What can I say about the disastrous way in which my booking was handled? I booked an apartment with this host, who works for an Airbnb booking company named BAKAN; and planned to stay in a beautiful apartment during the Montreal Grand Prix just this past June 19/22. I found the booking for an incredible price, much lower than all the other bookings in the area and the city. Lucky me! They accepted my payment in full. When the host realized this, they violated Airbnb policy by calling me to attempt to renegotiate the price. Of course, I refused, because it's the law. Once it's on the product, that's what you pay, seller beware. Just days before my arrival, the host calls me telling me the apartment is unavailable due to a "pipe leak." (Sure..., on the busiest weekend in Montreal). Yet another communication violation of Airbnb policy. While effort was made to rebook me into a comparable apartment, it was only for one night and my party of 6 was subsequently obliged to take another apartment offered by the host, of much lower quality, which could only sleep 4. I asked for a solution, honouring my booking, even a cot/bed/sofa bed to sleep on and they couldn't even get it together for such a simple request. People in my party had to rotate through sleeping on the floor. Had that issue been solved, I would not even be writing this review. Sometimes challenges happen and you need to make the most of it. What really bothered me here was being left to my own devices to figure out how to solve a problem they caused. They offered a refund. Thank you very much: would you offer a refund for my travel costs too? How about the vast sum paid for Grand Prix tickets? And after offering the refund, where would I stay during one of the busiest weekends in Montreal? BAKAN and Jeremie showed a callousness towards the experience of the traveller. I'm just sheeple. But everyone in our party worked really hard to enjoy this weekend, and it was basically ruined. We simply had to make the best out of what we had to work with. The very worst criticism comes from Airbnb staff and in particular, management, especially the higher ups. I was hung-up on, treated with platitudes instead of solutions, and generally left to fend for myself because I had no choice but to accept the solution of the host and its disastrous consequences. It was either that or sleeping under a bridge! Where else would I have found a booking on the busiest booking weekend in Montreal? Airbnb could have secured a potential booking and then asked if I would accept it, but no, all they offered was a refund and "help" to rebook. Where? What quality?
What can you expect when customer service representatives barely make a living wage? Management in Airbnb is responsible for this fiasco. They collude with unscrupulous hosts to drive up the price of accommodations so they can make a tidier profit on behalf of their shareholders. This has never happened to me in a hotel. Beware of Airbnb. Their interest is in booking volume, and not at all in your experience. I doubt they even care too much about the host. I'll be moving to another platform as soon as all my bookings with Airbnb are complete.