Cheryl M.

I am currently a host with Air BnB. I have been since the year prior. I received what is known as an "Instant booking from a traveler named Jack Instant booking allowed him to book my home without communicating with me and Air Bnb gets a fast booking. I called Air BnB immediately because when I messaged this man, he told me he was proposing to his wife to be at my home and was having a BBQ with extra guests at my home. I was not comfortable with this. The Air BnB representative told me that I could only cancel an instant booking once. Since I was worried about the consequences of needing to cancel again (my rental season is only 8 weeks in duration) I elected to speak with this guest to insure that we were on the same page regarding the House Rule posted on my listing. Instant booking allows a guest to instantly book your property and as such, an owner must expect without speaking to the guest, that he/she will abide by all the house rules. This guest "Jack" did not. I had over 50 cigarette butts left all over my yard, lit butts stuck between the decking slats causing small burns to my deck wood, beer tops in the pool, silk flower petals left in the pool which clogged the bottom drain, candles melted in the pool and submerged and clouded my pool which took two weeks to clear and over $50 of chlorine and hours of hand skimming, there was an amount of garbage as though there were 20 guests, filthy amounts of trash all over the lawn and around pool area, my home smelled of cigarette smoke and was extraordinarily filthy...
Each time I call Air BnB I get someone from India who tells me they case is marked Urgent and it will be dealt with properly.
I was coerced by Air BnB to accept this instant booking because I was told that I could only cancel one reservation and my vacation rental period is only 8 weeks long.- additionally, I was told, in writing, that if I cancelled instant booking that my rental property would be placed at a lower viewing position that other homes because Instant Booking on your account raises your home to a higher viewing position. I attempted to message with this guest and thought we were on the same page insofar as the House Rules. We were not, my home was destroyed by this guest and his band of cigarette smoking animals. Because I was requesting payment from the guest myself (wherein he admitted to the damages and violating the house rules-in writing) when I called an Air BnB representative and advised them of the damage, I told them I was dealing directly with the guest and it appeared that he was going to pay for the damages and extra cleaning necessary, I was never advised on TWO separate calls to Air BnB that I had no recourse after 14 days. It appears as though the guest knew this. I actually advised Air BnB that I had damages within three hours of the guests departure and I further advised that I was asking the guest for payment. The Air BnB representative were sent a copy of all written communication from the guest wherein he admitted to the damages and all other problems and agreed to pay.
Air BnB is not a USA based Company. They do NOT give a crap about your home. They simply want to make money and leave you hanging when there is damage. All I receive from my calls is a representative from India, 'glad-handing' me and telling me that my case is re-opened, marked as "Urgent" and I should not worry. Believe me folks... WORRY! Air BnB does not give a crap about you or your property their only concern is: about making money!