Nightmare
The flat was unsanitary, stuffy and smelly; there were roach traps everywhere and dead insects. There was no bed as listed (airbnb changed it after my complaint from Beds 1 to Beds 0). The “bed” was an overused, worn-out, smelly two-seat sofa; not a sofa-bed or even a sofa big enough for a person to fit in. Fridge had leftovers from other people. Clothes were hanging to dry out in the kitchen, I don't know whose. Linen and towels, along with whole flat, were filthy and smelly. I have never seen a more neglected flat. When I told the host I could not sleep there, he never offered a solution – he was just upset that airbnb may take away his “superhost” benefits.
But the real horror here is not the host, it is airbnb. When I booked, I thought, well, even if the flat is not what it looks like and the host is not responsive, airbnb is here to protect me, right? Wrong! The real terror started when I contacted airbnb customer service. If you want a refund, there is a very long list or requirements you need to meet. And if you do meet those, there is more! Until you are so fed up you give up.
Airbnb has perfectly excluded itself from any responsibility – if anything goes wrong, you're on your own in a strange city. They magically disappear. After I contacted airbnb (I was in urgency, homeless) a woman replied the next day saying “oh, I'm off in one hour and I'll be away for 48 hours (!) Is that a company that cares about its customers? From my experience, airbnb shows no respect for its guests, no respect for its hosts (I suspect that in case of dispute, airbnb keeps the money, not the host). It's just another company who thinks it has grown powerful enough to treat its guests and hosts like garbage. No matter what, airbnb customer service seem DETERMINED NEVER TO REFUND. Even if one manages to get a refund after heroic efforts, the mental anguish this company puts you through is beyond imagination. Don't give them the satisfaction. Read newspaper articles about them. Check out airbnb hell stories on the internet. Stay away.