Ron B.

This is such an interesting thread and I wonder if my situation is unique.
The only thing I can review is the pre-booking and Contact host system which, for me, proved very frustrating.

Recently I spent the better part of an afternoon going through the snakes and ladders registration process and after assistance from a very friendly, thorough Customer Service Rep. I was all set.

I then spent some time learning about the listing format, maps, pricing etc.

So being ready use Airbnb, I set out to find a nice suitable 4 day stay, at a specific location and time.

4 requests, 4 failures.
Request 1;
Immediate reply was a bait and switch as the host was really looking for a month long pet sitter and wanted to meet off airbnb.
Request 2;
No reply and within a few hours the site showed This listing is no longer available.
Request 3;
Quick reply but stated they were changing to longer bookings than the 3 day minimum stated, would be changing their calendar and were denying my request unless I wanted to book longer. More bait and switch? A week later the calendar still shows 3 day min.
Request 4;
Very similar to 3 above; a quick response, with apologies, for not keeping their calendar up to date. Said current guest would be staying longer than originally planned. This is July and I was looking for time in October. Strange.

Another disturbing element is the number of times guests have had bookings cancelled by hosts, sometimes only days before arrival, like alan0721 above. Imagine that chaos.

Complaining on the Airbnb Community Center will only hurt because it is run by hosts.

So, I will not give up yet but so far, I am not impressed.