you call they are sending your call to India, Asia, South America, Africa. They don't give a damn about our country or what they are doing. They just want to take commission off your property and efforts. The insurance is a complete lie. They are backing it and it is up to their discretion whether they will reimburse you. They are lying about checking the guests background. All anyone needs is a generic email, gift card and they can gain access to your home. It is absolutely insane! We are risking 100,000 of dollars just to make a hundred or so. Now they don't require a photo and won't even show you the people who have photos for you to decide if you want to take the booking. They don't collect a security deposit like they say they do. Again it is them who is backing it. Their website is clunky and disorganized and unintuitive. On mobile they hide the details of the listing which caused even more confusion and problems. I regret ever getting involved with Airbnb!
Apartment hosted by Julia at ul. Warszawska 5A, Modlin, Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Poland does not allow guests to:
1. Sleep with open bedroom doors
2. To stink with alcohol (as per exact words of the owners)
3. To make any sounds by voice (even with medical condition)
4. To walk around apartment (contrary to their welcoming message)
5. To wake up when you wish to wake up.
6. To check in "late" (after 9 PM)
7. To check out after 10 AM (respected but unusually early).
Otherwise you will be disturbed and approached by the owner with dog who will let her dog "kiss" you early in the morning in order to wake you up and ask you to leave andf she will cancel any other nights at her apartment you may have booked.
Airbnb does not protect the homeowner. It appears they are main focus is just to rent for either side, and if there is a problem, they do not follow through. They also do not collect a deposit, so you're really gambling when allowing people to stay without a deposit collected up front. I had 2 guests cause damage in my home. The first one we were able to get a a little compensation, but the second nothing. Airbnb blamed it on me saying I did not submit appropriate documentation in time which is completely false. I did exactly what the Airbnb representative told me to do the day the incident happened. I will be canceling my account with them because my investment is too important to take a risk by allowing Airbnb to book my home, collect their fees and hope for the best.
Be aware that Airbnb has not safety policy in place to protect renters form scam and fraud. Airbnb doesn't inspect the property, and does not verify that the hosts have no criminal records!
I booked a staying in New Brunswick in Nj, and at my arrival the situation was tragic, nothing like shown on pictures, not a living room with shared space it was more a junk room with a bed in a corner, No Ac there were over 100F in the house, the kitchen was dirty, floor and furniture were dirty and gross, mice, and very unwelcoming place. I got sick for the heat, and Airbnb is telling me that without a picture will not be able to do anything. The area was highly unsafe, and hots started to extort me for money, This wasn't only an unhealthy situation it was unsafe. I was granted only $150n coupon for the inconvenience, but nothing has been done for a safety issue with this listing. I'm highly disappointed because I often travel alone and I felt completely abused.
I made a "reservation" only to find out it was pending a response from the owner. I arrived to the location, but no confirmation= nowhere to stay. I tried to get a hotel in the meantime with no luck. And I can't cancel my ABnB reservation for fear of losing $500 for cancelling! This is terrible!
Tried multiple attempts to book multiple properties without success. Each time it would indicate open availability for the dates we wanted, then upon checkout would state the property was not available. The website and mobile app are confusing, frustrating, and poorly done. Tried to call customer service, no luck there either. We finally gave up and booked with another company.
Answer: AirBnB is the worst. You might be able to go to the resolution centre, but previous posts are correct. Watch your money with them. Once they make an error it's hard to get it back. You may have to go through the credit card you charged it to and even then the dispute process might take awhile. Hopefully, you have other money to use in the mean time or the date of your trip is at least weeks out? They are asking you to "verify your ID" so they can gain access to your linked in, Facebook and google contacts. They say it's a security measure to protect you and everyone else but it's not. They are pirating your info. They take your contacts and use it as a marketing tool for themselves or sell the contacts to other distributors. It's very common with sites like this now. If you want to continue using AirBnB you have no choice unfortunately.
Answer: Being a host, I can say that when things are going good, all is great, but if something goes wrong, as a host, you will not get the support from Airbnb that is promised. They do not stand behind their hosts, I find they like to a facade that all is great in the land of Airbnb. I have cancelled my listing and will not deal with them anymore in the future.
Answer: As a host & licensed realtor with multiple properties in both Los Angeles & Las Vegas which I book directly and also have listed with multiple vacation rental agencies, SAVE YOURSELF TIME, MONEY & AGGRAVATION by booking either DIRECTLY with the host or through other REPUTABLE Agencies, such as Roomorama.
Answer: I haven't been a host, but would certainly recommend that you read ALL the reviews here before getting involved with Airbnb. I can't think of ANY business of ANY type I would patronize that got a 1.5 star rating after 382 reviews.
Answer: They offered $25 discount of next booking I just chose to go else where
Answer: You don't. The only thing that you can be sure of is that if you have a problem Airbnb will be unreachable. They hide from dissatisfied customers and hosts alike. You are taking big chances when you deal with them. The benefits just aren't worth the risks.
Answer: No, you would be lucky and have to fight to get a refund if you cancel 1 day after you make the reservation!
Answer: Hello, First, the credit card co. Needs to be notified and will refund the amount spent. In turn, the cc co. Will backcharge. Airbnb is notorious for these types transactions and should be shutdown. Your son has learned a business lesson... research a business prior to do business!
Answer: This is the root of my problem with AIRBNB. They do not check to see if a host can legitimately rent the place they are advertising. In my experience, the host cancelled 48 hours before, claimed she was going to be evicted if she rented to me. I was only 3000 miles from home. AIRBNB offered me a 10% discount to rebook another place. I did not and will not use them again.
Answer: Susan's answer is very thorough and I agree with her. Even more important when booking places outside your country of origin to ensure you don't get a flea pit. Also, always look at the reviews, they are very important. If there is a really bad review, don't stay there. You need to check the locations online as well. You don't want to be in a bad, dangerous area... this just happened to someone staying in Philadelphia. If you have a problem, the AirBnB website is useless. Google the AirBnB customer service number from your location. Renee