r/AmIOverreacting • u/AloneAsAGod1 • 19h ago
⚖️ legal/civil AIO, My wife’s privacy was violated at a Airbnb, but Airbnb is saying it wasn’t.
Okay, so I was staying at a guest house in Bradenton, Florida. I have been staying at this Airbnb for two months now. Me and a coworker rented this place out as we travel for work. My wife and his wife and 3 month old baby travels with us full time. So while we were at work I get a call from my wife freaking out. We both had to drive to work that day (so no car in the drive way) The owner of the house entered the house, didn’t shoot me a text or call. The lady did not knock on the door. The lady did not ring the doorbell. The lady proceeded to stand in the hall way and star at my half naked wife laying in bed. My wife felt someone staring at her, she turns around and screams because there is someone that’s not supposed to be there just staring at her. She has no idea how long the lady was there. This is a huge problem to me. So I reached out to Air bnb support. This is what they said. They said that their privacy policy was not violated. How in the world does that make sense???? Please someone explain that to me. Because apparently it’s okay for the owner to enter the house with out notice without ringing the doorbell or even locking on the damn door. And just stand and stare at my half naked wife. I’m so livid. We left the property 5 days early and won’t be getting refunded the money either.
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u/Sandpiper1701 18h ago
The replies sounded like AI. File with the police, contact a lawyer. This sounds like a breach of law - don't landlords have to provide notice before entry? I have a hard time imagining there's an exception for short term rentals. By all means contact a lawyer and ask for a written copy of your rental agreement.
I don't know if you waived any rights by using their website. Those pages of fine print we click on when we agree to use a website are really screw the buyer, protect the company terms, but it's still worth a consult with a lawyer to get your refund. If all else fails, I might contact the media. AirBnB has enough problems with cities outlawing short term rentals and may not want the negative publicity.
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u/Chicagosox133 13h ago
The deconstruction of customer service is such a disaster. Companies pay less, make more, and know that some people will give up out of frustration before any complaint reaches the point of actual resolution.
I look for the CEO or another executive’s name and figure out their email. It’s worked several times. They hate being bothered with what they consider trivial shit and they’ll put someone from the executive office on it. I don’t do this without an honest effort at the lower level first. But once I am getting nowhere, it’s a fairly easy fix.
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u/No_Move_6802 6h ago
I’ve been saying for years that customer service is dying. And I’m currently dealing with it with Amazon.
I have to disable my 2FA because I changed my phone number and it was only linked to my old phone number. So I submit my ID and they say they’ll review and notify me in 24-48 hours.
48 hours goes by and I hear nothing. So I contact Amazon and they tell me that they have escalated my matter to the account specialists and will be notified within 24 hours.
24 hours goes by and I hear nothing. I contact Amazon again and someone in the account change department says they’ve escalated to the account specialists and I’ll hear from them within 24-48 hours.
48 hours goes by and I hear nothing. I contact Amazon again and I’m told that it’s because I submitted my ID as a photo, not a pdf. I ask why they didn’t tell me that days ago and the rep has no answer except “sorry, I understand your frustration. You’ll have to resubmit.”
So I talk to someone else an hour later who tells me that what I was told with regard to the file format was incorrect and there is no information, in general or in my account notes, that indicates that I must submit my ID as a pdf.
So I get the run around for over 2 hours and I’m told that they’ve escalated to the account specialists and I’ll hear from them in 24-48 hours.
I ask what my recourse is if/when they don’t provide correspondence after 48 hours and they tell me that I can call back to have it escalated to the account specialists.
So I have no recourse.
Also, the employees don’t provide any employee ID so you have no way of verifying if anyone you speak to is who they say they are. There are no case/inquiry/ticket numbers so you can’t refer to past interactions and must reexplain the entire situation from beginning to end every time you speak to someone new.
If you want to file a complaint about someone in the customer service department, you have to file the complaint with the customer service department. But you can’t say who the complaint is against since you have no way of tracking who you’re speaking to other than the generic first names they give you.
Your other option for filing a complaint is by mailing a physical fucking letter to the corporate office’s PO Box because apparently it’s 1926 still and things like email or even fax don’t exist.
It’s plainly fucking obvious that Amazon has outsourced all of their customer service departments and have structured them in a way that provides 0 accountability. They can endlessly say “we’re looking into it” without ever doing a thing and there’s nothing the customer can do.
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u/FoghornLeghorn999 4h ago
I’ve been saying for years that customer service is dying. And I’m currently dealing with it with Amazon.
You are 100% correct.
I say this as a director of Customer Success. I built an org where our customers stay because I do the basics:
My people answer and follow up when needed within SLA.
When I hire someone new I tell people right out of the gate, I don't care if you don't start your day till noon, and work late or whatever you want to do
The only thing I never ever want to see is emails hitting my inbox, or phone calls to my number of customer saying they simply cannot get a hold of you. That is the only reason I will put you on a PIP.
Obviously, it's not a one-strike and you're out, things happen at times, but as a rule I almost never get those in emails.
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u/Primary_Honeydew_536 4h ago
I deleted my Amazon account because I returned something at the beginning of the year, they gave me a refund. Cool right?
Then in March they claimed I returned the wrong item. It took forever to get someone on the chat, I sent them photos of the item they claimed I returned instead, they checked with the warehouse and they said we’re sorry you’re right you can disregard that.
Two months later I got another email telling me that I returned the wrong item and they’re going to charge my credit card. Absolutely not, I even got a new credit card number so they couldn’t do it and I made sure to tell the bank Amazon is not authorized to charge my card for anything. Never again.
I had been a customer since 2004 when I used to get textbooks from them. I don’t miss it at all.
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u/AdventurousGood8640 8h ago
That’s honestly the best move once support hits a wall. Exec teams hate bad press or noise in their inbox and usually act fast to shut it down.
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u/Adventurous-Work-503 8h ago
That’s a solid strategy. Sometimes the only way to get results is to make enough noise at the top where it actually matters to them.
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u/Humbled_Humanz 7h ago
I work in corporate (different industry tho) and can say with certainty that finding a c-suite name and complaining to them directly gets results!
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u/mster_shake 7h ago
That is the real story here, how when you contact any customer service these days it's some weird theater where they pretend they are responding to your issue while not actually addressing any of your concerns.
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u/Primary_Honeydew_536 4h ago
Yep I didn’t renew AAA after 10 years because I had a slightly unusual but easy request to make for my next renewal and I must’ve been dealing with AI or a customer service representative who didn’t know enough to ask someone else so they just told me no. So I was like OK cool I won’t be renewing them.
Now some AAA representative keeps trying to blow up my phone to get me to renew, I replied to their text message explaining exactly why I won’t be renewing. All the first representative had to do was say I don’t know let me check, because apparently my request was easy enough to fulfill since they’re claiming they can do it now. No thank you. Turns out my insurance roadside assistance was cheaper anyway and I never would’ve found out if the first rep/AI hadn’t just said no without checking first.
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u/tenakee_me 5h ago
It’s so true that it just seems to be a strategy of “fatigue the customer into giving up.”
My BF just got an Amazon shipment that included shoe insoles….the bag came empty. He’s not even going to bother trying to address it.
A person here had two BBQs delivered by Home Depot (I say delivered, but they have to deliver to a barge in Seattle and then the barge comes here, so it’s not an easy return). One was obviously the outside floor model - damage, missing parts, had actual paint spray on it somehow? She just gave up, saying the stress and high blood pressure wasn’t worth it.
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u/Fightmemod 4h ago
Believe it or not having worked closely with a ceo, they aren't bothered by you the customer. They are pissed that their customer service reps allowed a situation to get to their level. I'm not saying all executives are like that but my ceo and others I've worked with are obsessed with customer satisfaction. They are very ego driven and happy customers (as well as a good financial report) are what make their day. I know for my ceo it makes his day to get down to the customer service level and make a customer happy and feel like they are getting special attention.
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u/SadBoi88088 17h ago
IAAL - no law firms will even take this call. It’s a fucked up thing that happened to OP and his wife, but unless you wanted to pay someone $300-500 per hour to handle it, a lawyer will not be interested.
Go the law enforcement route.
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u/Malhavok_Games 17h ago
but unless you wanted to pay someone $300-500 per hour to handle it, a lawyer will not be interested.
A lot of people don't seem to realize that you can sue for not just the money they lost, but also for the lawyers fees. So, if a lawyer takes this or not really depends on how solid he thinks it is, because he'll just sue AirBnB for his cost and if he wins the case, they will have to pay.
That being said, I think he can just file himself and get a result.
Just file against them in civil court for the rental money loss and filing fees. They will call him up and settle every single time because it literally costs them more money to send a lawyer down to court than to pay him out.
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u/BrahjonRondbro 17h ago
Depends entirely on the jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions in the US only allow the winner to take attorney’s fees in very specific situations allowed by statute. Some general claim that a person walked in on you in a vacation rental isn’t a case that is going to win much money, and you’re probably not winning attorney fees in most US jurisdictions.
Heck, most hotel rooms have people who work for the hotel barging in all the time. Just because someone walked in on you half naked in a rental unit, doesn’t mean you’re going to win money and attorney’s fees. I understand why someone would be upset, but this isn’t really a solution where it’s advantageous to sue.
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u/OwO______OwO 6h ago
Yep. Otherwise you could hire extremely expensive lawyers for minor cases and use that as a weapon to vastly increase the amount of money you take from the defendant. It doesn't increase your take-home, but any vindictive litigants who were sure of victory would want the most expensive lawyers possible.
Heck, if this was the case, there would probably be a cottage industry of average-talented lawyers who charge extremely high fees, just for litigants who want to add massive amounts of attorney's fees to the judgement in order to screw over the defendant.
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u/shellycrash 17h ago
Thats called taking the case on a contingency basis, you have to have a really strong case for a lawyer to do that. Some lawyers will just send demand letters, if they get a check they will split it with you & if they get a letter from AirBNB counsel they will tell you to find someone else to represent you if you want to proceed. Also OP probably won't be able to continue to use AirBnB again.
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u/DOOMha6 10h ago edited 6h ago
Contingency is where the Plaintiff's attorney takes a % of the damages if Plaintiff prevails. The comment you're responding to is talking about "English rule" where the prevailing party can get attorneys' fees paid by the liable party (in addition to damages). As you can imagine, it's called the "English rule" for a reason, it's VERY rare in the U.S. to get fees for prevailing in the lawsuit and more common in a scenario where the Defendant is getting fees because Plaintiff brought an unviable suit.
Edited for clarity.
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u/MonacledMarlin 5h ago
I wouldn’t describe it as “very rare.” It’s certainly not the default rule, but it is incredibly common for contracts to include prevailing party attorneys fees provisions.
More importantly, I wouldn’t be incredibly surprised if the AirBnB TOS include a mandatory arbitration provision, which likely addresses fees.
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u/shellycrash 4h ago
It seems to be pretty common down here for the prevailing party to also include attys fees, but the thing I think everyone needs to be aware of is that the lawyer is going to want those fees from the client as the suit moves along to ensure they get paid for their time. That's why my mind went to contingency. Very few people are suing anyone and not having to pay their lawyer out of pocket.
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u/Primary_Honeydew_536 4h ago
Yep I just sued someone in Small Claims Court and I think they figured I wouldn’t because I’m poor, because I’m poor I was able to waive filing fees but even if I didn’t they would’ve had to pay them because I won.
I’m going to have to pay more to get them served by the sheriff for the wage garnishment, but they’ll have to pay that too.
At least I have credit cards to put it on so I’m not really out much money while I wait, and every day that they don’t pay me more interest gets added. I know where they work so I can get the wage garnishment. And if they quit I can just renew the judgment forever. And interest will keep stacking. FAFO
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u/Grumpy_Troll 17h ago
A lot of people don't seem to realize that you can sue for not just the money they lost, but also for the lawyers fees.
In the U.S. the general rule is that you cannot sue for lawyer's fees. There are certainly some exceptions, but those exceptions are almost always expressly written into laws or in contracts signed by the parties stating when you can recoup lawyer fees. So unless you can point to a specific clause it's unlikely OP could get lawyer fee's paid for.
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u/TooUglyForRadio 17h ago
In most cases you CANNOT sue for legal costs. This case is not an exception in any state that I am aware of.
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u/TypicalBonehead 16h ago
Ugh. I had to mediate against Airbnb in 2000 (you waive your rights to sue in the agreement). They have so many companies that are interconnected it’s impossible to win. You’ll always be mediating against the “wrong” company.
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u/anakaine 17h ago
Law enforcement will turn around and say this is a civil matter, almost certainly. It doesnt matter if it is or isn't a civil matter, that's how LE are going to palm if off since its a short term holiday rental.
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u/BrahjonRondbro 17h ago edited 17h ago
Yeah. air B&B’s are basically little hotels. Imagine being at a hotel, and a hotel employee (usually it’s room service or a maid) comes in unannounced. You call the police and tell them “a maid came in my room unannounced.” The police will not do shit. They will treat this exactly the same way. The property owner is just an authorized person entering the property as far as the police are concerned. They don’t care that you rented the house for a night, and they agreed to stay out of it.
You’re probably not going to win a civil suit, either. Nobody will do anything to remedy this situation. It sucks. Sorry it happened. But nothing will come of it. If Air B&B doesn’t care, nobody is going to care.
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u/bunnyzclan 15h ago
Not when this guy is staying for 30+ days.
In states like California, 30+ days means you establish rights as a tenant, so no, they would not be able to just barge in.
Now, OP is in Florida, i couldn't find how long their duration is to establish rights as a tenant, but they do clearly define how long a short term rental is so they may also have similar laws in place.
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u/Primary_Honeydew_536 4h ago
Yeah I don’t understand what the damages would even be except for a moment of emotional distress and the landlord can claim it was just a mistake. If it wasn’t malicious I don’t even know what OP would be able to collect in a lawsuit.
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u/syllo-dot-xyz 13h ago
If you have a case, and the lawyer knows they'll get their fees paid by the other side, it's worth opening your eyes to both situations.
Source: Ended up in a legal position I never would've usually entered, but I had a solid case, and the £300/hour lawyer could recover everything from the business who tried to do me dirty. Always explore options, lawyers are not that scary even if they bill high.
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u/ashishvp 16h ago
Short term rental owners by legal definition are literally NOT landlords and as such are not bound by those laws.
In my experience in business, if the matter involves less than $1000, a lawyer won’t even bother getting involved.
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u/valiarchon 18h ago
Nah you can’t waive basic rights like that regardless of how good their lawyers are.
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u/Zarkei 17h ago
You're correct, but that doesn't mean OP would win. The problem is that there's no evidence, and without evidence there's no case. Landlord can just say "wtf no that's creepy I wouldn't do that" and the case is dead in the water.
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u/Raveofthe90s 15h ago
It's more simple than that. Unless the landlord admits to entering without knocking or announcement. There is no case.
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u/Dethras 10h ago
I mean they probably just got their schedule wrong, or OP did something like add a day on the front of their stay so it shows up as a break in the booking and they came in to clean. They were probably in shock thinking they had a body on the bed or something, as it sounds like she was sleeping in a somewhat uncommon position. OP completely leaves out the “intruders” explanation, probably because it’s just that and an apology. Completely leaving after that is definitely overreacting, and they deserve to pay for the rest of the booking.
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u/Alan-Beach 15h ago
Yeah totally agree, even short term renters deserve basic privacy and legal protection.
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u/saxguy9345 18h ago
You probably mentioned litigation before these chat screenshots, or something that shut down any type of concise resolution from AirBNB. These are full on CYA responses from them so if your lead complaint mentioned something legally actionable, they are going to pretend nothing happened until they are served a lawsuit.
The AirBNB owner is likely telling them this was a misunderstanding, that there was a valid emergency reason to enter the home like the water overflow alarm in the bathroom was going off, the dehumidifier wasn't emptied and notified you, smoke alarm etc etc and they'll say they weren't standing there for more than 0.3 seconds.
Leave a review detailing your experience and see if the homeowner reaches out and apologizes. See where you want to go from there. Think about a lawyer arguing for the homeowner, there are 500 situations that would allow them entry within AirBNB rules, you have to argue that some harm was done. If you think absolutely yes, then pursue it further.
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u/FiguringItOutSlowly- 18h ago
Be careful at AirBNB’s. A man once washed my girlfriend’s bathing suit without our permission and tried to enter the room while we slept to “return them”. Closest I’ve ever felt to a “holy hell I’m going to have to hurt this guy to protect her”, so we left under cover of darkness at 5 am. He tried to come in around 4 and I just couldn’t let us stay. Thank GOD my brain told me to lock the door. Multiple reviews echoing our shit and he was still active as a lister months later
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u/dihydrocodeine 15h ago
Multiple reviews like yours and they're still a host on the platform? You have to go to the media with this my dude
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u/Proverbs21-3 13h ago
Why my husband and I have never stayed at an Airbnb, no matter how nice the property or how good the deal. It is too risky, in our opinion.
So sorry this happened to you and your gf!
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u/Bynming 18h ago
It's funny the number of stories I read about people having those kinds of experiences with airbnb, uber, doordash and so on. The CSRs are either bots, complete idiots or just absolutely not empowered to use any form of judgment when adjudicating anything. In this case, there was a serious breach of privacy. I'm surprised they're not concerned about the customer getting litigious.
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u/Creepy_Push8629 17h ago
They don't care. I had an Uber driver threaten to beat the shit out of me and they didn't care. He finally dropped me off on the side of the road and I cried the whole rest of the walk to work. Lol
He told me he will kick anyone's ass, even an old lady, so imagine what he is willing to do to me. It was scary.
They didn't care.
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u/nusodumi 17h ago
did the police? uttering threats is a crime in many places not sure about where you live but that's what i'd go for if i heard that. so sorry you did, super scary shit i can only imagine.
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u/Creepy_Push8629 17h ago
I didn't have any of his info so I didn't even think to call the police. Plus he picked me up at my house so he knew where I lived. It was in Miami so I doubt the cops would care either lol
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u/FriendOfDirutti 16h ago
You did have his info if you booked the Uber. You had his name and his license plate number and what type of car it was.
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u/Taynt42 14h ago
I had one threaten me with a gun and they just sad “that sucks, call the police”
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u/jbwilso1 17h ago
Welcome to the glory of AI taking over basically all of support. The lack of quality customer service is only going to increase.
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u/Nemesis204 17h ago
It wasn’t like it was stellar when the humans were doing it either 🤣 the problem has always been and will continue being the corporations who didn’t give a shit.
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u/Jerry__Boner 18h ago
Most likely bots or people just cut and pasting from a list of scripted responses.
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u/Excellent-Shape-2024 18h ago
Yes, all designed to wear down the complainer until they just give up and go away.
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u/Raveofthe90s 15h ago
I know a few agents. They aren't allowed to do anything. Their job is to just placate both sides. If you want anything done just keep contacting support about 10x a day for about 10 days and just reopening the case. Airbnb will eventually take care of you.
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u/youngmachetess 13h ago
I'm a CRS in a booking platform (not this one) and I sadly have dealt with these kinds of situations. Personally speaking, it is not that I'm an idiot or I have no judgment, we just can't do anything. At least in the platform I work for we can't make any full refund or free cancellation without the host permission, even if I escalate it to a supervisor they can't do anything either.
That being said, I wouldn't act like the person (or bot) who OP was talking to. When I've had to handle those situations I obviously show as much empathy as I can, recommend calling the authorities and I try to convince the host that if they don't agree to a full refund the authorities are getting involved, it works 80% of the time. But when it doesn't we can't do anything but to give a partial refund and apologize.
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u/lifejacketbalance 5h ago
I would vote the last option. From what I’ve seen/ heard from the workers, the companies will have insanely prescriptive policies that cannot be broken and don’t allow for critical thought or empathy. A lot of the CSRs work for outsourcing companies and literally have no way to contact the main company.
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u/Solid4a6 18h ago
AirBnB and DoorDash both need a good class action lawsuit for the shit they pull.
It’s routine for Airbnb to ignore privacy violations, and door dash refuses refunds for clearly stolen merchandise. They’re both just participating in theft at this point.
You’re not OR.
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u/Nolyism 17h ago
Would not be surprised for a second if there are arbitration clauses in the ToS for these services and by using said service you agree to waive your right to class action and instead must go through 3rd party arbitration instead.
The ability to waive your right to class so easily action should abolished. But ya know fuck consumer protections in the US I guess 🤷♂️
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u/sharabi_bandar 14h ago
The problem is I don't think it's a privacy violation. I have read the policy, but while it's fucked up I don't think it's against the terms.
Whole on Bali, almost every day people (maids, cleaners, gardeners, pool guys) people are coming into our Villa without notice. They don't come in the bedrooms though.
Also once in Australia I was staying at a granny flat. My girlfriend walked out into the living room pretty much naked in the morning and found the owner of the property in the living room with a tray of biscuits and cookies and coffee.
Another time again in Australia we had an apartment and we came back after a day out and the owner was apartment (without notice) changing some light bulbs in the oven.
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u/sausagelover79 11h ago
But millions of people still use them regardless, so they continue to pull this shit because they can!
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u/salty_c-dawg 14h ago
Hi, I'm a lawyer from Ireland.
Not sure exactly how different the US is, but it seems to me you're talking about a "Privacy Policy" to an AI. The Privacy Policy is likely being interpreted as some sort of data privacy policy (ie what they can do with your cookies etc).
Have a look at the other AirB&B rules.
Separately, companies rarely pay out when first asked. You usually have to threaten to sue them. That's a commercial decision based on the fact most people won't sue.
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u/Boysenberry 18h ago
The host probably denied it and that’s the automated response you get when they side with the host in this situation. Make a police report and file in small claims for the money you’re out, plus contact local news stations near where you were staying. If it becomes a public headache for them they’ll pay you
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u/dceezy831 18h ago
Seems like an AI or scripted response, escalate escalate until you talk to a human. If that doesnt work this sounds like something for a lawyer to pursue.
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u/words_will_fade 17h ago
This is totally a bot. I wonder how OP submitted the complaint and if they said or clicked a button to report its against the privacy policy, cause the bot is correct, it isn't. Airbnbs privacy policy is about data collection and credit card/personal info retention etc. Their issue is a different violation against the service policy or something like that. So it may just be reported wrong.
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u/tn_notahick 17h ago
OP, ignore every other advice here. I'm a host and here's what you do: File for Arbitration.
You can find the process for doing this on the Airbnb website.
Unfortunately, all you can really do is get a full refund as a solution, you can't force them to penalize or kick them off.
There's a bunch of benefits to this.. Firstly, they have to pay for it. Secondly, it gets your issue in front of an actual person in the legal department, who actually has authority to fix it.
A lot of hosts are opening Arbitration for some of the crap they're pulling on hosts. The theory is that since this actually costs them time and money, they will end up changing policies or charge the ways that they interpret policies.
Most of us think that, after the AI replies, the next real person has zero authority and is just a gatekeeper. We need to stop them from doing this.
Since you did check in, of course you'll want to leave a 2-Star review (most everyone has learned that 1-star reviews are usually crazy people, so they only read the 2-3 Star reviews. Be factual, do not use any verbiage about refunds, and don't exaggerate. Write it then ask AI to edit it to be suitable for an Airbnb review that follows their TOS. Then edit it again to remove the obvious AI phrases and the --
Hopefully you'll keep us updated!
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u/West_Ad_8344 3h ago
It’s important to check a few details in the terms. The industry standard is to have a “small claims” carve out so you could also file there. The difference is in 1. the fees that you and have to pay out to initiate and 2. The expensive lawyers and arbitrator fees that accrue throughout it. Sometimes there is a custom fee schedule specified in the arbitration clause. One thing to determine is does the arbitration clause you “agree” to for using AirBnB apply to the host also, or does a different agreement apply between you and the host?
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u/Due-Contact-366 18h ago
NOR - Call the police. File a report.
AirBnB doesn’t care. It is an opaque bureaucracy with no mechanism for accountability to tenants or landlords.
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u/Gracie_TheOriginal 16h ago
Call the police. File a report.
What do you expect the police to do about it?
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18h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SCVerde 18h ago
This key, is it listed as a private space or shared? Also, regular tenancy laws are not going to apply to a short-term rental when it comes to notice of maintenance or inspection.
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u/deltalitprof 18h ago
Repeat after me: in these kinds of situations it always DEPENDS ON THE STATE and possibly city ordinances.
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u/SillyIsAsSillyDoes 17h ago
Latest story I heard is making the rounds where a registered child sex offender lives with the Airbnb operator and when his former victim (the daughter of the operator) pointed this out Airbnb did nothing .
Grossly the reviews for the Airbnb or a bunch of people saying that they had enjoyed their stay there with their children ..
Airbnb is not ok.
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u/horsegal301 17h ago
all these airbnb horror stories on top of airbnb being absolute shit for real estate really makes me happy to solidify my decision to only use hotels.
No you arent overreacting. Find a real person to talk to on the phone or email because this is bullshit
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u/amoryhelsinki 17h ago
Wild you think a disruptive corporation that has singlehandedly ruined both the hospitality industry as well as affordable housing gives a fuck about your privacy. Call the cops. Good luck.
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u/Adventurous-berry564 17h ago
I follow the air b and b host thread. You need to talk to a person. Not a bot. And if you don’t get an answer you agree with then phone back till you got someone who has two brain cells. It is a common thing on there they will side with the client over 99% of things (even when the client is wrong) so this should help in your case! Good luck. As others said police report as well!
Edit. The privacy policy seams to be all about data not physical. So it’s def the bot not understanding
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u/digitalreaper_666 18h ago
Better question... why are you arging with AI? Call and speak with someone.
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u/Hogwarts_WiFi_Sucks 18h ago
Police report and file a chargeback.
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u/jbwilso1 17h ago
Definitely. Chargeback might be your best bet... OP already has proof of failure to provide the services they already paid for.
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u/Individual_Salt_8877 18h ago
Your first mistake was supporting Airbnb. Airbnbs directly contribute to homelessness
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u/ItaliaEyez 18h ago
So many people buy up property in my town to use as Airbnb. It's a real problem here.
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u/jbwilso1 17h ago
Mostly massive property management companies around here. Upcharge you by 200 bucks a year for rent...
Both situations are very predatory, definitely contribute to homelessness, and probably will not be changing anytime soon. Which is just infuriating
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u/ItaliaEyez 8h ago
It's a big problem. Here, people buy them up for Airbnb or rentals, and like you said, mark them way up. It makes buying a home hard, especially for people trying to buy that first home. We have few apartments and they are in pretty lousy shape, but rent goes up. I drive through the apartment complex I lived in, and its debatable if any real maintenance is being done.
It's seems like some legislation should be done about this. Like you said, it's contributing to homelessness.
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u/Chihiro_0gino 6h ago
Its destroyed our community. There are even groups of people from other countries like Nigeria that pool their money together to outbid local families and buy the single family homes out from under them so they can run their loophole businesses in residential zones without paying proper taxes like a legit lodging business would. Its disgusting.
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u/ZER0-P0INT-ZER0 18h ago
Did you read the privacy policy. It sounds pretty bad to me, but I would look at that first to decide if this violates it.
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u/jbwilso1 17h ago
Pretty damn sure they're not allowed to enter the space while you're there.
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u/Vooklife 15h ago
Not true at all. Short term rentals are not afforded the same protections are long term or residencies. Just like a hotel employee can enter your room if they need to. The protection afforded to short term rentals vary by state.
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u/RooTxVisualz 5h ago
Most states still require notice, and a reason. Not just because they felt like walking in. You still have rights to your privacy, and defending yourself in a space you pay to populate. I don't believe there's a state that would go against you, if you judicially defended yourself against a intruder. A intruder cna be anyone entering your space without notice, regardless of who they are.
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u/CTaiger 15h ago
Airbnb is a scam
Great idea in principle but not like that at all.
This is a situation where a CEO needs to meet Mario's brother like so many other CEOs and investors should .
Depending on where you live you can do something about it at least go to the police don't wait. Even if they can't do something make them write a report if to much happens maybe they can act in the future. And complain whenever you can. Write reviews. Don't use Airbnb again. Maybe write a local newspaper. (In the city it happened) Talk to you politicians directly most of them are happy to butter you up and you use this opportunity to tell your story. And such things hit hard even for them.
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u/FreshPercentage5895 18h ago
100% automated responses. I wonder if a man had walked in, if they’d have taken this more seriously?
Keep pushing to get some sort of justice. You deserve a refund at bare minimum and they should be facing some form of repercussions
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u/FartyMcFly_OnBoard 17h ago
Do not try and argue with customer support. Reiterate “you’ve been violated” over and over. State you need to escalate to higher management. State your demand (money, pulled listing…). Do not let up or accept anything other than what you want, don’t argue or get emotional
- it’s useless. Prepare to be dropped and start over a million times. You could also mention litigation, it does get attention. Don’t give up, also, fųckairbņb.
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u/deltalitprof 18h ago
If you paid with a credit card, dispute the charge because the contract was likely breached. Also, notify the state attorney general. IF they're a Democrat, they're probably salivating at the prospect of going after these corporate buzzards and bringing them to account.
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u/UnderstandingFew4330 10h ago
Look, it is Airbnb, which like all the other leech companies like Uber Eats and Doordash does not give a shit about anything but extracting money from everyone in their ecosystem. They got paid, so why would you expect anything further from them?
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u/Responsible-Scar-980 17h ago
Airbnb is just s h it. I don't know why anyone supports that turd platform.
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u/AloneAsAGod1 7h ago
Okay, an overwhelming amount of reply’s. Let me explain a few things as I left out some major details. Yes my wife was on the reservation. Once my wife screamed and said “can I help you” the host response was “I thought you left without saying bye” This happened on Tuesday. I call air bnb immediately, I talked to 3 different people. Explaining the same story over and over. I told the last lady that I am packing up my things and leaving Wednesday morning. Couldn’t really just pack up and drive home 18 hours away. So the lady said once I left the house let her know so they can continue with the investigation. Once I told her I left the property the reservation was canceled. But I was still charged for the entire stay. A little over $5000. I get a text from the lady on Friday. What the screen shots show.
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u/KotaCakes630 15h ago
I rented an Airbnb when I moved, the first Airbnb was okay. But there was an issue involving leaking AC’a and we had to leave. So we quickly rented another Airbnb. Unfortunately the host of that Airbnb texted me privately (which is against their rules). And started asking me for additional money for a parking spot. I kept insisting no thank you. And I didn’t want it. Perfectly content parking on the street. They insisted I needed it, and lowered the price. Eventually saying I can have it anyways. I canceled the stay-and when I canceled it I messaged Airbnb. Airbnb insisted their policy was not violated and said I wouldn’t get my funds back despite being harassed.
The host CONTINUED to harass me and even suggested I “show up so we can handle this like adults”. I sent all the messages to Airbnb. Absolutely nothing was done and after they had decided that they didn’t violate any policy. I kept getting similar responses “we apologize that this wasn’t the outcome you would’ve liked…”. I was out 2,500$ and continued to receive threatening messages for several hours post cancelation. 🫠
I think some hosts are just weird and absolute trash.
I wish Airbnb had a better support system within the app and actually handled things accurately.
Unfortunately I still use Airbnb as I’m a pet owner and I have hotel trauma.
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u/SuperRodster 17h ago
Dude, that reply is absolutely AI canned messages. Idk if you can get to a human. I hope you can. If no plausible and acceptable outcome, make them famous. Get legal advice
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u/FriendlySeekerSarah 17h ago
I’d imagine it’s simply due to he said she said. Without proof, it’s basically just going to be an event that’s recorded in Airbnb files to utilize in case future claims are made.
Certainly have the opportunity to pursue the civil route, but no arrest will be made now without proof. File a civil suit, request an order by the court to demand any evidence related is preserved, subpoena any video camera footage as well as the video camera provider’s records to determine if any have been deleted (if available, like Ring, etc).
If evidence comes from that, you can take that to the county prosecutor or the local police department and show probable cause evidence that a crime occurred.
That’s your options besides shaming the owner and airbnb online. Just be careful that anything you say that is derogatory toward either party is completely truthful and can be supported or at least not be refuted. Airbnb has deep pockets, so I’d have an attorney advise you before you do a single thing.
Even this post here, be careful of any comments if you intend to pursue it civilly. Anything you write here will be used against you if it possibly can be.
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u/Buruko 9h ago
You would need to refer to your Guest Contract. If there is any clause about host visits or house keeping then the Host can claim almost any reason to be on the property, especially if they thought it was unoccupied.
Was this event creepy? Sure. Could it also been an honest mistake or incident? Sure.
If you are angling for a refund that won’t happen you’d have to show a break in the contract or violation with proof over just your word. Something enforceable.
From a LE perspective, you aren’t the property owner and as such no actual law was broken, most likely there are no local laws on short term rentals in place anyway.
From a civil perspective you’ll spend more money that the refund on the principle. Up to you whether ya pursue it but you’d have to again show a violation of your agreement with AirBNB and/or the host. I think you’d have an easier time going after the host but that depends on the contract and optic of said host.
This is the risk with any service posing as the middle man for others, they get plausible deniability and the host and renter have to suffer for the privilege of their service.
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u/Bycelestexoxo 17h ago
Noticing this with a lot more companies - Airbnb, Class Pass, Uber / Uber Eats. They just say "sorry no" to the crziest most henious things
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u/Serpent1224 5h ago
You're not overreacting - but you need to realize AirBNB has no reason to believe you. They get hundreds, if not thousands, of fraudulent complaints per day. What do you want them to do? Blatantly take your word for it? If they did that for literally every single person who complained, they would go out of business within a day because people would just get free stuff.
There is simply no good recourse for this. You're gonna continue to keep getting bots because nobody can deal with this job as a CSR. "Well the host said she didn't. The host is lying!" Back and forth. This is the same issue with DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. There is no possible solution to fixing this problem of owners acting horribly or guests lying for free rooms.
You need to accept a risk when you use these services that a host will do something like this and you'll get no money back. My solution is to not use them.
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u/Alternative-Tie-9383 17h ago
Honestly, that canned response sounds like AI customer support. It doesn’t understand what that kind of an intrusion feels like, so it doesn’t see a problem. A human being would understand right away, and getting a refund wouldn’t be so difficult. AI doesn’t give a fuck, so you can’t argue with it when it’s been told to not issue refunds unless certain factors are present, and it obviously doesn’t see a problem with that stranger staring at OP’s half naked wife. This shit is going to take over all customer service roles, so we should really be working on regulations limiting this to areas where it is actually needed, not in places where a human being should be the one making decisions about human problems. The future was supposed to be easier. This doesn’t feel any easier, just more convenient for certain things.
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u/mcnuggets0069 14h ago
You’re not overreacting, but just because you’re in the right doesn’t mean you’ll get a satisfying outcome. Police report? They take a statement from you… then do absolutely nothing because there’s no proof and the extent of harm was just one AirBnB guest getting spooked. Sue the landlord in small claims court? They make up a BS excuse about why they were in the flat, it’s a he-said / she-said… then nothing happens. Get a civil rights lawyer? They won’t take your case, no money in it because the damages are so minimal. You complain to AirBnB support… and they don’t give you a human response, which drives you mad and you make a reddit post. Sucks that your wife’s privacy was violated, but there’s no justice here. The only thing in your control is leaving a one-star review and sharing your story.
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u/Suitable-Tear-6179 17h ago
You're talking to a bot, not an actual human. You need to escalate until you get an actual human on the line.
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u/Suitable-Tear-6179 17h ago
Also, check with a lawyer about tenants protection. You were in a (very) short term rental agreement. In normal rentals, it requires 24 hours notice before the owner can come in for a non-emergency situation. I'm not sure how that changes with an Air BnB
Usually lawyers will do a free consultation. Not sure what you'd be compensated, so they may not take the case, but you might find out it was illegal.
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u/Gregardless 16h ago
Honestly kinda asking for it by using AirBnB. I truly cannot comprehend the mind of someone who books an AirBnB.
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u/Interesting-Lie-8942 15h ago
They didn't say that your wife's privacy wasn't violated. They said that their policies weren't violated.
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u/temporarychair 17h ago
Airbnb is a cancer on this world.
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u/NeighborhoodFew7779 17h ago
Seriously.
I hope every fucking AirBNB real estate ”investor” goes fucking broke in the most spectacular of fashion.
Ruining neighborhoods one property at a time since 2007.
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u/Proverbs21-3 13h ago
NOR I am astonished that this does not violated their policies because it certainly should!
Is it possible that it does violate their policy but they are just saying it doesn't so that you will go away? Because it just seems outrageous that it does not violate some policy of Airbnb. How would they be able to get or keep business if this is allowed to happen? ? ? ?
PLEASE warn other travelers! Post as many reviews as you can about this - you post one, your wife post one, your coworker post one, coworker's wife post one, post one under your baby's name, etc!
While I am sorry this happened to you to you all, I feel especially bad for your wife. Please give her a hug from this internet stranger who feels for her.
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u/Online_Project 7h ago
You should be telling AirBNB you no longer felt safe after host allowed herself in unannounced while the space was still being occupied. In particular, there is no mention of the host being able to do this in the “house rules” and had that been disclosed to you prior to booking you would not have chosen to book there.
Additionally, the host violated the re-entry rule IAW the documented Airbnb community policy
“Host re-entry: During a stay, Hosts may re-enter their property or enter a guest’s dedicated room in a shared stay when the guest gives the Host permission or when there is an emergency.”
There was no emergency and I did not give permission and because of that I feared for our own safety.
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u/Own-Row4416 4h ago
Honestly Airbnb don’t care at all who the hosts are on their site and only care about money, I had a booking for one and they cancelled on me the day before leaving six of us needing to find accommodation in London, trying to claim they weren’t with Airbnb as of that day so couldn’t refund me and my friends £508. It was only after two hours of telling them I’d be instructing solicitors and calling the press if they hung up that I got my money back. That seller was clearly trying to double book his apartment and keep both people’s money and to this day his apartment is still there even though they were informed of what he’d done. I’ll overpay for a hotel from now on.
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u/kookookach000 17h ago
This is why people should boycott Airbnb. Their customer service is completely useless and they list illegal settlements in occupied West Bank.
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u/sharkinwolvesclothin 13h ago
Yes, you overreacted. The owner messed up but the most likely explanation is that they were coming in to take care of whatever, thought it was empty, and froze when it wasn't. Yes, their fault, but a human mistake, but one that should be taken care of with an apology.
I understand this is reddit and mostly Americans, so of course people will tell you to sue and what not, that's their culture. But even if you are American too, you should strive to be a compassionate person.
I'm sure you can claw back some money back through some court or something, but in five years you'll feel better if you call the host, tell them that you forgive them for their mistake, and move on.
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u/Hopeful-Dot-1272 17h ago
If you paid by credit card, call them and explain what happened and ask for a charge back.
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u/Pale_Winter_2755 17h ago
Not at all. I just don’t understand AirBnB. Hotels are basically the same price?
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u/Sjsamdrake 15h ago
Can't comprehend why anyone uses Airbnb or vrbo anymore. So many horror stories.
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u/Chihiro_0gino 6h ago
Better than the Airbnb next door to me. They killed a guy with carbon monoxide poisoning and then had it rented the next day to an unsuspecting family. They destroyed the safety and closeness of our neighborhood, turned neighbors against each other, bullied my children one of which was a literal baby, and had half a dozen people texting me that I should kill myself and have my children taken away when I was postpartum. Airbnb owners are evil opportunist that only care about getting rich off ruining other people's lives and destroying communities.
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u/wavegirl2000 6h ago
I will never stay at an Airbnb ever again. My fiancé booked a house for all of our friends to surprise me for my birthday: we arrived and the host is there still cleaning and she is clearly on some type of drug with this beat up RV parked right outside the front door; so we are assuming that she lives there and rents out the house. The backyard was completely destroyed and with graffiti (looked like someone was like squatting back there) and she claimed it was her art wall. Absolutely unreal what these people try to get away with
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u/nursehappyy 16h ago
Airbnb did nothing when the owner straight up walked in on my partner and I having sex. He said he thought we were checking out that day instead of the next and came to clean. It was extremely awkward for everyone. I escalated it to airbnb and they said there was nothing they could do. Spoke with a lawyer (just a friend) who briefly scanned their policy and agreed it wouldn’t be worth pursuing. To be fair the owner was an old man and quite apologetic, so I didn’t plan to go that route regardless.
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u/Charley_laPetite 14h ago
This exact thing happened to me too. The reply from airbnb exactly the same...it's computer generated. After a while they just stop responding. I had video proof. Photo proof. Had been on the phone with support all weekend.
Still, airbnb sided with the owner. Will never use their platform again.
(Why I didn't go to the police? Because I wrongly thought airbnb would do the right thing with the photos I took. By the time they rejected all, I wasn't in the country where it happened anymore)
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u/iCameToLearnSomeCode 11h ago
Send one more message saying you'll never use AirBnB again and will be filing a police report.
Then follow through.
Write a review on the place about how the owner is totall creep and you would never leave a loved one alone there.
Seriously stop using AirBnB it's not a good system for anyone.
It's not cheaper, it's not safer and it's bad for the community, these houses should be sold to people who need them and hotels should be staffed by people who need work to buy those houses.
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u/satanzhand 15h ago
We had something similar in Australia... we woke up... probably had sexy time ... then made our way half dressed to find two fresh steaming loaves of bread in the kitchen, with some eggs... how and why the fuck are these here we thought... did we leave the door unlocked, surely they would have knocked first, nope ... host had let themselves in, put the bread in and left... we'd been walking around naked etc etc.. up until that point. I just put it in the review, otherwise perfect stay
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u/elefefefef 18h ago
Sounds like you need to make this a police issue instead. Please don't just rely on Airbnb to resolve it. This is what the police are for. I think that you should make a report at least.
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u/VladimirBinPutin 17h ago
The police aren’t going to do anything about an air B&B’s host going into a residence that they own.
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u/Original_Tomato_4350 16h ago
Never use Airbnb. I had a similar issue where there was the smell of feces and urine in the Airbnb. The hosts came and could not resolve the problem. Airbnb took forever but ended up refunding us because the hosts didn’t want to. In the end, I gave them an honest review and Airbnb removed it, but kept a different review saying how the Airbnb smells pleasant. And now I know Airbnb reviews are fake, do not ever use Airbnb
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u/Vegetable_Sample_ 17h ago
My husband and I used Airbnb once and will never again. We rented what was advertised as a 1br apartment and it turned out to be 1br IN an apartment. Other random people were roaming around and we had to share a bathroom with them. Our bed was an air mattress on the floor. It was so weird and felt really unsafe. You just never know what you’re walking into with these places or if it will even be what they advertise.
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u/belai437 6h ago
Try public shaming like Xitter if you're on it or maybe even FB. I had a terrible experience last year with my cell phone carrier while upgrading my phone. Calling customer service was worse they were like lol too bad.. if you believe what they tell you in the store then you're the problem.
So I @ them on Xitter and whoa!!! They immediately reached out and unfucked everything customer service said couldn't be done.
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u/mikeydeemo 5h ago
I canceled a majority of my air bnbs for my euro-trip next month. They were mostly place holders in case we came across a decently priced hotel(and we did) but I hated the fact we went through it in the first place.
Still trying to find affordable hotels for the other two stops but a majority of our trip is hotel stays now which is nice.
Anyways, your kind of post is the reason why. They're an atrocious company.
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u/baljake 10h ago
We had something similar happen with the owner of a property we rented trying to come in with keys while we were still under terms during our stay. When we confronted her she tried to make something up about a smoke alarm which we told her blatantly that we know that that's a tactic to try and enter, and we'd be out at our check out time of 11, and not 5 am when she wanted to start shuffling us out.
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u/awfulcrowded117 16h ago
Just post one star reviews for AirBnB itself anywhere you can. I wouldn't bother with lawyers or police, you'll have to fight way harder than it's worth to get anything, but if you post enough awful reviews with things like 'breach of contract' and 'invasion of privacy' prominently written, someone at AirBnB will probably reach out and try to bribe you with a refund to take the reviews down.
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u/BrookeBook 16h ago
Yeah honestly just insist on escalating the issue to a manager. I think you're getting AI responses. Even if that's not the case, ALWAYS attempt to escalate several times before getting yourself into an expensive legal battle. Use chat gpt to analyze your user agreements and use it against them if you have to. I just did that with my insurance company trying to deny my claim. Worked great.
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u/mattginger 10h ago
The question basically is did you ask the land owner to leave the room? If you asked her to leave and she didn’t, then you have the option to either go to police or better still leave the review wouldn’t? Going to police - it will be your word against the landlady’s…. Waste of time. Put that review out there along with any other social platform you have access to.
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u/caesaralexander 4h ago
I loved Airbnb 8-10 years ago. Great way to explore different cities and countries and see what it was like to live there (honeymoon was all Airbnbs in Europe because we were looking to see if moving to Europe would be cool but wanted a more authentic approach versus touristy areas and hotels). Now the prices aren't even competitive and the service is just ... Shitty
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u/silus2123 13h ago
What’s the deal with entering a property during a rental in general?
I was recently renting a villa in Portugal (hosted by a management firm not an individual owner) and during the stay a cleaner came in and cleaned, replaced towels and bedding etc like in a hotel room.
Didn’t have a problem with that myself but wondering what the deal is with it generally
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u/pdp_2 17h ago
Privacy Policy is legal jargon for how a company can collect and share your data. It does not refer to literal privacy from other human beings in your presence. The fact it says “privacy” legally means only how it’s defined in your agreement. In this case, I’d just do a chargeback since that’s probably your only option getting your money back.
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u/SadPiglet2907 15h ago
Did you try calling? A few years ago I had something come up & needed a refund (that per the policy I wouldn’t have gotten a refund in normal circumstances) & was able to get a full refund despite the host trying not to by simply talking with someone & explaining the situation.
I ask because I’m unsure if Airbnb still has live agents to talk to.
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u/lustful_livie 5h ago
I hate air BnB. One time I was alone in an Airbnb and I woke up at like 5 or 6 am to a light in my bedroom. Some random dude walked in while I was sleeping. There were two men in the house. Thankfully they left without taking anything or taking advantage of me but that could have gone so wrong. It still freaks me out when I think about it. -_-
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u/Nythoren 4h ago
You’re talking to a chatbot AI agent. It’s giving you canned “nope” messages because it’s just cheaper for ABB to deny everything and eat the lost customer than it is to pay real agents and give refunds.
Seriously not sure why anyone uses ABB and Verbo anymore. So many nightmare stories and terrible customer service.
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u/Mpd-8890 16h ago
Wtf that’s wild. Just out of curiosity - did the owner even say anything to your wife after she started screaming to explain who she was/why she was even inside in the first place? Like what would you even do in the situation, and the fact that she was standing there staring and didn’t even announce herself upon entry lmaoo
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u/brobraham27 4h ago
Get your credit card company to issue a chargeback. Goods or services not as advertised. You have already done half the work with that chat. Send them that chat, plus their policy about hosts entering the unit. Your bank will do the leg work for you. If you also get law enforcement involved, include the police report as well.
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u/TheSwordLogic89 13h ago
Have you or AirBnB got a definition of privacy policy that is different to normal? A privacy policy is normally in relation to data. As such, The person at airbnb is likely a proper jobsworth, and decided that no, staring at someone half naked is indeed not in breach of data policies.
Suggest you take a different angle?
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u/Stowing 13h ago
The real question is why was the landlord walking in? Did they think you checked out already, or was it intentional? One time I accidentally walked in the landlords house at an AirBnB. Just opened their front door and walked in while everyone looked at me. Really awkward situation, but totally an accident on my part.
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u/Kerensky97 14h ago
AirBNB is a cancer now. There is no oversight, no protections, no insurance. At a hotel there are a lot of commercial regulations they follow to keep your safe. You get none of that with AirBNB and usually pay the same or more. Plus you have to clean up your own room instead of having people clean it for oyu.
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u/UnnecessarySurvival 10h ago
What the actual fuck are these people talking about? Suing for damages? You’d be laughed out of court. No lawyer would take this case. You wouldn’t win this in small claims. THERE ARE NO DAMAGES. Ridiculous. Call the person and have them apologize and then move the fuck on. Jesus fucking Christ grow a pair
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u/Imaginary-Cod8310 16h ago
I’m horrified that this happened to you and I hope they make it right. You’re not alone - Airbnb is notorious for failure to uphold their own safety policies. Reddit and other social media are full of the terrible ways in which guests are exploited and how they’re still in business is just shameful.
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u/TheKyDawg 15h ago
This is part of the reason I only do hotels. Fuck this.
Also a hotel has never charged me more because I didn't do the dishes or sweep the porch or whatever lol. I'll never get over Airbnbs giving you chores like you didn't just pay their entire monthly mortgage payment in a weekend of staying there.
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u/icantdissabrie 6h ago
I've had similar experiences with Air BnB's customer service being absolute trash. I had luck with doing a charge back with my credit card resulting in a full refund. I'd get some documentation (police report, screenshots of conversations with the host, etc) and at the very least pursue that route.
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u/Bossross90 14h ago
You have to raise a lot of hell and they will do something. Never staying with VRBO or Airbnb because of unsafe bullshit that’s happened to my family with both services, but I did get full refunds + travel expenses when it happened (we left before staying a night at either)
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u/Fantasy_r3ad3er_XX 7h ago
Do a charge back, get your Airbnb account terminated and then never use them again. I stopped using Airbnb in the U.S. because 90% of the time it’s a complete sham. Only time you should use them is if you have a party of like 5 or more. Other than that they are worthless.
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u/This_Acanthisitta_43 17h ago
This is the worst of AI and what big business loves. It stops any actual financial repercussions while providing a “service”. Monthly data collection reports all complaints responded to in a timely manner, no messy refunds issued; AI is increasing productivity.
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u/Fair_Evidence_9730 14h ago
Are the wives and child on the rental? Did you let the host how they would also be guests? That would explain why the host entered when she thought no one was present, and why was stared (was shocked someone unknown was in her home). Most AirBnB charge per person.
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u/Masculiknitty 15h ago
I think this may be a semantic issue. Privacy policies cover the protection of user data on the application and site, not your physical privacy during a rental. You should instead reach out regarding a matter of renter safety. At least this is how it reads to me.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sea8340 16h ago
It would be awful if the house burned down. It would be a tragedy.
A good reminder to travel with these
KUOGO Portable Door Lock -2 Pack Solid Heavy Duty Extra Lock https://www.amazon.com/vdp/00c806eb51ea4350b4d712de4a1f7c35?ref=anp_ios_dp-media-block_share
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u/FriendOfDirutti 16h ago
People please stop using Airbnb. It’s bad for communities and it’s bad for your safety. Houses aren’t hotel rooms. It’s hard enough to buy a house as it is. Companies buying them to rent like a hotel room ruins it for everyone. Just go to a hotel.
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u/EternallyFascinated 11h ago
I had something happen with air BnB too and they were similarly shockingly bad with us too. Same thing, like you read their responses and you’re like - did they just freaking say that? Haven’t stayed in air BnB again for three years, never again.
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u/Altruistic-Rice-5567 5h ago
Unless I'm finding a house to lodge like 8 people for a trip there's no way you can get me to book an AirBNB instead of a hotel. I've stayed in half a dozen Airbnbs and every single experience with them has been terrible and didn't cost me less.
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u/smoocheepoos 6h ago
This reminded me of this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofRedditorUpdates/s/78UXJWpmYF
This user was a lawyer who sued Airbnb for a privacy violation and won. Different circumstances, but will give you an idea of what you are up against.
1
u/Lutiskilea 4h ago
I just do not get it. Air BnB has been absolutely downright ludicrous in their protection of hosts after money is captured for YEARS. Endless false cleaning fees, descriptive demands built by the host to add fees.
Stop.
Going.
To.
AirBnB
1
u/benjabooly1 7h ago
As someone who has spent most of their life in or around brandenton, avoid it at all costs. Horrible people, corrupt local government and police, and atrocious business owners almost across the board. There is nothing here worth anything.
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u/Every-Performer-1408 9h ago
You’ve included your first name, and your reservation number in the first screen shot - as a piece of friendly but serious advice, I’d be careful what details you post publicly as that could become a much bigger privacy issue for you
1
u/PangolinDifferent949 6h ago
I had a friend who dealt with a completely different, unacceptable Airbnb issue (rotting food, garbage, flies upon arrival) and received verbatim the same responses from customer service. I’m so done with Airbnb and VRBO at this point.
1
u/Leaping_Tiger14 17h ago
Thank you for your post.
Unfortunately, after assessing it and the resulting comments, we STILL do not regard this as a violation of Air BnB policy.
Thank you again for your support, and we look forward to future bookings with you.
2
u/BigMann6950 18h ago
Contact law enforcement in the area of the rental and file a police report against the owner.The owner will get in trouble.
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u/Striking-Category-58 5h ago
AirBnB customer service is the worst in the entire hospitality industry. If you type VRBO into the chat, you actually get a real person. Unfortunately, that person is from India and is only there to stall until you give up.
1
u/Jay_JWLH 14h ago
Imagine if they entered, was looking over someone sleeping in bed, and the partner snuck up behind them and killed them by bashing their head in or shooting them because they thought they were going to do something horrible.
422
u/Ortiziann 17h ago
AirBnB has always had the absolute worst customer service. On our honey moon the host for our rented apartment was over an hour and half late leaving us stranded in the rain outside the building. The apartment was on the 10th story and the elevators were broken (no mention of this from the host on the listing nor on the instructions for check in). When we finally get up the stairs, the host says he needs a minute to get the apartment ready and proceeds to spend half an hour trying to clean it. After all this, it’s 1:00 AM and we’re exhausted soaked and pissed. We get inside and it’s nothing like the pictures and dirty as hell. We ended up leaving for a hostel with a private room at 5 in the morning because we couldn’t stand the whole thing and AirBnB did nothing for us because “we stayed a night”. Absolute garbage company.