As an AirBnB host I understand that sometimes things appliances break or things go wrong, however, our stay at Blvd Saint Michel was neglectful.
The apartment itself was clean, spacious, convenient to two metro stops, had a comfortable bed and was within walking distance to Saint Chappel, Notre-Dame, Pantheon, Cluny Museum, Odeon and Luxembourg Palace and Gardens… but the extent of it’s appeal ended there.
The host was mostly non-communicative with us until after we arrived and delegated my messages to her co-workers. The stove, TV, air conditioner and refrigerator did not work properly or when we arrived. It took 3 days for someone to come fix the stove and TV because they only work from 10-6 but the AC was not repaired and did not cool the apartment for the duration of our stay. The apartment was hot and sticky at night because we had to keep the windows closed due to the constant street noise. The AC was an extra amenity that came with a higher per night rate but it is why we chose this location over other locations without AC. We were not refunded for this premium amenity that did not work.
Lastly, 3 nights before we were suppose to checkout water started pouring from a light fixture in the bathroom ceiling. This was not a trickle.. it was a fountain of water. It was apparent that a pipe has burst somewhere above the bathroom.
After several messages to the Delphine and AirBnB AirCover, she came by the apartment to see if they could fix the issue. They could not. Delphine and AirBnB left us in the apartment in this unsafe condition. They did not offer us a new location for the night, find us an alternate place to stay or assist us in getting to safety at 2am in Paris. They just left us there because last minute Paris hotels are too expensive.
Compounding the issues I had with the host, AirBnB’s AirCover and support team literally abandoned us during our two week stay. It was an experience that no one should have to go through while they are on vacation in a foreign country.
The AirCover ‘equal or better’ policy is really a ‘we’ll refund you in 7-15 days for this place but you still have to pay out of pocket for a new place to stay while you are there.’ Not really an ideal option or situation for budget travelers like me that don’t have an extra $10k to find last minute accommodations in Paris.
5 days after we returned to the US and after several unreturned calls to AirBnB support, a kind AirBnB support person finally helped me get a small refund for the last three days we did not stay in the apartment. They also gave me a coupon to use for a future AirBnB stay…. but my child and I were treated so poorly by all parties during this ordeal that it will take much more than a token refund to restore my trust in AirBnB as a safe vacation rental platform.